1991 GMC Suburban Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1991 GMC 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
- Interior & seats1136.7%
- Brakes930.0%
- Tires & wheels310.0%
- Seat belts310.0%
- Driver assistance13.3%
- Powertrain (other)13.3%
- Body & structure13.3%
- Engine13.3%
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
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
RECALL FOR COLLAPSE OF DRIVER SEAT,RECALL DONE, SEAT COLLAPSED AFTER RECALL REPAIR???*AK
HAD RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE 96V226000. CONTACTED DEALER. TOOK VEHICLE ON DATE GIVEN. PICKED VEHICLE UP. RECALL WORK NOT DONE. VEHICLE IN SAME LOCATION. BOLTS WERE NEVER REPLACED. ORIGINAL BOLTS STILL ON SEAT & STILL RUSTY. SEATBACK HAD BROKE. *AK
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE PROBLEM: THE SPEEDOMETER WORKS INTERMITTENTLY, THE BRAKE LIGHT WOULD COME ON, AND THE BRAKES WOULD LOSE POWER. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TO GET FIXED. THE BRAKE LIGHT DOESN'T COME ON ANYMORE. THE DEALER HAS CHANGED ALL THE COMPONENTS ON THE FRONT AND REAR BRAKES. NOW THE BRAKES ARE REALLY MUSHY AND THE TRUCK PULLS TO THE RIGHT. THE DEALER CHANGED THE SPEED SENSOR, BUT THE SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T WORK. MY TRUCK HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR MORE THAN 2 WEEKS.
WHEN TRAVELING ON WET OR DRY PAVEMENT, UPON MAKING A GRADUAL STOP THE REAR BRAKES LOCK UP, VEHICLE JUMPS FORWARD. ABS LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER HAS REPLACED PARTS. *AK
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
(LA SUPERIOR COURT,CASE NO.PC018776) A POLICE OFFICER BECAME A PARAPLEGIC AFTER THE GOODYEAR WRANGLER HT (LT235/85R16) EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION WHILE DRIVING AT A HIGH SPEED, RESULTING IN VEHICLE ROLLOVER ACCIDENT IN WHICH THE OFFICER WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE. ATTORNEY IS WRITING IN WITH SEVERAL OTHER INCIDENTS OF TREAD SEPARATIONS AND INJURIES, POLICE REPORTS ARE PROVIDED WITH DETAILED INFORMATION. THIS PARTICULAR INCIDENT (BRIAN MATHEWS) WAS REPRESENTED IN COURT BY THE LAW FIRM (GREENE,BROILLET,TAYLOR, WHEELER & PANISH LLP). ATTORNEY IS WRITING IN WITH SEVERAL OTHER INCIDENTS OF TREAD SEPARATIONS AND INJURIES, POLICE REPORTS ARE PROVIDED WITH DETAILED INFORMATION.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE 405 IN LOS ANGELES AT 65 MPH LAST THURSDAY NIGHT AT 10 PM. MY LEFT REAR TIRE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO COME APART AS IF THE SKIN WAS COMING OFF OF IT. I DID NOT CRASH BUT WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY ONTO AN EXIT. THE TIRE APPEARS TO BE SHREDDING LIKE THE ONES I HAVE SEEN ON TELEVISION AND IN THE NEWSPAPER, EVENT THOUGH IT IS A DIFFERENT FIRESTONE TIRE. I KEPT THE TIRE AND CALLED FIRESTONE, AND THEY SAID TO BRING IT IN. I DRIVE 2 HOURS A DAY TO WORK AND I CAN'T NECESSARILY AFFORD TO REPLACE ALL FOUR, WHICH I NEED TO NOW DO. I AM ALSO VERY ANGRY BECAUSE I AM SO CAREFUL TO KEEP MY CAR IN WORKING ORDER ON THE LOS ANGELES FREEWAY, WHICH YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT PULL OVER ON SAFELY, AND IT WAS A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR ALOT OF PEOPLE WHEN IT HAPPENED. AND I HAD TO CHANGE MY TIRE AFTER A 13 HOUR WORKDAY. COULD YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I HAVE ANY RECOURSE IN THIS SITUATION. (TIRESIZE: L23585R16)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: L23585R16 )
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS TRAVELING AT 30 MPH. PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT CAME UNBOLTED FROM THE FLOORBOARD. AS A RESULT, PASSENGER SUSTAINED A BACK INJURY. *AK
REAR PASSENGERS RESTRAINTS DO NOT RETRACT OR PULL OUT. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
ACCELERATOR STUCK WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY. TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE SURFAC EHARDENING TECHNIQUE UTILIZED DURING THE MANUFACTURING OF THE RING GEARS BEARINGS AND ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS WERE NOT ADEQUATE ENOUGH. DURING 1991 THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE AVAILABILITY OF THE AXLE COMPONENTS DUE TO LABOR NEGOTIATIONS WHICH WERE HELD, AND THERE WERE A SIGNIFICANR NUMBER OF POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE PARTS PLACED INTO SERVICE. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, WOULD HEAR NOISES; THEN LOST STEERING CONTROL DUE TO FRAME ATTACHED TO GEAR BOX WAS CRACKED. TOOK TO DEALER & REFUSED TO REPAIR CRACKS; SAID IT SHOULDN'T BE DRIVEN BECAUSE IT WOULD COME LOOSE & SOMEONE COULD BE INJURED. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
ENGINE FAILED.
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 .