2002 Chevrolet Suburban

Typical pattern

11.2% of complaints about the 2002 Chevrolet Suburban came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2002 vehicle — around the middle of the 230 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 3.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is service brakes, hydraulic (72 complaints), typically at 3.9 yr or about 68,000 miles.

Complaints: 338
Median age at failure: 3.8 yr
Median mileage: 64,000 n=239
Crash / fire / tow: 12.7% of reports
Safety recalls: 4

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Service brakes, hydraulic

72 reports · 68,000 mi

3.9 yr

11.1%

Service brakes

41 reports · 130,000 mi

12.0 yr

12.2%

Power train

24 reports · 41,000 mi

2.6 yr

8.3%

Fuel system

23 reports · 69,000 mi

2.3 yr

Steering

19 reports · 42,091 mi

3.1 yr

10.5%

Parking brake

19 reports · 44,000 mi

3.7 yr

Tires

16 reports · 30,000 mi

2.5 yr

6.2%

Engine cooling

15 reports · 87,620 mi

6.3 yr

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

06E043000 2006-05-19

Fuel system

CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18, 2005, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2006, SOLD FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE AND ON CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES. (TO SEE THE SCHOOL BUS ENGINE SIZES, CLICK ON "DOCUMENT SEARCH" AND THEN "BUS APPLICATIONS"). THE CONNECTOR ON THE FUEL FILTER WAS NOT MANUFACTURED TO HONEYWELL'S SPECIFICATION. AS A RESULT, THE O-RING MAY NOT SEAT CORRECTLY ON THE FUEL LINE.

THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE AN INADEQUATE SEAL AT THE CONNECTION, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO A FUEL LEAK. IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.

06E026000 2006-03-23

Exterior lighting

CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

05V379000 2005-08-29

Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip

CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE UNWANTED ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) ACTIVATION. THIS CONDITION IS MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR IN ENVIRONMENTALLY CORROSIVE AREAS. THIS RECALL WILL BE LAUNCHED IN THE "SALT BELT" STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MAINE, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ONLY.

THIS CAN CAUSE INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES DURING LOW-SPEED BRAKE APPLICATIONS, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.

03V094000 2003-03-07

Structure

CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCK, VAN, AND MINI VAN CONVERSIONS EQUIPPED WITH SOUTHERN COMFORT BUILT RUNNING BOARDS THAT CONTAIN CERTAIN COURTESY LIGHTS MANUFACTURED BY AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS, INC. THESE UNITS CONTAIN A COURTESY LIGHT OR LIGHTS THAT MIGHT OVERHEAT WHEN THE WIRE HARNESS IS EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE MOISTURE AND ROAD SALT.

THIS OVERHEATING CONDITION CAN CAUSE THE RUNNING BOARD TO MELT OR CAUSE A FIRE.

In owners’ own words

Service brakes, hydraulic mileage not reported 3 mo in service

WHILE TURNING INTO A DRIVEWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 7 M.P.H. BRAKES FAILED AND CAR MADE LOUD NOISE. THE SUBURBAN FINALLY STOPPED ON THE 3RD TIME OF HITTING THE BRAKES. *AK

Service brakes, hydraulic mileage not reported 9 mo in service crash / fire / tow

WHEN CAR WAS 2 MONTHS OLD, WE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER THAT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES DIDN'T SEEM TO WORK PROPERLY IN THAT THEY LOCKED UP AND MADE THE CAR JOLT TO A STOP. DEALER SAID OVER PHONE THAT THIS WAS FINE AND DID NOT NEED TO LOOK AT CAR. ON JUNE 25, 2002, SAME PROBLEM WAS EXPERIENCED ON I-95 WHEN TRYING TO AVOID ANOTHER CAR THAT CUT INTO LANE. BRAKES DID NOT RESPOND, I LOST CONTROL OF SUBURBAN, WHICH ROLLED OVER AND WAS TOTALED.*AK

Service brakes, hydraulic mileage not reported 11 mo in service

THE CONSUMERS STATES THAT THE BRAKES STILL SQUEAK. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THEY STILL SQUEAK EVEN AFTER THE PADS AND THE ROTORS HAVE BEEN CLEANED. *SCC

Power train mileage not reported 6 mo in service

TRANSMISSION OIL LEAKING ONTO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM CREATING A BURNING SMELL AND OIL ALL OVER THE TRANSFER CASE AND TRANSMISSION AS WELL AS THE EXHAUST PIPE.*AK

Other Suburban 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.