AI Damage2002 GMC Suburban: common problems
Owners of the 2002 GMC Suburban filed 7 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel system and tires. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 7
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel system 29% of all complaints
- 2 Tires 29% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 14% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 14% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 14% of all complaints
- Fuel system: 2 complaints (29% of all).
- Tires: 2 complaints (29% of all).
- Air bags: 1 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (14% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 7 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 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.
The airbag failed to deploy when the consumers wife hit a bus at 40 mph. This resulted in a concussion.
The brakes failed as I was approaching a stop sign. The brake lines were badly rusted, much worse than would be expected. This could have been very serious had it happened at a greater speed!
On the second visit, the independent repair shop diagnosed the vehicle with a fuel pump problem. The manufacturer was notified and advised the contact to take the vehicle back to the service dealer.
Dt: the contact stated the vehicle stalled while driving. He was able to restart the vehicle and drove it to the dealership. The fuel gauge worked improperly. The dealership said the stalling problem was caused by a fuel pump failure. The fuel pump has been replaced. Updated 05/23/06.
Dt: contact owns a 2002 gmc suburban. While driving and changing gears, and when putting it in reverse it sounds like the engine is falling out. While changing gears its like a big thud. When changing from park to reverse it sounds like it is coming apart.
While traveling at any speed front end vibrated. Consumer inspected vehicle, and determined front tires were unevenly worn.
With less than 24,000 miles on 2002 chevrolet suburban, there is extremely abnormal wear on treads of front tires in particular. Large, deep and uneven indentations on the tread, especially front inside of tires.
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 12,538 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 34% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Suburban has 76 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 7, below average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
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 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 20035 sources
- Suburban 99995 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2002 GMC Suburban?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel system, tires, air bags. Total complaints: 7. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: fuel system, fuel smell (29%), airbags did not deploy (14%), brake failure (14%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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.