2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Complaints

View complaints related to 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. There are more than 480 complaints submitted for the 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.

  • 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN
    - MERRIMACK, NH

    RE: "G.M. RESISTS RECALLING TRUCKS OVER BRAKE LINES", NY TIMES, JULY 7, 2014 IN SPITE OF MY 2003 CHEVY SUBURBAN PASSING NEW HAMPSHIRE'S MANDATORY SAFETY INSPECTION IN MAY OF 2018, IN AUGUST OF 2018 A BRAKE LINE BURST, RESULTING IN LOSS OF BRAKE FUNCTION. THE LINE BURST AT A POINT BELOW THE DRIVER'S DOOR AND JUST FORWARD OF THE ABS MODULATOR, WHERE THE LINES CROSS OVER THE TOP OF THE FRAME AND ARE EXPOSED TO WHEEL SPRAY. AT THE POINT OF FAILURE, THE LINES ARE OVERLAID AND OBSCURED BY A LARGE BUNDLE OF ELECTRIC WIRES. THE ATTACHED PHOTO SHOWS THE FAILURE POINT, WITH THE SHEATHED WIRE BUNDLE MOVED UP OUT OF THE WAY. THE MILEAGE AT THE TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 167500. WITH REGARD TO THE NHTSA DETERMINATION NOT TO RECALL "ALMOST 1.8 MILLION FULL-SIZE PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FROM THE 1999 TO 2003 MODEL YEARS FOR CORROSION-RELATED BRAKE FAILURES", AS SUMMARIZED IN THE 7/7/14 NY TIMES ARTICLE, DOES NHTSA'S DECISION TO ABSOLVE GM OF RESPONSIBILITY ON THIS ISSUE ALSO ABSOLVE NHTSA AND/OR GM OF RESPONSIBILITY TO NOTIFY OWNERS THAT THEY ARE IN GRAVE DANGER IF THEY ARE STILL OPERATING THEIR VEHICLES WITH THE ORIGINAL BRAKE LINES? NHTSA SHOULD KNOW FROM THEIR OWN RECORDS THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF THESE VEHICLES ARE STILL ON THE ROAD. I KNOW BECAUSE I SEE THEM EVERY DAY. AS FOR GM'S EXCUSES: '"G.M. HAS RESISTED RECALLING THE PICKUPS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, TELLING REGULATORS THAT RUSTED BRAKE LINES ARE A ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ISSUE." OBRAKE LINES ARE NOT A MOVING PART. HOW ARE THEY "MAINTAINED"? I HAVE MORE TO SAY, BUT YOU ARE LIMITING ME. *TR

    Source: FORWARDED FROM A CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE
  • 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500
    - MENIFEE, CA

    MY ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK WHEN I START MY TRUCK. IT WILL OCCASIONALLY COME TO LIFE AFTER DRIVING A BIT OR SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T WORK AT ALL. NO PATTERN AS TO WHEN, WHERE OR DRIVING CONDITIONS. STARTED A FEW MONTHS AGO WHERE IT WOULD ALWAYS WORK SHORTLY AFTER I STARTED THE ENGINE AND HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE,

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500
    - CHESTERFIELD, MO

    BRAKE LINES RUSTING. TWICE IN A MONTH THE BRAKES FAILED AFTER A HARD STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. LUCKY FOR ME & OTHERS THERE WERE NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME OR TRYING TO CROSS THE INTERSECTION. AFTER APPLYING THE BRAKE HARD TO STOP, THE BRAKE PEDAL CONTINUED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR DID NOT STOP. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE BRAKE LINES RUSTED AND THEREFORE THE BRAKE FLUID LEAKED OUT OF THE SYSTEM

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500
    - SOUTH CHESTERFIELD, VA

    WITHOUT WARNING BRAKE LINE BLEW A HOLE AND NO BRAKES. NO WARNING AND TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKES. SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON. NO HELP WITH THAT. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO PASS ON RIGHT SHOULDER THREW THE GRASS. ALMOST A THREE VEHICLE ACCIDENT. NEED TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM ADDRESSED AND TAKEN CARE OF. PEOPLE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN INJURED OR KILLED.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500
    - KALAMAZOO, MI

    TAMARA INFLATORS I'M LOOSING BRAKE FLUID AS I DRIVE I'M LEASING THE AUTOMOBILE FROM QUALITY AUTO ALSO THEY SAID IT'S OKAY TO STILL DRIVE THE CAR WITH A GAS IN THE TRUCK BUT IT'S SAYING NEEDS GAS I KEEP SMELLING GAS AFTER HE SAID IT PASSED ROAD INSPECTION TEST ! I'M VERY CONCERNED IT MORE WRONG IF I JAM OR PUMP THE BRAKES I CAN NOT STOP I'M IMMEDIATELY. IM UNSURE WHAT MY ACTUAL MILEAGE IS . THE SENSORS ARE NOT WORKING WHEN I WENT TO UNCLE ED'S OR EVEN OTHER AUTO SHOPS I DO HAVE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500
    - KALAMAZOO, MI

    I JUST STARTED LEASING THE VEHICLE FROM QUALITY AUTO THAT SAYS THAT THE CAR IS ROAD READY BUT HAVE LOTS OF HAZARDOUS THINGS TO IT A VERY BAD GAS LEAK THAT THERE TAKING THERE TIME TO FIX AND MY HOOD OF MY CAR WON'T STAY DOWN ...IT'S 7 DAYS INTO MY CAR LEASE AND THERE PROMISES HAVE BEEN BROKEN AND WON'T TRADE ME ANOTHER CAR .

