2002 Chevrolet Suburban Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE SPORADICALLY STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V521000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), ALTHOUGH THE FAILURES WERE IDENTICAL. HE IS IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 81,000.
2002 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500 WITH 8100 ENGINE STALLS UNEXPECTEDLY AT ANY SPEED. VEHICLE STARTS BACK AFTER A FEW MINUTES. *TR
ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS MY 2002 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN STALLED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES THE TRUCK WOULD RESTART. THE CHEVY DEALER SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO SINCE THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE CONDITION. IT DOES NOT TRIGGER A CHECK ENGINE SIGNAL. IT USUALLY HAPPENS AFTER LONG PERIODS OF FREEWAY DRIVING WITH NO WARNING. THIS IS NOT A LOW FUEL ISSUE. I SUSPECT IT IS A CRANK POSITION SENSOR FAILING AFTER RESEARCHING THE ISSUE ON THE INTERNET. *JB
I DRIVE A 2002 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. FREQUENTLY, WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND WITH NO WARNING THE VEHICLE JUST SHUTS OFF. WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF, IT DID NOT HAVE POWER BRAKES OR POWER STEERING. AFTER STOPPING AND TURNING THE KEY OFF FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES I COULD START UP THE VEHICLE AND CONTINUE DRIVING. THIS SITUATION FIRST STARTED LAST FALL. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL GARAGE WHICH COULD FIND ANY PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THESE UNPREDICTABLE SHUT OFFS ,AND I TOOK VEHICLE TO THE CHEVROLET DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE TRUCK CONTINUED TO SHUT OFF ON THE HIGHWAY AND IN THE CITY AT HIGHWAY AND CITY SPEEDS, WHILE SLOWING DOWN AND WHILE ACCELERATING. THIS WAS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS IT HDS SHUT OFF WHILE TOWING A TRAILER. THE SHUT OFFS DID NOT CORRELATE WITH WEATHER, TIME OF DAY, USEAGE, TEMPERATURE, OR SPEED. LOSETPOWER STEERING AND BRAKES WHICH IMPACTED THE ABILITY TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. *AK
VEHICLE WOULD STALL WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT WARNING AT ALL DIFFERENT SPEEDS INCLUDING HIGHWAY SPEEDS. VEHICLE WOULD SOMETIMES STALL 3 TIMES PER DAY, AND SOMETIMES NOT AT ALL IN A DAY. LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES RESULTED WHICH SOMETIMES PRESENTED A CHALLENGE TO SAFELY GET THE VEHICLE OFF THE HIGHWAY OR ROADWAY WHILE COASTING TO A STOP. STALLS OCCURED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE TOWING A 5000 POUND BOAT AND ALSO OCCURED WHILE TOWING A 9000 POUND CAMPER TRAILER. TWO DEALERS LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE AND REPORTED FINDING NO CAUSE FOR THE STALLING. I FOUND AN AUTOMOTIVE INTERNET DISCUSSION FORUM WHERE MANY OTHER PEOPLE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE 8.1L ENGINE. MANY OF THESE PEOPLE REPORTED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR WAS THE CAUSE, AND THAT REPLACING THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE SENSOR REPLACED, AND THE VEHICLE HAS NOT STALLED AT ALL SINCE THE SENSOR WAS REPLACED.*AK
I HAVE A 2002 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500 4 WD WITH AN 8.1 LITER ENGINE WITH 67,000 MILES ON IT. IT HAS STALLED OUT 5 TIMES OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS, NEARLY CAUSING A SERIOUS CRASH ON THE SECOND TO LAST ONE ON INTERSTATE ROUTE 80 OUTSIDE OF SPARTA, NEW JERSEY. THE ENGINE JUST STOPS AND I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO MECHANICS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPAIR IT. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. WHAT SHOULD I DO AND WHERE SHOULD I GO TO GET THIS FIXED. IT IS A LIFE SAFETY ISSUE NOT ONLY FOR ME, BUT MY FAMILY AND HORSES WHEN WE HAUL HORSES FOR OUR EQUESTRIAN ACTIVITIES. CAN YOU IMAGINE THE DISASTER THIS WOULD BE WITH PEOPLE AND HORSES ON THE HIGHWAY IF THE VEHICLE STOPS DEAD!!?? *TR
