Chevrolet Suburban 2000–2006
9th generation (GMT800) · GMT830 (GMT800 family)
NHTSA data through 13 August 20262,097 complaints, 1,400 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 1,400
- Median of reported failures
- 66,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Hydraulic brake circuit (13.4%)
- Recalls
- 0
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 40,000 and 107,009 miles.
Figure 1 · Chevrolet Suburban 2000–2006 · 1,400 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 5,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 80 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 64 complaints (4.6%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 12,000
- 25%
- 40,000
- Median
- 66,000
- 75%
- 107,009
- 90%
- 159,616
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5,000 | 80 | 5.7% |
| 5,000–10,000 | 35 | 2.5% |
| 10,000–15,000 | 51 | 3.6% |
| 15,000–20,000 | 29 | 2.1% |
| 20,000–25,000 | 28 | 2.0% |
| 25,000–30,000 | 26 | 1.9% |
| 30,000–35,000 | 38 | 2.7% |
| 35,000–40,000 | 59 | 4.2% |
| 40,000–45,000 | 67 | 4.8% |
| 45,000–50,000 | 57 | 4.1% |
| 50,000–55,000 | 79 | 5.6% |
| 55,000–60,000 | 59 | 4.2% |
| 60,000–65,000 | 75 | 5.4% |
| 65,000–70,000 | 51 | 3.6% |
| 70,000–75,000 | 51 | 3.6% |
| 75,000–80,000 | 48 | 3.4% |
| 80,000–85,000 | 37 | 2.6% |
| 85,000–90,000 | 43 | 3.1% |
| 90,000–95,000 | 50 | 3.6% |
| 95,000–100,000 | 32 | 2.3% |
| 100,000–105,000 | 42 | 3.0% |
| 105,000–110,000 | 25 | 1.8% |
| 110,000–115,000 | 18 | 1.3% |
| 115,000–120,000 | 26 | 1.9% |
| 120,000–125,000 | 28 | 2.0% |
| 125,000–130,000 | 18 | 1.3% |
| 130,000–135,000 | 21 | 1.5% |
| 135,000–140,000 | 10 | 0.7% |
| 140,000–145,000 | 29 | 2.1% |
| 145,000–150,000 | 21 | 1.5% |
| 150,000–155,000 | 20 | 1.4% |
| 155,000–160,000 | 8 | 0.6% |
| 160,000–165,000 | 16 | 1.1% |
| 165,000–170,000 | 8 | 0.6% |
| 170,000–175,000 | 14 | 1.0% |
| 175,000–180,000 | 6 | 0.4% |
| 180,000–185,000 | 11 | 0.8% |
| 185,000–190,000 | 7 | 0.5% |
| 190,000–195,000 | 9 | 0.6% |
| 195,000–200,000 | 4 | 0.3% |
| 200,000+ | 64 | 4.6% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 2,097 complaints with NHTSA about the 2000–2006 Chevrolet Suburban, and 1,400 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 40,000 and 107,009 miles. The median is 66,000 miles.
The most-reported areas are the hydraulic brake circuit (13.4% of complaints, typically around 69,000 miles), the electrical system (12.0% of complaints, typically around 66,000 miles), the brakes (10.1% of complaints, typically around 130,000 miles).
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2000–2006 Chevrolet Suburban last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2000–2006 Chevrolet Suburban were filed by 66,000 miles and 90% by 160,000 miles — figures drawn from 1,400 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
64 reports (4.6%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Suburban reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2000–2006 Suburban: the 3-minute check
Generated from 1,400 mileage-tagged complaints, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Check instrumentation on 2003–2006 cars. Instrument panel cluster gauge failure — the stepper motors driving the speedometer, tachometer, fuel and temperature gauges stick, flutter, or go dead. Not a safety recall but covered by GM Special Coverage Adjustment…
- Check fuel system on 2000–2006 cars. Fuel level sender/sending unit failure causing erratic or stuck fuel gauge readings, often confused with the cluster stepper motor fault.
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 40,000 and 107,000 miles, with a median of 66,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the hydraulic brake circuit and the electrical system are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The electrical system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 66,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Chevrolet Suburban 2000–2006
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Tyres109 reports36,00026,000–60,000Tyres: 109 reports, median 36,000 miles, middle half 26,000 to 60,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline126 reports43,00015,000–71,000Transmission and driveline: 126 reports, median 43,000 miles, middle half 15,000 to 71,000 miles.
- Steering115 reports45,00025,000–74,000Steering: 115 reports, median 45,000 miles, middle half 25,000 to 74,000 miles.
- Fuel system132 reports60,00042,000–77,000Fuel system: 132 reports, median 60,000 miles, middle half 42,000 to 77,000 miles.
- Electrical system251 reports66,00048,000–96,000Electrical system: 251 reports, median 66,000 miles, middle half 48,000 to 96,000 miles.
