2002 Chevrolet Suburban Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Suburban years
- More complaints than other years 9th of 30 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 286 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Chevrolet Suburban. That ranks 9th out of 30 Suburban model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is service brakes, hydraulic (68 complaints, 24%), typically at around 68,000 miles. Complaints mention 24 crashes, 5 fires, 24 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 8 defect investigations involving it.
- 286owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 8NHTSA investigations
- 24complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2002 Chevrolet Suburban problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems | 68 | 24% | 68,000 | “anti lock” (16%) | — |
| Service Brakes | 41 | 14% | 130,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 23 | 8% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 23 | 8% | 41,196 | — | — |
| Steering | 22 | 8% | 41,046 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 19 | 7% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 18 | 6% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 16 | 6% | 86,310 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 13 | 5% | 3,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 12 | 4% | 68,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 10 | 3% | 115,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 9 | 3% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 8 | 3% | 41,650 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 3% | 118,500 | — | — |
| Wheels | 7 | 2% | 59,504 | — | — |
| Equipment | 6 | 2% | 35,635 | — | — |
| Suspension | 6 | 2% | 34,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 2% | 24,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 5 | 2% | 31,250 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 4 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 4 | 1% | 188,733 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 1% | 135,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 3 | 1% | 68,994 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 3 | 1% | 42,250 | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 1% | 193,337 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2002 Chevrolet Suburban recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Problem: Certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles may experience unwanted antilock brake system (abs) activation. This condition is more likely to occur in environmentally corrosive areas. This recall will be launched in the "salt belt" states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maryland, massachusetts, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia only.
Risk: This can cause increased stopping distances during low-speed brake applications, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers are to remove the wheel speed sensor and thoroughly clean the wheel speed sensor mounting surface on the bearing, apply rust inhibitor to the cleaned surface, grease the mounting surface, reinstall the wheel speed sensor, and check the peak-to-peak output voltage to ensure the wheel speed signal is within specifications. The recall began september 22, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or gmc at 1-866-996-9463.
Structure
Problem: Certain pickup truck, van, and mini van conversions equipped with southern comfort built running boards that contain certain courtesy lights manufactured by american technology components, inc. These units contain a courtesy light or lights that might overheat when the wire harness is exposed to excessive moisture and road salt.
Risk: This overheating condition can cause the running board to melt or cause a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the wiring harness on these running boards. Owner notification began march 7, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact southern comfort at 1-800-745-6096.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Brake line corrosion failure (EA11001) — opened Jan 5, 2011, closed Apr 8, 2015.
- Brake line corrosion failure (PE10010) — opened Mar 30, 2010, closed Jan 5, 2011.
- Crank position sensor failure - stall (PE06016) — opened May 4, 2006, closed Sep 14, 2006.
- Parking brake failure (DP05009) — opened Dec 20, 2005, closed May 31, 2006.
- Unwanted low-speed abs activation (PE05020) — opened Apr 28, 2005, closed Sep 13, 2005, led to recall 05V379000.
- Hydraulic pump failres (EA04012) — opened Apr 30, 2004, closed Feb 28, 2005, led to recall 05V005000.
- Steel wheel rim fracture (PE03026) — opened Jun 12, 2003, closed Nov 3, 2003.
- Throttle sticking closed (EA02015) — opened Aug 1, 2002, closed Jan 12, 2004.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
the brake lines rust and they burst this occurred on my main brake line going to the abs controller I had no brakes from mechanics they say this is a common problem on usa made cars brake lines should never ever rust and burst
When driving at highway speeds or even around town the vehicle randomly jerks to one side or another alignment was just done and was told all was good tires are new Pitman armor place ball joints replaced still having the issue of it darting specially when going around curves it wants to pull…
Component SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
275/75 r16 tires coming apart on the side walls
Spare tire hoist wire broke and spare tire was released from vehicle on the highway. Vehicle was doing speed limit of 75mph and spare tire barely missed traffic behind vehicle.
Other Chevrolet Suburban years
← 2001 Suburban · 2003 Suburban →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Suburban | 44 | 1 |
| 2023 Suburban | 130 | 3 |
| 2022 Suburban | 124 | 4 |
| 2021 Suburban | 200 | 12 |
| 2020 Suburban | 44 | 4 |
| 2019 Suburban | 78 | 3 |
| 2018 Suburban | 84 | 4 |
| 2017 Suburban | 141 | 5 |
| 2016 Suburban | 220 | 6 |
| 2015 Suburban | 430 | 11 |
| 2014 Suburban | 59 | 3 |
| 2013 Suburban | 118 | 4 |
| 2012 Suburban | 101 | 4 |
| 2011 Suburban | 148 | 3 |
| 2010 Suburban | 117 | 3 |
| 2009 Suburban | 106 | 5 |
| 2008 Suburban | 213 | 4 |
| 2007 Suburban | 292 | 4 |
| 2006 Suburban | 23 | 1 |
| 2005 Suburban | 129 | 6 |
| 2004 Suburban | 204 | 4 |
| 2003 Suburban | 301 | 5 |
| 2002 | 286 | 2 |
| 2001 Suburban | 440 | 6 |
| 2000 Suburban | 282 | 8 |
| 1999 Suburban | 634 | 1 |
| 1998 Suburban | 201 | 2 |
| 1997 Suburban | 414 | 2 |
| 1996 Suburban | 360 | 3 |
| 1995 Suburban | 457 | 6 |
See all Chevrolet Suburban problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Chevrolet Suburban?
Owners most often report service brakes, hydraulic, service brakes, fuel system, gasoline problems. The top one, service brakes, hydraulic, accounts for 68 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Chevrolet Suburban?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2002 Chevrolet Suburban a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Suburban model years, the 2002 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.