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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.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

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

Vehicle Speed Control complaints

7 reports
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93,300 miles · Mar 30, 2015
Electrical SystemVehicle Speed Control

MY '03 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN HAS DEVELOPED WHAT APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON CONDITION WHERE THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BECOMES INOPERABLE. FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE TRAVELING AT LOW, IN TOWN SPEEDS, THE SPEEDOMETER WILL HAVE READINGS IN THE 60S, 70S' AND 80S. WHILE IN THE PARK POSITION, THE SPEEDOMETER WILL READ 55MPH. THIS IS ABSOLUT…

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MY '03 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN HAS DEVELOPED WHAT APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON CONDITION WHERE THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BECOMES INOPERABLE. FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE TRAVELING AT LOW, IN TOWN SPEEDS, THE SPEEDOMETER WILL HAVE READINGS IN THE 60S, 70S' AND 80S. WHILE IN THE PARK POSITION, THE SPEEDOMETER WILL READ 55MPH. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND I AM REALLY SHOCKED THAT THE NHTSA HASN'T FORCED A RECALL. THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF REPORTS ONLINE OF THIS EXACT PROBLEM. GENERAL MOTORS IS AWARE THAT THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM, AS THEY EVEN EXTENDED. GENERAL MOTORS EVEN PROVIDED OWNERS WITH A SPECIAL COVERAGE THAT EXTENDS THE WARRANTY ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER FOR THE CONDITION DESCRIBED ABOVE, AS LONG AS THE VEHICLES AGE AND MILEAGE FALLS WITHIN CERTAIN PARAMETERS. THOSE PARAMETERS ARE THE MAIN REASON FOR MY COMPLAINT. THOSE PARAMETERS ARE 1) 7 YEARS OF THE IN SERVICE DATE, AND 2) 70,000 MILES, WHICH EVER OCCURS FIRST. MY CLAIM TO HAVE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IN MY VEHICLE REPAIRED UNDER THE SPECIAL COVERAGE WAS DENIED ON 9/4/09 BECAUSE THE MILEAGE OF MY VEHICLE WAS 93,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF MY REQUEST. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A LARGE SCALE SAFETY PROBLEM THAT WARRANTS A RECALL BY GENERAL MOTORS RATHER THAN AN EXTENSION OF WARRANTY WITH UNREASONABLE MILEAGE PARAMETERS. EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ALONE IS A CLEAR ADMISSION OF A KNOWN WIDESPREAD ISSUE. IS NHTSA IN BED WITH GM TOO? I GUESS I SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10702698

69,233 miles · Jul 14, 2008
Vehicle Speed Control

SPEEDOMETER READING INCORRECT WHEN IDLE OR MOVING. REGISTERS OVER 120 MPH WHILE TRAVELING APPROX 40 MPH. DEALER MADE RECALL BUT LIMITED TO UNDER 60,000 MILES. I PUT ON ALMOST THAT AMOUNT OF MILES IN THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. CHEVY SHOULD JUST RECALL & REPAIR PERIOD. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10234244

72,000 miles · Oct 30, 2007
Vehicle Speed Control

DRIVING 65 MPH ON HIGHWAY, SPEEDOMETER CREEPS UP TO 90 MPH. WHEN I STOP IT STAYS AT 30 MPH, THEN CREEPS UP TO 90 AGAIN. ALSO OIL GAUGE IS PEGGED ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10207477

Mileage unknown · Jun 14, 2007
Vehicle Speed Control

WE HAVE A 2003 SUBURBAN AND THE SPEEDOMETER IS FAILING TO TELL THE CORRECT SPEED IT IS GOING. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED BY GM, I HAVE ALWAYS BOUGHT CHEVY/GM PRODUCTS BUT WILL RECONSIDER WHEN I TRADE IN DUE TO THE LACK OF SAFETY RECALLS WHEN NEEDED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10193346

55,000 miles · Apr 7, 2007
Vehicle Speed Control

2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING WHEN VEHICLE HAD 55,000 MILES.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10187250

15,000 miles · Mar 20, 2007
Interior LightingLatches/locks/linkagesSeat Belts

1.SPEEDOMETER FAIED S DAILY. IT WILL READ 90 MPH WHEN I HAVE JUST BEGAN ACCELERATING. OTHER TIMES IT WILL READ 10 MPH WHEN I AM DRIVING WITH TRAFFIC ON THE FREEWAY. PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED, DEALERSHIP ADVISED IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS. 2. SECOND ROW MIDDLE SEAT …

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1.SPEEDOMETER FAIED S DAILY. IT WILL READ 90 MPH WHEN I HAVE JUST BEGAN ACCELERATING. OTHER TIMES IT WILL READ 10 MPH WHEN I AM DRIVING WITH TRAFFIC ON THE FREEWAY. PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED, DEALERSHIP ADVISED IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS. 2. SECOND ROW MIDDLE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT. SECOND MIDDLE SEATBELT FASTENER GOT STUCK AND UNABLE TO UNFASTEN SEAT BELT WITHOUT FORCE. HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. 3. PAINT ON RADIO CONTROLS & DASHBOARD IS PEELING OFF - PAINT WAS ORIGINALLY GREY AND NOW SOME AREAS ARE BLACK AND OTHER CLEAR WITH THE BRIGHT LIGHT SHINING THROUGH WHEN THE RADIO IS IN USE. 4. BRAKES SQUEEK EXCESSIVELY, REPLACED BRAKES & PADS NOISE CEASED FOR A MONTH AND THEN BEGAN AGAIN. 5. REAR ACCESS DOOR RATTLES CONSTANTLY 6. REAR ACCESS DOOR PLASTIC MOLDING ON INSIDE OF DOOR CRACKED 7. FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT PLASTIC COVER CRACKED AND BROKE OFF 8. LEFT REAR PASSENGER DOOR LIGHT CASING CRACKED AND FELL OFF 9. STEERING MAKES AN ABNORMAL NOISE WHEN TURNING. *AK

NHTSA ODI #10185686

81,000 miles · Nov 25, 2006
Vehicle Speed Control

I WAS RECENTLY PULLED OVER FOR SPEEDING . THE PATROLMAN CLOCKED MY @68 MPH IN A 45 MPH SPEED ZONE. MY SPEEDOMETER SHOWED 52 MPH. NOW 2 WEEKS LATER IT READS 75 MPH PARKED IN MY DRIVE. I CAN BE DRIVING 30 MPH AND MY SPEEDOMETER WILL READ 105-100 MPH OR DRIVING SOMEWHERE AROUND 50-60 MPH AND IT WILL BE PEGGED OUT ABOVE 120 MPH. …

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I WAS RECENTLY PULLED OVER FOR SPEEDING . THE PATROLMAN CLOCKED MY @68 MPH IN A 45 MPH SPEED ZONE. MY SPEEDOMETER SHOWED 52 MPH. NOW 2 WEEKS LATER IT READS 75 MPH PARKED IN MY DRIVE. I CAN BE DRIVING 30 MPH AND MY SPEEDOMETER WILL READ 105-100 MPH OR DRIVING SOMEWHERE AROUND 50-60 MPH AND IT WILL BE PEGGED OUT ABOVE 120 MPH. I AM READING ON THE INTERNET AND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10174259

Official recalls

0

No 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.