- Hydraulic brake circuit280 reports69,00042,000–98,000Hydraulic brake circuit: 280 reports, median 69,000 miles, middle half 42,000 to 98,000 miles.
- Brakes212 reports130,00094,000–169,000Brakes: 212 reports, median 130,000 miles, middle half 94,000 to 169,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 280 | 13.4% | 69,000 | 42,000–98,000 |
| Electrical system | 251 | 12.0% | 66,000 | 48,000–96,000 |
| Brakes | 212 | 10.1% | 130,000 | 94,000–169,000 |
| Fuel system | 132 | 6.3% | 60,000 | 42,000–77,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 126 | 6.0% | 43,000 | 15,000–71,000 |
| Steering | 115 | 5.5% | 45,000 | 25,000–74,000 |
| Tyres | 109 | 5.2% | 36,000 | 26,000–60,000 |
| Parking brake | 95 | 4.5% | 46,000 | 30,000–64,000 |
| Airbag system | 88 | 4.2% | 78,000 | 49,000–130,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 87 | 4.1% | 60,000 | 12,000–100,000 |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Chevrolet Suburban 2000–2006 · 1,400 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 43% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 65% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 79% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 95%: the remaining 4.6% of reports (64) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
43% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Tyres — median 36,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Hydraulic brake circuit — middle half 42,000–98,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 48,000–96,000 mi
- Fuel system — middle half 42,000–77,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 15,000–71,000 mi
- Steering — middle half 25,000–74,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Brakes — middle half 94,000–169,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
65% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Fuel system — median 60,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 43,000 mi
- Steering — median 45,000 mi
- Tyres — median 36,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Hydraulic brake circuit — middle half 42,000–98,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 48,000–96,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Brakes — middle half 94,000–169,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
79% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Hydraulic brake circuit — median 69,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 66,000 mi
- Fuel system — median 60,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 43,000 mi
- Steering — median 45,000 mi
- Tyres — median 36,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Brakes — middle half 94,000–169,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 66,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The hydraulic brake circuit accounts for 13.4% of complaints (280 reports, 208 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 69,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 42,000 and 98,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 12.0% of complaints (251 reports, 186 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 66,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 48,000 and 96,000 miles.
The brakes account for 10.1% of complaints (212 reports, 196 of them with a mileage figure), and they fail late — a median of 130,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 94,000 and 169,000 miles.
The fuel system accounts for 6.3% of complaints (132 reports, 92 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 60,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 42,000 and 77,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 6.0% of complaints (126 reports, 83 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 43,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 15,000 and 71,000 miles.
The steering accounts for 5.5% of complaints (115 reports, 71 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 45,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 25,000 and 74,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2001 model year drew the most — 543 complaints — while 2006 drew the fewest at 33. The median year sits at 352.
Recalls and what they cover
No recall campaigns covering this generation appear in NHTSA's post-2010 recall file. That is not the same as an absence of problems — recalls address safety defects specifically, and many of the complaints above concern faults that are expensive or annoying without meeting that threshold.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 2,097 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 160 (7.6%)
- Fires
- 38
- Injury reports
- 103
- Fatality reports
- 2
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Instrumentation 2003–2006
Instrument panel cluster gauge failure — the stepper motors driving the speedometer, tachometer, fuel and temperature gauges stick, flutter, or go dead. Not a safety recall but covered by GM Special Coverage Adjustment bulletin 07187 (7 years/70,000 miles) for 2003-2004 and certain 2005 vehicles; a defining defect of the late GMT800 years.
Fuel System 2000–2006
Fuel level sender/sending unit failure causing erratic or stuck fuel gauge readings, often confused with the cluster stepper motor fault.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 382 | 173 |
| 2001 | 543 | 364 |
| 2002 | 352 | 240 |
| 2003 | 361 | 276 |
| 2004 | 265 | 211 |
| 2005 | 161 | 110 |
| 2006 | 33 | 26 |
What owners reported
While driving at high speed fuel pump went out on my 2000 Chevrolet Suburban which has 54.000 Mi. It was softly recommeded the fuel filter be changed at 30,000. However the dealer and gm is aware of the fuel pump problem. The repair was $812.00 Verses $34.Oo for a fuel pump. The public should know that this could…
2000 · 54 miles · Fuel system
In 2004 i had a fuel system failure. A loud whining noise was coming from the fuel take area. All of a sudden i began having fuel flow problems. As i entered an intersection i had a fuel system failure which almost resulted in a vehicle collision. Fortunately the other driver was able to avoid my stalled out vehicle.…
2000 · 12,000 miles · Fuel system
I am the original owner of a 2000 Chevrolet Suburban purchased from mac haik Chevrolet in houston. I have complained about the inability of the parking brake to hold the vehicle in my driveway, and have had the rear pads/shoes replaced and the brakes adjusted more than once. Each repair seems to last a few thousand…
2000 · 13,000 miles · Parking brake
Built from 1,400 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page