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2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Suburban 1500 years

Owner complaints for the 2004 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

167 reports with mileage · 15 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 84 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports4 fire reports2 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

84 reports
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91,717 miles · Jan 23, 2012
Electrical System

SPEEDO DOES NOT READ CORRECT, IT GETS STUCK AT VARIOUS NUMBERS...WHILE DRIVING OR PARKED ON OR OFF (SPEED CAN BE PLUS OR MINUS ACTUAL SPEED BY 5-55 MPH AT ANY GIVEN TIME. AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN, ALSO THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE WILL GO PAST THE MARKED LIMIT WHEN THE TRUCK IS OFF, NO KEY IN THE IGNITION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10444869

350,000 miles · Aug 21, 2011
Electrical SystemEngine And Engine CoolingVehicle Speed Control

2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN GOES INTO REDUCED POWER ENGINE W/O REASON CHANGE THE ENGINE, BECAUSE HIGH MILES, CHANGE TRANSMISSION, CHANGE THROTTLE BODY,CHANGE GAS PEDAL MODULE, CHANGE CATALYTIC CONVERTER SPEND OVER 4,000 ON THE TRUCK WITHOUT COUNTING THE ACCIDENT CAN OCCUR IN THE INTERSTATE 78 WEST BECAUSE OF THE LOST OF POWER, DEALE…

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2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN GOES INTO REDUCED POWER ENGINE W/O REASON CHANGE THE ENGINE, BECAUSE HIGH MILES, CHANGE TRANSMISSION, CHANGE THROTTLE BODY,CHANGE GAS PEDAL MODULE, CHANGE CATALYTIC CONVERTER SPEND OVER 4,000 ON THE TRUCK WITHOUT COUNTING THE ACCIDENT CAN OCCUR IN THE INTERSTATE 78 WEST BECAUSE OF THE LOST OF POWER, DEALERS DON'T KNOW WHAT IS THE PROBLEM NEITHER THE LOCAL MECHANICS CAN YOU PLEASE TAKE ACTION IN THIS MATTER AND READ AT EDMONDS.COM AND SEE ALL THE COMPLAINS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM

NHTSA ODI #10421869

118,253 miles · Jul 6, 2011
Electrical System

I STARTED THE HOMEWARD SEGMENT OF AN 800 MILE TRIP ON JULY 4TH WEEKEND. SPEEDOMETER APPEARS TO BE WORKING CORRECTLY BECAUSE I MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST POLICE RADAR CHECKPOINT WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. I EXITED THE INTERSTATE AND ENTERED A 4 LANE HIGHWAY. AFTER DRIVING AN ESTIMATED 50 MILES FOR THE DAY I WAS STOPPED BY THE STAT…

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I STARTED THE HOMEWARD SEGMENT OF AN 800 MILE TRIP ON JULY 4TH WEEKEND. SPEEDOMETER APPEARS TO BE WORKING CORRECTLY BECAUSE I MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST POLICE RADAR CHECKPOINT WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. I EXITED THE INTERSTATE AND ENTERED A 4 LANE HIGHWAY. AFTER DRIVING AN ESTIMATED 50 MILES FOR THE DAY I WAS STOPPED BY THE STATE POLICE. HE SAID THAT HIS RADAR HAD ME GOING 74 IN A 55 SPEED ZONE WHEN ME SPEEDOMETER INDICATED 55 MPH. WHEN THE OFFICER INFORMED ME OF MY SPEED, I LOOKED AT MY SPEEDOMETER AND SAW THE NEEDLE WAS BELOW 0 MPH. THE SCARY PART OF THIS IS THAT I DID NOT REALIZE THAT I WAS GOING OVER THE SPEED LIMIT, PROBABLY BECAUSE I WAS ACCLIMATED TO THE HIGHER INTERSTATE SPEED, MY SPEED ODOMETER INDICATED I WAS TRAVELING THE SPEED LIMIT, AND UP UNTIL THIS TIME I HAD NO INDICATION THAT MY SPEEDOMETER WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. I CONTINUED WITH THE TRIP AND USED MY GPS TO KEEP ME AT A SAFE SPEED THE REST OF THE TRIP. I COMPARED THE SPEEDOMETER MPH WITH THE GPS MPH MANY TIMES THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE TRIP. THE SPEED ODOMETER WENT DOWN TO 0 MPH WHEN I WAS DRIVING 65 MPH AFTER DRIVING AN ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL 40 MILES. AFTER DRIVING AN ADDITIONAL 30 MILES THE SPEED ODOMETER WAS INDICATING THE CORRECT SPEED. THE SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONED ABOUT 70% OF THE TRIP. IT WOULD ALTERNATE BETWEEN NOT WORKING CORRECTLY AND WORKING CORRECTLY THROUGHOUT THE TRIP. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE CHEVY DEALER THE FIRST BUSINESS DAY BACK HOME. THE DEALER SAID THE WHOLE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER MUST BE REPLACED. I AUTHORIZED THE DEALER TO REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND THE DEFECTIVE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS GOING BACK TO BE REFURBISHED. THIS FAILURE COMPROMISED NOT ONLY MY SAFETY BUT ALSO MY FAMILY'S SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF OTHER DRIVERS. RESEARCHING THE INTERNET, I AM FINDING THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WIDESPREAD. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10410760

110,000 miles · Jul 6, 2011
Electrical System

OUR 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN LT HAS APPROXIMATELY 115K MILES. PERIODICALLY THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A COUPLE OF LIGHTS, STOPS WORKING. NO GAUGES, NO SPEEDOMETER, ETC. SOMETIMES WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER DISPLAYS STRANGE AND RANDOM CHARACTERS, SOMETIMES THE DIC SECTION IS ALL BL…