I DRIVE A 2002 CHEVY SUBURBAN. FREQUENTLY, WHILE I AM DRIVING AND WITH NO WARNING, THE VEHICLE JUST SHUTS OFF. WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF, I DO NOT HAVE POWER BRAKES OR POWER STEERING. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, I CAN TYPICALLY START UP THE VEHICLE AND CONTINUE DRIVING. THIS SITUATION FIRST STARTED LAST OCTOBER. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL GARAGE AFTER THE THIRD INCIDENT BECAUSE THE CHEVY DEALER WAS BOOKED. THE GARAGE COULD FIND NO PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THESE UNPREDICTABLE SHUT OFFS AND I TOOK IT IN TO THE CHEVY DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. THE DEALER KEPT THE TRUCK FOR NEARLY A MONTH AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE TRUCK CONTINUED TO SHUT OFF, ON THE HIGHWAY AND IN THE CITY. I TOOK IT TO A DIFFERENT DEALER AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM AND SHARED THE RESULTS OF THE DIAGNOSTICS. THE SECOND DEALER ALSO COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TRUCK. A THIRD DEALER HAD THE BENEFIT OF TAKING THE VEHICLE AFTER IT HAD SHUT OFF TWICE WITHIN A 24 HOUR PERIOD--BOTH AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE THIRD DEALER COULD FIND NO SPECIFIC CODES ON THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS THAT COULD EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM AND GAVE ME BACK MY VEHICLE. THIS TRUCK CONTINUES TO SHUT OFF WHILE I AM DRIVING. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS IT HAS SHUT OFF WHILE I AM TOWING A TRAILER, AND WHILE I AM TRAVELING ONTO EXITS. THE SHUT OFFS DO NOT CORRELATE WITH WEATHER, TIME OF DAY, USAGE, TEMPERATURE, OR SPEED. THE LATEST INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 30 MAY AS I APPROACHED A CITY INTERSECTION. THE TRUCK IS PARKED, FOR NOW. *TR
#5 CYLINDER 1164 MISFIRES. COLLAPSED LIFTER, BROKEN RINGS. THE DEALERSHIP WENT ON FISHING EXPEDITION, CHARGING ME $271.82 FOR UNNECESSARY WORK (NEW SPARK PLUG AND WIRES). WENT FOR SECOND DIAGNOSES, CORRECTLY DIAGNOSED THIS TIME INDICATING THE ABOVE. MECHANIC CONTACTED GMPP (EXTENDED WARRANTY),TOLD GMPP THAT THE ENGINE SHOULD BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC WAS ADVISED TO TELL ME TO RETURN TO DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE. *NM
CRANK POSITION SENSOR FAILURE RESULTING IN SUDDEN ENGINE STALL WHILE DRIVING IN CERTAIN GM VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 8.1L ENGINES. IN SOME CASES, THE COMPLAINANTS ALLEGED THAT AS RESULT OF THE ENGINE SHUTTING DOWN, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *NM
INTERMITTENT ENGINE STALL AND NO START IDENTICAL TO DESCRIPTION IN PE06016
WHILE DRIVING ANY SPEED VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER, AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
WHEN DRIVING THE AIR VENT RELEASED TOXIC FUMES. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS BECAME SICK AND DIZZY. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON SIX DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. HOWEVER, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM *AK *JB
THE VEHICLE IS PRODUCING TOXIC FUMES FROM THE AIR VENTS. THIS CAUSED INJURIES TO DRIVER'S EYES.*AK
VEHICLE SHUTS ITSELF DOWN WHILE IN MOTION, IT DOES NOT MATTER IF I AM ACCELERATING, MAINTAINING SPEED, OR COMING TO A STOP. WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN I LOOSE MY POWER BRAKES AND STEERING. I AM IN CONSTANT FEAR THAT IT MAY SHUTDOWN ON ME WHEN I AM TRYING TO CROSS BUSY TRAFFIC. THIS PROBLEM IS A DEFINITE SAFETY HAZARD......... *JB
THE CONSUMERS NOTICED THE DAY THAT THEY HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THAT THE COOLANT LIGHT WAS ON AS THEY TEST DROVE. THE SALESMAN SAID THAT THE GASKET WAS LOOSE AND WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF. IN MAY OF 2002 THE COOLANT LIGHT HAD COME ON AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SERVICE MAN AND HE SAID THAT IT WAS HOT AND THE COOLANT EVAPORATED.*SCC
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2002 Chevrolet Suburban has 40 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.