Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 60 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 60, in the owner's own words
MY ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK WHEN I START MY TRUCK. IT WILL OCCASIONALLY COME TO LIFE AFTER DRIVING A BIT OR SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T WORK AT ALL. NO PATTERN AS TO WHEN, WHERE OR DRIVING CONDITIONS. STARTED A FEW MONTHS AGO WHERE IT WOULD ALWAYS WORK SHORTLY AFTER I STARTED THE ENGINE AND HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE,
THE BATTERY KEEPS GOING DEAD AND SOMETHING IS NOT SHUTTING THE CAR DOWN CAUSING A PARASITIC BATTERY DRAW KILLING BATTERY I HAVE GONE THROUGH 4 BATTERY AND AFTER ABOUT 3 DAYS OR 4 THE TRUCK DOES NOT START AND 2HEN I TAKE IT TO AUTOZONE THEY SAY ITS DEAD AND GIVE ME A NEW BATTERY AND TRIED LOOKING UP ISSUE AND SEE ALOT OF PEOPLE HAVING ISSUES AND WHEN I TOOK TO CHECK ALTERNATOR OR STARTER NOTHING THEY ARE GOOD
THE ANTI THEFT SYSTEM CAUSED THE ENGINE TO QUIT GOING DOWN THE HI WAY SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS VERY DANGEROUS SOME OF THE TIMES AND LEFT US STRANDED SOMETIMES. GM ACTS LIKE THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG BUT THERE IS AMPLE INFO ON THE INTERNET AND EVEN A FIX BUT IT DISABLE THE ATS, IT TURNS OFF THE FUEL TO THE INJECTORS KILLING THE ENGINE. THIS HAPPENED MANY TIMES. WE HAD TO BE TOWED TWICE BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT RESTART.
WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE KEPT FALLING DEAD ON HIGHWAY AND CITY STREETS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,000.
MY '03 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN HAS DEVELOPED WHAT APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON CONDITION WHERE THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BECOMES INOPERABLE. FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE TRAVELING AT LOW, IN TOWN SPEEDS, THE SPEEDOMETER WILL HAVE READINGS IN THE 60S, 70S' AND 80S. WHILE IN THE PARK POSITION, THE SPEEDOMETER WILL READ 55MPH. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND I AM REALLY SHOCKED THAT THE NHTSA HASN'T FORCED A RECALL. THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF REPORTS ONLINE OF THIS EXACT PROBLEM. GENERAL MOTORS IS AWARE THAT THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM, AS THEY EVEN EXTENDED. GENERAL MOTORS EVEN PROVIDED OWNERS WITH A SPECIAL COVERAGE THAT EXTENDS THE WARRANTY ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER FOR THE CONDITION DESCRIBED ABOVE, AS LONG AS THE VEHICLES AGE AND MILEAGE FALLS WITHIN CERTAIN PARAMETERS. THOSE PARAMETERS ARE THE MAIN REASON FOR MY COMPLAINT. THOSE PARAMETERS ARE 1) 7 YEARS OF THE IN SERVICE DATE, AND 2) 70,000 MILES, WHICH EVER OCCURS FIRST. MY CLAIM TO HAVE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IN MY VEHICLE REPAIRED UNDER THE SPECIAL COVERAGE WAS DENIED ON 9/4/09 BECAUSE THE MILEAGE OF MY VEHICLE WAS 93,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF MY REQUEST. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A LARGE SCALE SAFETY PROBLEM THAT WARRANTS A RECALL BY GENERAL MOTORS RATHER THAN AN EXTENSION OF WARRANTY WITH UNREASONABLE MILEAGE PARAMETERS. EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ALONE IS A CLEAR ADMISSION OF A KNOWN WIDESPREAD ISSUE. IS NHTSA IN BED WITH GM TOO? I GUESS I SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED. *TR
