134 complaints reported

2004 Chevrolet Suburban Electrical System

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
134
Crashes
1
Fires
5
Injuries
1

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Mar 2010

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF THE DRIVER HEARD A LOUD NOISE UNDER THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE WIRES UNDER THE SEAT WERE EXPOSED. THE DRIVER ALSO STATED THAT THERE WERE INTERMITTENT FAILURES WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO REPLACED THE EXPOSED WIRES WITH ELECTRICAL TAPE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 48250. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 48349.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2010
Mar 2010

SPEEDOMETER STICKS THEN AT IDLE IT SAYS YOU ARE GOING 70 MPH. IF YOU START AND STOP THE VEHICLE MULTIPLE IT COMES DOWN 5 MILES PER HOUR AND EVENTUALLY YOU GET BACK TO ZERO. HOWEVER, IT WILL DO THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED BECAUSE YOU CAN'T TELL YOU HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING AND I ALMOST LOST IS ON A 45 MILE HOUR TURN SPEEDO SAID I WAS GOING 120 BUT IN REALITY AFTER STOPPING THE SUBURBAN I FIGURED OUT I WAS DOING ABOUT 55. THIS HAPPENS AT ALL MILEAGE AND IS A DEFECT. CHEVY RECALLED, I BELIEVE, UP TO 30,000 MILES. OWNERS SAY IT HAPPENS AT 20,000; 40,000; 50,000, AND WELL ANY MILEAGE. I HAD 90,000 WHEN MINE STARTED. I READ ONE PERSON WHO AT 90,000 GOT HIS FIXED FREE. CHEVY WOULDN'T FIX MINE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE CALLED. PLEASE HELP. I REPORTED TO CHEVY BUT THEY WOULDN'T FIX. INTERNET SAYS IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANY OF THE GAUGES IN THE CLUSTER. THERE IS A GUY IN OREGON THAT REPLACES THE 6 STEPPER MOTORS. CHEVY SHOULD DO THIS FOR US. I'VE OWNED CHEVY'S ALL MY LIFE (I"M 49) BUT IF THEY DON'T FIX THIS I'M DONE. I'D RATHER HAVE A TOYOTA AT LEAST THEY ARE RECALLING. DO A GOOGLE SEARCH - EVERYONE IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2009
Mar 2010

2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN - ABOUT A YEAR OR TWO AGO MY SPEEDOMETER STARTED ACTING UP. IT WOULD SAY I WAS DOING 10 MPH WHEN I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY OR I COULD BE GOING 30 OR 35 AND IT WOULD SAY I WAS GOING 110 MPH. THIS WENT ON FOR MONTHS BEFORE IT FINALLY JUST QUIT WORKING. I HAVE TO DRIVE WITH A GPS JUST TO KNOW HOW FAST I'M GOING. I HAVE HEARD AND READ OF MANY OTHER CASES EXACTLY LIKE THIS. SEEMS TO ME THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR A DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETER. I DON'T HAVE THE $400 OR $500 THEY WANT TO FIX IT. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2008
Mar 2010

WHILE DRIVING I NOTICE MY SPEEDOMETER NOT WORKING ON MY 2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN. MY WIFE CALLED HENDERSON CHEVROLET. THEY ASKED WHAT OUR MILEAGE WAS. IT WAS 92,000 MILES. THEY SAID IT WOULD COST OVER $800.00. I NEVER KNEW THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER TILL I PUT A SEARCH IN ON THE INTERNET. CAN SOMEONE HELP US? *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Mar 2009
Mar 2010

2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN SPEEDOMETER STUCK AND MAX SPEED WITH 72,300 MILES. I ALSO OWN 2004 CHEVY TAHOE WITH OIL PRESSURE GAUGE STUCK AT MAXIMUM WITH 92,000 MILES. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2010
Feb 2010

DEFECT HORNS IN 2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN 1500, WE HAD TO REPLACE IT 2 TIMES AND OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2006
Feb 2010

SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING CORRECTLY IT DOES NOT GO BELOW 42 MPH AND SOMETIMES WILL NOT GO BELOW 90 MPH. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Sep 2010
Feb 2010

