2009 Chevrolet Suburban problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (35) · Engine (8) · Structure:body (7)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Suburban model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
67 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2021-02-05 · campaign 21V050000 · 2,641,272 vehicles
Defect: 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
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. G
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2021-02-05 · campaign 21V052000 · 557,023 vehicles
Defect: 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 originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylv
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 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 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 1-800-462-878
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2021-02-05 · campaign 21V053000 · 692,526 vehicles
Defect: 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, 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
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 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. G
Electrical System 2010-06-04 · campaign 10V240000 · 1,365,070 vehicles
Defect: 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 ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE P
Risk: IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE HEATED WASHER MODULE TO IGNITE AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.
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 BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT
Service bulletins (1,355)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2025-09-09 · 13598 · Other
new vehicle monitoring programs section in ivh
Unknown Or Other 2025-08-07 · PIC5650M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an intermittent no crank, no start, or start stall concern with the security light coming on. technician may find diagnostic trouble codes b3055, b3060, b3935, c0750, c0755, c0760, c0765, and/o
Unknown Or Other 2025-07-18 · PIP5601C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from tac.
Unknown Or Other 2025-05-30 · PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about the use of j-35616-64b and mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
Unknown Or Other 2025-05-30 · PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about the use of j-35616-64b and mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
Unknown Or Other 2025-05-30 · PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about the use of j-35616-64b and mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,355 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-07-25 · Fuel/Propulsion System“fuel pump modulator, which has a recall for other vehicles for same part, malfunctioned which caused the vehicle to cut off while my son was driving on the highway without notice, where he had to avoid being hit while trying to make it to the shoulder for safety. the fuel pump module was tested by a service mechanic and was found to have corroded d…”
2023-07-13 · Tires:sidewall“on 05/19/2023 driver's side front wheel removed for brake replacement. noticed large bulge on inner sidewall of cooper discoverer 275-55r20 tire. this was the 2nd tire of a set of 4 that has developed the same issue. now a third has a bulge. i will submit a 3rd report for it. …”
2023-07-13 · Tires:sidewall“cooper discoverer 275-55r20 had a stranger point out a very large bulge on the inner sidewall of my passenger side rear tire. this is the 3rd tire from a set of 4 that has developed the same issue within 3 months. cooper tires is not wanting to help resolve this issue. they want the tire dissected and returned before doing anything. …”
2023-07-13 · Tires:sidewall“cooper discoverer 275-55r20 developed bulge in inner sidewall. i was unaware of issue until a stranger pointed it out. that was on 03/08/2023. since then, 2 more tires have developed the same issue!! the last 2 have been looked at by tire installation professionals and determined to be manufacturer defects.…”
2022-12-05 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 200,000 mi“the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet suburban. the contact stated that the vehicle intermittently failed to start after multiple attempts without warning. the contact replaced the ignition switch and the fuel pump; however, the failure persisted. the contact then used a code reader that determined that the engine control module (ecm) was not giving a …”
2022-08-09 · Electrical System · 133,000 mi“the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet suburban. the contact stated that while her son was seated in the driver's side front seat with the door opened, the key was not in the ignition, the doors inadvertently locked and unlocked. the contact's son noticed that there was smoke coming from the dash and exited the vehicle. upon inspection, the contact and …”
2022-01-24 · Structure:body“dashboard cracked around the corner of the passenger side air bag and manufacturer did not recall. it appears there are many vehicles with this problem and could be a potential safety issue if the airbag malfunctioned and caused parts of dash to break and rupture air bag or fly into passengers of vehicle in the event of a crash.…”
2021-09-09 · Air Bags“i am still waiting for this recall to be fixed. why is this taking so long? every time i drive this vehicle, it is a danger for my passenger due to the defective airbag. it almost seems to me that maybe this is a stall tactic so there will be less of a cost for the repairs due to the less vehicles still on the road. just my opinion. i would…”
2021-04-05 · Engine · 167,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet suburban. the contact stated while driving 45 mph, the vehicle started to sputter and shake with a loud knocking sound coming from the engine. the check engine warning light was illuminated and the vehicle shifted into limp mode and decelerated. the vehicle was driven back to the contact's residence. the vehicl…”
2021-03-31 · Unknown Or Other · 45,000 mi“the dashboard is cracked in multiple places…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.