I CAN UNLOCK TRUCK WITH KEY OR REMOTE PUT KEY IN START AND DASH LIGHTS COME ON BUT NO START. AFTER BEING TOLD IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP, THE STARTED, AND KEY I KNOW IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE ANTI-LOCK. I HAVE REPROGRAMMED IT SEVERAL TIME BUT EACH TIME A DIFFERENT WAY. I HAVE RESEARCH IT ON LINE AND IT IS A ON GOING PROBLEM WITH GM CARS AND TRUCKS. HOWEVER I AM NOT SURE IF IT IS A RECALL. I AM RECENTLY THE SECOND CAR OWNER OF THIS TRUCK AND EXPERIENCING THIS MAJOR PROBLEM. I AM A SINGLE MOTHER WITH CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AND THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR ME AT NIGHT OR DURING THE DAY IF AT A SHOPPING CENTER. I HAVE HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO MY HOME THEN THE NEXT DAY IT STARTED. IF ANY ONE CAN HELP ME PLEASE EMAIL [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
EVER SINCE WE PURCHASED THIS HUGE PILE OF JUNK, IT HAS BEEN EVERY PROBLEM TO CHANGING FUEL PUMP SEVERAL TIMES, CATALYTIC CONVERTERS,BATTERIES,MAJOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, EVERY GAUGE IN THE VEHICLE IS OFF FROM GAS GAUGE TO SPEEDOMETER TO COOLANT! THERE IS NOT ANYTHING THAT IS NOT WRONG WITH IT. AFTER THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND SO MANY TIMES OF BEING STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH 4 LITTLE KIDS IN THE DEAD OF WINTER WITH NO HEAT. I WOULD LIKE A LIFETIME WARRANTY FROM CHEVROLET TO COVER ANY EXPENSE INCURRED WHILE OWNING SUCH A PIECE OF CRAP AND FOR THE HUMILIATION I HAVE INCURRED BY BEING SEEN IN A CHEVY BECAUSE THEY ARE JUNK!!!!!OR WOULD LIKE BOOK VALUE OF VEHICLE SO I CAN GO BUY A FORD BECAUSE THEY RUN FOR 250,000 MILES PLUS!!! NOT 125,000. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IDLING AT A STOP SIGN, THE SPEEDOMETER PROVIDED AN ERRONEOUS READING OF 60 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.
I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN DOWN THE ROAD AND MY SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING. I LOOKED ONLINE AND I FOUND OVER 40 INCIDENTS ON WWW.SAFECAR.GOV ALONE. WHATS THE PROBLEM WITH GETTING THIS SAFETY PROBLEM FIXED. I CAN GO TO THE DEALER AND GET IT FIXED FOR $500 OR MORE. DO PEOPLE NEED TO GET HURT OR DIE BEFORE THIS PROBLEM IS NOTICED BY CHEVROLET OR GMC? *TR
JUST FINISHED DRIVING VEHICLE FOR 1 HOUR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITHOUT INCIDENT. PARKED CAR FOR 5 MINUTES, UPON TRYING TO RESTART, THE CAR DISPLAYED "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION CONSOLE. APPROXIMATELY 8 RESTARTS AND THE MESSAGE DID NOT DISPLAY. DROVE CAR 5 MINUTES AND PARKED IT FOR 1 HOUR, UPON RESTART DISPLAYED SAME MESSAGE, CAR WAS VIRTUALLY UNDRIVEABLE. 3 RESTARTS LATER MESSAGE NO LONGER DISPLAYED. THIS MESSAGE HAS NOW INTERMITTENTLY OCCURRED EVER SINCE SEEMINGLY WITHOUT ANY PATTERN. THE MESSAGE IS RELATED TO A FAILURE IN THE "DRIVE BY WIRE" SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF A PHYSICAL CABLE FROM THE GAS PEDAL. IT CAUSES THE CAR TO BE COMPLETELY UNDRIVEABLE UNTIL SEEMINGLY RANDOMLY FIXING ITSELF. *TR
2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN HVAC BLOWER NOT FULLY FUNCTIONAL ON ALL BLOWER SPEEDS..SERVICE BULLETIN 11046, APRIL 2010..CHEVROLET HAS KNOWN DEFECT WIRING CONNECTOR AND ELECTRICAL TERMINALS OF RELAY RESISTOR MODULE AS DESCRIBED IN SERVICE BULLETIN WHICH RESULTS IN BLOWER MOTOR NOT FUNCTIONING ON CERTAIN OR ALL BLOWER SPEEDS SETTING. GM HAS ISSUED SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT FOR UP TO 10 YRS PER BULLETIN BUT REFUSES COVERAGE PURPORTEDLY BASED ON MY VEHICLE NOT BEING IN THE SPECIAL COVERAGE VIN: TWO PHONE CALLS TO