222 of the
10,571 complaints filed about the Chevrolet Suburban
are about the suspension —
2% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 1999.
I brought my Chevrolet Suburban High Country in to the dealer pursuant to a recall for engine issues due to a manufacturing defect in connecting rods and crankshafts that can cause catastrophic engine failure. The service center changed the oil viscosity and fill cap and stated that the change should eliminate the issue. I have had persistent engine knocking upon acceleration since then and it is getting louder and more prominent. A suspension warning intermittently flashes as well. Please advise, thank you
NHTSA complaint #11752309 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Unmodified 2022 Chevrolet Suburban with 53K mi, driving 25 mph on paved county road. Without warning the upper ball joint on the right front side sheared off. There were no sounds, no bumps or grinding, truck is routinely maintained, cleaned and inspected - this was out of the blue. If we had been going faster it could have been a disaster. The dealer confirmed it is the upper ball joint. Significant mechanical damage has included the upper control arm and drive line (4wd). We are working with GM to get this repaired. It certainly seems like a Serious Safety issue. I have seen many reports of this problem.
NHTSA complaint #11721959 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is an electronic problem that continues to trip the warning for the Air Ride suspension system to fail leaving the vehicle stuck at its current ride height or it drops eithee the front or rear suspension to the ground while simultaneously raising the front or rear to its highest setting. It also causes the vehicle speed to drop immediately to 56 mph. Issue has been scanned by several dealers to determine air leaks, pinched wires, failing compressor and all were found to be in normal operation. This is a huge safety concern as well as a huge financial concern for the consumer.
NHTSA complaint #11714782 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There are 2 components of the vehicle that I believe are malfunctioning. The first component would be the brake system. At first the problem presented itself when going down a parking garage it was approximately 5 miles an hour while applying the brake and the brake suddenly got stuck and really sticky, I had to apply extreme pressure to the brake to get the vehicle to stop completely. It was only after I put the vehicle in park, turned it off, removed the keys from the ignition, open the doors, and then restarted the car afterwards where the brakes would become unstuck. Since that first incident in summer of 2024, there has been other similar incidents when I am breaking in a parking lot at lower speeds, on side streets at lower speeds, or any other circumstance where I would be applying the brake at lower speeds. The brakes would get very sticky hard to press and would not come to a complete stop unless using extreme force. This is a very scary incident because if there was a vehicle a pedestrian and we weren't able to stop the vehicle then we would have crashed and potentially hurt someone. We brought this up to our mechanic and he was not able to reproduce the issue. The engine light does not turn on for this issue and we are not able to produce any engine light codes for the braking issue. This issue continues to happen until this day and it is scary when it does happen. The second component that we believe is malfunctioning has to do with the suspension system, the air ride system. We have taken this problem to our mechanic since 2019, 2020. They've been able to temporarily repair the issue but after some time the part breaks down and we believe that this is a manufacturing issue. There is a warning lamp that appears. What happens is there is air constantly being pumped into the suspension and is drawing electricity from the battery and ultimately affecting other parts of the electronic components.
NHTSA complaint #11712068 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle has 70,000 miles. The engine has failed and been replaced two times. We are on the third engine. The first time was in 2021 the second time was in 2024. I heard that others are having a similar issue. This is a 2020 .6.2L RST. The engine failed the first time while driving at high speed the car just stopped working. The second time we heard it failing and were able to drive it to the dealer where the engine fell apart in the parking lot The vehicle has had other issues too. Currently the wire harness has failed. This has happened several times but the dealer has not figured out a repair. Each time it’s failed while driving causing power steering to fail while driving. I don’t not trust my teen drivers around the vehicle or to drive.
