Component
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM:WHEEL CYLINDERS
368 NHTSA complaints about service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:drum:wheel cylinders issues across 29 makes and 135 models.
The service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:drum:wheel cylinders is one of the standardized component categories NHTSA uses to classify consumer safety complaints. Across the public complaint database, it accounts for 368 filings from 29 manufacturers and 135 distinct vehicle models, a footprint large enough that defect engineers can isolate part-family patterns across different platforms that share the same supplier or the same federal motor vehicle safety standard.
Among filings citing this component, owners have reported 13 crashes, 0 fires, 9 injuries, and 0 fatalities. The most complained-about vehicle in this category is the BUICK LESABRE with 19 filings, followed by DODGE CARAVAN and JEEP CHEROKEE. These severity counters are what separates a nuisance complaint trend from a pattern NHTSA is likely to escalate into a Preliminary Evaluation.
Component-level analysis is how the Office of Defects Investigation spots cross-manufacturer supplier issues — the same airbag inflator, the same takata-style ignition switch, the same brake hose material — before they become industry-wide recalls. When you see a single component accumulating large complaint volume across several unrelated nameplates, that is usually a signature of a shared supplier or a shared federal standard being stressed by real-world conditions. Use the affected-vehicles table below to see whether the pattern is concentrated on a handful of models or distributed evenly, and cross-reference each model's full recall and investigation history before drawing conclusions about any one nameplate.
Most Affected Vehicles
| # | Vehicle | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BUICK LESABRE | 19 |
| 2 | DODGE CARAVAN | 16 |
| 3 | JEEP CHEROKEE | 15 |
| 4 | PONTIAC BONNEVILLE | 11 |
| 5 | DODGE GRAND CARAVAN | 9 |
| 6 | DODGE DAKOTA | 9 |
| 7 | OLDSMOBILE 88 | 8 |
| 8 | FORD TAURUS | 8 |
| 9 | DODGE RAM | 8 |
| 10 | CHEVROLET MALIBU | 8 |
| 11 | CHEVROLET LUMINA | 8 |
| 12 | CADILLAC DEVILLE | 8 |
| 13 | BUICK CENTURY | 7 |
| 14 | FORD WINDSTAR | 6 |
| 15 | FORD RANGER | 6 |
| 16 | FORD FOCUS | 6 |
| 17 | FORD F-150 | 6 |
| 18 | DODGE RAM 2500 | 6 |
| 19 | PLYMOUTH VOYAGER | 5 |
| 20 | CHEVROLET BLAZER | 5 |
| 21 | BUICK PARK AVENUE | 5 |
| 22 | OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE | 4 |
| 23 | KIA SEPHIA | 4 |
| 24 | HYUNDAI ELANTRA | 4 |
| 25 | FORD TEMPO | 4 |
| 26 | FORD F-250 | 4 |
| 27 | DODGE STRATUS | 4 |
| 28 | CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY | 4 |
| 29 | CHRYSLER CIRRUS | 4 |
| 30 | CHEVROLET VENTURE | 4 |
Recent Complaints
MY SERVICE SHIFTER LIGHT HAS CAME UP 3 SEPARATE TIMES. THE LAST TIME IT CAME ON, MY JEEP TOOK ITSELF FROM DRIVE TO PARK WHILE I WAS IN MOTION, LOCKING UP MY TIRES AND STEERING WHEEL. I COULD NOT GET M
MY BRAKE PEDDLE BEGAN TO STICK. I WOULD HAVE TO TAP ON THE BRAKE PEDDLE TO GET IT TO UNSTICK. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE KIA DEALER NEAR ME. THEY TOLD ME IT COULD BE DUE THE THE BRAKE STOPPER RECALL. THEY W
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD FOCUS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC FOR AN ALIGNMENT. AT THAT TIME, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TWO FRONT COIL SPRINGS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.
EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AROUND THREE MONTHS AGO. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS NOT ENGAGED AND THIS HAD NO EFFECT ON THE RUNNING OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE BRAKES STARTED GOING TO THE FLOOR WHEN WE
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES MADE A GRINDING NOISE AND THE BRAKE ADJUSTMENT PIN IN THE REAR DRIVER SIDE WHEEL WAS LOOSE. THE SPRING THAT HELD TH
THIS IS A BRAKE FAILURE ON ,MY 2004 ALLEGRO MOTORHOME BUILT ON A W-20 CHASSIS MANUFACTURED BY WORKJORSE CUSTOM CHASSIS. ON THE DATE IN QUESTION, THE RIGHT REAR BRAKE LOCKED UP AND OVERHEATED. THE LEFT
SEVERAL WEEKS AGO VEHICLE ( FOCUS ) DEVELOPED A SIGNIFICANT SCREECH WHENEVER BRAKES WERE APPLIED. TOOK IT INTO LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT IF I HAD REPORTED BRAKE NOISE IN FIRST 12 MONTHS
1998 BUICK LESABRE LEAKING REAR WHEEL CYLINDER. CUSTOMER STATES CYLINDER WAS REPLACED FIVE TIMES IN 48,000 MILES DEALERSHIP TOLD CUSTOMER IT'S FROM NOT USING IT ENOUGH CUSTOMER IS THE ORIGINAL OWNER A
RECURRING BRAKE REPAIRS: REPLACEMENT OF REAR BRAKE CYLINDERS, BRAKE SHOES, MACHINE DRUMS. MILEAGE AT EACH REPAIR 10,953, 17,124, 25642, 37,753, 48,245. *AK
WHEEL CYLINDERS FAILED AGAIN. THIS WAS THE SIXTH SET THAT THIS CAR HAD BEEN THROUGH. THEY WERE LEAKING AT TIME OF PURCHASE ALTHOUGH I DISCOVERED THIS A WEEK THEREAFTER. THE PROPORTIONAL VALVE
WAS DRIVING IN GOOD WEATHER CONDITIONS AND 2007 FORD FOCUS BEGAN TO VEER TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT OUT OF CONTROL - I HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE STEERING OR BRAKES IS WAS AS IF THE CAR WENT ON AUTO PILOT AND
TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 GMC JIMMY. THE VEHICLE VIBRATED LOUDLY WHEN BEING STARTED. THE REPAIR SHOP REPLACED THE WHEEL CYLINDER FOR A THIRD TIME. ALSO, THE FUEL SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.
2004 FORD RANGER TRUCK CUSTOMER STATES THAT THE TRUCK WAS UNDER WARRANTY WHEN HE BROUGHT THE TRUCK TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AN COMPLAINED ABOUT THE BRAKES BOTH TIMES THE TECHNICIANS FOUND NOTHING. CU
I HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED ON MARCH 3, 2007, IT PASSED INSPECTION. ON MARCH 23, 2007 LOST THE BRAKES. UPON DEALER'S INSPECTION OF THE BRAKES,THEY FOUND THE PADS CAME COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM THE
BRAKES WERE IMPROPERLY INSPECTED BY DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPT. ON TWO OCCASIONS WHILE UNDER WARRANTY, WHICH LED TO UNDO REPAIR BILLS. THE REAR BRAKES AND WHEEL CYLINDERS OF MY 2004 FORD RANGER TRUCK LEA
IN AUGUST OF 2006 I HAD TAKEN MY CAR IN FOR BRAKES. COMING TO FIND OUT MY BRAKES WERE BAD, I NEEDED NEW ROTORS AND MY WHEEL CYLINDERS BLEW OUT. CAUSING ME TO LOSE MY BRAKES ONE DAY ON MY WAY TO WORK.
THE BRAKES ON MY 2003 HYUNDAI ELANTRA BEGAN GRINDING AT ONLY 39K MILES. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD BRAKES WERE NOT COVERED BY MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. I TOOK THE CAR TO MIDAS BECAUSE OF THE
WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE IT STARTED TO MAKE A RUMBLING AND RATTLING SOUND IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. I NOTIFIED TOYOTA CORPORATION AND THEY FLAT OUT REFUSED TO ASSIST ME OR OFFER ANY "GOOD FAIT
ON OCTOBER 18TH IN THE MORNING I WAS DRIVING BY CHEVROLET COLORADO 2005, AND THE BRAKE FLUID LIGHT CAME ON DURING DRIVING. WITHIN MINUTES, I LOST ALL ABILITY TO BREAK. THE VEHICLE HAD AROUND 50K MIL
REAR BRAKE CYLINDER FAILED, RESULTING IN TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. PER DEALERSHIP THIS WAS CAUSED BY WORN BRAKES. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 25K MILES. *JB
Related Vehicle Components
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Sources
Vehicle complaint data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints database. Includes consumer-reported safety issues filed with NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Severity counts cross-reference NHTSA FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) for fatal incidents where a corresponding FARS record exists.
Component categories are standardized by NHTSA. Crash-test ratings where shown are drawn from the NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Complaint counts, crash reports, fire reports, and fatality data reflect consumer-submitted reports and may not represent all incidents.
Disclaimer: This data is for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for vehicle purchase decisions. NHTSA complaint data is self-reported by consumers and has not been verified or investigated. A high complaint count does not necessarily indicate a defect. Always consult a qualified mechanic and check official NHTSA recall notices before making safety-related decisions.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.