CUSTOMER SERVICE RESULTED IN A HANG UP, PUT ON HOLD AND NOT RETURNING TO THE CALL, AND UPON ESCALATING THE CALL TO JOY, THE SUPERVISOR REFUSING TO FURTHER ASSIST...AND REFUSING TO ESCALATE THE CALL FURTHER EXPLAINING NO MANAGER IS "LIKELY" AVAILABLE, WE'VE TOLD YOU YOUR ANSWER....GM CASE #71-107-8244378 2ND ISSUE WITH ELECTRICAL; INSTRUMENTATION CLUSTER FAILS TO WORK PROPERLY AND DIGITAL DISPLAY WHICH INDICATES WHETHER YOU ARE IN PARK, REVERSE NEUTRAL DRIVE (GEAR) DIMS OR GOES OUT COMPLETELY. SAME PROBLEM I HAD ON 2005 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. BOTH VEHICLES THEY HAVE REFUSED TO FIX. 2003 HAD SPECIAL COVERAGE 07187 TO REPAIR THIS CONDITION BUT THE PREVIOUS OWNER WAS NOT PROPERLY NOTIFIED TO FIX THIS CONDITION DURING THE MANUFACTURE SPECIAL COVERAGE PERIOD.L THEY KNOW IT EXIST BUT ONCE AGAIN ARE USING ANY EXCUSE TO DO THE PROPER THING AND FIX THE PROBLEM. ALSO REPORTED UNDER 71-107-8244378 REQUEST NHTSA AND APPROPRIATE AGENCIES FURTHER INVESTIGATE THESE MATTERS AND HOLD GM ACCOUNTABLE DO NOT LET GM CONTINUE TO SKIRT RECALL REPAIRS FOR KNOWN PROBLEMS BY NARROW DEFINING WHICH VEHICLES THEY HAVE TO FIX. RECALLS SHOULD COVER ALL VEHICLES THAT HAVE IDENTIFIED SAFETY ISSUE AND GM SHOULD FACESTIFF PUNISHMENT TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO VOLUNTARILY FIX PROBLEMS RATHER THAN STONEWALL, STALL, AVOID, AND MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT THAN FIXING THE PROBLEM. *TR
"REDUCED ENGINE POWER" LIGHT COMES ON AND TRUCK SLOWS TO LESS THAN 10 MPH AND THE POWER STEERING STOP WORKING. THIS HAS HAPPENED SIX TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR. 1ST INCIDENT I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH IT. DIAGNOSTICS PERFORMED AND NOTHING CAME BACK WRONG. I THINK THE WIRING TO THE THROTTLE IS POSSIBLY TO BLAME. IF I HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD OR CROSS RAILROAD TRACKS, THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER CAN COME ON. I HAVE A HUNCH AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE & FINDING THAT SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, THAT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT CHEVY KNOWS ABOUT IT & IS DOING NOTHING ABOUT IT. "TYPICAL"!! I AM VERY DISPLEASED, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I LOVE MY SUBURBAN. I SUGGEST AN INVESTIGATION & RECALL OF THIS PROBLEM.I ASK THAT CHEVY TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR POOR QUALITY & REPAIRS THE PROBLEM PRONTO! OH, AND THE POWER SEATING FUSE CAUGHT FIRE AND EXPLODED THE LITTLE FUSE IN THE FUSE BOX, NOW THE SEATS WON'T WORK & NEITHER DOES THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOWS. THE WIRING DONE ON THIS TRUCK IS CHEAP! THE PARTS ARE CHEAP! NOT A HAPPY CUSTOMER! *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO FLUCTUATE ERRATICALLY WHILE DRIVING. THE FAILURE BEGAN AS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM BEFORE PROGRESSING TO A CONTACT ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER SUDDENLY FAILED. IN ADDITION, THE GEAR SHIFTER INDICATOR LIGHT WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE AND THE REAR CENTER SEAT BELT WOULD NOT FUNCTION. WHEN THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL WAS ENGAGED, THE HAZARD WARNING LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING A DIAGNOSIS OF THE FAILURE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL KIT HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE AS WELL AS A FUEL INJECTOR CLEANING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000.
