# Brake problems



## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

2 things could of happened. Either your brake lines are faulty and have a leak or your calipers are stuck. Or even something came loose when it shouldn't have. Whatever it is I'm sure you dealership will get it fixed.

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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Sounds like the vacuum brake motor switch issue. 
1. What did the dealer say about the issue? 
2. There was a recall for the brake motor switch some time ago. 
3. Did your car qualify? if so, did it get the fix? 
4. How many miles on the car now? 
5. Did someone check the brake rotors for run out (warpage) or if a caliper was hanging up and dragging on the rotor? 
6. Do you have a different dealer to take it to?


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## Zach.K (Apr 17, 2014)

If they were leaking it would NOT have just started braking. It wouldn't have braked all of a sudden. So no it in no way is a brake line issue. 

That being said I seem to remember reading about a few people with booster issues? Can someone confirm. I will look in the mean time. 

Sent from my Thumbs.


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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

Dealer doesn't know what's going on. Obviously since I haven't heard a single word from them since dropping it off. Common courtesy you would think they would call to at least say they need to keep it over night. I had the micro switch recall done about 6-8 weeks ago. The car has 31,700 miles on it now. As for another dealer, there's one further away from home I could try if this one doesn't get it together. I'm not sure what they checked last time. (I'm a woman, no matter where I go it seems nobody takes me seriously about car issues and they take advantage of me because I know nothing about fixing a car.) I do know that when you've driven a car for a while, like your own heartbeat, you know when something isn't right.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

I don't remember the website for checking VIN numbers for GM recalls. Can someone who knows it post it here for Cruse11 so she can check for herself and be better educated than the dealer? Thanks


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## Zach.K (Apr 17, 2014)

Here

https://my.gm.com/web/portal/_warrantyandrecalls

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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

Just checked. No active recalls listed. Man I hope the dealer figures this out. I love my car but right now I'm scared to death to drive it. Thanks guys.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Since you haven't heard from your dealership drop by tomorrow. I suspect they found something and had to wait for parts, but not contacting you about your car is lousy customer service. If you don't have time to drop in, PM the Chevy Customer Care folks here with your VIN and dealership information and ask them to contact the dealership for you.


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## Vetterin (Mar 27, 2011)

.....and I have the funny feeling that the dealer still has the car because they are "unable to duplicate the problem........no problem found". For OP's sake, I hope I'm wrong.


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## Zach.K (Apr 17, 2014)

Vetterin said:


> .....and I have the funny feeling that the dealer still has the car because they are "unable to duplicate the problem........no problem found". For OP's sake, I hope I'm wrong.



Those my favorite. Thats when I get the service manager to take a ride with me. lol I bet with brake issues though they would be very hesitant to actually drive the car though.


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## stamas (Mar 7, 2014)

Zach.K said:


> Those my favorite. Thats when I get the service manager to take a ride with me. lol I bet with brake issues though they would be very hesitant to actually drive the car though.


your right there . i hope they do sort it people dont just come knocking on your garage door complaining there brake have FAILED for no reason . i hope they sort it befor sombody gets hurt


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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

Well, you got it right!!!! They have no clue what is going on. I left them a message yesterday evening since I never heard from them on a status of the car. As of noon today, still no word from the. So I called them myself to request an update. The service agent had no clue, no service notes in the computer. "Well I guess I need to go back there and see what's going on." Ya think? Around 1:30 - 2pm, they call my husband as I had requested when I dropped the car off so that he can do the talking being that he is a male. They told him they don't know what is wrong with the car. The service tech could not duplicate the issue so a manager was going to take the car out driving and see if he could duplicate the issue. I guess I was just board and decided to make up a brake problem on my car so I could be inconvenienced by not having my car for days. ~complete sarcasm. The issue has happened twice, once in a parking lot in reverse, the other on the interstate. I mean does something drastic have to happen to finally realize there is a problem? As stated, I love my Cruze. We love Chevy. (we do not allow anything but Chevy in our driveway.) My guess is they will say there is nothing they can do. I told my husband we needed to make my living will and health care surrogate documents out.


