2004 Chevrolet Suburban Problems, Recalls & Reliability
485 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 39/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 66,874 miles.
Below average
Where 2004 sits among all Suburban years
What owners report
“The gm instrument cluster stepper motors and lights have failed. This results in a safety hazard because it is important to know the speed of the vehicle and the fuel level as well as other important engine information.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Suburban
“Rusted breake lines, parked in driveway could not use brakes after starting the car”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Suburban
“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…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Suburban
“The hydro booster is defective. The car triggers my breaks and makes noises make steering braking difficult. It happens everyfay throught the day while im driving”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Suburban
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 403 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 80,119 miles. Half of those reports fall between 51,250 and 120,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH AN 8.1L V8 (RPO L8-VIN G) ENGINE HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH THE ENGINE FUEL RAIL PULSE DAMPER RETAINER CLIP MAY FRACTURE RESULTING IN INADEQUATE RETENTION OF THE DAMPER.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE FUEL RAIL PULSE DAMPER RETAINER CLIP FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 31, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND GMC TRUCKS AT…
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.
ON CERTAIN CREW CAB PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE 2ND ROW CENTER OCCUPANT SEAT BELT ROUTING MAY MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO POSITION THE LAP PORTION OF THE SAFETY BELT LOW AROUND THE HIPS OF OCCUPANTS, ESPECIALLY SMALLER OCCUPANTS, SEATED IN THIS…
Fix: DEALERS WILL CUT OPEN THE GUIDE LOOP, REMOVE A PORTION OF THE LOOP, AND THEN THE REMAINING TWO SIDES SHOULD BE FOLDED OVER AND SECURED WITH A RETAINER FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 21,…
CERTAIN TRUCKS, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND VANS EQUIPPED WITH BOSCH HYDRO-BOOST BRAKE ASSEMBLIES, THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE BOOSTER PRESSURE ACCUMULATOR MAY CRACK AND SEPARATE FROM THE HYDRO-BOOST ASSEMBLY DURING NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL TEST THE HYDRO-BOOST ASSEMBLY FOR FUNCTIONAL OPERATION OF THE TWO-FUNCTION VALVE. IF THE HYDRO-BOOST ASSEMBLY FAILS THE TEST, DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ASSEMBLY FREE OF CHARGE. THE…
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND PASSENGER VANS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 135, ?PASSENGER CAR BRAKE SYSTEMS.? SOME OF THESE VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH AN OUT-OF-SPECIFICATION BRAKE…
Fix: DEALERS ARE TO REPLACE THE HYDRO-BOOST RELIEF VALVE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 18, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; GMC AT 1-866-996-9463; OR…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 05V005000.
Technical service bulletins
803 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2004 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 2004 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?
The 2004 Chevrolet Suburban drew 485 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 39/100, scored against the model's worst year (1994).
What are the most common 2004 Chevrolet Suburban problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban are electrical (159 complaints), brakes & stability (92), and engine (31).
At what mileage do 2004 Chevrolet Suburban problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Chevrolet Suburban problems around 80,119 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 51,250 and 120,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 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.