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2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 175 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500, most often about the brakes (35% of complaints, typically around 103,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Suburban 1500 model year since 2000.
Most common 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 problems
Brakes
62 complaints · 35%Half of these problems showed up before 103,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, disc, foundation components, driveline.
Brake pedal went to the floor and car would not stop. Had to use the parking break and run into the curb to stop. Found there was no fluid so filled the master cylinder and pumped brakes. Fluid was running out of the line just under the driver's door. I inspected all the brake lines and found them severely corroded…
Brakes completely failed without any warning or warning light. Brake pedal went to the floor with no brakes response. Rolled to a stop going up a hill. Car was towed to the local dealer, who told US the brake lines had corroded and failed. Second time the brake lines failed in two years.
Electrical
60 complaints · 34%Half of these problems showed up before 84,500 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel.
Speedometer failure in 2003 Chevrolet suburban. Speedometer is producing inaccurate readings. Will read 0 MPH at highway speeds, will also read higher speeds while vehicle is stopped. Instrument cluster was replaced at a cost of $550.
I was driving at about 50 MPH and looked down and my speedometer read 120 MPH. I stopped, shut the car off and started again, the speedometer froze at 20 MPH. Now it randomly freezes or reads a much higher speed than I am going.
Fuel system
14 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 125,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, fuel injection system, delivery.
Ever since we purchased this huge pile of junk, it has been every problem to changing fuel pump several times, catalytic converters,batteries,major electrical problems, every gauge in the vehicle is off from gas gauge to speedometer to coolant! There is not anything that is not wrong with it. After thousands of…
Chevy suburban 2003 lt 1500 flex fuel v8. Developed fuel tank leak. Remedy is to replace fuel tank. Gasoline dripping down back side of fuel tank. Potential fire/safety hazard to driver and occupants. Vehicle mileage 120k. Age less than 48 months. No collisions except minor to rear bumper. Cost of repair over…
Body and structure
14 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 115,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
Lift gate glass hinges broke; catastrophic failure would have occurred if I had not noticed a gap in the back as I was pulling out of parking lot.
The hinge for the rear liftgate window failed. There is a horizontal crack across the hinge. It appears to be metal fatigue. This failure is a safety hazard for the following reasons: 1) the window no longer seals properly and could allow exhaust gases to enter the vehicle cabin, resulting in carbon monoxide…
Visibility and wipers
10 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 119,500 miles. Parts named most often: glass, side/rear, power window devices and controls, rear window wiper/washer, defroster/defogger/hvac system.
Rear window hinge broke off from window frame on 2003 suburban. Very rarely opened window by itself always opened entire hatch. Can not find any recalls or complaints by gm but yet can find several 100 complaints by individuals. Gm wants 1,000 to fix. It is obviously a design flaw after paying $43,000 for it gm should…
Rear window hinge broke off from window frame on 2003 suburban. Very rarely opened window by itself always opened entire hatch. Can not find any recalls or complaints by gm but yet can find several 100 complaints by individuals. Gm wants 1,000 to fix. It is obviously a design flaw after paying $43,000 for it gm should…
Steering
9 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 25,000 miles. Parts named most often: gear box.
2003 Suburban 1500 4WD , rattle and clunk in steering column, nothing loose in the steering just clunking noise while driving. Vehicle has 26000 miles on it, but was over 3 years old. Curt warner Chevrolet said it was a common problem... No warranty or recall. In fact he pulled a u-joint and shaft from his desk to…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. In june of 2003, while driving approximately 15 MPH into the driveway, the contact heard a thumping noise in the steering column. Since the first incident three years ago, the vehicle continued to make a thumping noise and vibrate whenever making a left or right turn.…
Engine
8 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 106,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
For the past 4 years I have owned a 2003 Suburban 1500 z71.3 of those years I've had A/C problems. We have replaced everything and anything that has to do with A/C. Thousands of dollars and now something else has come up. Driver side hot air blows out and passenger side cold air comes out. We don't know what to do…
Driving on the highway and I lost all power. It said (reduced engine power) on the dash. This has happened several times and I haven't found a mechanic who can fix it. I've looked all over the internet and there are many other people with the same problem. This is very dangerous and almost caused an accident. It comes…
Speed control
7 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 70,500 miles.
Speedometer reading incorrect when idle or moving. Registers over 120 MPH while traveling approx 40 MPH. Dealer made recall but limited to under 60,000 miles. I put on almost that amount of miles in the first year of ownership. Chevy should just recall & repair period.
Driving 65 MPH on highway, speedometer creeps up to 90 MPH. When I stop it stays at 30 MPH, then creeps up to 90 again. Also oil gauge is pegged all the way to the right.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 recalls
NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: brakes (62 complaints, typically around 103,000 miles); electrical (60 complaints, typically around 84,500 miles); fuel system (14 complaints, typically around 125,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 have?
- NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls in case one is issued later.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Chevrolet Suburban 1500?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Suburban 1500 model year since 2000, with 175 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.