Chevrolet Suburban Seat Belts Problems
Owners have filed 164 complaints with NHTSA about seat belts problems on the Chevrolet Suburban across 26 model years. The 2001 model year has the most (23). The words owners use most often: “seat belt” (49% of reports).
- 164seat belts complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 17mention a crash
- 16mention an injury
- 10related recalls
- 26%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Seat belt: mentioned in 80 of 164 complaints (49%)
- Third row: mentioned in 12 of 164 complaints (7%)
- Provide further: mentioned in 10 of 164 complaints (6%)
- Child safety: mentioned in 9 of 164 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do seat belts problems happen?
Based on 52 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 164 complaints, 17 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 16 an injury.
Chevrolet Suburban seat belts complaints by model year
| Model year | Seat Belts complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Suburban | 4 | 3% | — |
| 2022 Suburban | 6 | 5% | 48,500 |
| 2021 Suburban | 7 | 4% | — |
| 2019 Suburban | 5 | 6% | 38,000 |
| 2018 Suburban | 5 | 6% | 24,000 |
| 2017 Suburban | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2016 Suburban | 4 | 2% | 98,126 |
| 2015 Suburban | 8 | 2% | 56,000 |
| 2014 Suburban | 2 | 3% | 35,200 |
| 2013 Suburban | 1 | 1% | 5,900 |
| 2012 Suburban | 1 | 1% | 76,000 |
| 2011 Suburban | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2010 Suburban | 2 | 2% | 59,000 |
| 2008 Suburban | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2007 Suburban | 9 | 3% | 135,000 |
| 2005 Suburban | 1 | 1% | 26,600 |
| 2004 Suburban | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2003 Suburban | 10 | 3% | 18,000 |
| 2002 Suburban | 13 | 5% | 3,000 |
| 2001 Suburban | 23 | 5% | 44,248 |
| 2000 Suburban | 13 | 5% | 5,000 |
| 1999 Suburban | 13 | 2% | 83,219 |
| 1998 Suburban | 5 | 2% | — |
| 1997 Suburban | 6 | 1% | 10,000 |
| 1996 Suburban | 9 | 3% | — |
| 1995 Suburban | 11 | 2% | 120,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (10)
Seat belts:critical fasteners
Model years: 2021, 2022
Problem: General Motors, LLC (M) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with third-row seats. The rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left or right side third-row seat belt buckle assembly may have been improperly formed.
Risk: A seat belt with a deformed rivet may not properly restrain an occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rivet head formation on both the left and right side third-row seat belt buckle assemblies and replace seat belt buckle assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 28, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on November 1, 2022. 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 N222372380.
Seat belts:rear/other
Model years: 2021
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Suburban, and Tahoe vehicles with third-row seating. The third-row outboard seat belts may have been entrapped or misrouted behind the outboard seat-folding mechanism, which could result in damaged seat belts.
Risk: A damaged seat belt can break during a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the occupant.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third-row outboard seat belts, replacing any damaged seat belts, and rerouting them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 21, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313000.
Seat belts:critical fasteners
Model years: 2021
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.
Risk: If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.
Seat belts:critical fasteners
Model years: 2021
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position.
Risk: If a seat-belt bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the front-row center seat position, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.
Seat belts:rear/other
Model years: 2018, 2019
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Cadillac CT6, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Volt, and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. Certain second-row or third-row rear seatbelts retractor assemblies may not automatically lock when the seatbelt is fully pulled out of the retractor, possibly preventing a child seat from being properly secured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: If the child seat is not properly secured in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seatbelt retractors and replace them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 7, 2018. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18315.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Model years: 2015, 2016
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Seat belts:rear/other
Model years: 2003, 2004, 2005
Problem: On certain crew cab pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, the 2nd row center occupant seat belt routing may make it difficult to position the lap portion of the safety belt low around the hips of occupants, especially smaller occupants, seated in this position. Appropriate use of a child seat or booster seat, as recommended for small children, does improve the fit condition for this user group. In addition to instructions on proper infant and young child restraint (with child seats or boosters), special verbiage for restraining older child is included in the owner's manual. Also, the suggested seat belt fit/routing for adults, irrespective of seating position, is described in the owner's manual text.
Risk: A lap portion of the seat belt routing that is not low and snug on the hips can allow the lap belt to ride up on an occupant's abdomen instead of fitting low around their hipbones, and therefore, can expose them to more risk of abdominal and internal organ injury.
Fix: Dealers will cut open the guide loop, remove a portion of the loop, and then the remaining two sides should be folded over and secured with a retainer free of charge. The recall began on july 21, 2005. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, or hummer at 1-800-732-5493.
Seat belts:front:retractor
Model years: 2001
Problem: Vehicle description: pickup and utility trucks. Some of these vehicles have an internal component in the outboard seat belt retractors for the 2nd and 3rd row of seats that could be cracked. With repeated actuation of the locking mechanism, the crack could spread to the point such that the seat belt would no longer lock.
Risk: In a crash, increased occupant injury could result from the no-lock condition.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the outboard seat belts for specific lot numbers and replace the belts if necessary. Gm is enclosing an inspection procedure for the owners to use or they can have their dealers do the inspections. Owner notification began july 2, 2001. 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 chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 or gmc at 1-800-462-8782.
Seat belts:front:webbing
Model years: 1999
Problem: Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. These vehicles do not comply with the occupant protection requirements of fmvss no. 208, "occupant crash protection."
Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, the right front passenger restraint systems may not meet the neck extension requirements.
Fix: Dealers will install a tray insert on the top of the passenger side of the instrument panel. The tray insert corrects the noncompliance.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Since December 2020, our Suburban has been in for seven extended, documented dealership repair events at Guaranty Chevrolet and Simpson Chevrolet of Garden Grove, totaling 192 cumulative days out of service and $47,560.86 in documented repair invoices â approximately 71% of what we paid for the…
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the middle row seat belts failed to retract, and the seat belts became inoperable. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic and to two dealers, and the contact was informed that the seat belts could not be…
The contact owned a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving 30-35 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a concrete pole, and the front end of the vehicle was significantly damaged. The contact stated that the pole was 12-18 inches into the hood, and 1.5 ft. up into the engine bay…
The drivers side, female end, of the seatbelt comes undone when cold. This is reproduced every single time it is cold for approximately 5 minutes of driving until the inside of the vehicle warms up. This happens with both primary divers of the vehicle. We took it to the dealership we bought it from…
âService safety restraint systemâ light came on. I feel this is a defect and a serious concern. Iâve seen where others are experiencing the same issue. I bought this vehicle specifically because I wanted to a safe vehicle to drive my 4 children around in.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Chevrolet Suburbans have seat belts problems?
No. NHTSA has 164 owner complaints about seat belts for the Chevrolet Suburban. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Chevrolet Suburban seat belts?
Yes: 10 safety recalls list seat belts. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about seat belts problems on the Chevrolet Suburban?
The most frequent phrase is “seat belt”, in 80 of 164 complaints, followed by “third row” (12).
Other Chevrolet Suburban problems
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems (940)
- Electrical System problems (747)
- Air Bags problems (651)
- Power Train problems (629)
- Service Brakes problems (567)
- Engine problems (531)
- Steering problems (452)
- Structure problems (363)
See all Chevrolet Suburban problems.