2004 Chevrolet Suburban 2500
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Have the VIN?
Vehicles › Chevrolet › Suburban 2500 › 2004
These records cover every 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 2500. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
20 complaints1 involved a crash1 involved a fire
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Service brakes
Brake lines between the area of the brake fluid reservoir and ABS modulator heavily corroded. One or more lines failed on 7/10/2016 requiring vehicle tow. Vehicle was operational aside from the failure of braking system. When depressed, vehicle brake peddle had little resistance and traveled…
Brake lines between the area of the brake fluid reservoir and ABS modulator heavily corroded. One or more lines failed on 7/10/2016 requiring vehicle tow. Vehicle was operational aside from the failure of braking system. When depressed, vehicle brake peddle had little resistance and traveled completely to floor panel under normal pressure from foot. the incident/failure occurred during normal travel and during an attempted stop at red light. Brake system failure prevented a safe stop and the vehicle continued through the intersection running a red light. Fortunately, the intersection was clear and no accident occurred. The vehicle was parked immediately afterwards and a tow vehicle called. The vehicle IS currently parked until repairs can be applied. towing expense- 125.00 parts expense- 85.00 (replacing all affected lines, front braking system.) labor- 100.00 approx.
- Fuel/propulsion system
Fuel running out top of gas tank after fueling
- Service brakes
While vehicle was stationary at idle I noted excessive brake pedal travel after placing my right foot on the brake. the brake pedal traveled all the way to the floor board and was very slow in return. I shut the vehicle off and visually checked the master cylinder and connections. I noted the…
While vehicle was stationary at idle I noted excessive brake pedal travel after placing my right foot on the brake. the brake pedal traveled all the way to the floor board and was very slow in return. I shut the vehicle off and visually checked the master cylinder and connections. I noted the master cylinder brake fluid reservoir was not completely at the full mark. I continued to observe the hydraulic connections and found no active leak and no fluid on the ground beneath the vehicle. I drove the vehicle to a repair shop in town (out of state visit) advising the shop owner of the problem involving brake travel. a mechanic determined the brake lines on my vehicle were routed along the vehicle frame, made of steel, and unprotected resulting in corrosion, holes, and active leaks. two of the lines were repaired and now the remaining two lines require repair. I observed and noted corrosion of the brake line distribution system along the vehicle frame running to the rear of the vehicle and crossing over the right side. I believe the brake line corroded and failed immediately behind the driver's side located immediately next to the vehicle identification tag. this location was obscured from view because a plastic wiring harness IS routed between the brake lines and exterior of the frame. I believe the placement of the plastic conduit conceals vision / inspection of corroding brake lines. I believe unprotected steel brake lines are subject to physical abrasion and moisture between the unprotected brake line and the vehicle frame resulting in brake line fatigue and water based corrosion resulting in holes and failure of the hydraulic brake system. I never observed the operation of the "brake" icon located on the vehicle message panel. *tr
- Engine
The rear exhaust manifold bolts on both the driver's side and passenger side are broke and now the vehicle has an exhaust leak. *tr
- Service brakes, hydraulic
TL* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 2500. While driving approximately 50 mph up an incline, the brake was applied and suddenly the pedal traveled to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to slow down and the emergency brake was engaged to slow the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a nearby…
TL* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 2500. While driving approximately 50 mph up an incline, the brake was applied and suddenly the pedal traveled to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to slow down and the emergency brake was engaged to slow the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a nearby independent mechanic who advised that the four brake lines ruptured due to rust and corrosion. The vehicle was left for repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
- Service brakes, hydraulic
Forward brake lines completely rusted throughout which led to a leak and subsequent brake failure. other brake components were also found to be rusted somewhat prematurely. *Tr
- Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
Speedometer quit working correctly it does not go below 42 mph and sometimes will not go below 90 mph. *Tr
- Latches/locks/linkages · Structure
Trunk will not open. locks automatically while driving then will not unlock. there IS no manual way to open the trunk, hence no escape in the event of an accident. *Tr
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 2500. At low speeds, he would depress the brake pedal but the vehicle would not respond accordingly. It seemed that the ABS would activate and cause him to move a few feet forward. The ABS also increased the stopping distance and almost caused the…
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 2500. At low speeds, he would depress the brake pedal but the vehicle would not respond accordingly. It seemed that the ABS would activate and cause him to move a few feet forward. The ABS also increased the stopping distance and almost caused the contact to crash on two occasions. He took the vehicle to the dealer but there were no codes produced. The vehicle has not been repaired to-date. He called the manufacturer and asked if they could include his vehicle in recall 05v379000 but was informed that his model year was not included. The current mileage IS approximately 80,300. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000. updated 2/22/10 *cn updated 05/17/10.*jb
- Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 2500. the contact stated that the cluster in the vehicle was faulty and the instrument panel failed. as a result, the contact does not know how fast she IS driving. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair, which would cost between $500-$600.…
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 2500. the contact stated that the cluster in the vehicle was faulty and the instrument panel failed. as a result, the contact does not know how fast she IS driving. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair, which would cost between $500-$600. the manufacturer stated that the warranty was expired on the vehicle and would have to be repaired at the contact's expense. there were no recalls for the failure. the failure mileage was 87,000.
- Electrical system
First occurrence was in 02/2008. power seat adjuster and seat heater quit working. problem found to be high resistance in the electrical connector under drivers seat. substantial burning and melting of the connector present. second occurrence on 2/13/09, found same high resistance problem at…
First occurrence was in 02/2008. power seat adjuster and seat heater quit working. problem found to be high resistance in the electrical connector under drivers seat. substantial burning and melting of the connector present. second occurrence on 2/13/09, found same high resistance problem at the connector between body and rear hatch. caused rear wiper and defroster to become inoperative. both incidents raise concerns about a vehicle fire due to the extreme heat that IS produced by current flowing through a high resistance connection. both connectors have evidence of extreme heat and lead me to be less than confident that these two connectors are the only ones on this vehicle that are faulty. I submitted a complaint about the seat connector in february of 2008, but find no record of it at safecar.gov and have never been contacted about the complaint. *Tr
- Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
Speedometer jumped from approx.69 to 110 and continued to stay haywire and IS not reading accurately. Apparently a known problem by chevy but they are only repairing in 7 years 70,000 miles. Of course I am at 4 years and at 77,000. I was over 74K miles when notice came out so even then would not have been able to get known defect fixed. *Tr
- Electrical system · Seats
A short in the wiring that powers the heated seats and power drivers seat. connector IS burned and melted. as a result of the short, my battery has been drained twice. luckily this was found before a fire or serious injury. *Tr
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
Rear heater hose rubbing on the frame of vehicle caused a failure. *tr
- Seats
Power seat on driver's side quit working along with seat warmers on both front seats. examination found that the electrical feed at the rear of the driver's seat had failed in some manner, causing high resistance in the power and ground circuits which in turn led to arcing and burning of the…
Power seat on driver's side quit working along with seat warmers on both front seats. examination found that the electrical feed at the rear of the driver's seat had failed in some manner, causing high resistance in the power and ground circuits which in turn led to arcing and burning of the plastic connector. the amount of damage to the connector and its proximity to carpeting and potential contents in the vehicle raises concerns of a possible interior fire. *tr
- Air bags › Frontal
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet suburban 2500. the contact's husband was involved in a frontal crash. while driving 40 mph, a deer jumped in front of the vehicle and drove into a ditch. the front end was completely damaged. the insurance company claimed that the vehicle was destroyed. the air bags failed to deploy. the current and failure mileages were 150,000.
- Steering
2004 chevy suburban 2500 series with quadrasteer. the rear wheel steering faults approximately every 5 miles, often when exiting a turn. this can leave the rear wheels full left (or right) if the turn was tight causing the vehicle to crab down the road sideways. if the road IS not wide and the…
2004 chevy suburban 2500 series with quadrasteer. the rear wheel steering faults approximately every 5 miles, often when exiting a turn. this can leave the rear wheels full left (or right) if the turn was tight causing the vehicle to crab down the road sideways. if the road IS not wide and the driver IS not extremely aware a sideswipe accident could easily occur. the rear wheels slowly self center after 10 to 15 seconds. vehicle has been back to the dealer many times. they either say they have replaced a sensor, tightened a loose connection, or no problem found. sometimes it will be ok for 20 miles or so but the problem always recurs. unable to get it fixed. *tr
- Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
1. Driving at highway speeds when speedometer starts slowly registering down to zero 2. Could not tell how fast I was going 3. Dealership agreed to replace the instrument cluster. *Jb
- Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
The speedometer on my 2004 chevrolet suburban does not read the correct speed. I am concerned that my 16 year old daughter IS not experienced enough to realize that the speedometer IS wrong, causing her to drive at an unsafe speed, increasing the risk of an excessive speed accident. conversely…
The speedometer on my 2004 chevrolet suburban does not read the correct speed. I am concerned that my 16 year old daughter IS not experienced enough to realize that the speedometer IS wrong, causing her to drive at an unsafe speed, increasing the risk of an excessive speed accident. conversely, as the speedometer typically reads a speed higher than actual speed, I am concerned about creating a traffic hazard by impeding the flow of traffic and possibly being rear ended by a faster vehicle. I believe that these concerns are a safety risk with this vehicle that should be subject to a recall campaign. *jb
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Hydraulic › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings · Steering › Hydraulic power assist › Pump
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 20 mph, the power assist steering and the power assist brakes failed simultaneously, causing a loss of vehicle control. the vehicle was towed to a service dealer who determined the power steering pump and booster had failed, along with the booster that led to the power assist brake system.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 11010544This service bulletin explains how to measure for oil consumption and possible reasons for loss of oil.
