Brakes "grabbing"?

just ducky · January 2, 2013

I have an '09 Silverado, and I'm having a strange problem, which is very sporadic. Within the first few minutes of starting the truck, I seem to be getting a "grabbing" feeling from the brakes. For example, I'll begin to stop for a stoplight, and at the very last second before coming to a stop, I feel a kind of "grabbing" sensation, and the truck comes to an abrupt stop. Then when I take my foot off the brake and start to move again, the vehicle would normally move ever so slightly forward, but it feels as if the parking brake is on? I then touch the gas, and it feels like it "breaks loose" so to speak, with a bit of a thud noise, and then seems to move fine. There is no grinding or scraping sound like possibly the breaks rubbing. I had the local chevy dealership check the breaks, and they found nothing. They also checked the differential, thinking from my description it could be a problem there, but again found nothing. I'm wondering if it's not the brakes at all, but a clutch type mechanism on the engine itself that's "holding back" the engine? Reason I say this is it has not happened once I'm driving for a few minutes and the truck is warmed up. Seems to me if it were a brake issue, it would happen whether the truck is just starting up, or it's run for a while.

I've thought about taking the truck to a brake specialist instead of the GM dealer, but if it's not the brakes at all, then I'm just throwing money out the window. Any Ideas?

kstruckcountry · January 2, 2013

Does your truck have disc or drum brakes in the rear?

txab · January 2, 2013

have you scanned for codes?

just ducky · January 2, 2013

Does your truck have disc or drum brakes in the rear?

I'm 99% sure the rear are drum, but honestly I'm not sure.

have you scanned for codes?

Nope...I'm just an owner, not a mechanic...Ha!

kstruckcountry · January 2, 2013

Your brake shoes in the rear could be sticking, I had this happen on my old truck and I think that was the problem. Something in the parking brake mechanism was causing it.

just ducky · January 2, 2013

Your brake shoes in the rear could be sticking, I had this happen on my old truck.

Would that not be apparent if a mechanic inspected the brakes? As I said, I had it into the local Chevy dealer before Christmas and they found nothing?

kstruckcountry · January 2, 2013

I'm not sure if they would have found it, if they can drive the truck and reproduce the issue they will be able to find what's wrong easier.

just ducky · January 2, 2013

I'm not sure if they would have found it, if they can drive the truck and reproduce the issue they will be able to find what's wrong easier.

I suggested to them it felt like the parking brake is on when this happens...like something is "holding me back", and then with a slight bit of gas, it breaks free.

I would love them to be able to recreate it, but as often happens, the tech could not get it to happen when he looked at it. Frustrating.

markw8 · January 3, 2013

It might be time to have a tech actually pull the wheels and do a visual inspection.

Mark

just ducky · January 3, 2013

It might be time to have a tech actually pull the wheels and do a visual inspection.

Mark

Taking it in tomorrow to another chevy dealer, since the first one came up blank.

Jedi_Jr · January 5, 2013

I had a 1993 s10 with rear drums and I put new rear brakes on it and they did the same thing. Had to turn the drums and put factory shoes on it an it was fixed.

baffled118 · September 22, 2014

I am having a similar problem. Have been to two mechanics and no one can figure it out. Breaks randomly stick and truck seems to drag. Twice recently all brakes locked up and I was completely unable to move. I have replaced the brake lines, pads, rotors, was told calipers are fine, replaced master cylinder, bearings, and booster and its still doing it. Any ideas??

gmtech4 · September 22, 2014

I am having a similar problem. Have been to two mechanics and no one can figure it out. Breaks randomly stick and truck seems to drag. Twice recently all brakes locked up and I was completely unable to move. I have replaced the brake lines, pads, rotors, was told calipers are fine, replaced master cylinder, bearings, and booster and its still doing it. Any ideas??

Calipers are the only thing ya haven't changed ,,,, , why not just get another truck

baffled118 · September 22, 2014

Trust me I've thought about it but I dont want to stick someone else with this problem and I dont know how much I'd get as a trade in because my luck it would happen when the dealer takes it for a test drive!

daxr · September 27, 2014

You probably have disc all the way around, and probably the inspections have been limited to looking at the calipers and pads. On the rear the e-brake works like a drum brake, inside the rotor. You have to take the rear calipers and rotors off to inspect the e-brake mechanism. The e-brakes on those do fail regularly - there is a clip on each side that holds the shoe assembly in place, and the clip tends to break. Then you have a brake dragging and catching on occasion, and wearing out the inside of the rotor as well as the shoes themselves. Its worth taking apart to have a look, and its a "first check" on any of those rigs with a low e-brake pedal complaint.