CarComplaints.com Notes: Engines shouldn't need a new quart of oil every 500-1000 miles, but for thousands of Suburban owners that's exactly what's happening. Engine oil consumption on aluminum block engines with Active Fuel Management (AFM) is out of control and owners are left looking for answers.
The most likely culprit is an uncovered AFM valve which, in many cases, can be covered under warranty. The problem is the issues don't stop there and many owners have been told by GM just to buy a new engine. Take one guess who they want to pick up the tab.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
108,567 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.
I bought this Suburban used in 2010 with about 32,000 miles on the odometer. I am the 2nd owner. From the day I bought it, it has burned oil. The add oil light comes on half way through a oil change. It's my 3rd Suburban. Neither of those two had ever burned oil. It was still under factory warranty, so I took it to courtesy Chevrolet in phoenix. They put it on a oil watch. I had to bring the truck back in every thousand miles so they could check the burn rate. They always said it was normal per Chevy burn rates. Really? check the internet for 2007 Chevrolet engine oil, high burn rates and you will see that mine is not the only engine that burns oil. It sounds like Chevrolet knew there was a problem, and instead of fixing the problem with integrity, they changed their burn rates so they wouldn't have to. I have lost all faith in Chevrolet. I will never buy another Chevrolet product.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The contact stated that strong fumes of oil and fuel emitted into the vehicle which progressed with no warning. The contact mentioned that the vehicle consumed an extensive amount of oil. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the engine was replaced but the failure recurred. The contact stated that the service engine warning lamp continued to illuminate and strong fumes continued to enter the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 mph, the engine light and the reduce engine power message illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle stalled and as a result, the vehicle had to be merged over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the reduced power engine and stability traction warning indicators illuminated. In addition, the contact mentioned that while at a traffic light with the brakes engaged, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician cleaned the throttle box but the problem recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 157,000.
- Colorado Springs , CO, USA
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While driving under normal conditions, stabilitrak light illuminated and engine began idling rough. Codes read cylinder #6 misfire. Diagnosis revealed failed piston. Engine rebuild required at a cost of $6700. Stabilitrak light continues to go on and off.
While this was/is a used vehicle, and while the mileage is high, the sheer frequency of the exact same complaint dictates that this is a problem that frequently occurs. Further exacerbating the problem is that GM and its dealers have no incentive to fix the issue as a full engine replacement is what is being offered as a solution. I was quoted by my dealer that the costs for this is (~)$8,000! as is the case with the others that have complained about this: I was driving along and the oil pressure went to zero. After taking it to the dealership, they replaced a few components and sent me on my way (after getting a large bill of course). We use the car very infrequently and as such, within a 100 miles of use, I was back at the dealer with, again, very low oil pressure. There recommendation was to replace the engine at $8000 or perform an overhaul at 2000+ with no guarantee or warranty. This is ridiculous. From a cost standpoint: The Suburban is a $60,000+ vehicle, and the problem is not fixable/resolvable, other than by GM asking for an additional $8000. From a safety issue, these cars are heavy, big, and can cause much damage if the driver is distracted by such a large engine problem and/or the engine shutting down due to the engine block freezing up and/or seizing due to the lack of oil pressure. Now, and especially in light of gms refusal to acknowledge the safety recall associated with its ignitions, I think there is sufficient cause for the NHTSA to take a hard look into this, open a full investigation, and hopefully rectify this for the hundred (and possibly thousands) of consumers affected and force GM to address these issues, both with respect to its existing/past sales, as well as address its future designs.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact sated that the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the throttle body sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the remedy repair failed. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 153,771.
I bought this vehicle used, the day I got it home it suddenly had no oil pressure. Chevy dealership put a "patch" on its boo-boo and sent me home. Now at 140,000 miles I once again have no oil pressure. Chevy says I need a new engine and of course I'm no longer under warranty. Approximate cost $6,700. This vehicle left me stranded on the side of the road twice. I have found hundreds of complaints of the exact same issue (same year, make and model) I'm having and Chevrolet has yet to issue a recall on this defective motor. The company returned correspondence with me and informed me that their "calculator" says they cannot offer me any assistance. I now have a 4 month old son and over a foot of snow expected in my area over the next 24 hours. What happens if he is sick and I have no means to get him to a doctor because of this issue Chevrolet won't own up to?
2007 Chevy Suburban with 5.3 afm engine. Driving down freeway and traction control, stabilink and engine light come on. Misfiring real bad. After getting it to shop they stated no compression in 2 cylinders. When told service manager he stated what problem was right away. Then confirmed it. Knew right away because it is common problem. Stated problem dropped lifters which damaged camshaft stemming from afm system. Would have to pay to tear down engine to be exact but will need a motor either way. This has been a common problem with the oil consumption problem with this motor. I had been experiencing oil consumption for a long time. I would burn a quart of oil driving 1000 miles on long trips. Every week I'm a 1/4-1/2 quart low. Chevy says this is normal and denies there is a problem but this is far from normal. This also stems from afm system. An 07 Chevy Suburban that has been maintained should last more than 170,000 miles and Chevy should stand by their product of a known issue. There have been fixes by Chevy but none seem to work. I never formally filed a complaint with Chevy or did oil consumption test( but they wouldn't have it if there wasn't a problem. I have just followed issue online waiting for a fix. But, motor died first. Also vehicle has a cracked dash which has been a common problem with this vehicle which Chevy has since reinforced the places it cracks indicating there was a flaw in design but Chevy refuses to fix.