WE ARE HAVING SERIOUS ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH OUR 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500 Z71. IT STARTED WITH THE SEAT WARMERS ONLY WORKIING OCCASIONALLY, THEN WHEN I WAS TRYING TO START IT ONE DAY THE DS AUTOMATIC POWER SEAT DEPLOYED ME AND SMASHED MY CHEST AND LEGS ALL THE WAY INTO THE STEERING WHEEL AND DASH I WAS PINNED AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL AND DASHBOARD UNTIL MY HUSBAND HEARD ME SCREAMING AND CAME TO GET ME - IT DID THIS ON ITS OWN, I HADN'T TOUCHED A THING OTHER THAN TURN THE KEY TO START POSITION. THEN THE DS POWER SEAT BUTTONS STARTING WORKING IN REVERSE I.E. PUSHING FORWARD ON THE BUTTON SENDS YOU BACKWARDS AND PUSHING BACK SENDS YOU FORWARD, THEN THE SERVICE 4WD LIGHT CAME ON THE DIC AND STAYED ON FOR AWHILE, THE SEAT WARMERS STARTED TO WORK AGAIN ON OCCASION AND THEN QUIT ALTOGETHER...AGAIN., NOW THE CLUSTER PANEL ...SPEEDOMETER, RPM AND OTHER GAUGES ARE INCORRECT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. WE ARE HAVING TO USE A GPS TO MAINTAIN SPEED LIMITS. *TR
GOT A 2003 CHEVORLET SURBURAN. THE REAR DOOR BE SHOWING OPEN N THE OIL GAUGE,TEMPERATURE GAUGE,RPM, N SPEEDOMETER NOT WORKING. *TR
I WAS DRIVING TO A STORE IN MY CITY WHEN IT FELT LIKE I WAS NOT DOING THE SPEED LIMIT AND GOING SLOWER THAN NORMAL. WHEN II GOT TO THE STORE AND TURNED OFF THE CAR, I SAW THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WAS REGISTERING 20 MPH. I STARTED THE CAR BACK UP AND IT DROPPED THE SPEED READING BY 5 MPH. I DID THIS 3 MORE TIMES TILL IT REGISTERED ZERO MPH. WHEN DRIVING HOME, I NOTICED THAT I WAS STILL DRIVING SLOWER THAN NORMAL AND WHEN I GOT HOME AND TURNED OFF THE CAR THE SPEEDOMETER READING WAS SHOWING 25 MPH. I LOOKED ONLINE AND SAW THAT OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM CONTINUES TO OCCUR EVERY TIME II AM DRIVING MY 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. I HAVE NOT TAKEN IT TO GET FIXED YET AND HAVE CONTACTED CHEVROLET TO SEE IF THEY WILL FIX THE PROBLEM FOR FREE SINCE IT SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. THIS COULD POSSIBLY AFFECT THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL WHEN SET. *TR
I GOT A 2003 CHEVROLET SURB. THE REAR DOOR KEEP COMING OPEN ON IT OWN,THE SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT WORK,OIL GAUGE,AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE NOT WORK. IT HAD START NOW WHEN START TO CRANKED IT THE BRAKE BOOSTER LIGHT COME THE BATTERY LIGHT COME SAYING NOT CHARGING. *TR
2003 SUBURBAN SPEEDOMETER NOT WORKING. STARTED MALFUNCTIONING IN DECEMBER 2007, THE NEEDLE WOULD JUMP ALL OVER THE PLACE AND THEN STOPPED WORKING IN JULY. *TR
