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Chevy Express/GMC Savana: Brakes

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Comments

  • taximechtaximech Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 chevy express that has developed a shudder in the rear brakes. At a low speed the brakes will grab very hard causing a shudder in the rear end. It does not do it when stopping from a high speed just as you creep thru a parking lot at low speeds. The only way to stop it for a time is to drive in reverse and let them adjust themselves. I have replaced the rear shoes and installed new hardware kits. Still same problem. This van is used as a taxi and all 3 of us in the shop are stumped. Anyone have an answer for us?
  • meg19meg19 Member Posts: 3
    HAVING SAME PROBLEM WITH MY 2008 CHEVY EXPRESS VAN
    MY PROBLEM ----COPY & PASTED FROM ANOTHER THREAD----

    I bought it certified with 14,000 miles. It came with a 36,000 warrenty. I now have 94,000 miles on the vehicle and I am on my fourth set of rotors!! And on top of that I have the original brake pads. As a matter of fact from 14,000 mi to 94,000 my brake pads have not worn at all. Chevy gives you a print out of how much remaining brake pad is left and my brakes have not worn AT ALL in 60,000 miles. Every old school mechanic I talk to says this is a RED FLAG that my brakes are not operating properly. I had to cut the rotors at 30,000, and then at 50,000 they were warped and too thin to resurface. I Replaced them again. At 80,000 I had to have them cut because they were warped. Then at 85,000 I had to have them replaced again because they were warped. I live in Illinois but use the vehicle for a business that has me traveling from state to state. Everytime I take it in the rolling hills of Missouri, of god forbid the mountains of Colorado, after 1 hour of hills or mountains, I can feel that they are warped. Within 1 hour of mountain driving my rotors get to hot that when I brake, my whole steering column shakes and the vehicle swerves to hard that I can barely stay within the lines on the interstate. I seriously feared for my life the four times that this has happened. I have tried to have Chevy look into this and everytime they just slap new rotors on and send me on my way. I keep telling them there is something else wrong. They give a 12,000 mile warrenty on rotors and they are warping in half that time. Chevy has had to replace them for free under warrenty 3 times and I have had to pay once. I feel like all they want to do is slap new parts on instead of finding the problem or having a
    RECALL! As a matter of fact my dealer told me that they have a couple other customers that use their Chevy 3500 Express Van as a work truck and that the same thing keeps happening to them. They try to tell me it must be my driving/braking in mountains. First of all I grew up in Colorado and had a 1984 Dodge Ram Van and never put rotors on in less that 100,000. I know how to drive in the mountains. I have spoke to corporate, who agrees something else is wrong but they won't do anything about it. They say they've checked everything. But they won't check the pressure in the master cylander with a gauge. I finally got the service supervisor to admit to me that these vehicles have crappy metal rotors from China and that they have been failing in the saftey lane tests for their ability to brake and stop in the required distance. I bought the 3500 1 ton van because I believed it would last me for years as a work vehicle. I feel that my vehicle was overated to it's weight limit and it cannot stop itself if it has ANY kind of load in the cargo area. It's just really scary because I use it for work and I have to travel to these areas and I fear for my life everytime I drive in the mountains. I am going to be writing to all kinds of people at Chevy as well as the better business bureau. I have already filed a complaint with the US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTAION HIGHWAY SAFETY ADMINISTATION. THERE NUMBER IS 1-888-37-4236. IF CHEVY RECEIVES 3O OR MORE COMPLAINTS A RECALL INVESTIGATION WILL BE LAUNCHED. I am also going to contact a local Chicago newspaper writer who takes on stories like this when people are wronged by corporations. This isn't really about being wronged as much as it is about being safe.
  • wheels88wheels88 Member Posts: 11
    I have the same problem. I've got a 2009 GMC Savana 3500 van conversion. I bought the HD model specifically for towing my 7500 pound travel trailer (fully loaded) in the High Sierras. Van is rated to tow 10,000 pounds with its 4.10 gearing. While descending Sherwin Grade, 10 miles, 6% grade, north of Bishop, California, in my new van with trailer, the first and every time since I have had the front end shake severely when applying the brakes. The trailer has its own brakes to assist in braking. The last time in September I had to downshift to 3rd, 2nd, & 1st gears. The grade was too much for the van and trailer, getting up to 40 MPH in 1st, and I had to use the van brakes to assist. The plulsating in the front end/steering wheel, was severe. Once I got off the grade and into town the brakes were fine, not used. Didn't have anymore problems with them on the trip.

