Reliable Auto DB

2021 Chevrolet Suburban reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban has 198 complaints with NHTSA after 6 years, or 15 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Suburban years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 12 recalls on file, including Internal engine parts, Control module, software, and Lighting control module, software.

2012 Chevrolet Suburban
Photo by Artaxerxes, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

198

Per year

15

Recalls

12

Years on the road

6

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (86 of 198), then Powertrain (36) and Fuel and propulsion system (22). Those filings include 6 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 Suburban has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2022 has 122 complaints, 10 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (12)

Recall engine and cooling, engine, internal engine parts 2025-04-24 · NHTSA campaign 25V274000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with a 6.2L V8 gas engine. The connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage and engine failure.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the engine, and as necessary, repair or replace the engine. For vehicles that pass inspection, dealers will add higher viscosity oil, install 6 oil fill cap, replace the oil filter, and update the owner's manual. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 18, 2025. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N252494000.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, control module, software 2024-10-24 · NHTSA campaign 24V797000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.
Remedy Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, GMC customer service at GMC 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242454440.
Recall exterior lighting, lighting control module, software 2022-11-03 · NHTSA campaign 22V827000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, Cadillac Escalade, and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles. The daytime running lights (DRLs) may not deactivate when the headlights are on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy Dealers will provide an over-the-air (OTA) update for the Body Control Module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 15, 2022. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N222382220.
Recall seat belts, critical fasteners 2022-08-11 · NHTSA campaign 22V617000
Summary General Motors, LLC (M) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with third-row seats. The rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left or right side third-row seat belt buckle assembly may have been improperly formed.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the rivet head formation on both the left and right side third-row seat belt buckle assemblies and replace seat belt buckle assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 28, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on November 1, 2022. 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. GM's number for this recall is N222372380.
Recall Driveshaft 2022-01-27 · NHTSA campaign 22V036000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, and Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles. The rear wheel driveshaft assemblies may have internal components that were not heat-treated properly, possibly resulting in driveshaft failure.
Remedy Dealers will replace the left and/or right rear driveshaft assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 14, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212351030.
Recall gasoline fuel system, delivery, fuel pump, control module 2021-09-23 · NHTSA campaign 21V739000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump power control module may cause the fuel pump to fail or operate intermittently, which can interrupt fuel flow to the engine, and cause an unexpected engine stall.
Remedy Dealers will replace the fuel pump power control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 14, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212332040.
Recall steering, steering control module 2021-06-17 · NHTSA campaign 21V455000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. A software issue may cause a loss of power steering assist at startup or while driving.
Remedy The power steering module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 13, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212333900.
Recall air bags, SRS malfunction warning light 2021-06-10 · NHTSA campaign 21V421000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Buick Envision, Cadillac CT4, CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles. The communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module (SDM), causing the air bag malfunction indicator light to inconsistently illuminate.
Remedy The communications gateway module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212338110.
Recall Seat belts 2021-03-18 · NHTSA campaign 21V190000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Suburban, and Tahoe vehicles with third-row seating. The third-row outboard seat belts may have been entrapped or misrouted behind the outboard seat-folding mechanism, which could result in damaged seat belts.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third-row outboard seat belts, replacing any damaged seat belts, and rerouting them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 21, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313000.
Recall Seat belts 2020-12-23 · NHTSA campaign 20V811000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.
Recall Seat belts 2020-12-17 · NHTSA campaign 20V792000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.
Recall Seats 2020-11-25 · NHTSA campaign 20V735000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles. During general assembly, a repair involved removal of one or both front seats. The attachment bolts for the front seats may not have been properly reinstalled after the repair was completed.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat attachments for both front seats and install attachment bolts as needed, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N202312720.

