10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
61,514 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #11

Apr 302022

Suburban

  • miles
We were driving down Auburn way and the power seat control module failed and keeps the heated seats running out of control. ( fire is likely and could burn your house down If you park in the garage.) I was lucky to be near a dealership I had to pull over quick it was burning my butt and back The problem is complicated by the fact that the seat safety airbag control wiring goes through the same plug, which should be a big no no. There are no replacement control modules available ( not being made). I had the chevy dealership disconnect the plug so the fire hazard is gone but now none of the air bags work now putting my family at further risk. Air bag wiring needs to be separate from all the other wires and plugs for safety. Now the next problem is the dealerships can't fix the problem because no parts are available.You are welcome to come check out my suburban.

- Auburn, WA, USA

problem #10

Aug 152021

Suburban

  • miles
We had the 2006 Suburban parked with the engine running while our family was just starting to get in. A couple of them noticed a slight smoke smell which we followed and we trailed it to the rear of the vehicle. While I was pulling off a left rear column trim piece to locate where the smoke was coming from, the far rear dome light fixture started dripping melted and burning plastic close by my head. I looked up and saw the rear dome light fixture on fire and flicked it down into the rear cargo area. One of the family was already fetching a fire extinguisher and as they arrived I used it to put out what fire was left in the headliner.

- Eminence, MO, USA

problem #9

Mar 232017

Suburban

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owned a 2006 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. After the vehicle was driven and parked, it caught on fire. The fire department was notified and was able to extinguish the fire. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and deemed destroyed. The vehicle was towed to a personal storage lot. The dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer inspected the cause of the fire twice and requested to inspect it a third time. The investigator checked the fuse box and the HVAC electrical system; however, a determination had not been made. The contact was concerned that the manufacturer would not be forthcoming with the cause of the fire. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

- Bogart, GA, USA

problem #8

Oct 062015

Suburban

  • 91,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Suburban 2500. The contact stated that the heating and air conditioning failed to shut off while the vehicle was not powered. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

- Utica, KY, USA

problem #7

Jun 012014

Suburban

  • 110,000 miles
After years of having my Suburban the lift gate lock actuator stopped working last year. I searched online and found a replacement oem actuator which I purchased. I had it installed but when I tried to use it, it would not work properly. The trunk would unlock when the rest of the vehicle was locked and vice versa. The company then sent me replacement as that was a defective part. The new part worked up until mid March of this year and has now stopped working also. Currently, when I try to unlock the truck all I hear is a small buzz coming from the actuator, but it doesn't move, it's frozen at the lock setting. I am surprised Chevy has not issued a recall on this part because I find the same issue occurring to other people's vehicles all over the web.

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #6

May 192014

Suburban

  • 68,000 miles
2006 Suburban with rear door actuator failure starting May 19 2014, mileage of 68000 approximately, loud noise with locking of rear door by either remote or when engaged in driving. Periodical failure of door to open at all.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #5

Oct 142013

Suburban 8-cyl

  • 103,156 miles
GM designed this car with a no key entry for the rear hatch. It does not have an internal manual unlocking mechanism for the hatch. If the car is in an accident, there would be no way to open the rear hatch. On top of this, the rear hatch lock actuator fails for thousands of customers. This either locks the hatch in place, or leaves it unable to be locked. GM needs to do a recall to fix this issue. It is unsafe, and costing thousands of customers upwards of a $400 repair just to correct it at the dealer.

- Tustin, CA, USA

problem #4

May 092012

Suburban

  • 95,500 miles
I have a 2006 Chevy Suburban Z71 with just over 95,500 miles. The rear hatchback/liftgate locking mechanism appears to have failed. The vehicle was not in an accident, and no other event ocurred. The lock simply quit working. Neither the door nor the glass will unlock. There is no manual way to unlock or open the rear door when the power locks are not working. There is not an emergency release to pop the rear door or glass in case of emergency. All other doors on the vehicle are still functional manually and electronically. No fuses have failed. I have not been notified of a recall and have not followed up with the dealership or a mechanic yet. In 2006/2007 we also experienced an odd electrical problem that the dealership could not reproduce. The vehicle would have an obvious electrical odor/burning smell and various lighting failures after being in heavy snow on three separate occassions. The problem was logged but never occurred again.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #3

Sep 212006

Suburban

  • miles
The A/C works intermittent and then not at all. Burning smell coming from vents. The resistor and connector have been the problem and replaced. First time under warranty by dealership. Second time by me a year ago and now it is happening again. Very unsafe. The wires get very hot and melt. It is a fire hazzard.

- Sanger, CA, USA

problem #2

Jun 242010

Suburban

  • 32,000 miles
The contact owned a 2006 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked in the garage, the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department was called and the fire was extinguished. There were no injuries. A fire report was available. The origin of the fire was an electrical wiring within the instrument panel. The vehicle was left on the contact's property where he was awaiting an investigation by his insurance company. The manufacturer was not contacted as of yet. The failure and current mileage was 32,000.

- Winchester, MA, USA

problem #1

Jul 282008

Suburban

  • 47,000 miles
While driving my cab starting filling with smoke and the smell of burning wires. I pulled over to see what it could be and turned off the radio and air conditioner. I did not notice anything that looked like it was smoking or on fire so I continued on. When I tried to turn the air conditioner on it didn't come on for a minute so I looked under the hood at the relay center and there was nothing wrong there when I got back in the truck it was running again. A few days later the same thing happened so I pulled my dash apart and checked the wiring couldn't find anything wrong. Then it happened where my air conditioner shut off and heavy smoke started coming from under the glove box area. I pulled the air conditioning silencer off and noticed the wiring harness plugged into the blower motor resistor was about to catch on fire so I unplugged it before it could happen.

- Cabot, AR, USA