    When I got home I took the van to the local Chevrolet dealership. The local GMC dealer had gone out of business. I explained what had happen. They checked it out and put the following information on my invoice..."SEE BULLETIN NOTE WHEN BRAKES ARE HOT WILL PULSATE THEN WHEN COOLED NORMAL
    #843615 PER TAC NO REPAIRS AT THIS TIME CASE #71-877103556 DAVE COPELAND. Wow, what a cop out. They know these brakes are dangerous and won't do anything about it. The owners manual in section 4, item 15, states that "if you don't shift down, the brakes could get so hot that they would not work well, You would then have poor braking or even none going down a hill. You could crash." Unbelievable, but true. Service Manager says this is all my fault due to the upgraded tires and rims on the vehicle. General Manager looking for ways to blame me for this also. Had the tires checked to see if they were the same size as original tires. They were. He wanted me to take trailer back to the High Sierras and use original equipment rims that he would furnish and see if the problem was still there. Initially I said I'd think about it but after see the acknowledgment in the owners manual I felt that would be a waste of time and called back and left a voice mail saying that wasn't going to happen and I would have to try other alternatives. You should of seen all the bees coming out of the hive when I showed up with my picket sign saying "GM SUCKS". I was told the GM would be calling me today.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    wheels88,
    I would like to set up a case for you and have someone look into this further for you. Please e-mail me with your complete contact information, VIN, current mileage, and involved dealer. I look forward to your response.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • workvan3workvan3 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 Chevy Express 3500 with the same problem. I have driven the van since new and it now has approx 42,000 miles. I had the discs turned a couple years ago. On only two certain hills in our area, when I have to pump the brakes, a slight vibration will start and increase with each pump until the steering wheel shakes uncontrollably. This is a dangerous and severe condition. I called one dealer one time to ask about this and got the same corporate type response. I do not have time to go through the BS. I just avoid these two hills for now. The brakes work fine otherwise, even on bigger hills. Even before reading this blog I was sure that other people were having the same problem. I am also sure that the solution is known. I am not looking for anything for free. I would just like to know what the solution is so that I can resolve this issue on what is otherwise a great vehicle.
  • wheels88wheels88 Member Posts: 11
    Update as of 11-7-10, 0612 hrs: General Manager at Chevy dealership tells me he has been talking with headquarters about the problem. The 2011 trucks are coming out with larger brakes and they are checking to see if they will fit on my van. Will update this post when I hear something..........wheels88
  • wheels88wheels88 Member Posts: 11
    This is an update dated 11-18-10, of #50 of 50. I filed a complaint with General Motors. Their regional representative has called me twice since then telling me they won't correct my brake problems. Gee, what a surprise. Then, later in the day, the service manager at Delillo Chevy in Huntington Beach, CA., called to tell me the same thing. Since they can't duplicate the same driving situation here (6%, 10 mile downgrade towing 7500 lb. trailer) they can't help. (The brakes situation exists even when not towing, per owners manual warning, chapter 4. section 15. When asked about the bigger brakes on 2011 trucks he said that is only for trucks. The last time I checked a van is a truck! I asked if they are upgrading the brakes in trucks because the brakes on current model in insufficient. He said they upgrade things all the time, but wouldn't comment on what I said. He agreed with me that I was back at "square one". I then told him that I would have to start over my "square one" activities by picketing again with my updated picket sign of "GM BRAKES SUCK! " He asked what good would that do. I told him it would let the 1,000+ cars that drive by his location hourly know about the brake problems with GM vehicles. I'll bet he was in a full sprint to the General Managers office when we hung up.....wheels88
  • acts2_38acts2_38 Member Posts: 3
    We have a 2004 Chevy 3500 15 passenger that is having this same violent shaking while braking at speed going down a mountain highway. However, we've seen this problem at other times as well. We've seen it during general driving at both high and low speeds over flat terrain - though it does tend to be "triggered" by applying the brakes. The only way to stop the violent shaking is to slow down so to < 10mph and it self-resolves and then we can go again.

