2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 175 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is electrical system (32% of complaints); the 2001 and 2005 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Dec 2007
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 175 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Brake lines rusting. Twice in a month the brakes failed after a hard stop at a traffic light. Lucky for me & others there were no cars in front of me or trying to cross the intersection. After applying the brake hard to stop, the brake pedal continued all the way to the floor and the car did not stop. The mechanic told me that the brake lines rusted and therefore the brake fluid leaked out of the system”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jul 2018
“My entire instrument panel does not always work when I start my truck. It will occasionally come to life after driving a bit or sometimes it doesn't work at all. No pattern as to when, where or driving conditions. Started a few months ago where it would always work shortly after I started the engine and has progressively gotten worse,”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2018
“Without warning brake line blew a hole and no brakes. No warning and total loss of brakes. Service brake system light came on. No help with that. Fortunately I was able to pass on right shoulder threw the grass. Almost a three vehicle accident. Need to have this problem addressed and taken care of. People could have easily been injured or killed.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jun 2018
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tamara inflators I'm loosing brake fluid as I drive I'm leasing the automobile from quality auto also they said it's okay to still drive the car with a gas in the truck but it's saying needs gas I keep smelling gas after he said it passed road inspection test ! I'm very concerned it more wrong if I jam or pump the brakes I can not stop I'm immediately. Im unsure what my actual mileage is . The sensors are not working when I went to uncle ed's or even other auto shops I do have photos and videos”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Apr 2018
“I just started leasing the vehicle from quality auto that says that the car is road ready but have lots of hazardous things to it a very bad gas leak that there taking there time to fix and my hood of my car won't stay down ...it's 7 days into my car lease and there promises have been broken and won't trade me another car .”Owner report · Service Brakes · Mar 2018
“The battery keeps going dead and something is not shutting the car down causing a parasitic battery draw killing battery I have gone through 4 battery and after about 3 days or 4 the truck does not start and 2hen I take it to autozone they say its dead and give me a new battery and tried looking up issue and see alot of people having issues and when I took to check alternator or starter nothing they are good”Owner report · Electrical System · May 2017
“Noticed recently that the dashboard developed a crack near the air bag and extending forward to the windshield.. Vehicle was stationary.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Mar 2017
“A complete loss of braking ability, ruptured brake lines. Lines between proportioning valve and ABS pump ruptured and failed completely. Lines rusted and failed. No accident and no injuries. My wife was driving, vehicle was operated in reverse {backing up}, she then shifted to forward, brakes failed, pedal went to floor, and rolled from a parking lot into a highway, fortunately no other traffic was present.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Oct 2016
“Brake line rusted through causing dangerous situation where vehicle is slow to stop and does not stay stopped when needed such as traffic lights, hills, stop signs, etc.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Sep 2016
“The anti theft system caused the engine to quit going down the hi way several times and was very dangerous some of the times and left us stranded sometimes. Gm acts like they do not know what is wrong but there is ample info on the internet and even a fix but it disable the ats, it turns off the fuel to the injectors killing the engine. This happened many times. We had to be towed twice because it would not restart.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2016
When filing, owners marked a crash in 6 of these complaints and injuries in 4 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
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.
Remedy: FEDERAL-MOGUL WILL NOTIFY CUSTOMERS AND WILL REPLACE THE HUB ASSEMBLY FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 7, 2008. OWNERS CAN CONTACT FEDERAL-MOGUL TOLL-FREE AT 877-489-6659.
How other years compare
Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all Suburban 1500 years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.
Check your exact Suburban 1500 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 reliable?
NHTSA has 175 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The most complained-about area is electrical system (32% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 90,000 miles or less.
Does the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning wheels. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.