2001 Chevrolet Suburban Problems, Recalls & Reliability
645 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 11 defect investigations. It scores 55/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Brakes & stability leads the reports, typically around 78,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2001 Chevrolet Suburban sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1990–1991, 2005–2006, 2009–2010, 2012–2014, 2017–2022.
Avoid
Where 2001 sits among all Suburban years
What owners report
“I had a major brake failure the other day while driving. I had no brakes, but i was able to stop with the emergency brake. I had the truck towed to the mechanic and they reported that the brake failure was due to rusted brake lines.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Suburban
“Fuel tank three valve cap prongs were cracked and caused the fuel to leak out. They were located on top of fuel tank/ under, and to rear of driver's seat. Had taken vehicle to dealership, and mechanic replaced valve cap.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Suburban
“Exhaust bolts broken and causing a leak making the vehicle unable to pass emissions also. Steering stabilizers broken.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Suburban
“Battery warning light comes on, vehicle engine dies. Can be restarted in a few seconds. Has happened 2 times in 3 months.dealer didnt rectify problem,they are puzzled.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Suburban
“Two rear tires experienced blowouts in the sidewall with no apparent puncture resulting in some property damage (general ameri 660 as p24575r16, dotad70ek14800). Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Suburban
“Consumer states while driving at highway speed the transmission slipped causing the vehicle to stall. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Suburban
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 435 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 69,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 45,000 and 115,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH AN 8.1L V8 ENGINE, THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION CAN OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY OR FAIL COMPLETELY. IF THE SENSOR OPERATES INTERMITTENTLY, THE SES LIGHT MAY ILLUMINATE AND THE VEHICLE MAY RUN ROUGH. THE ENGINE MAY STALL, AND IF…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 18, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.
CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18, 2005, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2006, SOLD FOR…
Fix: HONEYWELL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-890-2075 (OPTION 1).
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE UNWANTED ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) ACTIVATION. THIS CONDITION IS MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR IN ENVIRONMENTALLY CORROSIVE AREAS. THIS RECALL WILL BE LAUNCHED IN THE "SALT BELT" STATES OF…
Fix: DEALERS ARE TO REMOVE THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR AND THOROUGHLY CLEAN THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR MOUNTING SURFACE ON THE BEARING, APPLY RUST INHIBITOR TO THE CLEANED SURFACE, GREASE THE MOUNTING SURFACE,…
CERTAIN TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH FUEL MODULE RESERVOIR ASSEMBLIES THAT CONTAIN FUEL PUMP WIRES CONNECTORS MAY OVERHEAT UNDER CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE FUEL TANK, AND REMOVE THE MODULE RESERVOIR ASSEMBLIES FROM THE TANK, AND INSTALL A NEW SERVICE KIT FREE OF CHARGE. AN INTERIM LETTER TO OWNERS WAS MAILED ON MAY 25, 2005.…
CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCK, VAN, AND MINI VAN CONVERSIONS EQUIPPED WITH SOUTHERN COMFORT BUILT RUNNING BOARDS THAT CONTAIN CERTAIN COURTESY LIGHTS MANUFACTURED BY AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS, INC. THESE UNITS CONTAIN A COURTESY LIGHT OR LIGHTS THAT MIGHT…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS ON THESE RUNNING BOARDS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 7, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PICKUP AND UTILITY TRUCKS. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE AN INTERNAL COMPONENT IN THE OUTBOARD SEAT BELT RETRACTORS FOR THE 2ND AND 3RD ROW OF SEATS THAT COULD BE CRACKED. WITH REPEATED ACTUATION OF THE LOCKING MECHANISM, THE CRACK COULD…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE OUTBOARD SEAT BELTS FOR SPECIFIC LOT NUMBERS AND REPLACE THE BELTS IF NECESSARY. GM IS ENCLOSING AN INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR THE OWNERS TO USE OR THEY CAN HAVE THEIR DEALERS…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE LOOSE OR MISSING REAR WHEELHOUSE PLUGS. UNDER CERTAIN VEHICLE OPERATING CONDITIONS, EXHAUST GASES CAN FLOW FORWARD AND ACCUMULATE IN THE REAR WHEELHOUSE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE FOR LOOSE OR MISSING WHEELHOUSE PLUGS AND INSTALL NEW PLUGS IF NECESSARY.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 05V379000.
Led to recall campaign 05V155000.
Led to recall campaign 05V155000.
Led to recall campaign 05V005000.
Technical service bulletins
540 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2001 Suburban TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?
The 2001 Chevrolet Suburban drew 645 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 55/100, scored against the model's worst year (1994).
What are the most common 2001 Chevrolet Suburban problems?
The top reported problems for the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban are brakes & stability (238 complaints), fuel system (61), and engine (44).
At what mileage do 2001 Chevrolet Suburban problems show up?
Owners most often report 2001 Chevrolet Suburban problems around 69,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 45,000 and 115,000 miles.
Does the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.