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1.2

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
143,500 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.

2003 Chevrolet Suburban engine problems

engine problem

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2003 Chevrolet Suburban Owner Comments

problem #7

Jul 082016

Suburban

  • 149,000 miles

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

Vehicle suddenly started going into reduced power mode and providing an error code indicating a problem with the throttle control sensor. From the hundreds of online posts (some by GM mechanics) this is an ongoing problem with many 2003-2008 trucks and SUVS made by GM. When I began trying to repair this problem myself, I found out from my local Chevy parts department that "they can not keep these throttle control assemblies in stock because we are replacing so many of them..." there seems to be a know problem that GM is not adequately being proactive about. This happens while driving highway, local streets and at startup. This becomes a serious safety issue when the vehicle goes into reduced power mode while the vehicle is in traffic.

- Batesville, AR, USA

problem #6

Oct 092015

Suburban

  • 190,000 miles
I will be driving down the road both hwy and city. The Suburban will go into reduced engin and lose all its power and speed. I have to pull over and cut the car off and restart it and it's fine to go for maybe a mile and it does it again. They can not pin point what the problem is. It's very dangerous.

- Supply, NC, USA

problem #5

Aug 022015

Suburban

  • 101,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban. While driving at 60 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,000.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

problem #4

Aug 152013

Suburban

  • 114,000 miles

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

Driving on the highway and I lost all power. It said (reduced engine power) on the dash. This has happened several times and I haven't found a mechanic who can fix it. I've looked all over the internet and there are many other people with the same problem. This is very dangerous and almost caused an accident. It comes out of nowhere and for this to happen to someone for the first time, it's going to cause some deadly crashes.

- Brooklyn Park, MN, USA

problem #3

Nov 242014

Suburban

  • 149,500 miles
I have been experiencing complete engine failure while driving at highway speeds without any warning. I notice a loss of power and notice the engine light is on and the vehicle is difficult to steer. After coasting to the left side of the road, the vehicle ignition is turned off and after several attempts, the car starts again and I can drive to my destination. Fuel pump and fuel lines were replaced less than 2 years ago when a similar problem was experienced.

- Wilmington, NC, USA

problem #2

Nov 022012

Suburban

  • 195,000 miles
Just finished driving vehicle for 1 hour at highway speeds without incident. Parked car for 5 minutes, upon trying to restart, the car displayed "reduced engine power" on the driver information console. Approximately 8 restarts and the message did not display. Drove car 5 minutes and parked it for 1 hour, upon restart displayed same message, car was virtually undriveable. 3 restarts later message no longer displayed. This message has now intermittently occurred ever since seemingly without any pattern. The message is related to a failure in the "drive by wire" system that allows for the elimination of a physical cable from the gas pedal. It causes the car to be completely undriveable until seemingly randomly fixing itself.

- Randolph, NJ, USA

problem #1

Jul 252012

Suburban 8-cyl

  • 106,000 miles
Driving in middle lane on highway out of state with kids in the car engine just quit--no power, couldn't signal to move or get to side of road, just sat in middle lane. Very scary!! towed to a nearby dealer-told us the fuel pump shorted the engine and had to replace the fuel pump. No advance warning-only a blower motor seemed to be malfunctioning that morning (have had A/C problems). No issue with power until it just quit. Seems to be a common complaint when researching this year and vehicle--loss of power or decreased power. With the number of incidents found, someone should research this before another car is struck from behind and there are injuries or worse, fatalities. To have something this major happen without any symptoms or warning lights, and for the number of cases found, seems irresponsible at best, negligent at least. Please look into this!

- Holliston, MA, USA

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