NHTSA Complaint #706382 — 1998 GMC SIERRA

ON REPEATED TIMES BRAKING AT LIGHTS AND STOP SIGNS WITH AN ROUGH ROAD SURFACE THE REAR TIRES WILL SKIP, THE ABS SYSTEM WILL BUZZ, THE BRAKE PEDAL WILL GO DOWN BELOW THE PRESSURE I AM APPLYING AND IT FEELS LIKE THE TRUCK WILL NOT STOP. ONCE THE TRUCK HAS STOPPED THE BRAKE PEDAL IS ON THE FLOOR. WHEN RELEASED IT SLOWLY COMES BACK UP. WHEN ACCELERATING AWAY FROM THIS STOP, IT FEELS LIKE THE BRAKES ARE STILL APPLIED. I HAVE LEARNED AFTER MANY TIMES OF THIS HAPPENING I HAVE TO STOP THE TRUCK, BACK UP A BIT AND I CAN FEEL THEM RELEASE. I CAN DRIVE NORMALLY THEN. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, IT IS A INTERMITTENT PROBLEM, AND I HAVE REACHED MY DESTINATION I CAN SMELL THE BRAKES IN THE FRONT AS IF THEY HAVE BEEN APPLIED WHILE DRIVING. THE ROTORS ARE NOW BLUE AND THE PADS ARE NOW WORN DOWN TO LESS THAN 30% OF FACTORY THICKNESS. THE DEALER ON THREE OCCASIONS HAS SAID THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE THIS PROBLEM. IT IS MY DRIVING HABITS ON THE BRAKE WEAR AND IS COMMON FOR THIS MODEL TO WEAR BRAKES LIKE THIS AT THIS MILEAGE. I ALSO CAN NOT STOP THIS VEHICLE ON A PANIC STOP SITUATION. LAST MONTH I HAD TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN A PANIC AT 2-3 MPH. I HIT THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE NOSED DOWN, THE ABS BUZZED AND THE TRUCK CONTINUED TO ROLL INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ON THE FLOOR WITH NO FURTHER TRAVEL LEFT. I WAS STANDING ON THE PEDAL PULLING UP ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE TRUCK WOULD NOT STOP. THE NEXT MORNING I TOOK IT BACK TO THE SELLING DEALER DURANT AUTOPLEX. I COULD DEMONSTRATE THIS CONDITION AS COULD THE SERVICE MANAGER. HE SAID THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR THIS VEHICLE. HE EVEN SAID HIS DEMO WAS WORSE THAN MINE. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH HIM AND GMC. I HAD MY TRUCK FIXED AND RON BAYERS THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE HAD THE ABS SYSTEM CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECKED AND FOUND NO FAULT WITH ANY COMPONENT IN THE ABS SYSTEM. HE SAID THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS FROM OWNERS WITH SIMILAR VEHICLE THAT CAN NOT STOP THEM UNDER A PANIC STOP EVEN AT HWY SPEEDS. WHAT DO I DO? PLEASE ADVISE. *AK