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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
129,200 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1997 Chevrolet Suburban engine problems

engine problem

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1997 Chevrolet Suburban Owner Comments

problem #5

Jul 112008

Suburban

  • 164,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car was parked in the driveway. In the middle of the night it burst into flames. Our dogs woke us up. The fire started in the front passenger compartment. By the time the fire department arrived 7 minutes later there was nothing left to the interior of the car. The engine and underside of the car were undamaged by the fire. A tree near the car also caught fire. Chevrolet said there were no recalls on our car. They do not seem interested in examining the car since we settled with our insurance company. Neither the fire department nor the police suspect arson. It would appear to be electrical. If the car had been parked in our garage we would have lost our house.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #4

Jun 162005

Suburban 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 138,000 miles
This morning hit the brakes coming down the hill and engine shut down, could not control steering and brakes didn't work either. The electric and power failure, couldn't do anything with the vehicle. It hasn't be checked by dealer yet.

- Fort Washingotn, MD, USA

problem #3

Aug 152003

Suburban

  • Automatic transmission
  • 160,000 miles
Sudden unexpected acceleration. At random, a 500 to 1500 RPM increase in engine spead for up to several seconds accompanied by thick black smoke and the smell of raw diesel fuel. Has occurred in drive, neutral, reverse, and park. Has occurred with cruise control turned off. Has occurred with the cruise control fuse removed. Has occurred in park with no operator in vehicle. The truck will accelerate quickly (dangerously) when in drive or reverse.

- Tipton, MI, USA

problem #2

Apr 152001

Suburban

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles
Heater and ac controls went out twice. Factory replaced them @ $125, then 9 months later it went out again. Factory said it was under 12 months, but I had driven over 12,000 miles so it was not under warranty any longer. Windsheild wiper module goes bad. Wipers will suddenly stop or wont turn on. On 3rd module now. Brakes, constant grinding and weak stops. Have replaced rotors 4 times. Same results. Steering loses tension when steering to the left. Problem is still ongoing but has made me almost lose control several times.

- Schertz, TX, USA

problem #1

Nov 252003

(reported on)

Suburban

  • 124,000 miles
The truck stalls while driving at any speed and without warning. This was caused by the pdm driver overheating and shutting off the fuel injection pump, which in turn caused the engine motor to shut off. Please provide more detailed information.

- Elkhart, IN, USA

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