2011 Chevrolet Suburban problems
NHTSA has received 193 complaints about the 2011 Chevrolet Suburban, and 34% of them involve air bags. Next are body & structure (13%) and electrical system (5%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 193 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 3 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 15 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 68,000 miles 126 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 | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 28 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 32 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 24 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 8 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 126 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 68,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 65,000 miles (27 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 3 complaints mention a crash; 15 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 18th most-complained-about out of 35 model years of the Chevrolet Suburban with enough data (119 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 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.
We were on a two lane road heading westbound. East bound vehicle crossed center strip striking our front drivers side of vehicle. We were on a curve in the road, traveling approx 40-45MPH while other vehicle was traveling the same MPH if not more. Our vehicle sustained frame damage to the front drivers side as well as all airbags deploying except passenger side airbag/in seat airbag.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet suburban. The contact stated that an abnormal and overpowering odor was present in the rear interior of the vehicle. The contact's four small children were asleep in the rear row seats and when called upon, did not awaken to respond. The contact exited the vehicle to inspect further and discovered the odor. Additionally, all four children had become asphyxiated by the fumes.
The accelerator hesitates when pressed. The car does not move and will then accelerate rapidly when at a stop and trying to accelerate through intersections. Dealer could not duplicate for repairs. Recurring issue. Also has a popping or clunking noise in back passenger side. Dealer has duplicated but not repaired.
The dash is cracking by the airbag. The same exact thing happened with my 2006 tahoe. There is a facebook page with over 3000 people with the same issue - in addition to a news segment that was recently covered. It is a major issue that GM is not taking responsibility. The facebook page is "07-13 GM cracked dash safety hazard for all trucks"