NHTSA complaint #11668498 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I bought the vehicle on January 11, 2025. Within 2 weeks the service leveling system indicator light came on the dashboard. The vehicle's front left air suspension system was not working properly and the vehicle lowered to the crash shield. The vehicle would not go over 55 miles and hour and was bouncing all over the road. The vehicle went back to the dealership and they reset and calibrated it. A few weeks later, the same thing happened. The vehicle again went down in the front, and was unsafe to drive. The dealership had the vehicle for 3 weeks, had difficulty assessing the situation and changed the front left air suspension arm. They told us it was fixed. We picked it up and as we were driving it home the service leveling system indicator came on, we brought it right back. They had the vehicle another 2 weeks and changed the solonoids, reset and recalibrated and had us pick it up. Within a few weeks the same thing happened, but worse. As I was driving it, an explosion sounded from the vehicle and the whole entire front of the vehicle lowered to the crash shield, making it extremely unsafe to drive. I have asked for the dealership to get a certified mechanic from GM to come and look at the vehicle and to start the repurchase process, no one is getting back to us and the vehicle is unsafe to drive.
NHTSA complaint #11657714 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I replaced the shocks in Oct 2022 and paid for an alignment and now just over 2 years later the dealer said they needed replacing again. This front end has had constant problems, but now I see there was a recall on the 2016 Suburbans, but it is not listed under my VIN. I believe if they have had problems, possibly at another manufacturing, it should be considered that this is the problem. I have now paid for the repair of the upper control arm and both front shocks and a wheel alignment again. I paid more than double to have it repaired at the dealer because I believe my vehicle's VIN should be listed under NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 16V256000; REPORT DATE: APR 28, 2016.
NHTSA complaint #11640853 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving the vehicle and when turning the steering wheel in reverse or pulling forward while turning the steering wheel. The dashboard will display a stability warning and the vehicle turns off and the steering wheel locks. It has happened two times in the last year and twice in 2023
NHTSA complaint #11634783 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that the rear end of the vehicle was leaking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the rear end pinion yoke needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the dealer had replaced the rear end pinion yoke several times; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V007000 (Suspension); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,333.
NHTSA complaint #11583775 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The first problem that happened with the 2017 Chevrolet Suburban was we were driving and the 1 of 2 brake boosters gave out. We had to contact with customer service of Chevrolet of informed them about what happened. We took the vehicle to a local dealership to have fixed, then after that we started to have problems with the transmission, fuel pump and the air ride. With the transmission/electrical system you would be driving down the road, the next thing that you will know is that the door locks will lock then unlock, then the vehicle will would let a big amount of smoke out of the vehicle, and then the vehicle would power down to 20mph. You would have to drive 20 for 5 miles until the vehicle would quit and you could drive normal. I was going to go for my mandatory user maintenance and I did not get 2 miles out of town and the transmission went out of the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11577650 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The dash board in the vehicle is cracked and none is able to fix problems. The engine misfire and to figure out the problem cost lost of money. The lifters goes bad on vehicle. Suspension works always need.
NHTSA complaint #11536434 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is a technical service bulletin published (15-NA-082) that is the result of insufficient welds between the bracket and frame rail that hold the sway bar on the models listed in the TSB. Recently while on a road trip we experienced heavy (almost uncontrollable) truck swaying while on the high way. I now have to find someone with welding experience in order to fix this problem because I am concerned about the safety of my family driving this vehicle with this condition. Please consider a recall for this condition.
NHTSA complaint #11519832 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This vehicle has less than 84,000 miles on it, and the chassis or frame is rotted. The rear anti sway bar already rotted off it, and the front bar is hanging down on the passenger side. I have photos of this, but don't know how to download them. The body has a little rot here, and there, but that is repairable. I spent a lot of money in purchasing this vehicle, and I expected it to last a very long time. The interior is almost like new. I am thinking about putting a tort claim about this to GM. Please help me all you can. I forgot to write that I also spent extra money for it to be undercoated, and it is supposed to be a lifetime warranty. I called that company, and they said it was only for 10 years. When I buy a new vehicle, I expect it to last.
