AI Damage1991 GMC Suburban: common problems
Owners of the 1991 GMC Suburban filed 30 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seats and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 30
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Seats 37% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 30% of all complaints
- 3 Seat belts 10% of all complaints
- 4 Tires 10% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 3% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 3% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 3% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 3% of all complaints
- Seats: 11 complaints (37% of all).
- Service brakes: 9 complaints (30% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 3 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 3 complaints (10% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (3% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 5.7 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- 6.2 L · diesel · 8 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 30 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 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.
Passenger's side seat belt came unbolted from the floorboard. As a result, passenger sustained a back injury.
Consumer was driving went to apply the brake truck didn't stop it slows the truck . Tt the brakes work, but not the abs feature, the road was wet and if the abs had bee operative the accident might have been avoided.
(la superior court,[ref]) a police officer became a paraplegic after the goodyear wrangler ht (lt235/85r16) experienced tread separation while driving at a high speed, resulting in vehicle rollover accident in which the officer was ejected from the vehicle.
Recall for collapse of driver seat,recall done, seat collapsed after recall repair???
I was driving on the 405 in los angeles at 65 mph last thursday night at 10 pm. My left rear tire suddenly began to come apart as if the skin was coming off of it. I did not crash but was able to pull over safely onto an exit.
Had received recall notice 96v226000. Contacted dealer. Took vehicle on date given. Picked vehicle up. Recall work not done. Vehicle in same location. Bolts were never replaced. Original bolts still on seat & still rusty. Seatback had broke.
Rear passengers restraints do not retract or pull out. Dealer has been notified.
Anti-lock brakes failed with pedal going to the floor. Consumer states when brake pedal was pushed, nothing would happen and then all of a sudden the brakes would kick in, dealer has turned rotors twice, replaced rotors once, replaced abs brake module, and replaced abs pump valve.
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 6,848 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 19% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Suburban has 76 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 30, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other years of this model
- Suburban 19845 sources
- Suburban 19853 sources
- Suburban 19864 sources
- Suburban 19878 sources
- Suburban 19888 sources
- Suburban 198917 sources
- Suburban 199022 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 1991 GMC Suburban?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seats, service brakes, seat belts. Total complaints: 30. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (7%), engine failure or replacement (3%), rust, corrosion (3%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 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 1991 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 1991 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.