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OUR 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN LT HAS APPROXIMATELY 115K MILES. PERIODICALLY THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A COUPLE OF LIGHTS, STOPS WORKING. NO GAUGES, NO SPEEDOMETER, ETC. SOMETIMES WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER DISPLAYS STRANGE AND RANDOM CHARACTERS, SOMETIMES THE DIC SECTION IS ALL BLUE, AND SOMETIMES IT IS BLANK. I HAVE TRIED DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY TO RESET THE COMPUTER. THIS SEEMED TO WORK ONE TIME, BUT THE REST OF THE TIME THIS HAD NO EFFECT. THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ANY PATTERN (DAY/NIGHT, HOT/COLD, ETC.) AS TO WHEN THIS MALFUNCTION WILL OCCUR, OR WHEN IT WILL RETURN TO NORMAL. WE ARE IN DAY 2 OF AN INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILURE AT THIS TIME. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10410674

82,000 miles · Feb 25, 2011
Electrical System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER GAUGE AND FUEL GAUGE WOULD NOT DISPLAY AN ACCURATE READING WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THEY DETECTED THAT THE NEEDLE WITHIN BOTH GAUGES WAS STUCK AND…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER GAUGE AND FUEL GAUGE WOULD NOT DISPLAY AN ACCURATE READING WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THEY DETECTED THAT THE NEEDLE WITHIN BOTH GAUGES WAS STUCK AND INFORMED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER PREVIOUSLY ISSUED A VOLUNTARY RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE INSTRUMENT PANEL HOWEVER THE CONTACT DID NOT RECEIVE THE NOTIFICATION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE MILEAGE, ALTHOUGH THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD CONSIDER EXTENDING THE SPECIAL COVERAGE UNDER THE RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS WAITING UPON A RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 82,000.

NHTSA ODI #10384451

60,669 miles · Jan 24, 2011
Electrical System

GAUGE FAILURE, SPECIFICALLY THE SPEEDOMETER, ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE SPEEDOMETER WORKS INTERMITTENTLY AND ALSO GETS STUCK AT A SPEED > THAN 75 MPH WHEN MY VEHICLE IS GOING MUCH SLOWER THAN THAT AND THEN REGISTERS > 120MPH WHEN I AM GOING AROUND 60-65 MPH. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10378428

Mileage unknown · Jan 19, 2011
Electrical SystemPower Train

TRANSFER CASE HAD TO BE REPLACED BEFORE 70000 MILES DUE TO BEARING. PASSENGER AIR WENT OUT AND ONLY BLEW HOT AFTER A BATTERY CHANGE, HAD TO REPLACE ENTIRE AIR SYSTEM. AIR SYSTEM WENT OUT AGAIN WITH 2ND BATTERY REPLACEMENT, BUT DEALER WAS ABLE TO "RESET" IT. SPEEDOMETER ONLY WORKS SOMETIMES. BINDING NOISE IN STEERING COLUMN , HAS…

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TRANSFER CASE HAD TO BE REPLACED BEFORE 70000 MILES DUE TO BEARING. PASSENGER AIR WENT OUT AND ONLY BLEW HOT AFTER A BATTERY CHANGE, HAD TO REPLACE ENTIRE AIR SYSTEM. AIR SYSTEM WENT OUT AGAIN WITH 2ND BATTERY REPLACEMENT, BUT DEALER WAS ABLE TO "RESET" IT. SPEEDOMETER ONLY WORKS SOMETIMES. BINDING NOISE IN STEERING COLUMN , HAS BEEN LUBED NUMEROUS TIMES WHILE WAITING FOR CHEVY TO ISSUE A RECALL ACCORDING TO DEALER. THIS VEHICLE IS DRIVEN UNDER 15000 MILES A YEAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10377948

Mileage unknown · Jan 11, 2011
Electrical System

2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN WITH APPROXIMATELY 125000 MILES HAD INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE WITH THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE AND THE ALTERNATOR OR CHARGING SYSTEM GAUGE AFTER A DROP IN THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP WHO SAID THE ENTIRE CLUSTER MUST BE REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10375543

Mileage unknown · Dec 3, 2010
Electrical System

2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN SPEEDOMETER STUCK AND MAX SPEED WITH 72,300 MILES. I ALSO OWN 2004 CHEVY TAHOE WITH OIL PRESSURE GAUGE STUCK AT MAXIMUM WITH 92,000 MILES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10369128

85,000 miles · Oct 20, 2010
Electrical SystemVisibility

2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN AIR CONDITIONING INTERMITTENTLY BLOWS HOT AIR ONLY ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE USING THE DUAL ZONE AC CONTROL. GM HAS NO IDEA HOW TO FIX THIS ISSUE. WHILE RESEARCHING FOUND THOUSANDS OF CHEVY OWNER ALL WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT AND WITH NO REAL FIX. THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME CONNECTION BETWEEN THE BATTERY/LOSS OF P…

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2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN AIR CONDITIONING INTERMITTENTLY BLOWS HOT AIR ONLY ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE USING THE DUAL ZONE AC CONTROL. GM HAS NO IDEA HOW TO FIX THIS ISSUE. WHILE RESEARCHING FOUND THOUSANDS OF CHEVY OWNER ALL WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT AND WITH NO REAL FIX. THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME CONNECTION BETWEEN THE BATTERY/LOSS OF POWER AND THE CLIMATE CONTROL MODULE BEING DEFECTIVE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10361321

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.