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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

Ok, just got my diagnosis. Thought you all would want to know. THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP failed. Minimum estimate is $600 to repair. The service agent has a call out to GM to see if this can be a covered service since my bumper to bumper warranty expired 2 weeks ago. We thought it expired in June. I have another bumper to bumper warranty but it has a fine print clause that states there is a 30 day, 1,000 mile window where it won't cover. So looks like they will have my car until possibly Monday. VERY UNHAPPY LOYAL CHEVY CUSTOMER HERE RIGHT NOW. Thinking of buying a Hyundai.


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## Zach.K (Apr 17, 2014)

Cruise11 said:


> Ok, just got my diagnosis. Thought you all would want to know. THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP failed. Minimum estimate is $600 to repair. The service agent has a call out to GM to see if this can be a covered service since my bumper to bumper warranty expired 2 weeks ago. We thought it expired in June. I have another bumper to bumper warranty but it has a fine print clause that states there is a 30 day, 1,000 mile window where it won't cover. So looks like they will have my car until possibly Monday. VERY UNHAPPY LOYAL CHEVY CUSTOMER HERE RIGHT NOW. Thinking of buying a Hyundai.


Oh wow. 

At least they found the problem. I hope they get the warranty worked out. 

Sent from my Thumbs.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Cruise11 said:


> Ok, just got my diagnosis. Thought you all would want to know. THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP failed. Minimum estimate is $600 to repair. The service agent has a call out to GM to see if this can be a covered service since my bumper to bumper warranty expired 2 weeks ago. We thought it expired in June. I have another bumper to bumper warranty but it has a fine print clause that states there is a 30 day, 1,000 mile window where it won't cover. So looks like they will have my car until possibly Monday. VERY UNHAPPY LOYAL CHEVY CUSTOMER HERE RIGHT NOW. Thinking of buying a Hyundai.


Hello Cruise11,

I apologize for this. Please let us know what the outcome of the warranty will be at the dealership next week. We would appreciate the update and feedback from you. 

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

I'll let you know. If it's not covered by GM, I will be escalating this to a higher level. For no reason should a brake vacuum pump fail at 30,000 miles. I'm just over the poor customer service at this dealer and being held responsible for something that should not be an issue.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Cruise11 said:


> I'll let you know. If it's not covered by GM, I will be escalating this to a higher level. For no reason should a brake vacuum pump fail at 30,000 miles. I'm just over the poor customer service at this dealer and being held responsible for something that should not be an issue.


 *I can understand your frustration with your brake issue. Its a major safety topic. Its not an uncommon problem either. Other manufacturers are having a lot of issues as well. So its not just GM. Ive been down this road many times with warranty crap and ONE thing I learned is, No matter how much you want something to be done or worked out, in the end, it is NOT your call. There is rules and regulations to parts warranty status. People get that the wrong conception to buying a new car. They either think that it shouldn't ever break down because it being new, or they think they require no maintenance. So...when either of these things happen, guess what the reaction is to the owner. I big hissy fit. And I see that a lot on here, and even in person around here. The weird part is, its the sonic or cruze that I see these "issues". I had an A/C pressure control sensor go out on my brand spanking new cruze right out of the gate with only 586 miles on the thing. I wasn't pissed or anything...because I know parts fail. I know things will not be perfect like I want them to be. A car will NEVER be perfect. Im not saying this to upset you or anyone else, and im certainly not being rude about it. Im just letting you know. People just need to take a deep breath, take a step back, look at what they have in front of them, and realize it could be a lot worse. For example: My mom is jealous as **** of me right now because I have a brand new car that I got on my own, that doesn't have good credit, and I didn't need a co signer. She has better credit than me, cant get a loan for some reason, and she has a 2003 Chevrolet trailblazer with high miles on it. It still runs strong that's of course. I think you know where im going with this lol. Chevrolet and GM is really a good brand company to buy a car from. They just have some flaws with their dealerships customer service that's for sure. I had a few issues with my selling dealership with warranty work and it didn't go well. Long story short, I called GM, bitched and complained about how I was treated, they called the dealership and must have complained to them. I got a phone call later that day from the dealer, and they said I was no longer welcome there for services because I ratted them out to GM basically. Well you know what, I don't take no crap anybody. I sure as **** don't let a dealership bully me around when it comes to my car.*


