1999 Suburban- scary moment while attempting to stop.

On my way home the other night it had just started to snow and there was no visible accumulation. I approached a stop sign and had not anticipated the need to come to a full stop when another car came out of nowhere (from my left) and I needed to come to a dead stop from about 10mph in less than 50 feet. This does not seem like an unreasonable request of my recently purchased, nearly flawless, always dealer maintained, purchased off a reputable local Chevrolet dealership lot, 1999 'Burb with only 56k miles. I hit the brake pedal with full force but could barely get the car to stop rolling - my brakes had always performed flawlessly up to this point. I braced for impact in horror when the other driver in a small import swerved to avoid being broad sided. I'm certain that the other driver thought that I was just a lawless, terrible driver as he saw my vehicle apparently blow through a stop sign.

It would be a considerable understatement to say that I was in a bad neighborhood at the time and as the driver of the other car that one might see in a movie about the life and times of Eminem or Tupac pulled over in order to let me pass, I envisioned a number of scenarios where my 'burb kept the bullets from piercing more than a few layers of my dermis and shredding internal organs or brain matter. Fortunately I was allowed to pass unharmed (I have since fantasized that my vehicle, all black and tinted to the legal limits somehow intimidated the other driver into letting the incident go).

Sidenote, the wife and I argued on uncountable occasions over my trading up in size from the Tahoe and I didn't need anything like a Suburban-specific, systemic braking shortcoming of these vehicles to confirm her position that the purchase was unwise so as the car failed to stop despite my application of the brake pedal with all my might, I brushed off the incident as acombination of snow and failure on my part to see the other car and drove the rest of the way home very carefully. I've read other posts on the subject of Suburbans and braking and it seems that many have experienced what I did the other night. My dealership says that brake work starts at around $300 or so, just to replace the front brake pads and turn the rotors. YIKES. Who knows what I'll have to spend if there is a more serious problem.

if your capable di it yourself or have a friend help you out the dealer is gonna go deep in you! the brakes r just shitty point blank,period! when the anti locks come on aint no stopping her. i know from experience, an idiot pulled out at an intersection as i was entering it and ended up getting plowed thru the intersection. i was only doing about 45 mph. anti locks dont help in my opinion