    Talking to people that were driving next to us they tell us that it looks like it's bouncing so violently that it's going to rip away from the van. Seems focused on the front left side. We've had wheels rotated, brakes done, alignments from several shops. Still having problems with this.

    Quite scary when it happens.
  • wheels88wheels88 Member Posts: 11
    Your brakes are getting hot. The rotors are warping when the get hot. When they cool down they (unwarp) and start functioning properly. That's what they printed on my work order, but not in as much detail I have listed here. Slotted, drilled, or dimpled rotors help disapate the heat better than standard rotors. File an official complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Here in California, I'm also filing a complaint with the Bureau of Automotive Repair. Also file a complaint with General Motors. If we can get enough people having this problem file complaints we could get a recall. You can file on line with NHTSA and BAR. You speak with someone at GM. I've picketed a local Chevy location twice because the local GM dealership went out of business. "GM BRAKES SUCK" is a great picket sign, don't you think? wheels88
  • dylan214udylan214u Member Posts: 1
    O4 Chevy Savana 3500 with same problem. Have taken it in and the only thing the shop has told me is warped rotors. That can't be cause I've replaced them twice. It always comes right back within a few hundred miles. Is something causing the rotors to have too much pressure on them when not applied that could cause these suckers to warp? I don't know, but the shake is violent and dangerous. I guess we need a death first?!
  • wheels88wheels88 Member Posts: 11
  • acts2_38acts2_38 Member Posts: 3
    edited January 2011
    Here's the link.
    https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

    You have to request a "Portable form" that is emailed to you. Weird but whatever.

    Upgrading to a heavier brake rotor and new tires does seem to have fixed the issue for us. Not sure which was the "trick" but guessing the brakes since rotating the previous tires didn't fix it (those tires were in great shape - just got paranoid and wanted the wife and kids safe so I traded it all out). No problems for about 3 months now. Maybe it's fixed for good? Pray so.
  • wheels88wheels88 Member Posts: 11
    Wheels88 here. This is an update on my activities. I went ahead and upgraded my brakes at my expense. For $2,066.12, I got 4 new rotors that are slotted and dimpled. These are classified as performance rotors for people who need better brakes than original equipment can provide. I haven't had the opportunity to really test them as I won't be in the High Sierras until this summer. They work fine in the city, as did the original brakes did.

    The California Bureau of Automotive Repair wasn't able to do much for me but they did go to the Chevy dealership I had been picketing and stirred things up a bit. The end result was nothing could be done but the dealership realized I wasn't going to go away. The next time I showed up with my picket sign the General Manager came out. I told him about the upgrade I had made and offered him a copy of the bill it if he wanted it. He took the copy and said he would contact GM again and see if he could get a different response from them. I told him I would accept a 50% reimbursement from GM. I also told him to be sure to tell GM that I am retired and have plenty of time to picket and that I was not going to just go away, like I'm sure they were counting on. I also told him I was not looking for reimbursement from his dealership as this was a GM problem, not his.
    A week later I received a phone call stating GM would reimburse me my requested 50% as a good will gesture (something like that). One week later I received my check for $1,033.06. PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF! I know most people don't have the time to do what I did, but when you've been wronged don't give up. What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong, and General Motors was wrong to supply us with brakes that are inadequate (according to their own statements). What is needed is a recall on all of those vans, 1500, 2500, and 3500 series.
  • theodowtheodow Member Posts: 4
    What is the make of your upgrade; maybe Brembo??. I am driving with a Conversion GMC Savana 2500, extended wheelbase. I also have a lot of problems with the brakes. I am driving in the Netherlands, Europe. Its unbelieveable that GMC does not solve the problem. I already changed the rotors twice (EBC and Frozen Rotors Hawk) but still I have the problem. My car has only 20.000 miles on the clock and GMC pushes me to drive in only the first gear otherwise the brakes become to hot, its really unbelieveable.
  • wheels88wheels88 Member Posts: 11
    edited February 2011
    They didn't put the brand name of the rotors on the work bill. I can tell you that they came in a black box and that they were dimpled and slotted. The dimpling was done inside the slightly curved slots. I haven't had a chance to test them yet. That won't come until late July this year when I tow my travel trailer up to the High Sierras and then home. Coming home will be the real test. I'll be going back in September to do the same thing.

    When I asked them if I'm in 1st gear going down hill and my speed is getting excessive and my brakes shudder violently from earlier braking, what am I supposed to do? They had a great response..... "I don't know".
  • wheels88wheels88 Member Posts: 11
    wheels88 here. This info is directed to our friend in the Netherlands(reply #59), with the GMC 2500 Savana. I just located the box my new rotors came in. They were manufactured by aFe. Their web site is aFe.com (capital "F").
  • d4belld4bell Member Posts: 2
    I am having a problem finding torsion keys to lift my 03 express 2500 6 lug awd. For tire clearance. I want to raise it without sinching down the bolts and making for a rough ride. Anybody know if aftermarket Danali/Escalade/Tahoe 1500 awd keys that were re-indexed will accomplish this? Any ideas
  • theodowtheodow Member Posts: 4
    Hello wheels88,

    Thanks for the info, I will check it.
  • theodowtheodow Member Posts: 4
    Hello wheels 88,

    Website aFe is not in use, please check the name: I suggest ATE (is a big brand name)

    Greetings from the Netherlands
  • wheels88wheels88 Member Posts: 11
    I called the performance shop that installed my brake system. They are EBC brand performance rotors. I went on the internet and found them quickly. The rotors they show on their home page are the ones I got. There are several positive comments about the rotors on the site. I hope this helps.

    I haven't had a chance to test my new brakes in the High Sierras mountain range here in California, but will be doing so at the end of July while I'm towing my 7600 pound travel trailer. I hope this works for the both of us.
  • clintonaclintona Member Posts: 1
    When I apply the brake pedal slowly or gently, the pedal feels normal and the brakes apply as they should. When I tap the brake pedal quickly, as when somebody cuts me off, the brake pedal pushes-back on my foot noticeably before applying the brakes. I can get this symptom to repeat every time I 'tap' the brake pedal, as opposed to depressing it slowly.
    The mechanic has replaced my hydro-boost twice with re-manufactured parts, and the problem still continues. Any suggestions?
  • badchevybrakesbadchevybrakes Member Posts: 1
    edited June 2011
    My chevy van has almost killed us multiple times so I am very interested in this repair. Can you tell me if you used the sports or the ultimax EBC rotors? Also, it was recommended that I use the "green stuff" pads. Any thoughts on this? Thanks. Has anyone else had any success in getting gm to pay (or pay part of) this repair? My dealership went out of business. :lemon:
  • mikemuthmikemuth Member Posts: 1
    Hi Guys,

    I just happenned to come across this post and decided to contribute my 2 cents. I am from Canada and I rented a GMC Svana 3500 van last July to go to Florida. When we were coming back, just past Beckley on a down slope when I stepped on the brake, the whole van including the steering wheel started to virate very badly. I managed to drive back to Toronto by controlling the speed with gears. I mentioned this to the reental company.

    Again I rented another GMC Savana 3500 this month to go to Myrtle beach and just past Morgantown on I-68 the same thing happened. I was surprised to go through this again. I managed the whole trip by driving on low gear.
    And now I come across this posts. GM should be ashamed of this.
  • wheels88wheels88 Member Posts: 11
    I am one of those people who is not mechanically talented so I depend on the experts in their field to do the right thing for me. Hence, I couldn't tell you whether sports or ultimax EBC rotors were used or what type of brake pads were used. Contact OCDiesel.com. They are very helpful and explained things to me so I could understand them. Ask for O-ney or Doug, and refer them to the fix they did on my van in December of last year. They'll remember. As far as getting reimbursement from GM and your dealership having closed down, don't worry about that. Persistance is the big thing. The dealership I was picketing was not where I bought the van. The van was purchased at a GM dealership 30 miles away from where I live, due to the van conversion I had done on it. It is located on a dead-end street, no traffic going by to see my picket sign, so I went to the nearest GM dealership to my house, 2 miles away. It is located on a very busy state highway...lots of vehicles going by. I was amazed how upset they got. "GM SUCKS" and
    "GM BRAKES SUCK" were not the kind of signs they wanted in front of their business. I was turned down by GM for any reimbursement. The picketing and persistance was the only thing that got me any reimbursement at all. I told them I would accept 50% reimbursement and gave the general manager a copy of the bill. Good luck. Be persistent. Don't just go away. They are counting on you doing just that....giving up!
  • praughpraugh Member Posts: 3
    Like numerous other people here, we have experienced the severe brake shudder while going down extended downgrades. We always have to downshift and still experience the brake shudder. If we don't downshift we'll experience extreme shaking that feels almost as if we have two flat tires on the front. As is typical for everyone else, the shudder goes away once the brakes have had a chance to cool. We have had our brakes and rotors replaced, but the problem still has not gone away. Has anyone found a real fix for this issue? Wheels88...have your new rotors been tested in the mountains yet?
  • wheels88wheels88 Member Posts: 11
    wheels88 here. Yes, my new rotors were tested coming back from the High Sierras on Sherwin Grade, a 10 mile, 6% downhill run last week. They performed like they should, slowing me down while towing my 7600 pound traveltrailer. I also had one more lengthy downhill stretch, the Cajon Pass. Everything was fine. Rotors were EBC brand and were slotted and dimpled, allowing the heat to disipate rapidly.
  • theodowtheodow Member Posts: 4
    Hello Everybody,

    I Bought Brembo sport slotted brake discs, http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/results.jsp?autoMake=GMC&autoModel=Savana&autoYea- r=2009&autoModClar=2500+8-Lug. I am very happy, these are oke, no problems with shuddering anymore. I already tried EBC and frozen rotors, both didn't work. Also now I know brake pads are not importand, i my case they are not responsable for shuddering
  • pete560pete560 Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem with a 1999 express 3500. have you had anyone diagnose the problem correctly? have you fixed the issue? pleaseeeee let me know.THANKS!
  • lyndonklyndonk Member Posts: 1
    I too have this problem on a 2000 Express 3500 Chinook RV. The previous poster indicated that EBC and Frozen Rotors did not fix the problem and, as of the writing, that Brembo rotors did resolve the problem. I assume all of those rotors were slotted? Apparently, Brembo does not supply slotted, drilled or dimpled rotors for the 2000 year model. I am concerned that the choice of rotor is critical and you could completely waste a lot of money on the wrong replacement. Since this problem is intermittent and usually triggered by a downhill grade, it seems that some of the folks here may not have had the chance to determine if the fix is for good. In my experience, the shuddering does not always happen. One test may not be sufficient as it may take a while for the replacement rotor to become warped.

    I am also confused about people who are saying it is the rear brakes that are shuddering. In mine, it does feel like it is the rear that is shuddering but I also can feel the warped rotors pulsing the front brakes at times - particularly braking downhill when the shuddering is not happening. My steering wheel does not shake violently. I can believe that the front rotors are the problem even though it feels like the vibration is coming from the rear or through the drivetrain. Before I experienced the shuddering problem, I had already decided that my rotors should be replaced.