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## trevor_geiger (Nov 29, 2012)

chevycruze2012 said:


> *They either think that it shouldn't ever break down because it being new, or they think they require no maintenance. So...when either of these things happen, guess what the reaction is to the owner. I big hissy fit. And I see that a lot on here, and even in person around here.*


People think a BRAND NEW car shouldn't break down or have anything wrong with it. People have the right to be pissed and throw a "big hissy fit" because they just dropped a lot of their hard earned money into something they trust as a reliable source of transportation. And again in America, citizens are allowed freedom of speech so therefore I think they can throw the biggest fit they please it's their life and they can live it how they want to. You also have the right to, if you don't want to see or read people complaints DON'T, they probably don't want to hear your opinion anyways. So yes people have the right to do what they want and act how they want. It's their life...


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

trevor_geiger said:


> People think a BRAND NEW car shouldn't break down or have anything wrong with it. People have the right to be pissed and throw a "big hissy fit" because they just dropped a lot of their hard earned money into something they trust as a reliable source of transportation. And again in America, citizens are allowed freedom of speech so therefore I think they can throw the biggest fit they please it's their life and they can live it how they want to. You also have the right to, if you don't want to see or read people complaints DON'T, they probably don't want to hear your opinion anyways. So yes people have the right to do what they want and act how they want. It's their life...


 *What im getting at is, people tend to make too big of a deal about it more than they should. I did only because I was being blamed for stuff I didn't do to my car when the dealership said I did. It wasn't because a part failed or something was out of the ordinary. I simply addressed it, asked them to fix it and then it went downhill from there. That's the story, and im sticking to it. But this isn't about me. This is about the OP. I realize people have the right to freedom of speech. I agree with mostly what you said. I know spending a lot of money on a car is a big step to take, so I get that what you said. That is just my .02 cents though.*


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I think OP is upset that his B2B ran out via months but the extended service contract doesn't kick in for another 1,000 miles. The brake issue, while fixable, should be covered under one or the other, especially if he purchased the extended service contract when he purchased his Cruze.


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## stamas (Mar 7, 2014)

no she should be angry. part of the braking system should not fail on a 3 year old car with 30k on it parts like that should be working at 300 percent . what if a child got killed because of it ? people have all the right in the World to complain about faulty brakes .


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## Psychomidgit (Jun 9, 2013)

I agree, she has every right to be upset, I would be too. It sucks that there's an uncovered window in the contract that they most likely made sure that they didn't cover when she signed it. But if they want to make a customer happy they should take care of something that's as important a part as that. 

Some of those extended warrantees are ridiculous. When I bought my Tahoe the door actuators in both front doors went out just after a month of having it and also had a power steering leak. I brought it in to get it covered under warranty and even told them exactly what it was. Of course the dealer had to "diagnose" them both. The funny thing about it is that the warranty company would cover the power steering hose, both actuators, the labor, and the diagnosis time for one of the actuators. They refused to cover the diagnosis time for the second actuator and would not pay for the cleaning up of the power steering fluid from the leak. The service writer ended up getting it comped due to me having just bought it and seeing how pissed off I was about it. But I just thought it was stupid how the warranty company was about it.