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN
    - CULPEPER, VA

    MY COMPLAINT IS THAT GM USED SUBSTANDARD MATERIALS IN OF ALL THINGS THE BRAKE LINES! I LOST ALL BRAKING ABILITY WHEN ONE OF MY BRAKE LINES BLEW DUE TO RUST. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? I SHOULD HAVE HAD AT LEAST PARTIAL BRAKING ABILITY DUE TO THE FRONT AND REAR LINES BEING SEPARATE. LUCKILY FOR ME THIS HAPPENED RIGHT BEFORE MY FAMILIES THANKSGIVING TRIP, OR ELSE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN DOING 70 ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN THIS HAPPENED! PLEASE DON'T LET GM GET AWAY WITH THIS!

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500
    - LEONARDTOWN, MD

    BRAKES FAILED WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING MY HOUSE WHILE DRIVING DOWN MY DRIVEWAY. THE BRAKES WERE WORKING FINE WHEN I STARTED THE TRUCK AND COMPLETED A 3 POINT TURN TO TURN THE VEHICLE AROUND IN MY DRIVEWAY. AS I STARTED GOING DOWN MY DRIVEWAY AND WENT TO APPLY MY BRAKES TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN THAT'S WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. LUCKILY I WAS DRIVING SLOW, UNDER 15 MPH, WHEN I EXPERIENCED THE ISSUE: THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE BARELY SLOWED DOWN. I STARTED TO PUMP THE BRAKES WHICH DID SLOW THE VEHICLE SOME AND I ALSO EMPLOYED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WHICH ENABLED ME TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. HAD I BEEN IN TRAFFIC, AND NOT JUST IN MY DRIVEWAY, I MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE AS I HAD VERY LITTLE CONTROL OVER STOPPING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE ISSUE HAPPENED. THE ISSUE WAS DUE TO A RUSTED REAR BRAKE LINE UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE SINGLE BRAKE LINE FEEDING BOTH OF THE REAR BRAKES HAD BURST IN THE VICINITY UNDER THE DRIVERS SEAT. THE BRAKE LINE BURST WHILE I WAS GOING DOWN MY DRIVEWAY AS EVIDENCED BY THE AMOUNT OF BRAKE FLUID SPAYED ONTO MY DRIVEWAY WHEN I FIRST ATTEMPTED TO APPLY MY BRAKES WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AND AT EACH POINT WHERE I PUMPED THE BRAKES. I WAS SHOCKED THAT A SINGLE BRAKE LINE BURSTING WOULD LEAVE MY ENTIRE VEHICLE WITHOUT BRAKES. WHY IS THERE A FRONT AND REAR RESERVOIR IF THEY DON'T MATTER? THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT LEAST A SAFETY ALERT ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL DANGER SO I WOULD HAVE KNOWN TO WATCH FOR THIS OBVIOUS SAFETY FLAW ON MY CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. AFTER INSPECTING THE REST OF MY BRAKE LINES I HAVE FOUND THAT 100% OF ALL MY BRAKE LINES ARE SEVERELY RUSTED AND WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP NEAR MY HOUSE HAS ALREADY QUOTED ME A REPAIR ESTIMATE OF $2,100 OVER THE PHONE, BUT WILL NEED TO SEE THE VEHICLE FIRST TO BE MORE PRECISE IN THEIR ESTIMATE.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500
    - SHAWNEE, KS

    DURING COLD MONTHS ONLY VEHICLE HAS POWER SURGES WHENEVER DRIVING. INTERIOR LIGHTS AND HEADLIGHTS FLICKER CONSISTENTLY TO WHERE IT APPEARS I AM FLASHING MY LIGHTS. THE HIGHER THE RPMS, FLICKERING IS MORE FREQUENT. APPARENTLY A KNOWN ISSUE WITH NO SOLUTION OR RECALL. ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY TESTING OUT GOOD.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN
    - CHANHASSEN, MN

    BRAKE LINES RUSTED AND LEAKING. BRAKE LINE TO THE REAR BRAKES LEAKING ON DRIVERS SIDE ABOUT AS FAR BACK AS REAR DOOR LATCH, ABOUT HALF WAY BACK OF THE GAS TANK. BRAKE PEDAL WILL GO TO THE FLOOR WITH MINIMAL STOPPING ABILITY AND BRAKE FLUID LEAKS.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE