2015 Chevrolet Suburban Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
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What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2015 Chevrolet Suburban, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes15228.6%
- Steering5911.1%
- Electrical5810.9%
- Powertrain (other)468.6%
- Engine407.5%
- Driver assistance366.8%
- Body & structure346.4%
- Suspension295.5%
- Fuel system275.1%
- Airbags112.1%
- Exterior lighting101.9%
- Seat belts81.5%
- Other / unspecified71.3%
- Interior & seats61.1%
- Visibility61.1%
- Heating & air conditioning10.2%
- Tires & wheels10.2%
- Transmission10.2%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
When coming to a stop or backing from my inclined driveway the foot brake requires a hard push because it seems to lock up. I couldn't stop when braking. The problem is recurring. It has not been inspected for this recurring problem and no lights or warning signal appears on the dashboard.
When our new mechanic was checking over the car, he and his other mechanic both noticed that there was an increased brake pedal effort even though the brakes were in ok condition. Every time I’ve had the car serviced I have them check the brakes because they feel off. The car stops and the brakes check out with previous mechanics but something doesn’t feel right. Our new mechanic then gave me a recall bulletin from GM N192268490 and said he thinks our car is experiencing this issue. The recall was attached to our VIN when the mechanic pulled it up but when we called the dealer and checked the NHTSA website, my VIN number was apparently not part of the recall. I am writing to state that I believe my car may be experiencing the issue stated in the recall bulletin as per my mechanic’s findings. Attached is a copy of the recall bulletin given to us by our mechanic. Please advise.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving and taking a curve, the vehicle failed to turn as needed. The contact stated that the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn. The contact stated that the message “Steering Assist Reduced – Drive with Care” was displayed. The dealer was contacted, and a diagnostic test was pending. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
While driving at highway speeds my vehicle lost steering the radio and the hvac turned off. I had abs and brake lights on the dash as well as a service stabilitrac message. The vehicle completely shutoff and I almost had an auto accident. I have not taken it anywhere as I’m to afraid to drive it for fear of having an accident.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
While driving at highway speeds my vehicle lost steering the radio and the hvac turned off. I had abs and brake lights on the dash as well as a service stabilitrac message. The vehicle completely shutoff and I almost had an auto accident. I have not taken it anywhere as I’m to afraid to drive it for fear of having an accident.
When driving down the road, all gauges drop to 0, car continues to drive. When I pull over and try to turn the car off it turns everything off except the engine. I can’t put it into gear or restart the car. Battery has to be unplugged to get it to turn off. All lights will start flash across the dash. Service air bags, service trailer brake, service side detection, etc
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
Pulling off from a stop sign on a hill, the car wouldn't accelerate and rolled back hitting a pedestrian and then jerked forward aggressively burning rubber on the tires. I smell the transmission burning. Luckily the lady didn't want to press charges.
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the transmission had overheated and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 167,000.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
While driving at highway speeds my vehicle lost steering the radio and the hvac turned off. I had abs and brake lights on the dash as well as a service stabilitrac message. The vehicle completely shutoff and I almost had an auto accident. I have not taken it anywhere as I’m to afraid to drive it for fear of having an accident.
Replaced lifters 1,3,5,7 and added automatic fuel mgmt system bypass chip after the vehicle went into limp mode ON THE HIGHWAY. Ran for less than 2000 miles and those same lifters failed a second time and had to be replaced AGAIN. The last incident occurred after about 200 miles and had engine failure, limp mode with multiple sensor failures in the middle of the road in the dark. Limited ability to move it safely off the road.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
The transmission was acting weird and felt like it was revving up and down while going 20-30 mph. After turning into my neighborhood there was a loud clunck like some dropped off the truck and it completely fell out of gear and just rolled to a stop. Shifted it into park, turned the truck off and back on and put it back in drive it went into gear and allowed me to drive to my house but still acted like it was about to drop out of gear completely again. My neighbor has a 2015 Silverado and 2017 Tahoe and both transmissions did the same thing and had to be replaced, all between 100-125k miles. The blind side system constantly goes off when there’s no threat
First, Side Detection System warning light would come on, then all dashboard gauges would fail and go to position as if the car war turned off, doors and windows would not unlock or open, series of warning messages would pop up as if all systems were malfunctioning. Car would still drive but if you turn the engine off all electrical systems would stay on for a extended period of time. Vehicle would not start, even with a jump start. After sitting for 12 hours, would start again and repeat shutdown after running for about 3-5 minutes.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns 2015 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, the contact saw rust on the frame and saw horizontal lines that became progressively worse over time. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that wax could be added to the rust spot and that the repair would be out-of-pocket because the failure was not under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 19-NA-255 (Wax Coating on Frame Peeling, Metal Shows Corrosion/Rusting); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,481.
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the rear liftgate failed to close. The fire department removed the hydraulic shock to close the rear liftgate. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
The drivers seat back is extremely lose. Moves forward and back with every brake and acceleration. The seat base also moves slightly, rocking left to right in turns. The suspension completely failed and had to be replaced. An unknown oily substance has been coating the inside of the windshield since the purchase of vehicle in 2015. Requires constant deep cleaning in order to see through windshield.
Hello, While driving my Chevy suburban last week as I was pumping gas with my two year old son in the back seat. I saw smoke leaking and rolling out from the bottom of my vehicle. I had shift the vehicle off and inspected thoroughly. I couldn’t see and understand where this was coming from. It wasn’t the engine block and no check engine lights had come on. So I let the vehicle cool and started her up. No issue until I was a mile or two from my family summer rental and all of a sudden the vehicle felt as though it slipped out of gear. I was left without any power and realized I was smoking again. I pulled or what I would call drifted to the break down lane and pulled my little man out of the vehicle. This happened on Saturday and after almost a week in the shop, the dealership sprung me a nice $5200 price for a transmission. I am now looking and seeing two different recalls for this vehicle. Ironically the these two issues look exactly like the two recalls they have for the power train. [XXX] Illuminated FX Inc [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
Fuel line leak caused by design flaw in which line plastic fuel feed line (GM part #84200271) is installed too close to the undercarriage, causing it to rub against the frame due to vibration and wear a pinhole. This is known by gm in service bulletin Service Bulletin 17-NA-304. This is a fuel leak, that can causes significant fire danger to people, property, and nature. Eventually putting first responders at risk. Also the environmental risk of continuous leaking fuel. Luckily, I could smell it before anything bad happened. But if GM knows about this issue, it’s big enough they should do something about it and so should the NHTSA.
Replaced lifters 1,3,5,7 and added automatic fuel mgmt system bypass chip after the vehicle went into limp mode ON THE HIGHWAY. Ran for less than 2000 miles and those same lifters failed a second time and had to be replaced AGAIN. The last incident occurred after about 200 miles and had engine failure, limp mode with multiple sensor failures in the middle of the road in the dark. Limited ability to move it safely off the road.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
Door slam caused side impact airbags to deploy
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving at 10 MPH and making a right turn to enter a parking lot, the vehicle behind failed to see the contact's turning signal and brake lights therefore did not slow down resulting in the contact being rear-ended. As a result, the vehicle was pushed by the impact of the rear end and crashed into a utility pole where it came to a stop. A police report was filed. There was no medical attention required. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot where it was pending another tow to a collision center. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 114,000.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
The Day Light Running Lights will not go off preventing the low beam light from lighting properly. 08/21/2025
Headlight assembly leaks and retains significant amounts of water resembling a half filled fish tank. This causes the bulbs to burn out or corrode the light power supply leaving you with no headlights! This is a very common problem across many GM platforms. I am surprised the Government regulators have allowed a safety problem this wide spread and known to continue unaddressed.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became stiff, and the vehicle lost automotive power. The check engine, seat belt, stabili-trak, and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was occasionally towed and taken to the same local dealer on several occasions, where it was diagnosed; however, the failure was not yet determined. The transmission, fuel pump, battery, alternator, and unknown wiring were replaced at the consumer's expense; however, the failure persisted. In addition, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V586000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