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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

Ok guys, yes I am upset over this. My B2B ran out 2 weeks ago. The original sell of the car was in June so we thought the B2B ran out in June. We had no kind of warning that it had already expired. The extended warranty when it was bought told me I was covered starting the day I made the payment. We forked over $800 only to later find out that there is a 30 day, 1000 mile window where they won't cover anything. I know parts fail. It's like buying a vacuum from the store, you get it home and a part is missing or there's no suction. You take it back and get a new one. Things happen. My issue is for a major safety component going out on a fairly newer car that only had 4,000 miles on it when I bought it 2 yrs ago. I just learned it was a demo car, we were never told this and darn sure didn't get a discount for that fact either. :/ regardless, I do love my Cruze. So much so, I am out in the driveway with a rag whenever I see anything on it. I carry a rag in my trunk in case I get bird poop on it so I can get it off. I am religious with changing my oil (even stupid enough to pay $180 to have it changed because I didn't know any better and trusted the men telling what I needed done.) 
The dealership called us today to let us know that GM is going to pay for the part and installation. My only charge is going to be $100 which is what I would have had to pay if my extended warranty was covering it. All in all I am happy with the result. With that said, I will most likely not go to the dealership again because the communication just really sucks.
I have a 2 yr old grand baby that is in the back seat many days. My biggest fear is something could have happened to her.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Cruise11 said:


> Ok guys, yes I am upset over this. My B2B ran out 2 weeks ago. The original sell of the car was in June so we thought the B2B ran out in June. We had no kind of warning that it had already expired. The extended warranty when it was bought told me I was covered starting the day I made the payment. We forked over $800 only to later find out that there is a 30 day, 1000 mile window where they won't cover anything. I know parts fail. It's like buying a vacuum from the store, you get it home and a part is missing or there's no suction. You take it back and get a new one. Things happen. My issue is for a major safety component going out on a fairly newer car that only had 4,000 miles on it when I bought it 2 yrs ago. I just learned it was a demo car, we were never told this and darn sure didn't get a discount for that fact either. :/ regardless, I do love my Cruze. So much so, I am out in the driveway with a rag whenever I see anything on it. I carry a rag in my trunk in case I get bird poop on it so I can get it off. I am religious with changing my oil (even stupid enough to pay $180 to have it changed because I didn't know any better and trusted the men telling what I needed done.)
> The dealership called us today to let us know that GM is going to pay for the part and installation. My only charge is going to be $100 which is what I would have had to pay if my extended warranty was covering it. All in all I am happy with the result. With that said, I will most likely not go to the dealership again because the communication just really sucks.
> I have a 2 yr old grand baby that is in the back seat many days. My biggest fear is something could have happened to her.


 *This all sounds good to me. I know customer service is important to you. It is important to me as well, as for others. I think that if GM's dealership customer service was 50% better atleast, people would have a better vision about the company. All I was really stating in my above comment was, When an owner like yourself, has an issue with their car, they freak out and go on and on about saying the car is piece of crap, they are going to a different brand car, etc. In my eyes, every car has issues, and there is no avoiding them. They will happen when they want to. Its a fact. I don't deny you have a right to be upset, as I would too. Im just a bit annoyed when I see someone's reaction depending on how they react to a situation, and their reaction is this : "I hate my car. Its a piece of ****. It has problems left and right. I will never buy Chevrolet/gm again". Something like that. Its kinda selfish to act like that to be honest. I can understand there is frustration involved, but why act like that. Im not pointing this directly at you, im saying this just in general. The only "bad" thing I can say about gm is, their customer service from dealerships isn't so good. Depending which dealer you go to. Other than that, GM is a great company. They have made excellent cars for years. They are safe, reliable, dependable, fuel efficient vehicles. In fact, GM is all I ever owned. Mainly for 2 reasons. #1, I was raised on driving GM/Chevrolet. (I guess you can say I was born and meant to drive GM vehicles lol). #2, I love what they are doing with their vehicles. They do some off the wall designs with their cars, and it makes the car unique. I don't like foreign cars because I don't like their designs, and parts are ungodly. Anyways, I hope everything works out for you at the dealership. It still sucks you have to shell out $100, but I guess it has to do with the window gap on your warranty, then I guess you have to pay it. *


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## cruzester (Apr 26, 2011)

Cruise11, Can you please tell us exactly what brake components did you get replaced, because myself and others on this forum also have unknown issues with the unpredictable brakes on this Cruze. Thanks


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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

