IllustrationANTI-LOCK SYSTEMS OVERRIDES AT LOW SPEED ON DRY PAVEMENT INCREASING STOPPING DISTANCES.
1997 Chevrolet Suburban 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Suburban 1500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 15 of 16 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Visibility. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports
Service Brakes complaints
2 reportsBRAKE FAILURE DUE TO RUSTED BRAKE LINES ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS. AROUND MARCH 2008 I WAS TRAVELING ON THE SOUTHERN STATE PARKWAY IN LONG ISLAND, NY WHEN I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT WENT TO THE FLOOR AND A LARGE CLOUD OF SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHICH WAS CAUSED BY BRAKE FLUID HITTING THE HOT EXHAUST MANIF…
Read full complaint
BRAKE FAILURE DUE TO RUSTED BRAKE LINES ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS. AROUND MARCH 2008 I WAS TRAVELING ON THE SOUTHERN STATE PARKWAY IN LONG ISLAND, NY WHEN I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT WENT TO THE FLOOR AND A LARGE CLOUD OF SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHICH WAS CAUSED BY BRAKE FLUID HITTING THE HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD. THE BRAKE LINE HAD RUSTED THROUGH AND CAUSED A HOLE IN THE LINE WHICH CAUSED THE BRAKES TO FAIL. ONLY THAT PARTICULAR LINE WAS REPLACED DUE TO THE HIGH COST OF REPLACING ALL LINES FROM FRONT TO BACK. TODAY AUGUST 6, 2012 I WAS LEAVING MY HOUSE WHEN I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND ONCE AGAIN IT WENT TO THE FLOOR AND A LARGE CLOUD OF SMOKE CAME OUT DUE TO THE BRAKE FLUID HITTING THE HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD. UPON INSPECTION I FOUND ANOTHER BRAKE LINE THAT HAD RUSTED THROUGH AND CAUSED A HOLE IN THE LINE WHICH CAUSED THE BRAKES TO FAIL. AT THE TIME OF THE SECOND INCIDENT THE TRUCK HAD 141,000 MILES ON IT. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.