AI Damage1986 GMC Suburban: common problems
Owners of the 1986 GMC Suburban filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 25% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 25% of all complaints
- 3 Tires 25% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 1 complaints (25% of all).
- Service brakes: 1 complaints (25% of all).
- Tires: 1 complaints (25% of all).
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
- 5.7 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- 6.2 L · diesel · 8 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 4-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I have a firestone lt245 75r16 steeltex a/t that I used on my suburban. I removed it to install larger tires and used the best take-off for a spare kept inside the vehicle. I kept that spare to use on my truck that I purchased a few months ago and put the spare in the bed of the truck, kept inside a garage.
The truck is equipped with regular hydraluc brakes, the front right wheel slid and the wheels continued to spin and the truck would not stop.
Failure of the seat belt retractor, belt will not retract. Tt
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 15,521 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 42% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Suburban has 76 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 4, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other years of this model
- Suburban 19845 sources
- Suburban 19853 sources
- Suburban 19878 sources
- Suburban 19888 sources
- Suburban 198917 sources
- Suburban 199022 sources
- Suburban 199130 sources
- Suburban 199280 sources
- Suburban 1993212 sources
- Suburban 1994411 sources
- Suburban 1995227 sources
- Suburban 1996172 sources
- Suburban 1997200 sources
- Suburban 1998100 sources
- Suburban 1999285 sources
- Suburban 200015 sources
- Suburban 20015 sources
- Suburban 20027 sources
- Suburban 20035 sources
- Suburban 99995 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1986 GMC Suburban?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, service brakes, tires. Total complaints: 4. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (25%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1986 GMC Suburban?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1986 GMC Suburban from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1986 models
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.