Our vehicle started to use between one quart and 2 quarts between oil changes. At sometime before this the heater stopped working on the windshield washer fluid. The dvd player stopped working around 75,000 miles. At 79,0911 miles the service air bags light came on. We are not new to owning Suburban. This is our fifth one. We have always been happy with them, but this one has way to many things that are not working properly. We would like to hear from you regarding resolving these issues.
Engine oil consumption issue. Vehicle had been to bayside Chevrolet in prince frederick, md several times for repairs but never fixed. Final time was pistons and rings replaced. 13 months and 23000 miles later the engine needed to be replaced.
I find it interesting that there are so many comments about burning oil on the Suburban. I bought this car new in 2007 with 0 miles. In 2011 when had my usual oil changed and noticed that within 1 month my indicator came on that the oil was low and to add oil. I went back to the location where I had it changed and complained that they didn't properly fill the oil. The argued that they did and I was wrong. They then put 2 quarts in and I went on my way. A month later, again, the same issue. I took the car to the Chevrolet dealer where we purchased it and they said that the reason the car was burning oil was because I should use a different weight of oil during the hot Texas summer months. Ever since this time my car burns oil no matter what type of oil I put in. No matter what time of year - hot or cold. I keep extra quarts in the back for emergencies. When I start the engine on most days, but not all days, a white puff of smoke comes from the exhaust. The dealer insists that there is nothing wrong. It's obvious based on other consumer comments that this is a manufacturer's defect. At about 100K the tire sensor went and now at 113K another tire sensor is gone as well as the driver side automatic door locks. Typically when I take my car to the dealer to be fixed it runs at least $1000. I was planning for this car to last at least another 50K miles. We'll see...
The oil was 1 1/2 quarts low after only 900 miles. They filled it up and again in Oct, it was 1 quart low after only 700 miles. I had a terrible family tragedy in Dec and was unable to get my consumption documented however, I did have an oil change. I am not sure what happened and why it was not documented but, I was told that the oil tag was "missing" and that they were starting a new tag. In Feb I went again for an oil change. On April 15th my oiling came on stating my oil was low and needed an oil change. On April 16th I noticed my truck start to hesitate and chug after taking off from a stop light or stop sign. I though perhaps it was bad gas. I used the rest of the tank and filled up on April 18th. On April 19th I noticed it was still hesitating and getting worse, now it was not only after coming to a complete stop, it was random and more frequent. The morning of April 20th I called al serra and told them I was scared and felt like it was a danger to drive my 5 children around in fear that we would lose power on the highway or getting on the highway or in the middle of an intersection. The service rep stated they could not get my truck in until Tuesday. I was not happy with that answer and visited a local mechanic. Upon my arrival I told my mechanic that my car was hesitating and losing power. The mechanic test drive the vehicle and came back to tell me the oil was bone dry. He stated that if I had driven much further, the engine would have seized. He wanted me to how the vehicle to al serra E no help and stranded with my 5 children. Now, this has been an ongoing problem since January of 2012. Of course, my factory warranty has now run out and it is 3 months past the warranty of the repairs that were made. However, the ongoing problem was documented prior, much prior, to the repair warranty running out. Oil consumption GM ignoring problem.
2007 Suburban vehicle came to a stop 25ft behind several stopped cars at a red light. Without provocation, the vehicle strongly accelerated/surged forward while the brakes were engaged. Driver continued to attempt to stop the vehicle by repeatedly hitting the brake pedal, but with no success. Passenger in vehicle reported seeing drivers foot on the brake. Vehicle accelerated forward into the back of another vehicle which was then pushed into a third. All three vehicles suffered damage. Airbags failed to deploy in Suburban despite level of impact. Vehicle was taken to Chevrolet dealer for complete diagnostic. Results inconclusive; no data errors recorded in computers and no apparent mechanical attribute could be found relating to vehicle action. Action could not be repeated by technician. Vehicle released to owner. No explanation could be given as to this action. Dealer did not follow up or continue investigation.
My vehicle uses 1 qt of oil every 2000 miles right now, it was every 4,000. So the problem seems to be getting worse. When I shared this with the service department at both Chevrolet and Chevrolet, their response was that my issue was still with in specifications. I didn't realize that oil consumption was acceptable. GM, instead of fixing the problem appear to be ignoring it. I have an 06 Chevy Silverado that has never used a qt of oil. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Lebanon, OR, USA