2003 CHEVY SUBURBAN I THINK IT IS CALLED THE CLUSTER WHERE THE SPEEODOMETER AND THE FUEL GAGE ARE LOCATED. FUEL GAGE DOES NOT WORK AND SPEEDOMETER IS STUCK . AIR BAG LIGHT HAS GONE ON TWICE TOOK TO VEHICLE TO DEALER THEY CHANGED FRONT SENSOR AND THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON A MONTH LATER 06/20/2010. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. HE STATED THAT ON NOVEMBER OF 2009 WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, HE NOTICED THE SPEEDOMETER WAS FAILING. THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO INCREASE AND DECREASE IN SPEED UNTIL IT STOPPED WORKING. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE DIAGNOSIS LOCATED THE FAILURE AS THE CLUSTER PROGRAM. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CLUSTER PROGRAM. THE COST FOR REPAIR WAS $500.00. THE MANUFACTURER TOOK A REPORT AND STATED THAT THEY WILL NOT ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000 THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 106,000.
WHILE DRIVING IN A 45MPH ZONE, I CHECKED MY SPEEDOMETER AS I PASSED A POLICE OFFICER AND IT READ 75MPH SO I IMMEDIATELY HIT THE BRAKES TO SLOW. I DIDN'T THINK I WAS SPEEDING AS I WAS GOING WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I DISCOVERED THE DEFAULT POSITION OF THE GAUGE WAS 30MPH. EVENTUALLY THE SPEEDOMETER WAS FULLY PEGGED AT 120+ MPH. I DISCUSSED THE FAILURE WITH COLLEAGUES AT WORK AND TWO INDEPENDENT MECHANICS AND I DISCOVERED 1) THE PROBLEM IS COMMON IN GMC TRUCKS IN MODEL YEARS 2002-2006 AND 2) THE ONLY WAY TO CORRECT IT IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL AT A COST OF APPROX. $700. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD FOR TWO REASONS: FIRST, THE FAILURE IS INSIDIOUS AND CAN CAUSE AN OVERREACTION (ONE CASE II KNOW OF WHERE SOMEONE WAS PULLING A BOAT TRAILER ON A WET ROAD, LOOKED DOWN AND SAW 90MPH, HIT THE BRAKES AND SKIDDED OFF THE HIGHWAY), AND SECOND, BECAUSE OF THE HIGH COST OF REPAIR FOR OLDER VEHICLES OWNERS (AS I AM) WILL BE HESITANT TO SPEND THE MONEY TO FIX ONE INDICATOR NEEDLE. THANK YOU FOR ASSISTANCE. *TR
SPEEDOMETER FLUCTUATES, INDICATES VARIOUS SPEEDS OTHER THAN ACTUAL SPEED. NEVER A STANDARD OFFSET FROM ACTUAL SPEED. MIGHT INDICATE 20 MPH AT 55 MPH ACTUAL AS MEASURED BY GPS ONE TIME, THEN 10 MPH AT 60 MPH ACTUAL ANOTHER TIME. *TR
2003 CHEVY SUBURBAN 53000 MILES, INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILING, SPEEDOMETER PEGGED AT 120 MPH. STARTED INTERMITTENTLY AT 49,000 MILES. *TR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .