2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500

No clear pattern

0.9% of complaints about the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2004 vehicle, but with only 220 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 electrical system (84 complaints), typically at 5.3 yr or about 78,000 miles.

Complaints: 220
Median age at failure: 6.3 yr
Median mileage: 85,000 n=200
Crash / fire / tow: 4.1% 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

Electrical system 39,000 mi 1.1 yr in service

SPEEDOMETER FAILURE. THE SPEEDOMETER GOES FROM 0-120 IN A MATTER OF A FEW SECONDS AND BACK DOWN. I CANNOT TELL HOW FAST I AM GOING. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR INCIDENCES FOUND ON THE INTERNET. I HAVEN'T HEARD OF ANY REAL ISSUES, BUT I COULD SEE IT HAPPENING IF YOU WERE NOT WITH OTHER TRAFFIC TO VERIFY YOUR SPEED.

Electrical system 50,000 mi 2.9 yr in service

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 *NM

Electrical system 51,000 mi 3.1 yr in service

SPEEDOMETER AND OIL PRESSURE STARTING DISPLAYING ERRATIC READING ANY WHERE FROM 0-120+ AND OIL PSI OF 0 TO PEGGING GAGE. AFTER RESEARCH OF DEALERS AND REPAIR FACILITIES DATA CONFIRMED THIS IS A KNOW DEFECT AND CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE STEPPER MOTORS. SETTING CRUISE CONTROL HAMPER THIS DEFECT BY NOT KNOWING WHAT ACTUAL SPEED IS WHEN ENGAGING CRUISE CONTROL. ALSO HAVE SECOND VEHICLE THAT JUST STARTED WITH SAME ISSUES TODAY 12-22-06. 2004 GMC YUKON XL

Service brakes 119,000 mi 10.0 yr in service

COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WITHOUT ANY WARNING. ANOTHER BRAKE LINE COMPLETELY CORRODED AD INOPERABLE. HAD SAME ISSUE ON ANOTHER BRAKE LINE 6-MONTHS EARLIER. NO REPLACEMENT PARTS AVAILABLE TO CONNECT TO REMAINING LIES. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN RUNNING ERRANDS PICKING UP AND DROPPING OFF CHILDREN WHEN FAILURE OCCURRED.

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.

2004 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