The Antilock Brake Systems of These GMC Vehicles Had Problems

• In July of 1999, when GMC announced the recalls of a wide range of years of vehicles, the news turned the vehicle world on its head. This safety recall caused by problems with the antilock brakes on GMC vehicles affected 1.1 million GMC vehicle owners nationwide. The list includes 1991 to 1996 4WD Chevy Blazer, 1991 to 1996 GMC Jimmy, 1991 to 1996 Chevrolet S-10 Pickup, 1991 to 1996 GMC Sonoma (as well as some Cyclone and Typhoon Models).
  
  

How the 1999 GMC Recall Was Resolved

• When the report was posted on autopedia.com, and vehicle owners around the U.S. took notice of their GMC vehicle's antilock brake systems. Reports coming in from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials ruled that the antilock brake system on the previously mentioned GMC vehicles caused an extended stopping distance when the vehicle was operating in two-wheel-drive mode. Fortunately, all repairs required under the recall were made at no charge to the owners, which resolved that end of the problem--though, it was not quite the end of the problem.
  
  

Another GMC Recall in 2005

• On August 30, 2005, GM recalled 800,000 SUVs with antilock brake problems as well. The majority of the vehicles affected were those owned within 14 northern United States. The problem seemed to be when the antilock brake systems were affected by corrosion. The year of GMC production affected by this recall was from 2004. A spokesperson with GM stated that road grime and salt can corrode the area near the sensors within the systems and thereby bring about the malfunction. Admittedly, within this same report, GMC acknowledged 228 accidents resulting from the problem. Fortunately, there were no fatalities among the number.
  
  

The 2005 Recall Featured Multiple Issues

• Another problem with this recall was when the antilock brake systems activated at too low of a speed than designers originally intended. Instead of activating at 15 to 20 miles per hour, the systems activated somewhere between three and 10 miles per hour.
  
  

Antilock Brakes Aren't Considered a Necessity

• With recalls such as the two mentioned briefly here, and consumer awareness that antilock brakes aren't a necessity, consumers are having the brakes installed less often, opting instead for other "extras" on their vehicles. According to the Antilock Brake Safety Report at aa1car.com, the percentage of consumers choosing them has dropped from the already-low 58 percent of the mid-1990s to the point that several manufacturers are no longer installing them at the factory level.
  
  This is in spite of 27-percent-less pedestrian fatalities and 24-percent-lower fatalities in vehicle crashes on wet roads, according to the same report.