When the air temperature is in the single digits the seat belt buckles do not latch or unlatch when pulled on. I thought my seat belt was latch no warning sounds indicating that it was not latch, but when i went to reach for something on my dash it unbuckled. When temperature is above 9F degrees buckles work fine. Both driver and passager side seat belt buckles do not work properly when it is cold out. Just wondering if others have brought this up.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
THERE IS A VIBRATION AT THE SPEED OF 70-85. MY BREAKING HAS ISSUES. I PRESS PEDAL AND IT FEELS LIKE ITS "BROKE". I TRY AND STOP AT TIMES (MORE OFTEN THAN NOT) AND I REALLY HAVE TO PRESS AND ITS LIKE THE BRAKES ARE NOT STOPPING MY VEHICLE AT ALL. VERY BUMPY RIDE. SHOULD BE SMOOTHER AND I THINK IT HAS TO DO WITH THE WHEELS AND VIBRATION. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED APRIL OF 2019 AND IT SEEMS TO GET WORSE. HUSBAND HAS SPOKEN WITH DEALERSHIP AND ITS JUST KIND OF BLOWN OFF. WE RESEARCHED TO TROUBLE SHOOT AND FOUND MANY RECALLS THAT DESCRIBE WHAT IS HAPPENING.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE MADE A GRINDING NOISE WHILE DRIVING OVER 45 MPH. IN ADDITION, THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V374000 (POWER TRAIN). THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO POTAMKIN CHEVROLET (706 11TH AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10019) TO HAVE THE RECALL REPAIR PERFORMED. AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAILURES RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
The drivers seat back is extremely lose. Moves forward and back with every brake and acceleration. The seat base also moves slightly, rocking left to right in turns. The suspension completely failed and had to be replaced. An unknown oily substance has been coating the inside of the windshield since the purchase of vehicle in 2015. Requires constant deep cleaning in order to see through windshield.
I HAVE JUST OVER 84000 MILES ON MY SUBURBAN. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE A/C CONDENSER DUE TO FAILURE IN A WELD AND NOW HAVE TO REPLACE ALL FOUR STRUTS AS THEY HAVE NOW FAILED. I ALSO HAVE PART OF THE HEATED SEATS NOT WORKING AS WELL AS SENSORS THAT NEED TO BE "UPDATED" ALL THE TIME. I FIND IT RIDICULOUS THAT CHEVROLET WILL NOT STAND BEHIND ITS PRODUCT, ESPECIALLY WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH THE SAME PARTS OF THE VEHICLE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
The drivers seat back is extremely lose. Moves forward and back with every brake and acceleration. The seat base also moves slightly, rocking left to right in turns. The suspension completely failed and had to be replaced. An unknown oily substance has been coating the inside of the windshield since the purchase of vehicle in 2015. Requires constant deep cleaning in order to see through windshield.
ON SEVERAL OCCASION THE TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY HAS FAILED TO TURN ON. THIS SCREEN IS USED FOR THE DISPLAY OF THE BACKUP CAMERA, THE AUDIO, HVAC, AND OTHER CONTROLS. THIS HAS TYPICALLY HAPPENED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS FIRST STARTED, THOUGH IT HAS HAPPENED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. AT WICH POINT THE DISPLAY REMAINS BLANK AND MY NOT WORK UNTILL AFTER SHUTTING DOWN THE VEHICLE AND RESTARTING IT AGAIN. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Heating & air conditioning
Reports naming the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE AND ACTIVATED THE AIR CONDITIONER; HOWEVER, HOT AIR CIRCULATED THROUGH THE AIR VENTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONER CONDENSER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN EQUIPPED WITH CONTINENTAL CROSSCONTACT LX20 TIRES, SIZE: P275/55R20. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, A LOUD NOISE AND HEAVY VIBRATION OCCURRED UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES HAD EXCESSIVE WEAR. THE TIRES WERE ROTATED SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TIRES MAY HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE NOT REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE THE ORIGINAL TIRES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE DOT NUMBER WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE APPROXIMATE TIRE AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving on two occasions, the vehicle did not accelerate as intended. The contact stated that when the vehicle reached 55 MPH, the vehicle dead stopped, and she was thrust forward, and on the second occasion, she sustained a head injury from hitting her head on the steering wheel. Medical attention was not needed. Additionally, on the second occasion, the vehicle began overheating, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was codes P0700, P0741, and P0796 populated, and the TCM, torque converter clutch circuit, pressure control solenoid C, and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .