2008 Chevrolet Suburban Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 96 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Suburban, 45% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 100,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (32% of reports).
- 96air bags complaints
- 100,000median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 2related recalls
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 31 of 96 complaints (32%)
- Confirm become: mentioned in 6 of 96 complaints (6%)
- Passenger airbag: mentioned in 5 of 96 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 25 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 96 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 2 an injury.
Chevrolet Suburban air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Suburban | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2023 Suburban | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2022 Suburban | 4 | 3% | — |
| 2021 Suburban | 6 | 3% | 9,500 |
| 2020 Suburban | 2 | 5% | 1,500 |
| 2019 Suburban | 2 | 3% | — |
| 2018 Suburban | 4 | 5% | 10,000 |
| 2017 Suburban | 4 | 3% | 70,000 |
| 2016 Suburban | 6 | 3% | 55,000 |
| 2015 Suburban | 11 | 3% | 46,000 |
| 2014 Suburban | 15 | 25% | 55,000 |
| 2013 Suburban | 28 | 24% | 57,900 |
| 2012 Suburban | 25 | 25% | 67,000 |
| 2011 Suburban | 66 | 45% | 65,000 |
| 2010 Suburban | 52 | 44% | 88,000 |
| 2009 Suburban | 38 | 36% | 95,000 |
| 2008 Suburban | 96 | 45% | 100,000 |
| 2007 Suburban | 146 | 50% | 121,250 |
| 2006 Suburban | 3 | 13% | 105,000 |
| 2005 Suburban | 10 | 8% | 86,489 |
| 2004 Suburban | 13 | 6% | 90,000 |
| 2003 Suburban | 18 | 6% | 55,000 |
| 2002 Suburban | 12 | 4% | 68,000 |
| 2001 Suburban | 20 | 5% | 100,000 |
| 2000 Suburban | 7 | 2% | 40,500 |
| 1999 Suburban | 14 | 2% | 133,000 |
| 1998 Suburban | 4 | 2% | — |
| 1997 Suburban | 8 | 2% | 129,053 |
| 1996 Suburban | 16 | 4% | 174,000 |
| 1995 Suburban | 18 | 4% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 2021. 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 N212328780.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. 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 N212328760.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 30 MPH, she started to choke and was unable to breathe, which resulted in the driver fully colliding into a cement wall. The driver sustained injuries, and medical attention was provided, and the…
The contact owned a 2008 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact received recall notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list because she no longer owns the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted.
Took my SUV for an airbag recall and when it was completed my truck AirBag light was left on. My truck did not have that light on when I arrived at the location. Dealer mentioned not knowing what to do about it. I made a complaint and nothing was done by the dealer.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Chevrolet Suburbans have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 96 owner complaints about air bags for the 2008 Chevrolet Suburban (45% of the 213 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Chevrolet Suburban air bags?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 100,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Suburban?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 31 of 96 complaints, followed by “confirm become” (6).
See all 2008 Chevrolet Suburban problems or air bags problems across all Suburban years.