GAUGE FOR SPEEDOMETER GETS STUCK OR DOESN'T MEASURE AT ALL. CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY SAID MY VEHICLE WAS ABOVE THE 70K AMOUNT & 80K. I HAVE NEVER BEEN CONTACTED ON THIS ISSUE. BUT YET I GET MAILINGS FOR SERVICE WORK. THE FAILURE IS ONGOING. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2010
Feb 2010

2004 1500 SUBURBAN STALLS WITHOUT WARNING. NO SERVICE CODES TO POINT TO TROUBLES. A SEARCH ONLINE SHOWS THE AMOUNT PEOPLE HAVING TROUBLE. CHANGED CRANK POSITIONER SENSOR, PLUGS, AND INJECTOR CLEANER. NO CHANGE NO HELP FROM DEALER WITHOUT SPENDING THOUSANDS. IT IS STALLING ON BUSY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS NO ACCIDENT YET BUT VERY CLOSE CALLS. IT HAPPENS NOW EVERY DAY MOSTLY AFTER WARMED UP AND STOPPING AND SPEEDING UP AGAIN. I READ ONLINE THAT CA HAS A RECALL BUT NOTHING NATION WIDE. I DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO TRADE OR SPEND THOUSANDS FOR A DEFECT THAT IS A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2010
Jan 2010

SPEEDOMETER HAS COMPLETELY FAILED ON MY 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. THIS IS A KNOWN, WIDESPREAD PROBLEM THAT GM REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE AS A SAFETY ISSUE ... AND REFUSES TO MAKE GOOD ON ... DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPENSATED BY THE PARTS SUPPLIER. IT'S TIME FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO STEP IN, DECLARE THIS AS A SAFETY ISSUE (WHICH IT IS), AND ENCOURAGE GENERAL MOTORS TO MAKE GOOD ON THESE FAULTY PARTS ... IRRESPECTIVE OF THE ARBITRARY MILEAGE CUTOFF THEY HAVE IMPOSED. ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND ON THE ISSUE, FROM A MEDIA SOURCE... HTTP://WWW.WTHR.COM/GLOBAL/STORY.ASP?S=7434450. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2010
Dec 2009

2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN SPEEDOMETER READING IS INACCURATE, READING ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 50 MPH TOO HIGH. THIS IS A HAZARD WHILE DRIVING DUE TO INABILITY TO ACCURATELY GAUGE SPEED, CAUSING TENDENCY TO DRIVE TOO SLOWLY. RUN RISK OF TRAFFIC TICKET. CHEVY DEALERSHIP ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THIS IS COMMON PROBLEM BUT ONLY PROVIDES SPECIAL ISSUE SERVICE FOR VEHICLES BETWEEN 70,000 TO 80,000 MILES ON ODOMETER. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2009
Dec 2009

SPEEDOMETER HAS NOT WORKED FOR OVER A YEAR. THE NEEDLE IS ALWAYS PINNED. ONCE IN A WHILE IT WILL START AT APPROXIMATELLY 30MPH AT IDLE. LOCAL DEALER ADVISED APPROX. 500.00 TO FIX. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2008
Nov 2009

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. WHILE DRIVING THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYED INACCURATE INFORMATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 132,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2009
Oct 2009

SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT WORK. UNSURE OF MY SPEED VERY UNSAFE. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2009
Sep 2009

BOUGHT MY 2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN IN FEB. 2008. IT HAD 75,000 MILES ON IT. DROVE IT FOR A MONTH AND THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD FLUCTUATE 3-4 MPH AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND THE WORK FINE FOR A WEEK OR SO BEFORE ACTING UP. AT 92,000 MILES SPEEDOMETER WENT TOTALLY OUT, READING 0 ONE MINUTE AND BOUNCING TO 120 THE NEXT. NOW IT JUST SITS ON ZERO FOR MOST OF THE TIME. WOULD NOT KNOW IF IT EVER READ THE CORRECT MPH IF IT WASN'T FOR THE GPS. HAVE NOT REPLACED ANYTHING YET. BUT WILL HAVE TO SHORTLY BECAUSE THE TEXAS SAFETY INSPECTION IS DUE IN NOVEMBER. I THINK THIS IS WHY THE PREVIOUS OWNER TRADED IT IN AND DIDN'T TELL ANY ONE. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Mar 2008
Sep 2009

