Chevrolet / Suburban 1500 / 2004
2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 problems
Owners have filed 220 complaints about the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 with NHTSA. Electrical system accounts for 38.2% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of service brakes at 12.3%.
Complaints220
Crashes2
Fires7
Injuries2
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Electrical system 38.2% · 84
Service brakes 12.3% · 27
Steering 6.4% · 14
Service brakes, hydraulic 5.9% · 13
Vehicle speed control 5.0% · 11
Power train 4.5% · 10
Engine and engine cooling 4.5% · 10
Tires 4.5% · 10
Severity
Of those complaints, 2 describe a crash, 7 describe a fire and 2 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 8 model years of the Chevrolet Suburban 1500 in this data, 2004 ranks 3rd by complaint volume — 2007 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 15 in the last three years against 42 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 85,000 miles.
In owners' own words
2004 Chevrolet suburban speedometer reading is inaccurate, reading anywhere from 20 to 50 mph too high. This is a hazard while driving due to inability to accurately gauge speed, causing tendency to drive too slowly. Run risk of traffic ticket. Chevy dealership acknowledges that this is common problem but only provides special issue service for vehicles between 70,000 to 80,000 miles on odometer. Electrical system · reported at 101,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. While towing a u-haul trailer at 75 mph, the vehicle completely shut off without warning. The vehicle coasted to the right lane and failed to restart in the neutral position. The vehicle had to be physically shut off in order to restart. The contact filed complaint number 71-547942923 with Chevrolet. The current and failure mileages were 54,000. Electrical system · reported at 54,000 miles
2004 Chevy suburban- speedometer and oil psi gauges read erratic. Speedometer can read zero one minute and 120 another, very erratic. Oil pressure gage reads 0-80 at any time. Many documented cases but no recall on defective stepper motors. Internet shows many repairs being made on theses clusters replacing defective stepper motors. Dealer repair to replace defective cluster $400 Electrical system · reported at 50,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…