Chevrolet Suburban: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Chevrolet Suburban: 5 model years scored from 376 NHTSA owner complaints and 17 recall campaigns. Worst year 2021, best year 2024.
Chevrolet Suburban: which years to avoid
Across 4 scored model years the Chevrolet Suburban ranges from 54/100 in 2021 to 88/100 in 2024 — a 34-point spread, so which year you buy matters. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (80 of them).
Safest years: 2022, 2024, 2025 — scored 70 or better.
Check carefully: 2021.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2024 (score 88). Worst: 2021 (score 54, CAUTION).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 84 | BUY | $5,831 | 29 | 0 |
| 2024 | 88 | BUY | $4,640 | 39 | 1 |
| 2023 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,260 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 77 | BUY | $4,965 | 119 | 4 |
| 2021 | 54 | CAUTION | $6,258 | 189 | 12 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Suburban, through the years →
Suburban sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Suburban on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Suburban
Across every Suburban model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine174 complaints across all Suburban years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Power Train78 complaints across all Suburban years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Electrical System48 complaints across all Suburban years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Fuel/Propulsion System36 complaints across all Suburban years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
- Unknown Or Other26 complaints across all Suburban years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Forward Collision Avoidance11 complaints across all Suburban years · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration$780–$2,160
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
What are the best Chevrolet Suburban years to buy?
2022, 2024, 2025 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2024 at 88/100, on 39 complaints and 1 recall campaigns.
Which Chevrolet Suburban years should I avoid?
The 2021 is the weakest year we score, at 54/100 (CAUTION), on 189 complaints and 12 recalls. Check the year-by-year table above before committing to any particular car.
What is the most common Chevrolet Suburban problem?
174 of the complaints filed against the Suburban across all its model years sit in the Engine group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04