2008 Chevrolet Suburban Problems, Recalls & Reliability
407 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2008 Chevrolet Suburban, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 31/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 100,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2008 sits among all Suburban years
What owners report
“Takata recall. There is an active recall declared on may 27, 2016, and yet there is no resolution?”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Suburban
“I have a 2008 chevy suburban with cracks in the dash. One by the air bag and two over the steering wheel.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Suburban
“Dashboard has major cracks around airbags and electrical components are exposed to the sun.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Suburban
“Engine lifters started tapping then stuck then were mushroomed by cam shaft. Had to replace engine. Cost $7,300. Told a very common problem on this vehicle.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Suburban
“Rear radio/control system started to smoke while stopped at an intersection about a month ago. We have not tried the radio, but the heated seats still work. We are unsure if we should go out of town with it and have not had it inspected.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Suburban
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 250 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 80,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 50,000 and 121,600 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on…
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on…
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC…
Fix: DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS…
GM IS RECALLING 857,735 MY 2006-2008 BUICK LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MY 2007-2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Model years named: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Led to recall campaign 08V441000.
Technical service bulletins
1,315 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2008 Chevrolet Suburban. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2008 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 2008 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?
The 2008 Chevrolet Suburban drew 407 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 31/100, scored against the model's worst year (1994).
What are the most common 2008 Chevrolet Suburban problems?
The top reported problems for the 2008 Chevrolet Suburban are airbags (136 complaints), other (72), and body & structure (50).
At what mileage do 2008 Chevrolet Suburban problems show up?
Owners most often report 2008 Chevrolet Suburban problems around 80,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 50,000 and 121,600 miles.
Does the 2008 Chevrolet Suburban have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2008 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.