NHTSA complaint #11512604 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On June 1st, we dropped off our 2017 Suburban Premier at the GM dealer. The suburban was had suspension issues, it was no longer safe to operate. Just before noon, the service advisor called to inform me that both struts and shocks were bad. If I wanted to proceed, repairs would be $4045.67. When asked how this was possible, I was told they hadn't seen this before. They thought this was odd, too. I was told it is common for their to be issues with this type of suspension, but they hadn't seen all of them have issues. I asked about policy assistance from GM, was told to file a claim with the manufacture after paying for repairs. With invoice in hand, I searched the parts online. I found I could buy the shocks and struts directly from GM for $451.14 ea, yet the dealership charged me $831.60ea. We paid the dealership $380.46 more for each part - totaling $1521.84 in dealer markup. I reached out to GM Customer Service on June 1st, opening case# 9-7845670653. I scanned and emailed the invoice and was told it was being send to the next level for review. In the five weeks since this started, I have called GM Customer service seven times and have sent six emails. I have received two emails and two calls. I've been told many different stories by many different people. I was told approval takes two days, then told it would take 14 days, followed with an internal approval problem. In the end, I was told it was a maintenance issue and GM would not be doing anything about. This is a huge safety issue! I no longer feel comfortable or safe in our suburban. I know that I am not alone in this issue, there are complaints of this every where you turn. This is a safety issue, GM should be issuing a recall or extending the warranty on these items. GM should be embarrassed, this is unacceptable!
NHTSA complaint #11474974 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The drivers seat back is extremely lose. Moves forward and back with every brake and acceleration. The seat base also moves slightly, rocking left to right in turns. The suspension completely failed and had to be replaced. An unknown oily substance has been coating the inside of the windshield since the purchase of vehicle in 2015. Requires constant deep cleaning in order to see through windshield.
NHTSA complaint #11467997 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 1999 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road with the assistance of Police Officers. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that fuel was leaking onto the ground and the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred two more times while driving. The vehicle was then towed to the independent mechanic, who replaced the fuel pump two more times. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 06E043000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was bouncing while sitting in the seats and while driving. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the tires and aligned the vehicle several times; however, the failure had been reoccurring. The contact also stated that the dashboard was fractured. The contact also stated that water was leaking through the top of the windshield whenever it rained. The windshield was replaced twice. The contact stated that the rear driver’s side seat belt and passenger’s seat belt failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that the seat belts would fail to come out of the housing or they would be twisted whenever they came out of the housing. The contact also stated that the seat belt latches were not working. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
NHTSA complaint #11458724 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car was slowly making right hand turn when we heard a loud noise and stopped the car Once we got out, we saw that right wheel was completely torn out. We have videos and pictures. If it would happened on the higher speed, we would be dead. The car shop told us that they never seen anything like that in the past. Per their report, upper control arm broke off then the rest followed: lower control arm, ball joint, outer tie rod, poss inner tie rod, sway bar link, abs sensor connector. Consumer also learned from dealer that certain parts do not exist anymore and new ones are available.
NHTSA complaint #11449831 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Front passenger Spindle / Thimble that connects the lower ball joint sheared off. Suburban drops to ground, bolt end of lower ball joint hits and breaks through back of wheel that results in a deflated tier. Repair items listed by Chevy Service Center. Replace right lower ball joint Alignment Replace right front steering knuckle Replace right front wheel, monitor and stem, reprogram Replace broken front spoiler Replace RF fender liner With the low speed of travel , about 8mph there were no safety issues. Vehicle and broken steering knuckle has been inspected by Service Agent and Manager at Fred Bean Chevy, Doylestown, PM. Their position is normal wear, "We must have had impact at some time to cause initial fracture". Extended Warranty agrees with view stated from Fred Bean. Our insurance company is sending an agent to inspect. No warning lamps, messages, etc presented in driver display.
NHTSA complaint #11428843 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hello, While driving my Chevy suburban last week as I was pumping gas with my two year old son in the back seat. I saw smoke leaking and rolling out from the bottom of my vehicle. I had shift the vehicle off and inspected thoroughly. I couldn’t see and understand where this was coming from. It wasn’t the engine block and no check engine lights had come on. So I let the vehicle cool and started her up. No issue until I was a mile or two from my family summer rental and all of a sudden the vehicle felt as though it slipped out of gear. I was left without any power and realized I was smoking again. I pulled or what I would call drifted to the break down lane and pulled my little man out of the vehicle. This happened on Saturday and after almost a week in the shop, the dealership sprung me a nice $5200 price for a transmission. I am now looking and seeing two different recalls for this vehicle. Ironically the these two issues look exactly like the two recalls they have for the power train. [XXX] Illuminated FX Inc [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA complaint #11424193 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.