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2011 Chevrolet Suburban Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 148 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Chevrolet Suburban, most often about the air bags (45% of complaints, typically around 65,000 miles). It is 11th of 25 Suburban model years by number of complaints and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2011 Chevrolet Suburban problems
Air bags
66 complaints · 45%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles.
65,000 miles on 2011 Chevrolet Suburban and the dash has multiple cracks. Concerned that one of the cracks is next to passenger airbag. Worried about shrapnel in a collision.
The dashboard is cracked above the instrument cluster/steering wheel - this poses a safety hazard with the airbags and potential debris in the event of an accident - heard a noise and noticed the crack on 11/9/2018.
Other or unspecified
46 complaints · 31%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles.
Dashboard has cracked without any intervening event. One crack on the right passenger side of the dashboard is directly on the top left side of the passenger airbag. I'm afraid if airbag was deployed shards of plastic would become projectiles or possibly interfere with the airbag operation. Another crack on top of…
In september 2014, I noticed my dash above the instrument cluster cracking. I purchased this car as a gm certified used car with original factory warrantee in april 2013 with 60081 miles on it. In less than 5 months of ownership it developed this crack while still under factory warrantee. I took it to my local dealer…
Body and structure
26 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 58,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the dashboard exhibited cracks that originated on the driver side and became progressively worse. In addition, the passenger side air bag seam was cracked. The vehicle was taken to two different dealers who stated that the entire dashboard would need…
We own a 2011 chevy Suburban and one day noticed two cracks on our dashboard. One crack leads straight into the passenger air bag and the other crack is over the dash console on the driver side. Because our Suburban is out of the 36k mile warranty we were referred to gm. We called gm and were told that we would have…
Electrical
10 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 90,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, instrument panel.
Vehicle shuts down while driving and while parked. All electronics shut down, unable to activate hazard lights. Previously payed to fix ABS light/sensor. Dash cracked driver side and passenger side. Has happened multiple times prior.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that none of the instrument panel indicators were working and the ABS warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not…
Engine
10 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 83,000 miles.
My vehicles engine shuts off while driving. All electrical in the car including power door locks start to open and close when engine shuts off and powers back on. Extremely unsafe especially when driving with all my children in the car.
Engine idling low, hesitant at low speeds. Changed gas, no change in how the truck was running. Engine light came on, took to dealership. Replaced spark plug that was misfiring due to oil contamination. Cleaned fuel injectors and throttle body, replaced valve cover to prevent this from occurring a third time (has…
Brakes
6 complaints · 4%Parts named most often: foundation components.
I have noticed that when decelerating & applying my brakes when approaching a stop that my vehicle actually will accelerate all of the sudden. This has happened on several occasions, not always, but enough for me to be concerned. My daughter also experienced this sudden acceleration when she was driving my Suburban.…
This is becoming a recurring and reproducible problem. The unintended acceleration occurs while slowing down for a stop sign and depressing the brake pedal. The most reliable way to reproduce the problem is as follows. Be driving about 15 miles per hour, up a slight slope. Move your foot off the accelerator pedal and…
Fuel system
6 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 150,000 miles.
Engine light on-diagnosis p0455. Last 2yrs took to many repair shops. Replaced, gas cap, purge valve, canister valve, charcoal canister. Took to chevy. They replaced purge valve because they said other mechanics used non chevy parts. Engine light came back on. Chevy did smoke test and swore it was the fuel sensor cost…
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, he heard an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle. Upon visual inspection, the contact observed that the rear fuel tank had expanded abnormally and was resting on the driveshaft. No warning lights were illuminated. The…
Speed control
5 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 20,000 miles.
This is becoming a recurring and reproducible problem. The unintended acceleration occurs while slowing down for a stop sign and depressing the brake pedal. The most reliable way to reproduce the problem is as follows. Be driving about 15 miles per hour, up a slight slope. Move your foot off the accelerator pedal and…
The accelerator hesitates when pressed. The car does not move and will then accelerate rapidly when at a stop and trying to accelerate through intersections. Dealer could not duplicate for repairs. Recurring issue. Also has a popping or clunking noise in back passenger side. Dealer has duplicated but not repaired.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 Chevrolet Suburban recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
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 february 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on march 1, 2021. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n212328760.
Full defect summary
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 2500 and sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands or "zone a." additionally, gm is recalling certain 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, yukon, yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missou
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
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 february 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on may 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on january 24, 2022. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm'
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2014 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, chevrolet silverado 2500, silverado 3500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 2500, sierra 3500, yukon, and yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of al, ca, fl, ga, hi, la, ms, sc, tx, pr, as, gu, the mp, and vi or "zone a." additionally gm is recalling certain 2011-2014 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, chevrolet silverado 2500, silverado 3500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 2500, sierra 3500, yukon, yukon xl and 2011-2013 cadillac escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, and gmc sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of az, ar, de, dc, il, in, ks, ky, md, mo, ne, nv, nj, nm, nc, oh, ok, pa, tn, va, and wv or "zone b." additionally, gm is recalling certain 2010-2014 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, chevrolet silverado 2500, silverado 3500, sub
Electrical: ignition
Risk: If stuck in the "start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on february 12, 2015. Owners may contact gm customer service at 1-800-458-8006 (cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (gmc). Gm's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado hd, silverado ld, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra ld, sierra hd, yukon, and yukon xl vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "start" position.
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
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, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Questions about the 2011 Chevrolet Suburban
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Chevrolet Suburban?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (66 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles); other or unspecified (46 complaints, typically around 75,000 miles); body and structure (26 complaints, typically around 58,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Chevrolet Suburban have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 5, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2011 a bad year for the Chevrolet Suburban?
- It is 11th of 25 Suburban model years by number of complaints, with 148 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.