Chevrolet Suburban Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2015 and 2023 At least twice the 31.5 complaints of a typical Suburban year. Most described: brake failure (2015), engine failure (2023).
Best years: No year stands out Only the 2018, 2019, and 2020 drew under three quarters of the 31.5 complaints of a typical Suburban year since 2016. The 2018 and 2019 each have a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 23 mpg combined, arrived in 2021 and has held since. Includes the heavier-duty Suburban 2500, sold until 2013.

Suburban problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Suburban year drew 31.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (16.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (31.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2015 Suburban Avoid Most described: brake failure or a soft or hard pedal	104	432	11
2023 Suburban Avoid Most described: engine failure or replacement	96	150	4
2016 Suburban Most described: transmission failure or replacement	45	220	6
2021 Suburban Most described: engine failure or replacement	45	209	12
2017 Suburban Most described: transmission failure or replacement	34	142	5
2022 Suburban Most described: engine failure or replacement	29	127	4
2019 Suburban Most described: transmission failure or replacement	17	79	3
2018 Suburban Most described: transmission failure or replacement	16	84	4
2010 Suburban Most described: loss of power or limp mode and the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	15	175	3
2013 Suburban Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	14	118	4
2014 Suburban Most reported: air bags	14	59	3
2011 Suburban Most reported: air bags	13	235	5
2012 Suburban Most reported: air bags	10	101	4
2020 Suburban Most described: engine failure or replacement	10	44	4

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Suburban for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	3	19
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	1	32
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	2	46
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	4	150
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	4	127
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	12	209
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	4	44
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	3	79
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	4	84
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	5	142
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	6	220
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	11	432
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	3	59
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	4	118
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	4	101
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	5	235	Not rated
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	3	175	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2015: 432 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Chevrolet Suburban
Model year	Complaints
2010	175
2011	235
2012	101
2013	118
2014	59
2015	432
2016	220
2017	142
2018	84
2019	79
2020	44
2021	209
2022	127
2023	150
2024	46
2025	32
2026	19

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 17 to 19 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2016. Diesel: 23 mpg (2021 to 2026).

Best gas version
Best diesel version

2026: gas 17 mpg · diesel 23 mpg

Show as a table

Chevrolet Suburban best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best diesel version
2010	17	–
2011	17	–
2012	17	–
2013	17	–
2014	17	–
2015	18	–
2016	19	–
2017	19	–
2018	19	–
2019	18	–
2020	18	–
2021	18	23
2022	17	23
2023	17	23
2024	17	23
2025	17	23
2026	17	23

Every Suburban year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Chevrolet Tahoe vs Chevrolet SuburbanMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Chevrolet Suburban years should you avoid?

The 2015 and 2023 Suburban are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 31.5 owner complaints of a typical Suburban year in its first three years. Owners of the 2015 most often describe brake failure. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Chevrolet Suburban years?

No year stands out as best. Only the 2018, 2019, and 2020 drew under three quarters of the 31.5 complaints of a typical Suburban year since 2016. The 2018 and 2019 each have a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. The 2020's first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. If you are shopping for one, check by VIN that the repair was done. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Chevrolet Suburban years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2015 (104) and 2023 (96) drew the most.

Which Chevrolet Suburban years have the most recalls?

The 2021 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (12), then the 2015 (11). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Two recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 16V-256 (2016 models) and NHTSA 26V-289 (2015, 2017 to 2020, 2026 models).

What are the most common Chevrolet Suburban problems?

In the 2,272 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe engine failure or replacement (182 complaints, most of them for the 2021, 2022, and 2023); loss of power or limp mode (179 complaints); and shaking, shuddering or vibration (170 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Chevrolet Suburban year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 23 mpg combined, first reached by the 2021 diesel version and matched by every year since.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.