SPEEDOMETER IS ERRATIC. *TR
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.
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
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.
What owners actually said
182 reports2004 SUBURBAN 85,000 MILES - SPEEDOMETER SKIPPED UNDER DECEL FROM 55 MPH, INACCURATE READINGS OF 20, 40, 60 MPH WHEN STOPPED. SPEEDOMETER NOW READS PAST 120 MPH & IS COMPLETELY INOPERATIVE. APPARENTLY THIS IS A RATHER COMMON OCCURRENCE - A VERY COSTLY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REPAIR DOES NOT MEAN THE ISSUE IS CORRECTED (IT MAY REOCCUR…
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2004 SUBURBAN 85,000 MILES - SPEEDOMETER SKIPPED UNDER DECEL FROM 55 MPH, INACCURATE READINGS OF 20, 40, 60 MPH WHEN STOPPED. SPEEDOMETER NOW READS PAST 120 MPH & IS COMPLETELY INOPERATIVE. APPARENTLY THIS IS A RATHER COMMON OCCURRENCE - A VERY COSTLY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REPAIR DOES NOT MEAN THE ISSUE IS CORRECTED (IT MAY REOCCUR). *TR
I HAVE A 2004 SUBURBAN WITH 60K MILES. ABOUT 1 MONTHS AGO, THE REAR WINDOW BEGAN MAKING A WHISTLING NOISE WHILE DRIVING. WHEN I INSPECTED IT I FOUND THAT THE HINGE WAS SEPARATING FROM THE WINDOW. I HAVE TRIED TO GO THROUGH GM WITH NO AVAIL. THEIR ANSWER IS "IT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED", BUT THEY ARE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT…
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I HAVE A 2004 SUBURBAN WITH 60K MILES. ABOUT 1 MONTHS AGO, THE REAR WINDOW BEGAN MAKING A WHISTLING NOISE WHILE DRIVING. WHEN I INSPECTED IT I FOUND THAT THE HINGE WAS SEPARATING FROM THE WINDOW. I HAVE TRIED TO GO THROUGH GM WITH NO AVAIL. THEIR ANSWER IS "IT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED", BUT THEY ARE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *TR
MY 2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN JUST DIES WHILE DRIVING, I LOOSE POWER STEERING & MY BRAKES. IT HAS HAPPENED 2X IN 2 DAYS. IT PRESENTS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, FOR MYSELF & OTHER DRIVERS. WHEN A DIAGNOSTIC IS RUN IT IS NEGATIVE, NOTHING SHOWS UP. ALL OF THIS OUT OF NOWHERE. *TR
2004 CHEVROLET SURBURBAN. THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE STICKS. AT FIRST IT ONLY HAPPENED OCCASIONALLY. A MONTH LATER IT IS STICKING AT 0 MILES PER HOUR MOST OF THE TIME. MANY COMPLAINTS TO GM. THEY FINALLY ISSUED SPECIAL POLICY BUT WILL NOT FIX MY VEHICLE BECAUSE THE ODOMETER READS 79,216. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT ON MANY GM MODELS…
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2004 CHEVROLET SURBURBAN. THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE STICKS. AT FIRST IT ONLY HAPPENED OCCASIONALLY. A MONTH LATER IT IS STICKING AT 0 MILES PER HOUR MOST OF THE TIME. MANY COMPLAINTS TO GM. THEY FINALLY ISSUED SPECIAL POLICY BUT WILL NOT FIX MY VEHICLE BECAUSE THE ODOMETER READS 79,216. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT ON MANY GM MODELS YEAR 2003-2004. THE DEALERSHIP WILL NOT EVEN DISCUSS THE ISSUE. THIS IS SAFETY ISSUE THAT GM SHOULD TAKE CARE NO MATTER THE MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY FOUR YEARS OLD. THE REPAIR WILL COST BETWEEN $800 - $1000 OR MORE. *TR
I DRIVE A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Z71. WHEN I AM DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE TRANSFER CASE SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL. I DIDN'T TOUCH THE TRANSFER CASE CONTROLS OR ANYTHING IT JUST GOES INTO NEUTRAL. IT WORKS JUST FINE IN AUTO 4WD, 4HI, AND 4LO. THIS ONLY OCCURS WHILE DRIVING IN 2HI. I HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANYTHING FIXED YET BECAUSE ELECT…
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I DRIVE A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Z71. WHEN I AM DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE TRANSFER CASE SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL. I DIDN'T TOUCH THE TRANSFER CASE CONTROLS OR ANYTHING IT JUST GOES INTO NEUTRAL. IT WORKS JUST FINE IN AUTO 4WD, 4HI, AND 4LO. THIS ONLY OCCURS WHILE DRIVING IN 2HI. I HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANYTHING FIXED YET BECAUSE ELECTRONICALLY IT APPEARS THAT EVERYTHING IS WORKING NORMALLY. THE MECHANIC SAID THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE APART MY TRANSFER CASE AND I CANT AFFORD IT. I WAS WONDERING IF THIS WAS SOME KIND OF MANUFACTURER DEFECT OR SOMETHING BECAUSE IT DOESN'T DO THIS ALL THE TIME. THE PROBLEM OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY. I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN THIS VEHICLE OFF-ROAD OR HAVE HAD TO USE THE 4WD FOR ANYTHING. IT JUST SEEMS ODD BECAUSE THIS VEHICLE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE 70000 MILES ON IT. I WOULD THINK THAT SOMETHING LIKE A TRANSFERCASE WOULD BE BUILT TO LAST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER. IT HASN'T CAUSED AN ACCIDENT YET BUT HAS COME CLOSE A COUPLE OF TIMES LIKE WHEN IT FAILS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. *TR
I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS ON AND OFF WITH SPEEDOMETER FOR THE LAST 4 OR 5 MONTHS. THOUGHT IT WAS A TEMPERATURE RELATED PROBLEM. TODAY I CALLED THE DEALER BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE ACTING UP MORE OFTEN. I WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE $500.00. THEN I FOUND OUT THAT THE WARRANTY HAD BEEN EXTENDED SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND I WAS NEVER NOTIFIE…
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I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS ON AND OFF WITH SPEEDOMETER FOR THE LAST 4 OR 5 MONTHS. THOUGHT IT WAS A TEMPERATURE RELATED PROBLEM. TODAY I CALLED THE DEALER BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE ACTING UP MORE OFTEN. I WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE $500.00. THEN I FOUND OUT THAT THE WARRANTY HAD BEEN EXTENDED SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED. I HAVE SPOKE TO HAYWOOD ALLEN MOTOR CO. (5/28/08) AND ALSO CHEVROLET CUSTOMER SERVICE AND RECEIVED SR #71-631086777 (5/8/08). STILL WAITING FOR CHEVY DEALER TO CALL ME BACK ABOUT EXTENDED COVERAGE. *TR
SPEEDOMETER FAILURE LEADING TO HAZARDOUS OPERATING CONDITIONS. IN REVIEWING THE INTERNET, SPEEDOMETER FAILURES ARE PROBLEMATIC FOR CHEVROLET SUBURBANS AND THE MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR REPAIR THE DEFECT. *TR
ERRATIC TO NONE SPEEDOMETER OPERATION, NO REPAIRS MADE AS OF NOW, RESEARCHING PROBLEM, FOUND TO BE PRETTY WIDE SPREAD ON GM SUV'S AND TRUCKS. *TR
PARKED IN A WET, MUDDY FIELD, NOT RUNNING, MY 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN, CAUGHT FIRE AND EXPLODED. *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.
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