IllustrationTHE SPEEDOMETER ON MY '04 CHEVY SUBURBAN HAS BECOME ERRATIC, AND PROGRESSIVELY GETS "FASTER" AND FASTER UNTIL IT REGISTERS 120MPH SETTING STILL. REPEATEDLY TURNING THE CAR ON AND OFF WILL RESET THE SPEEDOMETER, BUT IT RECURS WITHIN A FEW DAYS. *TR
2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Suburban 1500 years
Owner complaints for the 2004 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
60–25K
1925–50K
4050–75K
5075–100K
31100–150K
21150K+
167 reports with mileage · 15 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 84 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports4 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
182 reportsI NOTICED WHILE I WAS DRIVING THAT THE SPEEDOMETER SEEMED A LITTLE OFF AND I WAS CORRECT IT STARTS AT 10MPH AND WHILE DRIVING ITS ABOUT 13 MPH OFF. *TR
2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN SPEEDOMETER FAILS SPORADICALLY. WILL STICK AT ANYTIME WITHOUT NOTICE. SHOWING UP TO 120 MILER PER HOUR WHILE PARKED. CANNOT ASCERTAIN EXACT OF SPEED OF VEHICLE. WPER HAPS EFFECTS ODOMETER AND HOUR METER. *TR
SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING WHEN ODOMETER READ 76,000 MILES. DOES NOT WORK AT ALL. CURRENTLY READ 120 MPH. DEALER WILL NOT FIX AS WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING DUE TO POOR QUALITY, NOT IMPROPER USE. *TR
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WENT DEAD NO SPEEDOMETER NOTHING. *TR
BAD KNOCKING NOISE WHEN TURN STEERING WHEEL VERY SCARY NO MATTER WHO OR WHICH DIRECTION YOU TURN STEERING WHEEL THERE IT IS THIS HORRIBLE NOISE COME ON CHEVY THIS IS A FAMILY CAR IT SHOULD BE SAFE IS SCARY CHEVY DON'T BE A BLE TO DO SOMETHING BECAUSE IS ALREADY AT 75,000 AND I HAVE THIS PROBLEM SINCE IT WAS 23K MILES WHAT'S GOIN…
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BAD KNOCKING NOISE WHEN TURN STEERING WHEEL VERY SCARY NO MATTER WHO OR WHICH DIRECTION YOU TURN STEERING WHEEL THERE IT IS THIS HORRIBLE NOISE COME ON CHEVY THIS IS A FAMILY CAR IT SHOULD BE SAFE IS SCARY CHEVY DON'T BE A BLE TO DO SOMETHING BECAUSE IS ALREADY AT 75,000 AND I HAVE THIS PROBLEM SINCE IT WAS 23K MILES WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU CHEVY PEOPLE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT FELL ASLEEP AND CRASHED THE VEHICLE INTO A TREE. THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE DRIVER RECEIVED INJURIES TO THE FACE AND NECK. THE INSURANCE COMPANY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT FELL ASLEEP AND CRASHED THE VEHICLE INTO A TREE. THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE DRIVER RECEIVED INJURIES TO THE FACE AND NECK. THE INSURANCE COMPANY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 190,000.
SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING ON 2004 SUBURBAN. *TR
TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING CAUSING A "SHUDDER" AROUND 55 MPH OR LOWER IF I AM HAULING SOMETHING. WE TOOK IN TO DEALER WHO SAID THE TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH IS BAD AND THEY CAN REPLACE IT OR PUT IN A WHOLE NEW TRANSMISSION AT A COST TO US OF $3,300. AFTER SEARCHING ONLINE I FOUND TSB #050730017 WHICH OUTLINES THIS KNOWN PROBL…
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TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING CAUSING A "SHUDDER" AROUND 55 MPH OR LOWER IF I AM HAULING SOMETHING. WE TOOK IN TO DEALER WHO SAID THE TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH IS BAD AND THEY CAN REPLACE IT OR PUT IN A WHOLE NEW TRANSMISSION AT A COST TO US OF $3,300. AFTER SEARCHING ONLINE I FOUND TSB #050730017 WHICH OUTLINES THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. I HAVE SEVERAL FRIENDS WHO HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. IF THIS MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM AND IT IS KNOW BY GM I FEEL IT SHOULD BE HANDLED BY THEM. THE TECHNICIAN THAT HANDLED OUR REPAIR SAID THAT THE TRANNY FLUID SHOULD BE CHANGED EVERY 25-30K MILES SINCE WE LIVE IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA AND OCCASIONALLY PULL A SMALL HORSE TRAILER. THE MANUAL STATES THAT IT SHOULD BE CHANGED EVERY 50K MILES WITH NO REFERENCE TO TERRAIN. I FEEL THAT GM SHOULD COVER THE COST OF THIS REPAIR SINCE THEY KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND HAVE DONE NOTHING TO NOTIFY OWNERS OF THE ISSUE OR HOW TO CORRECT IT. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WAS INOPERATIVE AND DISPLAYED INACCURATE READINGS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF OVER $300. AS OF MARCH 17, 2009, THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT A…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WAS INOPERATIVE AND DISPLAYED INACCURATE READINGS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF OVER $300. AS OF MARCH 17, 2009, THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 84,000. UPDATED 04-14-09 *BF UPDATED 04/15/09.*JB
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.