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2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 182 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500, most often about the electrical (46% of complaints, typically around 78,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Suburban 1500 model year since 2000.
Most common 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 problems
Electrical
84 complaints · 46%Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, horn.
2004 Chevrolet surburban. The speedometer needle sticks. At first it only happened occasionally. A month later it is sticking at 0 miles per hour most of the time. Many complaints to gm. They finally issued special policy but will not fix my vehicle because the odometer reads 79,216. This is a known defect on many gm…
A couple of months ago I received a letter from gm informing me of a potential defect on the speedometer of any 04 chevy suburban, but it stated that I should not take the vehicle to the dealership unless there is a problem. Yesterday 9-22-08 coming back from my son ball game the speedometer was stuck on 70 and when…
Brakes
38 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 109,000 miles. Parts named most often: driveline, foundation components.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH and depressing the brakes, the pedal went straight to the floor board. The contact immediately put his emergency brakes on to avoid a crash. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic.…
On 8/30/14 I was driving down the road going about 25 MPH when a car came out from a street on the left side and pulled in front of me without looking, I pressed down on the brakes quick and swerved to the right to avoid hitting him, he had no idea as I was swerving out of the way to not hit him, he was making his…
Steering
13 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles. Parts named most often: column, gear box, hydraulic power assist.
We own a 2004 Chevrolet suburban with approximately 50,000 current miles. We purchased the vehicle used at 20,000 miles. At some point after 36000 we started noticing a "clunking" in the steering column when we would turn the wheel. I an employed at a school and it has had to have this same problem repaired on 3 of…
Tl contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The intermediate steering shaft began making noise when the wheel was turned left or right. The dealer stated that the steering shaft needed to be replaced and they made the replacement. The current mileage was 36,966 and failure mileage was 36,000. Updated 02-12-08…
Wheels and tires
13 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 98,000 miles. Parts named most often: tread/belt, pressure monitoring and regulating systems, valve, temporary/emergency spare tire.
While driving at about 45 the tire went flat. The tire had several cracks around the shoulder and appears several were getting ready to chunk off. A couple appear to go all the way through the tire causing the air loss.
I was driving my vehicle and had a flat tire. I could not get my spare tire to come down as it was seized under th back of the vehicle. I had a repair shop fix it and they advised me this is common on all general motor vehicles that salt get inside them and rusts out the spare tire hoist unit making it impossible to…
Engine
11 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 120,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
At random you will just be driving down the road and a message comes on that says reduce engine power and the t/c light comes on along with the check engine light. This has happened several times, is very unsafe, and is getting worse. We have had work done to try and fix the problem but its still happening. We don't…
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The contact stated while starting the ignition, a loud knocking noise emitted from the engine. In addition, coolant was dispensed into the radiator reservoir every two days without coolant visible on the ground. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated…
Speed control
11 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 120,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
At random you will just be driving down the road and a message comes on that says reduce engine power and the t/c light comes on along with the check engine light. This has happened several times, is very unsafe, and is getting worse. We have had work done to try and fix the problem but its still happening. We don't…
The contact owned a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. While driving 15 MPH, the vehicle accelerated independently and the contact lost control of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle left the roadway, ran into a ditch, went airborne and flipped onto the passenger side. The contact stated that the vehicle was…
Transmission
10 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 84,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
2004 chevy Suburban 1500 4WD normal driving secondary roads. After stopping at a stop light the vehicle transmission shifted normally through second gear. Immediately and without warning the 2-3 shift resulted in severe slippage. There was no noise, no fluid leaks of any kind and no fluid contamination. The vehicle…
Transfercase on suburuban began to leak around 80k miles when you put on lift you'll see little pin holes in the transfer case. This is caused by a faulty design where the pump rubs a hole from the inside of the t-case to the outside. Numerous companies have made a mod kit to address the issue which gm has not. You…
Visibility and wipers
8 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 98,000 miles. Parts named most often: glass, side/rear, rearview mirrors/devices, power window devices and controls, defroster/defogger/hvac system.
Back glass of the 2004 chevy suburban disengage from the vehicle. This is very dangerous it could come off while driving and strike another vehicle or worse it could fall on somebody causing serious injuries.
While driving down the road, the rear window fell off of the vehicle. Upon inspection, I noticed the hinges holding the window to the vehicle had broken. The rear window is hardly ever opened, so it cannot be due to overuse. If I had been driving on the highway it may have killed someone. Instead I only have to…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 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 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (84 complaints, typically around 78,000 miles); brakes (38 complaints, typically around 109,000 miles); steering (13 complaints, typically around 40,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 have?
- NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls in case one is issued later.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Chevrolet Suburban 1500?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Suburban 1500 model year since 2000, with 182 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.