IllustrationDURING COLD MONTHS ONLY VEHICLE HAS POWER SURGES WHENEVER DRIVING. INTERIOR LIGHTS AND HEADLIGHTS FLICKER CONSISTENTLY TO WHERE IT APPEARS I AM FLASHING MY LIGHTS. THE HIGHER THE RPMS, FLICKERING IS MORE FREQUENT. APPARENTLY A KNOWN ISSUE WITH NO SOLUTION OR RECALL. ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY TESTING OUT GOOD.
2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Suburban 1500 years
Owner complaints for the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 53.
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
40–25K
1825–50K
3450–75K
3375–100K
37100–150K
25150K+
151 reports with mileage · 24 unknown
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.
- Electrical System. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
6 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports
Exterior Lighting complaints
3 reportsTHE HIGH CENTER (3RD) BRAKE LIGHT ON MY 20003 CHEVY SUBURBAN HAS GONE OUT FOR THE THIRD TIME. I SEE MANY MANY SIMILAR VEHICLES WITH THEIR HIGH-CENTER (3RD) BRAKE LIGHTS OUT. THERE HAS TO BE SOME ELECTRICAL SYSTEM GLITCH TO CAUSE THE FAILURE. GM RECENTLY ANNOUNCED A RECALL TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE DASH BOARD BECAUSE OF ELECTRICA…
Read full complaint
THE HIGH CENTER (3RD) BRAKE LIGHT ON MY 20003 CHEVY SUBURBAN HAS GONE OUT FOR THE THIRD TIME. I SEE MANY MANY SIMILAR VEHICLES WITH THEIR HIGH-CENTER (3RD) BRAKE LIGHTS OUT. THERE HAS TO BE SOME ELECTRICAL SYSTEM GLITCH TO CAUSE THE FAILURE. GM RECENTLY ANNOUNCED A RECALL TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE DASH BOARD BECAUSE OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. THE PROBLEMS MAY BE RELATED THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE HIGH-CENTER BRAKE LIGHT SERVES AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION AND AT $120 PLUS LABOR TO REPLACE IS CAN GET EXPENSIVE. *TR
WHEN THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL IS ACTIVATED THE HAZARDS FLASH. *JB
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.