2009 Chevrolet Suburban Problems, Recalls & Reliability
203 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2009 Chevrolet Suburban, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 14/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 81,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2009 Chevrolet Suburban has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2009 sits among all Suburban years
What owners report
“Dashboard cracked by airbag and over instrument cluster hss to be safety issue dash board is loose and vibrates.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Suburban
“Dash cracked around passenger air bag. Not sure when it happened. It's a common problem.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Suburban
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 146 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 80,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 50,000 and 130,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
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 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold,…
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 27,188 MY 2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE HYBRID, ESCALADE ESV, AND ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SUBURBAN, TAHOE, TAHOE HYBRID, AND COLORADO; AND GMC YUKON, YUKON HYBRID, YUKON XL, AND CANYON VEHICLES. THE FUEL SYSTEM CONTROL MODULES…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW FUEL SYSTEM CONTROL MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 18, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND GMC AT…
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
Technical service bulletins
1,375 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2009 Chevrolet Suburban. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2009 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 2009 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?
The 2009 Chevrolet Suburban drew 203 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 14/100, scored against the model's worst year (1994).
What are the most common 2009 Chevrolet Suburban problems?
The top reported problems for the 2009 Chevrolet Suburban are airbags (63 complaints), other (42), and electrical (24).
At what mileage do 2009 Chevrolet Suburban problems show up?
Owners most often report 2009 Chevrolet Suburban problems around 80,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 50,000 and 130,000 miles.
Does the 2009 Chevrolet Suburban have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2009 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.