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CLUSTER IN THE VEHICLE WAS FAULTY AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT DOES NOT KNOW HOW FAST SHE IS DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR, WHICH WOULD COST BETWEEN $500-$600. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED ON THE VEHICLE AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPAIRED AT THE CONTACT'S EXPENSE. THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Sep 2009
Sep 2009

MY SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING ON MY VEHICLE ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO. WHEN I AM AT A COMPLETE STOP, IT SHOWS I AM GOING ANYWHERE BETWEEN 50-70 MPH. WHEN I AM GOING 40 MPH, IT SHOWS I AM GOING OVER 120 MPH. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAST I AM GOING AND OBVIOUSLY, SPEED LIMITS ARE THERE FOR A REASON. I HAVE CONTACTED CHEVY AND ALSO A LOCAL DEALER AND THEY ARE AWARE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A HUGE PROBLEM ON 2003 AND 2004 CHEVY AND GMC VEHICLES. THEY HAVE A SPECIAL COVERAGE FOR IT, BUT IT ENDS AT 70,000 MILES. MY VEHICLE HAS 71,000 MILES ON IT AND SO, THEY WILL NOT FIX IT WITHOUT CHARGING ME AROUND $700. THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT PENDING REGARDING THIS ISSUE. IT IS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, AS EVIDENCED BY THE HUGE # OF VEHICLES AFFECTED AND IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM, AS IT AFFECTS SAFETY . *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2009
Aug 2009

THE SPEEDOMETER IN MY 2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. WHEN TRAVELING ONLY 50 MPH IT READS 91 MPH. CAN'T TELL HOW FAST I'M DRIVING. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 2009
Jul 2009

THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE VEHICLE IS NOT SHOWING THE TRUE SPEED (IT SOME TIMES SHOWS 110 WHEN YOU ARE GOING 45, OR SHOWS 35 WHEN YOU ARE GOING 65. THIS IS NOT SAFE WHILE DRIVING ON ANY ROAD. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2009
Jun 2009

THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY '04 CHEVY SUBURBAN HAS BECOME ERRATIC, AND PROGRESSIVELY GETS "FASTER" AND FASTER UNTIL IT REGISTERS 120MPH SETTING STILL. REPEATEDLY TURNING THE CAR ON AND OFF WILL RESET THE SPEEDOMETER, BUT IT RECURS WITHIN A FEW DAYS. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2009
May 2009

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL IN A 2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN WAS DIAGNOSED BY A GM DEALERSHIP AS DEFECTIVE ON 3/4/2009 WITH 70,400MILES. OIL GAUGE AND BATTERY GAUGE FAILS TO READ PROPERLY OFTEN BOUNCING AROUND/FLUTTERING AROUND DURING VEHICLE OPERATION. GAUGES DO NOT RETURN TO ZERO WHILE VEHICLE IS NOT OPERATING. GAUGE FAILURE WAS NOTED ON 2/10/2009. GM HAS YET TO AGREE TO REPLACE CLUSTER PANEL THOUGH A LETTER WAS SENT TO GM OWNERS REGARDING MATTER. LETTER CLEARLY STATES NOT TO BRING VEHICLE IN TO HAVE CLUSTER PANEL CHECKED UNTIL THERE IS BELIEVED TO BE AN ISSUE. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2009
Apr 2009

I NOTICED WHILE I WAS DRIVING THAT THE SPEEDOMETER SEEMED A LITTLE OFF AND I WAS CORRECT IT STARTS AT 10MPH AND WHILE DRIVING ITS ABOUT 13 MPH OFF. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2009
Apr 2009

2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN SPEEDOMETER FAILS SPORADICALLY. WILL STICK AT ANYTIME WITHOUT NOTICE. SHOWING UP TO 120 MILER PER HOUR WHILE PARKED. CANNOT ASCERTAIN EXACT OF SPEED OF VEHICLE. WPER HAPS EFFECTS ODOMETER AND HOUR METER. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Nov 2009
Apr 2009

SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING WHEN ODOMETER READ 76,000 MILES. DOES NOT WORK AT ALL. CURRENTLY READ 120 MPH. DEALER WILL NOT FIX AS WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING DUE TO POOR QUALITY, NOT IMPROPER USE. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Mar 2009
Apr 2009

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WENT DEAD NO SPEEDOMETER NOTHING. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2009

Trend Over Time

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Quick Summary

The 2004 Chevrolet Suburban has 134 Electrical System complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.