2001 Chevrolet Suburban problems
NHTSA has received 543 complaints about the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban, and 35% of them involve brakes. Next are fuel system (12%) and engine (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 543 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 35% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 38 and 6
- Injuries and deaths
- 37 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 60,000 miles 364 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 43 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 47 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 89 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 71 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 28 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 23 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 16 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 20 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 7 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 4 |
| 200k+ miles | 16 |
What the data shows
Of the 364 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 60,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 68,000 miles (142 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 38 complaints mention a crash; 6 complaints mention a fire; 37 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2001 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 35 model years of the Chevrolet Suburban with enough data (399 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
My vehicle spontaneously caught on fire. The smoke started coming out of the cd/radio. Within minutes the smoke was so thick that our eyes were burning and it was difficult to see and breathe. By the time I got the car over and evacuated 5 kids and a dog, fire was actually visible. The flame was coming out of the CD player.
I was driving on may 12 from fillmore ca to lax airport I was on freeway 5 passing valencia by the exit of freeway 14 when a white ban hit their brakes I did the same thing but I think the brake of my car did work properly and I lost control of my car so I went to the left line and a grey civic hit me on my driver side by the front tire I had my two kids with me they were so scare because I was blinding from my head my air bags never came on if you have any please call [xxx].
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban. The contact stated that on may 18, 2010, while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle collided with an oncoming vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle sustained extensive damages and was towed from the scene. The contact and passengers sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. A police report was filed. The contact had not called the dealership or the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. The failure and current mileages were approximately 105,000.
The passenger seat belt locked up so tight, the passenger was unable to move. The seat belt did not give any room for moving comfortably.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban. While driving 35 MPH in the rain, the ABS light illuminated. When the contact turned off the engine, it made a humming sound. He disconnected the module and the humming stopped. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer the following day and they replaced the module under warranty. Three years later, the failure recurred. He purchased the third module and had it replaced by a local mechanic.