- 11007208This 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.
- 11006621Vehicle 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.
- 11006421GM is receiving damaged (cracked or broken) transmission cores returned to the reman facilities. The damage is being caused either in the removal process by the technician, or inadequate packaging or shipping. This bulletin advises the dealers to be more careful not to damage the transmissions during removal and to package the core properly for return.
- 11004761This service bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank or misfire, MIL with DTCs, and explains how Top Tier fuels should be used to reduce carbon build-up.
- 11004557This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as a Product Allegation Resolution (PAR) claim.
- 11002312This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414, E4423, E4491, E4492, or E6961 and resolution information.
- 11000576This Warranty Administration bulletin provides retail and wholesale service personnel with the policies/procedures and the warranty transaction submission procedures that support the Personal Property Damage process.
- 10252735This bulletin provides information for electrical ground repairs using new General Motors replacement fasteners with conductive finish.
- 10252163XM Audio Traffic And Travel Link Availability And Operation.
- 10251890This technical bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank or misfire, MIL with DTCs, and explains how Top Tier fuels should be used to reduce carbon build-up.
- 10251887This bulletin advises the technician of possible location of an internal coolant leak from a specific cylinder head and location.
- 10250775This service bulletin provides service information to technicians on guidelines to replace Oil Cooler, Oil Cooler Lines and Oil Tank if the engine was replaced where large amounts of debris has flowed throughout the oiling system.
- 10249590This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as a Product Allegation Resolution (PAR) claim.
- 10249579This PI bulletin advises the technician on the proper way to install the pistons in an engine.
- 10249011This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Headlamp, Tail Lamp, License Lamp or Fog/Driving Lamp Damage.
- 10248444Vehicle Recalls
- 10247681Information On Requests To Add OnStar Bluetooth Option.
- 10247552This service bulletin provides information on Concerns or Questions Regarding Installation of Dealer Installed Accessories.
- 10246952Programming And Activation Of Replacement OnStar Modules.
- 10246951Programming And Activation Of Replacement OnStar Modules.
- 10246631Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- 10245951Canadian Customers Unable To Place Calls And Turn By Turn Inoperative In The United States.
- 10245950Canadian Customers Unable To Place Calls In The United States
- 10245395This service bulletin provides a vibration analysis worksheet the technician can use in conjunction with the appropriate Vibration Analysis-Road testing procedure when diagnosing vibration concerns.
- 10244274This service bulletin provides information about the Hunter wheel Road Force balancers that should be utilized for all repairs requiring balance and Road Force measurement.
- 10244214This informational bulletin provides information for the IPC odometer programming method quick reference guide.
- 10244201This service bulletin provides information for dealers on how to submit a product information report (PIR) (Canada Only).
- 10242843The service bulletin advises the tech of a normal transmission shift condition and the delay in throttle response when the throttle plate is opened rapidly and advises the customer that it is normal for the delay.
- 10242262This service bulletin provides graphics, information and guidelines for engine component wear to assist service personnel as a guideline to perform necessary engine repairs and prevent unnecessary engine replacement.
- 10242252This technical bulletin provides information and a solution to a condition of Brake Pedal Moves or Self Applies at Full Turns.
- 10240344This service bulletin explains how to measure for oil consumption and possible reasons for loss of oil.
- 10235802This diagnostic tip bulletin provides additional information on how to diagnose a possible valve, lifter or camshaft issue.
- 10235799This service bulletin provides information about the Hunter wheel Road Force balancers that should be utilized for all repairs requiring balance and Road Force measurement.
- 10234141This diagnostic tip bulletin provides additional information on how to diagnose a possible valve, lifter or camshaft issue.
- 10234110This service bulletin provides service information on new torque specification and installation procedure for ACDelco Spin-On Oil Filters.
- 10232287This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
- 10232156This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on OnStar Module 2G Sunset Information.
- 10232136This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Exterior Lamp Condensation and Water Leaks and Replacement Guidelines.
- 10230605This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on OnStar Module 2G Sunset Information.
Every Chevrolet Suburban 2500 model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.