What breaks most · 1990 to 2018 model years
Chevrolet Suburban problems by year
Owners have filed 6,431 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Suburban across model years 1990 to 2018. Three years stand out: 1994 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 1993 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 2006, 2014 and 1991.
- Years to check closely: 1994, 1999, 1993
- Fewest complaints: 2006, 2014, 1991
- Complaints on file
- 64311990 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 1994856 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 570119 fires · 440 injuries · 17 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 140Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 | 2 | 4 | Seats (15) | |
| 51 | 4 | 4 | Seats (12) | |
| 189 | 39 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (144) | |
| 499 | 91 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (370) | |
| 856 | 146 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (568) | |
| 456 | 50 | 7 | Brakes (hydraulic) (163) | |
| 360 | 20 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (129) | |
| 412 | 22 | 3 | Steering (105) | |
| 201 | 9 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (57) | |
| 626 | 50 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (223) | |
| 279 | 12 | 11 | Brakes (hydraulic) (51) | |
| 436 | 34 | 8 | Brakes (hydraulic) (89) | |
| 274 | 22 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (68) | |
| 290 | 21 | 7 | Electrical system (79) | |
| 196 | 12 | 6 | Electrical system (70) | |
| 111 | 4 | 7 | Electrical system (32) | |
| 19 | 0 | 1 | Body and structure (5) | |
| 222 | 3 | 4 | Air bags (104) | |
| 159 | 1 | 4 | Air bags (60) | |
| 68 | 0 | 5 | Air bags (21) | |
| 83 | 1 | 3 | Air bags (39) | |
| 112 | 3 | 3 | Air bags (52) | |
| 72 | 1 | 4 | Unknown or other (25) | |
| 67 | 2 | 4 | Unknown or other (27) | |
| 29 | 0 | 3 | Unknown or other (9) | |
| 226 | 17 | 11 | Brakes (88) | |
| 62 | 3 | 6 | Brakes (25) | |
| 18 | 0 | 5 | Brakes (6) | |
| 5 | 1 | 4 | Air bags (1) |
What fails on the 1994 Chevrolet Suburban
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 66% |
568 | 133 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 20% |
167 | 2 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seat belts | 3% |
26 | 3 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 3% |
23 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1994 Chevrolet Suburban |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 2% |
21 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1994 Chevrolet Suburban |
| Seats | 2% |
18 | 2 | — |
| Tires | 2% |
16 | 1 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 2% |
14 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Consumer stated that while driving ABS brakes malfunctioned. Had difficulty in stopping the vehicle. Consumer called dealer, and will take vehicle to dealer for an inspection in a week. Consumer checked the internet, and found that there had been recalls on ABS brakes on this make, model and year. *ak
-
I was driving my suburban and the pedal went to the floor. The brake warning light came on. I took it into an independent mechanic and he said all of the brake lines were corroded and that one of them had burst.
-
When making a turn at high speeds steering wheel/brakes locked up temporarily. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak *nm
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Chevrolet Suburban years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1994, 1999, 1993 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet Suburban. The 1994 alone has 856 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Chevrolet Suburban problem?
On the 1994 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 568 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Suburban problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet Suburban complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.