2010 Chevrolet Suburban: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 175 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (45% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2021
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.
“I took my vehicle to have to air bag repaired and it has a cracks all over the dashboard now. I contacted to representative and was informed this is a Hazzard of this vehicle. It is a known issue but it has not been addressed by the GMC company. How many people have to be injured or killed before it becomes and actual safety issue? Whose life is considered expendable? If it is a known issue and it has been, in good faith, brought to GMCs attention, why has it not been corrected?”Owner report · Structure · Mar 2022
“TK Holdings Inc. ("Takata") has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in the passenger-side frontal airbag inflators installed as original equipment in certain 2007 to 2014 model year Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT vehicles; certain Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, and Tahoe vehicles; and certain GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The determination was made that the propellant in these inflators may degrade after long-term exposure to high humidity and temperature cycling, which could cause the inflator to rupture during a deployment. SAFETY RISK:”Owner report · Air Bags · Sep 2021
“The front dash had suffered catastrophic cracking and damage from the sun and or heat. The majority of the Dan is so badly cracked and faking apart, a aftermarket dash cover was purchased to cover the unsightly OEM dash.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Sep 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“Takata recall. The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled; however, the contact was notified that parts were not available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2021
“Upon entering the vehicle this morning, 11/17/2020, I noticed a crack in the dash near the passenger side airbag. As I started the vehicle and driving the service airbag light came on. The mileage at the time was 129173.”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2020
“2010 5.3l engine consumes oil at an excessive rate. The lack of a low oil warning has caused the engine to be run without oil for excessive periods of time. Engine issues include stalling and inability to start vehicle until diagnosed by mechanic as being void of oil. Oil consumption has been as high as 100% within a six month period after completing a certified oil change by ase professionals.”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2020
“While driving down the road a large piece of the dash exploded violently projecting a sharp plastic piece of the dash, hitting driver in the face, narrowly missing the eyes, bouncing off and landing in the 2nd row seating area. Thankfully, there was no infant or child in those seats or they could have been injured. The temperature outside was 100+ in the summer in Texas. The cracking dash issue has been reported by us and by numerous other complainants many times previously. This is an ongoing problem that has clearly not been taken seriously by GM.”Owner report · Structure · Jul 2020
“Truck loses power to engine while driving. I have no oil pressure no fuel no speedometer and no rooms but my battery runs on about 14. Truck will drive at speed it shutsdown at but if u stop it takes a little longer to gain speed. This has did this about 5 times in 2 weeks I had it in the shop 3 times and we are unable to figure it out. If u turn the truck up it will not start u have to unhook the battery to get power back.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Feb 2020
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2010 chevrolet suburban. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v381000 (air bags). The contact stated that martin chevrolet (located at 23505 hawthorne blvd, torrance, ca 90505, (310) 594-5987) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified. The part was not available for the repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Sep 2019
“Airbag recall and gerry lane chevrolet's representative continues to tell me that a remedy for the airbag recall has not been found yet. This is a recall!”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 2 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
MARATHON IS RECALLING CERTAIN SEAT COVERS, BRAND SUPERHIDES WITH PART NUMBERS 593, 594, 578, 960, 228, 228-09, 267-08, 333, 625, AND 630, SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE SEAT COVERS ARE MADE OF HEAVIER THREAD AND ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SEATS CONTAINING SIDE AIRBAGS. THE HEAVIER SEAT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH FULL DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Remedy: MARATHON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE SEAT COVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MARATHON AT 1-800-735-2769.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Suburban 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 2010 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?
NHTSA has 175 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2010 Chevrolet Suburban. The most complained-about area is air bags (45% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2010 Chevrolet Suburban problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 80,160 miles or less.
Does the 2010 Chevrolet Suburban have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning equipment. 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.