2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500

No clear pattern

0.7% of complaints about the 2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2002 vehicle, but with only 144 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is service brakes, hydraulic (33 complaints), typically at 8.9 yr or about 100,000 miles.

Complaints: 144
Median age at failure: 9.3 yr
Median mileage: 111,653 n=125
Crash / fire / tow: 3.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

07E106000 2007-12-17

Wheels:hub

CERTAIN FEDERAL-MOGUL REPLACEMENT WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLIES WITH THE BRAND NAMES: NATIONAL, CARQUEST P/NOS. 515020, 515021, 515025, 515053, 515054, 515059, AND 515060, SHIPPED BETWEEN JANUARY 23, 2006, AND DECEMBER 20, 2007, SOLD FOR LIGHT DUTY AND MEDIUM DUTY TRUCKS. THE INBOARD RETENTION NUT USED TO MAINTAIN HUB BEARING ASSEMBLY CAN LOOSEN RESULTING IN AN ABS LIGHT INDICATION, NOISE, AND/OR WHEEL SEPARATION.

WHEEL SEPARATION CAN RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

In owners’ own words

Service brakes, hydraulic 66,500 mi 5.0 yr in service

LIGHT BRAKE PEDAL APPLICATION CAUSES PEDAL PUSH BACK AND MINIMAL BRAKING ANTI-LOCK ENGAGES AT LOW SPEEDS ON SECURE PAVEMENT. *JB

Service brakes, hydraulic 81,000 mi 5.9 yr in service

ABS ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE PERMANENTLY FAILED RESULTING IN LOSS OF ANTI LOCK BRAKES. *TR

Service brakes, hydraulic 74,652 mi 7.3 yr in service

ABS LIGHT ON-DEALER SAYS $1500 TO REPAIR, HE SAID THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED A LONG TIME AGO. I CAN'T AFFORD TO REPAIR IT SO AM NOW DRIVING A CAR THE HAS NO ABS PROTECTION. *TR

Service brakes 177,000 mi 10.7 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH SHE ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE AT AN INTERSECTION AND HEARD A CRANKING NOISE BEFORE THE BRAKES FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSE THAT THERE WAS RUST DAMAGE ON THE BRAKE LINES. AS A RESULT, FRONT BREAK LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THREE MONTHS LATER THE REAR BRAKES FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE RUST DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 177,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 179,000. UPDATED 11/13/12 *CN

Other Suburban 1500 model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Suburban 1500 model years

How to read this