RoadVitals

2003 Chevrolet Suburban 2500

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
21
Latest May 29, 2017
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 21 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 2500, most frequently naming the brakes, electrical and fuel system categories. 93 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Brakes1453.8%
  • Electrical311.5%
  • Fuel system27.7%
  • Engine27.7%
  • Body & structure13.8%
  • Tires & wheels13.8%
  • Driver assistance13.8%
  • Other / unspecified13.8%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Brakes
Filed May 29, 2017

BRAKE LINE FAILED WHILE DRIVING, TURNS OUT ALL LINES ARE RUSTED, NEED ALL BRAKE LINES REPLACED.

NHTSA ID
10992072
Incident
May 29, 2017
Mileage
160,000 mi
Driver assistanceEngineFuel system
Filed Feb 1, 2016

I WILL BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD BOTH HWY AND CITY. THE SUBURBAN WILL GO INTO REDUCED ENGIN AND LOSE ALL ITS POWER AND SPEED. I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND CUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTART IT AND IT'S FINE TO GO FOR MAYBE A MILE AND IT DOES IT AGAIN. THEY CAN NOT PIN POINT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS . IT'S VERY DANGEROUS.

NHTSA ID
10823383
Incident
Oct 9, 2015
Mileage
190,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Jan 31, 2016

BRAKE LINE FAILURE

NHTSA ID
10823307
Incident
Jan 31, 2016
BrakesFuel system
Filed Sep 15, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT TRAVELED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY PERFORMED AN INTERIM REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT ALL THE BRAKE LINES WERE RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED BY THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT THE VEHICLE MAY NEED THE FUEL PUMP LINE REPLACED AS WELL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

NHTSA ID
10763849
Incident
Jun 13, 2015
Mileage
72,000 mi
Brakes
Filed May 25, 2015

THE METAL BRAKE LINE BETWEEN THE ABS MODULATOR VALVE AND FRONT RIGHT WHEEL RUPTURED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PRESSED. THE LINE FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. ALL BRAKE LINES IN THE VEHICLE HAD SIMILAR LEVELS OF CORROSION NEAR THE AREA THE AFOREMENTIONED LINE RUPTURED, AND AT VARIOUS OTHER LOCATIONS ON THE VEHICLE. A BRAKE LINE BETWEEN THE MASTER CYLINDER AND ABS MODULATOR HAD FAILED IN A SIMILAR MANNNER APPROXIMATELY 8 MONTHS PREVIOUSLY. THE TRANSMISSION COOLER LINES HAD ALSO FAILED DUE TO CORROSION APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS AGO. THE CORROSION AND RUST ON MANY OTHER COMPONENTS BENEATH THE VEHICLE AND IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IS RATHER CONCERNING. POWER STEERING LINES (INCLUDING POWER BRAKES, SINCE THE VEHICLE HAS HYDRO-BOOST BRAKES) APPEAR TO BE NEXT. ALL METAL BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MOST RECENT FAILURE FOR AN OWNER COST OF ABOUT $500. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE NHTSA RECENTLY CLOSED AN INVESTIGATION OF BRAKE LINE FAILURE DUE TO CORROSION ON SEVERAL GM TRUCKS AND SUVS. AFTER ABOUT 4 YEARS, THIS INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT "A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME." APPARENTLY THEY DON'T READ THE COMPLAINTS ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE...

NHTSA ID
10721311
Incident
Apr 29, 2015
Mileage
140,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Nov 21, 2014

AS I WAS COMING TO AN INTERSECTION WITH A RED LIGHT, I WENT TO SLOW STOP FROM 30 MPH AND MY BRAKES FAILED ALMOST CAUSING ME TO CRASH INTO THE INTERSECTION. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES THEY DID NOT ENGAGE AND MY BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. *TR

NHTSA ID
10660000
Incident
Nov 15, 2014
Brakes
Filed Oct 16, 2014

I WAS SLOWLY BACKING UP AT A FLAT LAUNCH RAMP TO PUT OUR BOAT INTO THE WATER. AS THE TRAILER REACHED THE WATER, I PRESSED HARDER ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. WHEN I DID THAT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL BACKWARDS UNTIL THE BOAT REACHED THE WATER. FORTUNATELY THAT STOPPED THE VEHICLE FROM MOVING AND ALLOWED ME TO APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE. ONE OF MY BRAKE LINES HAD BURST. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THE BRAKE LINES WERE ALL RUSTED AND NOT IN VERY GOOD SHAPE. CONTRARY TO WHAT GM IS CLAIMING, MY VEHICLE COULD NOT STOP IN A SAFE DISTANCE AND THAT WAS WITHOUT THE BOAT/TRAILER ATTACHED. IF WE HAD BEEN EXITING THE HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED (WHICH WE DID SHORTLY BEFORE THE FAILURE), THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR

NHTSA ID
10648287
Incident
Jun 18, 2014
Mileage
101,000 mi
BrakesPowertrain (other)
Filed Sep 1, 2014

ONE OF THE METAL BRAKE LINES BETWEEN THE MASTER CYLINDER AND THE ABS MODULATOR VALVE RUPTURED DURING A STOP DUE TO CORROSION. ALL BRAKE LINES IN THE VEHICLE HAVE SIMILAR LEVELS OF CORROSION NEAR THE AREA THE AFOREMENTIONED LINE RUPTURED, AND AT VARIOUS OTHER LOCATIONS ON THE VEHICLE. THE TRANSMISSION COOLER LINES HAD FAILED APPROXIMATELY 18 MONTHS PREVIOUSLY DUE TO CORROSION. THE CORROSION AND RUST ON MANY COMPONENTS BENEATH THE VEHICLE AND IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IS BECOMING RATHER CONCERNING. *TR

NHTSA ID
10629913
Incident
Sep 1, 2014
Mileage
137,096 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PIP5601C

This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.

23-NA-001

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on OnStar Module 2G Sunset Information.

03-06-01-023I

ENGINE

This service bulletin explains how to measure for oil consumption and possible reasons for loss of oil.

03-06-01-023H

ENGINE

This service bulletin explains how to measure for oil consumption and possible reasons for loss of oil.

PIT3271P

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized, tested and designed for the vehicle in question and its applications. Technician should not use the information that is provided by the antilock braking system tire size selection.

General Communication

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which modules need updating and then proceed to updating affected modules (with some exceptions). The updating of modules is completed in parallel instead of the technician needing to update one module at a time. This allows a more streamlined approach for dealers and customers.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Chevrolet Suburban 2500 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2011700
2010510
2009100
2008702
2006200
2005600
2004200035.6
2003Viewing210028.8
2002330238.9
2001340138.0
2000700
1999120034.7
1998100
1997100
1996100
1995400
1994500

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.