Bulletin No.:

Service Bulletin

Date:

19-NA-116
November, 2020

TECHNICAL
Subject:

Pulse, Grinding, Scraping Noise from Brakes, Uneven Front Brake Pad Wear
This bulletin replaces PIT5377G. Please discard PIT5377G.

Attention:This bulletin does NOT apply to
Police Pursuit Tahoe (RPO 9C1) and/or is NOT
intended to cover situations of common or
average disc brake wear.
Brand:

Model:

Cadillac

Escalade Models

Chevrolet

GMC

Model Year:
from

to

2015

2019

Silverado 1500

2014

2018

Silverado LD

2019

2019

Suburban

2015

2019

Tahoe

2015

2019

Sierra 1500

2014

2018

Sierra Limited

2019

2019

Yukon Models

2015

2019

Involved Region or Country

VIN:
from

Engine:

Transmission:

All

All

to

North America, N.A. Export Regions, Russia, Middle East, Israel, Palestine, Columbia,
Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Europe.

Additional Options (RPOs)

Condition

Customers may comment on feeling a brake pulse, or hearing grinding or scraping noise
coming from the brakes.
During a brake inspection, some complaints of uneven front brake pad wear have been
reported. The vehicle may have low mileage, typically around 16,093 km (10.000 miles)
and the inner pad on either the front left, or right side, may be worn out.

Condition Examples

It is considered uneven pad wear if one of the following is true:
• Inboard to outboard brake pad wear difference of 3 mm (0.118 in) or greater for
‘normal’ highway driving (no heavy loads, without trailer towing, without frequent
elevation changes).
• Inboard to outboard brake pad wear difference of 6 mm (0.236 in) or greater for the
following driving conditions: heavy city driving, frequent elevation changes, frequent
trailer towing, heavy loads.
• Left to right inboard to inboard or left to right outboard to outboard brake pad wear
difference of 3 mm (0.118 in) or greater for either driving condition.

Copyright 2020 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Page 2

November, 2020

Bulletin No.: 19-NA-116

4008926

4008928

Shown above is an example from one vehicle with uneven wear. Photo 1 is of the left
front brake pads where the inner pad is worn completely out, while the outer pad still has
plenty of pad life. Photo 2 is from the same vehicle, but of the right front inner and outer
brake pads, which both have plenty of pad material left.
Correction

Note: The disc brake pads should only be replaced if the friction surface is worn to
within 2.0 mm (0.079 in) of the mounting plates, per the Brake Pad Inspection procedure
in SI.

Bulletin No.: 19-NA-116

November, 2020

Page 3

Important: Remember the following when servicing/inspecting the front brake systems:
– DO NOT use any air tools to remove or install the brake caliper bolts. Use hand
tools ONLY.
– Install an open end wrench to hold the caliper guide pin in line with the brake caliper
while removing or installing the brake caliper bolt. DO NOT allow the open end wrench
to come in contact with the brake caliper.
– When compressing the caliper pistons, use large C-clamps over the top of the caliper
housing and against the back of the outboard pad. Slowly tighten the C-clamps until
the pistons are pushed completely into the caliper bores. Using this method will help
determine if there is anything binding.
1. Inspect and measure the brake pads thickness. Determine the type of driving the
owner does and compare the measurements to the information listed above (3mm
or 6mm).
• If the pads are within specification, disregard this bulletin and perform a
normal brake repair.
• If the pads are out of specification, perform normal SI diagnostics to determine
the cause of the concern (caliper piston binding, binding pads or guide pins in
bracket, brake hose restriction, etc.
2. After completing normal diagnostics, if a root cause for the uneven pad wear is not
found, replace the front brake pads with the part number in the table below. Refer to
the Brake Rotor Surface and Wear Inspection, in SI to determine if the brake rotor(s)
require servicing or replacement. If the brake rotors require service due to
excessive heat checking/blueing, it is recommended to replace the rotors rather
than attempting to refinish the rotor(s) for this issue. Refer to the parts catalog for
the correct O.E.M. rotor part number, which are Ferritic Nitro-Carburizing (FNC)
rotors.
Note: The brake pad kit part number listed below is intended to be used together with the
O.E.M. brake rotors. If the rotors were previously replaced with part number 22950036
(NON-FNC), per the earlier version of PIT5377G, and the vehicle now requires brake
rotors, refer to the parts catalog and replace both rotors with the O.E.M. brake rotors.
3. After repairs and pad burnishing have been completed, test drive the vehicle for 32
– 48 km (20 – 30 miles). The test drive needs to be performed on an open road at
cruising speeds 88.5 kph+ (55 mph+) where very little braking is actually performed.
4. Immediately after returning from the test drive, lift the truck up on a hoist and spin
both front wheels by hand, checking for a wheel that is hard to spin. If a wheel is
hard to spin, it may be an indication of a brake drag.
5. While the condition is present, perform normal SI diagnostics to determine the
cause of the drag (caliper piston binding, binding pads or pins in the bracket, brake
hose restriction, etc). Repair if necessary and re-evaluate the concern.

Page 4

November, 2020

Bulletin No.: 19-NA-116

Parts Information
Causal
Part

Description

Part
Number

Qty

X

PAD KIT-FRT
DISC BRK

19369415

1

N/A

ROTOR-FRT
DISC BRK

* Refer to the
(VIN), and
the GM
Electronic
Parts
Catalog
(EPC)

As needed

*If the front brake rotors were previously replaced with PN
22950036 (NON-FNC), per an earlier version of PIT5377G,
then both front rotors need to be replaced with the PN
specified in the parts catalog

Warranty Information
This condition, if applicable, will surface around 4828
— 27360 km (3000-17,000 miles) with extremely
biased wear on only one of the 2 pads. Uneven or any
lining wear greater than 27360 km (17,000 miles) would
NOT be this condition and should be considered
general wear. For vehicles repaired under warranty,
please use the appropriate warranty labor operation
based on the original cause, and repairs completed.
Version

2

Modified

Released May 30, 2019.
Revised October 27, 2020 – Corrected Part Number Referenced in Correction Section.

GM bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, NOT a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform these
technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper
service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do a
job properly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your
vehicle will have that condition. See your GM dealer for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the
information.

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