IllustrationOIL PRESSURE GAUGE DROPS TO 0 AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES OF RUNNING. *TR
2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Suburban 1500 years
Owner complaints for the 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 53.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Suburban 1500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
40–25K
1825–50K
3450–75K
3375–100K
37100–150K
25150K+
151 reports with mileage · 24 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
6 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
175 reportsTHIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE HAD TO BRING MY 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN IN TO REPLACE THE NOISY LOOK STEERING COLUMN. THE FIRST TIME IT WAS REPACKED. THE SECOND TIME WAS THIS WEEK. THIS TIME THEY REPLACED THE PARTS INSIDE THE STEERING COLUMN. *TR
INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILURE: SPEEDOMETER, GAS, GAUGES. 2003 CHEVY SUBURBAN. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. WHENEVER THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN, THE SPEEDOMETER FREEZES AND DISPLAYS INACCURATE READINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ONCE. THERE IS A CUSTOMER REIMBURSEMENT, BUT THE VEHICLE EXCEEDS THE MILEAGE REQUIREMENT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 120,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. WHENEVER THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN, THE SPEEDOMETER FREEZES AND DISPLAYS INACCURATE READINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ONCE. THERE IS A CUSTOMER REIMBURSEMENT, BUT THE VEHICLE EXCEEDS THE MILEAGE REQUIREMENT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 120,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. UPDATED 4/29/08 *CN
SPEEDOMETER FAILURE: SPEEDOMETER CALIBRATION ERROR RESULTING IN INCORRECT SPEED LEVEL. *TR
WHILE DRIVING SPEEDOMETER RANDOMLY LOCKS UP AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. SOMETIMES IT SHOWS I'M DOING 55MPH IN A 25MPH ZONE. I'VE CALLED GM ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS IN THE PAST BUT WAS TOLD IT WAS AN ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THE COST TO FIX RANGED FROM $500-$600. I GOT A LETTER FROM GM TODAY BUT WAS TO…
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WHILE DRIVING SPEEDOMETER RANDOMLY LOCKS UP AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. SOMETIMES IT SHOWS I'M DOING 55MPH IN A 25MPH ZONE. I'VE CALLED GM ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS IN THE PAST BUT WAS TOLD IT WAS AN ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THE COST TO FIX RANGED FROM $500-$600. I GOT A LETTER FROM GM TODAY BUT WAS TOLD SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS OVER 70,000 I WAS STUCK WITH THE REPAIRS. THIS I THINK IS ABSURD. IF IT IS CLEARLY A DEFECT THEN IT SHOULD BE REMEDIED REGARDLESS OF THE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE. I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE SO I TOOK THE LIBERTY OF CALLING THE PREVIOUS OWNER THIS EVENING AND HE TOLD ME HE HAD THIS PROBLEM AROUND 46,000 MILES. HE SAID HE WAS INFORMED SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PAST 36,000 MILES GM WILL NOT COVER IT. THEREFORE, HE TRADED THE VEHICLE IN DUE TO THIS SAME ISSUES WITH THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. *TR
DRIVER'S ELECTRIC SEAT HEATER TURNS ON BY ITSELF, SWITCH DOES NOT TURN IT OFF. INTERMITENT PROBLEM. REPEATED SERVICE ATTEMPTS BY GM HAVE NOT CORRECTED PROBLEM. VERY DISTRACTING TO THE DRIVER. THE SEAT GETS UNCOMFORTABLY HOT. *CN
I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 50 MPH AND LOOKED DOWN AND MY SPEEDOMETER READ 120 MPH. I STOPPED, SHUT THE CAR OFF AND STARTED AGAIN, THE SPEEDOMETER FROZE AT 20 MPH. NOW IT RANDOMLY FREEZES OR READS A MUCH HIGHER SPEED THAN I AM GOING. *CN
SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT WORK CORRECTLY. IT HAS BEEN THIS WAY ON AND OFF FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS. IT WILL JUMP AROUND OR THE NEEDLE STICKS IN THE 120 MPH POSITION. I HAVE RECEIVED A NOTICE IN THE MAIL REGARDING THIS ISSUE ELCLOSURE LETTER 07187. I HAVE JUST WENT OVER THE 70,000 WARRANTY STATED IN THE LETTER BY 712 MILES. I'VE C…
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SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT WORK CORRECTLY. IT HAS BEEN THIS WAY ON AND OFF FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS. IT WILL JUMP AROUND OR THE NEEDLE STICKS IN THE 120 MPH POSITION. I HAVE RECEIVED A NOTICE IN THE MAIL REGARDING THIS ISSUE ELCLOSURE LETTER 07187. I HAVE JUST WENT OVER THE 70,000 WARRANTY STATED IN THE LETTER BY 712 MILES. I'VE CONTACTED CHEVROLET AND THE DEALER WHICH THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT I FALL OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY. THE COST OF REPAIR IS AROUND $560. I WOULD HAVE HAD IT FIX SIX MONTHS AGO BUT COULD NOT AFFORD IT. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AND BE REPAIR AT NO COST SINCE THIS IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURED DEFECT.*CN
THE SPEEDOMETER IN MY SUBURBAN 2003 WILL NOT RETURN TO ZERO WHEN I STOP. THEREFORE, IT READS HIGHER SPEEDS THAN ACTUAL DUE TO THIS OFFSET. THIS MORNING I HAD IT PAST 120 MPH WHILE DRIVING SLOWER THAN OTHER CARS ON THE HIGHWAY. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND IT LOOKS A COMMON PROBLEM. WHY IT IS NOT A RECALL. SPEED IS SAFETY, IS…
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THE SPEEDOMETER IN MY SUBURBAN 2003 WILL NOT RETURN TO ZERO WHEN I STOP. THEREFORE, IT READS HIGHER SPEEDS THAN ACTUAL DUE TO THIS OFFSET. THIS MORNING I HAD IT PAST 120 MPH WHILE DRIVING SLOWER THAN OTHER CARS ON THE HIGHWAY. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND IT LOOKS A COMMON PROBLEM. WHY IT IS NOT A RECALL. SPEED IS SAFETY, IS IN IT? WHY NHTSA IS KEEPING SILENT?*CN
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.