AI DamageGMC Suburban: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the GMC Suburban across 24 model years: 1,825 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9999 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 285 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 100 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | 200 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 172 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | 227 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | 411 | 66 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | 212 | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | 80 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 50% of all complaints
- 2 Visibility 10% of all complaints
- 3 Tires 7% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 6% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 6 Seats 6% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 5% of all complaints
- 8 Engine and cooling 5% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 909 complaints (50% of all), 163 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 190 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 129 complaints (7% of all), 15 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 115 complaints (6% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 114 complaints (6% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 5 L · petrol · 8 cyl 1984–1987
- 5.7 L · petrol · 8 cyl 1984–1999named in 2 complaints
- 6.2 L · diesel · 8 cyl 1984–1991
- automatic, 4-speed 1984–1999
- manual, 4-speed 1984–1990
Drive: AWD, RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 1,825 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 909 | 163 | 0 |
| Visibility | 190 | 2 | 0 |
| Tires | 129 | 15 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 115 | 6 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 114 | 1 | 0 |
| Seats | 103 | 4 | 0 |
| Steering | 89 | 5 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 88 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 83 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 47 | 2 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 46 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 31 | 7 | 0 |
| Equipment | 28 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 25 | 2 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Pulled out of my driveway got up to speed of roadway that is 50 mph felt a vibration in the front end, slowed down it went away, so I started to speed up again to see if it came back, then boom my front passenger tire literally blew up, the tread separated and the tire almost blew completely off the rim.
Cause of incident was determined to be a ruptured metal brake line, caused by severe corrosion. A second line was found to have small pin hole, which had not yet ruptured, but could have failed at anytime.
July 24, 2006 while driving freeway separation of driver side tire tread caused major car accident. Summit premium plus tires.
1999 gmc suburban abs brakes fail to stop vehicle at slow speeds and when on inclines leading to a stop sign or traffic signal. As a result an accident occurred. Nothing was done because my mechanic said that the brakes are good and there was nothing wrong with them.
I was in an accident on july 3rd in a 2003 suburban. At the time of the accident, I felt I was a safe distancee behind the car in front of me. There was construction on 635 in dallas and a car stopped in front of the car in front of me.
Dt: the contact owns a 1998 gmc suburban. He states that on june 1, 2005 vehicle was in a accident and was hit in the front end. Upon impact, none of the air bags deployed.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.