2008 H3 has this recurring series of error messages on the dash readout above the odometer.

Fluid - Service - Stab Sys - Traction - Failed - Brakes

It cycles through these same errors over and over, but sometimes there's no errors at all...

Anyone have a similar experience ? Any ideas ?

 

Check brake fluid level.

FLUID
This message displays if the brake fluid is low. Check the brake fluid as soon as possible and have your vehicle serviced by your dealer. See Brakes on page 347 for more information. Press and release the reset stem to acknowledge the message and clear it from the display.

 

Welcome to HF. Take a read through that book they put in every H3 glove box......... they call it an Owner Manual.

How many miles on the brakes since last replacement? If not that many, look for a leak after checking the level.

 

That book takes up too much space in there! Without it, I can easily fit a 6pack of road sodas.

 

Fluids are fine.

 

Owners manual sounds familiar. What's a glove box ?

Anyway, the brake fluid is fine, brakes were done about 5 years ago but not a lot of miles on them.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but are you 100% positive the brakes are fine? Not just the fluid level in the reservoir. You get down and check all the brake lines for leaks or cracks? Have you noticed any difference in terms of the overall depth when you depress the brake pedal? All of those messages cycled through when my front driver's side brake hose essentially disintegrated back in January. When you say "brakes were done about 5 years ago," what exactly does that mean? You had the brake pads replaced? Pads and rotors? What I'm trying to say is in an instance like mine, getting new brakes and rotors installed has no bearing on the structural soundness of other components like the high pressure brake hose. One might think that a mechanic would notice an issue with your hose(s) and alert you but that issue might not be noticeable right away. I've included two pictures of my failed brake hose below which might help paint the picture. The joint/connection where the metal piece mates with the flexible rubber hose is covered by a bulky protector that I had to cut out with a box cutter just to be able to see the severity of the damage. At this point it's pretty obvious for anyone to see that I likely had a looming issue with this hose for quite some time, but I promise that all of the problems I had with the brake pedal/leakage/warnings on the dash materialized in one day.

I consider myself to be fairly observant and in tune with my H3 as most others on this forum likely are as well, and I did not notice a leak or a drop in the reservoir until the morning it all came down on me. Again, I'd get down on your back if possible and go check all of those brake hoses to try and rule out a leak. You probably won't be able to inspect underneath the rubber cover that goes over that joint, though. Good luck tracking down the issue.

 

That is the educated long version of "check for leaks." Thanks KU.

Fortunately there is info posted on here about H3 replacement SS brake lines. Stainless Steel Brake Lines For Hummer H3 & H3T

 

Thanks KU15125

I'll take a close look tomorrow and let you know if I find anything.

 

Stabil messages generally are just a reminder of some other issue.

Do not worry about Stabil messaging, look at the other.