    I also get some vibration at higher speeds that feels like out of balance wheels. I had my wheels balanced. Can these warped rotors add to the wheel vibration? Was your ride smoother after replacing them?

    So: Is there a separate rear brake problem? Or is all of this really about front rotors?

    How sensitive is the choice of replacement rotor? Is a quality brand slotted or slotted and dimpled rotor sufficient?

    What brand of rotor should I trust? Obviosly not the GM OEM.

    It would be great if anyone can update us on how their repair has held up.
    Thanks
  • acts2_38acts2_38 Member Posts: 3
    For us, there were times where the shuddering came from the front and the rear, but I agree, it did seem focused on the front. Your front brakes do most of the work so it makes sense most of the vibration would come from there. We replaced the front and rear rotors at the same time (wish I had "kept" the old ones to verify the warping amount). We didn't go with the high end Brembos, instead with the best rotors offered by Pepboys that didn't have the slotting (I'm paranoid about them cracking at the slots - just me). No idea the brand - I think the key is mainly upgrade from OEM. However, as an RV you are running heavy. I'd tell you get as nice as you can. If Brembo offers a non-slotted that might be ok. Their quality of materials is high.

    I think the issue may be a combination of brakes and suspension design.

    Regarding your comment about feeling out of balance while driving normally - we ran into this some.

    We saw two types:
    #1: a all-the-time mild shake at highway speeds. This occurred even after we had the wheels computer balanced at two different shops.
    #2: About once a month it would actually begin the violent front-end-shaking just with normal driving (without braking) where we would have to slow down to <10mph for it to halt. I think it to have been a combination of harmonics of bumps in the road coupling with a possibly warped rotor lightly touching the pads at just the right time.

    We verified it wasn't a alignment/caster issue - again checked at two different shops/companies using computer alignment equipment.

    Only after changing the brake rotors have these issues resolved.
    We've not had the problem for almost a year, with lots of miles. Not one time. I have no doubt the issue is with the rotors (and some collision with the suspension design).
  • meg19meg19 Member Posts: 3
    UPDATE: My Chevy Express Van now has 130,000 miles on it and it still has it's original brakes to date. I was at Chevy today and during the multi point inspection they specified that my brakes are still at 5mm. Yet I am on my 7 set of rotors.....and Chevy thinks there is nothing wrong with this.....at least corporate does....any mechanic you tell this too will say your brakes must not be operating correctly but when it was evaluated by corperate they told me there was nothing they can do. I can't believe how many similar stories I have heard and yet they haven't done anything....remember the GM at my Chevy has admitted to me that these vehicles are failing in the safety test lanes....so they are aware of it. You can do your part by contacting the US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTAION HIGHWAY SAFETY ADMINISTATION. THERE NUMBER IS 1-888-37-4236. IF CHEVY RECEIVES 3O OR MORE COMPLAINTS A RECALL INVESTIGATION WILL BE LAUNCHED. We have more than 30 people here who have posted a similar story....we can force them to change this....PLEASE FILE A COMPLAINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • hightechhightech Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 Chevrolet Astro, the brake and ABS warning lights come on every once in a while when there is a bump or dip in the road. Can anyone help me with this problem?
  • praughpraugh Member Posts: 3
    Just an update to my 04 Express brake issues...I found 1 guide bolt on each of the rear brakes completely corroded and inoperable. So, my front brakes had been doing almost all the braking. After replacing the original rotors, brake pads, and guide bolts my brake issues have gone away completely. I did the repair last summer, and all is still good!
  • steven83steven83 Member Posts: 1
    I've got the same problem when I rented the Savana 3500, but this time from Toronto to Montreal. So I swore never again rent a Savana even if is very comfortable. Few months ago I decided to rent a cargo Van Ford E350 and it was the best decision I ever made.
    670 Km in few hours, no break problems. Specially the rental company gave me a lot of confidence.
    http://www.advantagecarrentals.com/car-rental-toronto-airport
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