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All cars · Chevrolet Suburban · Transmission

Chevrolet Suburban transmission problems by year.

Worst years for transmission complaints per car sold: 2015 (38 complaints), 2019 (35 complaints), 2016 (39 complaints). Fewest since 2010: 2010, 2025, 2014.

Chevrolet Suburban
Photo shows a 2017 Chevrolet Suburban. Ethan Llamas, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · background removed

Transmission complaints owners filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) for each model year, per 100,000 cars sold. A complaint counts when it's filed under the transmission, or under the power train and the owner describes the transmission (shifting, slipping, gears, CVT). It's an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and older years have had longer to collect complaints.

200086 per 100K sold20013120 per 100K sold20021912.6 per 100K sold20032115.5 per 100K sold20041815.1 per 100K sold20051820.7 per 100K sold200611.3 per 100K sold20072023.9 per 100K sold200835.5 per 100K sold200912.4 per 100K sold201012.2 per 100K sold201148.1 per 100K sold2012510.4 per 100K sold201359.8 per 100K sold201447.3 per 100K sold20153874.7 per 100K sold20163964.9 per 100K sold20173460.2 per 100K sold20181626.4 per 100K sold20193567.4 per 100K sold2020718.6 per 100K sold20212756 per 100K sold20221631.4 per 100K sold20231426.5 per 100K sold2024511.3 per 100K sold202546.8 per 100K sold

What owners describe

Hard or jerky shifting12%
Transmission replaced10%
Slipping10%
Lost power while driving9%
Shudder7%
Delay or hesitation6%

Share of this model's transmission complaints that mention each symptom. One complaint can mention several.

Transmission and power train recalls

  • 2022 2026

    The transmission control valve may fail and lock up the rear wheels.

  • 2021 2022

    The rear wheel driveshaft assemblies may have internal components that were not heat-treated properly, possibly resulting in driveshaft failure.

  • 2021 2024

    The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.

  • 2020 2026

    A component missing from the drivetrain transfer case may cause the front and/or rear wheels to lock up without warning to the driver.

  • 2015 2014

    The subject vehicles may have a transmission oil cooler line that is not securely seated in the fitting.

Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check a specific car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

In owners' words

Transmission winding and jerking. Constant issue on these trucks with no known resolution as to why the issues start so early.

2016 Chevrolet Suburban owner · NHTSA complaint

Transmission has jumped and not shifted smoothy sincw 20,000 miles. At 100,000 mile transmission went out.would not drive over 45 mph.

2016 Chevrolet Suburban owner · NHTSA complaint

Quick answers

Which Chevrolet Suburban years have transmission problems?

By transmission complaints filed with NHTSA per car sold, the worst Chevrolet Suburban years are 2015, 2019, 2016.

What are common Chevrolet Suburban transmission problems?

Owners most often describe hard or jerky shifting, transmission replaced, slipping.

Which Chevrolet Suburban years have the fewest transmission complaints?

Since 2010, the Chevrolet Suburban years with the fewest transmission complaints per car sold are 2010, 2025, 2014.

See every problem, not just the transmission: Chevrolet Suburban reliability by year. How we count

Updated

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