I just picked the Cruze up from the dealer. Oh how nice it feels to drive it. Way better than my husband Trail Blazer.  Per my receipt, they replaced the BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP MOTOR AND FUSE. My brake pedal went all the way to the floor, car continued to move and then the brakes grabbed and stopped the car as if I had stomped on the pedal but I didn't. They document that there was an internal short in the brake booster pump motor causing the fuse to open. They also state the noise I was hearing with the tires around 20 mph is related to that. Unfortunately, I still hear the noise but not as bad as before. (My tires were rotated again too, so possibly that helped the issue.) 
cheveycruze2012, I'm not complaining about the $100 especially since I had already prepared myself to shell out hundreds more. My husband has never owned anything but GM cars and absolutely will not allow anything but GM park in our driveway. So he is very dedicated to GM. He was just stating that GM would lose a very valuable customer if they chose not to honor this catastrophe accident waiting to happen problem since the warranty had just expired due to all the issues they have had with their cars.


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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

By the way, my brakes are very touchy now.  that's going to take some getting used to.


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## cruzester (Apr 26, 2011)

Cruise11 said:


> By the way, my brakes are very touchy now.  that's going to take some getting used to.


That's what I want...I want my brakes to be very touchy...
Cruise11, Please try to find out if they replaced "Power Brake Booster"- GM#13409893, or "Power Brake Booster Vacuum Pump"-GM#13357186.
Thanks


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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

The receipt has #13357186


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Cruise11 said:


> The receipt has #13357186


I'm curious now. Is this part the same as the vacuum brake booster switch that was recalled earlier?


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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

That's a good question. I'm just a everyday woman, I know nothing about the mechanics of a car. That's what my receipt from the dealer said the problem was. I'm interested in knowing the answer to your question now.


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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

Or perhaps the switch was recalled but not the booster motor?


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Cruise11 said:


> Or perhaps the switch was recalled but not the booster motor?


Yes, the switch was indeed recalled, but I'm wondering if the two are "contained" in the same part number.

Sorry, I had to step away to close up the house as a severe thunderstorm is coming through the area. I was hoping that someone like GMmastertech or Robby (who know waaaay more than me) would stop by and address my curiosity regarding the part numbers of these braking components.


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## Cruise11 (May 7, 2014)

I had that part replaced too. I have the part number for it if you need it. Brake Vacuum Micro Switch Part 13460776.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Cruise11 said:


> I had that part replaced too. I have the part number for it if you need it. Brake Vacuum Micro Switch Part 13460776.


Thanks, I was looking to see if they were different part numbers. Your Brake Vacuum Pump is the first I'd seen failing, so it was interesting to see if the pump and switch fails were related, other than they both are part of the braking system.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Hey Cruise11, 

I am glad to hear your concern was addressed by your Chevrolet dealership. Happy driving! Jim, I do not have the answer to your question but I will check for you Monday and see what I am able to locate. 

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## cruzeman (Mar 13, 2011)

My brothers cruze is in shop for brake recall. Car has 35000 miles and he has had it for just over three years. Dealer called and want to replace the brake booster pump and charge him for the part as well as the switch that is recalled. I feel he shouldn't have to pay for this booster pump since it's related to this recall. He called customer service and they will not budge. I've never heard of such a part needing replacing after three years. What do you guys think we should do?


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## cruzester (Apr 26, 2011)

cruzeman said:


> My brothers cruze is in shop for brake recall. Car has 35000 miles and he has had it for just over three years. Dealer called and want to replace the brake booster pump and charge him for the part as well as the switch that is recalled. I feel he shouldn't have to pay for this booster pump since it's related to this recall. He called customer service and they will not budge. I've never heard of such a part needing replacing after three years. What do you guys think we should do?


_
Cruzeman, Does the dealer want to replace the Power Brake Booster Vacuum Pump, or the Power Brake Booster? He will have to pay for the either of these two parts if he is out of warranty, but the microswitch recall is covered. 
I am still having brake problems after the microswitch recall and I am starting to wonder if the problem really is in the Power Brake Booster Vacuum Pump which works together with the microswitch..._


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