Complaints by component (198 total)

Engine
86
Powertrain
36
Fuel and propulsion system
22
Electrical system
19
Forward collision avoidance
11
Engine and engine cooling
10
Fuel system, gasoline
9
Service brakes
8
Exterior lighting
7
Seat belts
7
Air bags
6
Wheels
4
Lane departure
3
Seats
3
Speed control
3
Steering
3
Structure
2
Suspension
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Back-over prevention
1
Chest clip, buckle, and harness
1
Diesel fuel system
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Show 15 more Show less
Crash-flagged

6

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

132021132022182023212024722025612026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light flashing. There was a rumbling sound coming from the vehicle,…"
    Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-09-23
  • "The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the radio display screen was blank. Additionally, the vehicle turned on and off independently, the doors locked and unlocked…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-09-22
  • "The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode with the check engine warning light…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-22
  • "Our Chevy Suburban High Country suffered sudden engine failure resulting in the vehicle to shake and smoke while driving on a busy intersection. The dealership diagnosed internal engine mechanical failure at only 46,000…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-19
  • "Sudden Loss of Power & Shaking: The misfire itself causes a drastic drop in acceleration. If you are merging onto a highway or trying to pass another vehicle, the sudden loss of power can leave you stranded in the path…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-15

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2021 Chevrolet Suburban SUV 2WD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2021 Chevrolet Suburban SUV 4WD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 3 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Suburban two-wheel drive 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic 10-speed Rear-wheel drive 15 20 17 MPG $4700
Suburban two-wheel drive 5.3L, 8-cyl Automatic 10-speed Rear-wheel drive 16 20 18 MPG $3600
Suburban two-wheel drive 3L, 6-cyl Automatic 10-speed Rear-wheel drive 21 27 23 MPG $4100
Suburban two-wheel drive 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic 10-speed Rear-wheel drive 14 20 16 MPG $5000
Suburban two-wheel drive 5.3L, 8-cyl Automatic 10-speed Rear-wheel drive 15 20 17 MPG $3800
Suburban four-wheel drive 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic 10-speed Four-wheel drive 14 19 16 MPG $5000
Suburban four-wheel drive 5.3L, 8-cyl Automatic 10-speed Four-wheel drive 15 19 17 MPG $3800
Suburban four-wheel drive 3L, 6-cyl Automatic 10-speed Four-wheel drive 20 26 22 MPG $4300
Suburban four-wheel drive 5.3L, 8-cyl Automatic 10-speed Four-wheel drive 15 19 16 MPG $4050
Suburban four-wheel drive 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic 10-speed Four-wheel drive 13 19 16 MPG $5000

Specs and fitment

13th generation, 2021–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (5.3L, 6.2L, and 3.0L Duramax where equipped) , 8 qt capacity
Tire size 265/65R18 to 285/45R22 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 21V-739 covers certain 2021 Chevrolet Suburban vehicles (with Tahoe, Escalade, and Yukon): the fuel-pump power control module may fail or operate intermittently and stall the engine; dealers replace the module. Campaign 22V-036 covers certain 2021 Suburban vehicles where rear driveshaft assemblies may have improperly heat-treated internals and fail, causing sudden loss of drive power; dealers replace left and/or right rear driveshafts. Campaign 22V-617 covers certain 2021-2022 Suburban vehicles with third-row seats where a seat-belt buckle rivet may be improperly formed; dealers inspect and replace buckle assemblies as needed. Shared unit counts cover multiple GM full-size SUVs.

Compare

Next year 2022 Chevrolet Suburban See every Chevrolet Suburban model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban has 198 complaints with NHTSA after 6 years, or 15 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Suburban years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 12 recalls on file, including Internal engine parts, Control module, software, and Lighting control module, software.

What are common problems with a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (86 of 198), then Powertrain (36) and Fuel and propulsion system (22). Those filings include 6 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 Suburban has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2022 has 122 complaints, 10 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban been recalled?

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban has 12 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban?

Owners have filed 198 complaints about the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban is 17.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

How is the Chevrolet Suburban related to the Tahoe?

They share the same GMT platform each model year; Suburban adds a longer wheelbase and more cargo space behind the third row.

What engine oil does a Chevrolet Suburban use?

2012-2014 models commonly use dexos1 5W-30; later generations commonly use 0W-20 on 5.3L/6.2L (and Duramax where equipped).

What vacuum-pump brake recall covers certain 2015-2018 Suburbans?

Recall 19V-645 covers certain 2015-2018 Suburban and Tahoe vehicles among other GM full-size SUVs/trucks where vacuum from the mechanical vacuum pump can decrease over time.