Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Chevrolet Suburban owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Chrysler cannot find the fuel rail in us or Canada. I cant walk and had I not gotten disabled and had to go to Canada, at families due to child and I being assaulted and injured. Have government documents showing we entered country due to statement above. Car not used, garaged for several years but turned on periodically so car would not die and fluids changed. Would have filed the lemon law back then! I am looking into arbitration ,ftc or media. I have contacted mechanics for receipts and testimony. Due to engine light never going off , air bag light,and gears would switch themselves and all dials would go crazy all this work has been done: new computer starter catalytic converter EVAP leaks, changed parts no breaks while driving, breakline broke gas cap, sensors muffler tires 4 new battery plus, plus, plus now no part, fuel rail discontinued. Car can go on fire if driven. …
The rear fuel tank strap broke by the bolt. The strap then pivoted down onto the drive shaft. The only reason the tank did not hit the road is because of the strength of the fuel filler hoses from the gas cap.
Purchased a new 2002 Suburban k2500 in aug of 2002. At 17,000 miles, the air conditioning went out. Dealer replaced the compressor. At 27,000 miles, the fuel gauge showed empty when the tank was full. Dealer replaced rear fuel tank sending unit. At 55,000 miles, the fuel tank again showed empty with a full tank and the engine surged. The dealer (bob steele in cocoa fl) replaced the fuel pump in the rear tank and the sending unit in the front tank under my extended warranty with a deductible. Dealer stated this was not a recurrence of the problem before. At 58,000 miles the car stalled while crossing over a busy bridge/causway at approx. 60 MPH. "reduced engine power" glared on the warning indicator, power steering was lost and lights on the dash were flashing erratically. …
Driving at highway speeds, car engine died immediately after sputtering and losing power. First time this happened, I pulled off the road and restarted the car almost immediately. Drove another 600 miles without incident. Second time, car died again at highway speeds. Restarted after 15 minutes. After reporting the problem to on-star and having remote diagnostics run, I drove another 25 miles towards dealership rather than waiting for tow. (118 deg heat in desert sun). Engine failed again about 200 yds from dealership. Dealer replaced fuel pump, pressure regulator, and filter. Cropper auto group in casa grande, az, kept the defective parts. I have had problems before with fuel level sensor indicating properly on this vehicle. This repair also replaced fuel level sending unit. $800+ repair. 60,000 miles on the car. …
(1) the engine stopped while on interstate in construction zone on slight hill, it would not restart. (2) the construction zone on interstate 10 was approximately 3 mile long with very narrow lanes and concrete construction barriers on each side & no shoulders. Bumper to bumper traffic and no way to clear the lane or get tow vehicle. (3) a good samaritan towed our vehicle about 2 miles to first point clear traffic. Chevy dealer confirmed fuel pump in tank had failed & replaced pump. This was second pump failure. The pump previously failed and was replaced on 30 aug 03. Previous failure dealer said keep fuel above 25% & engine would run. The tank was at 44% when engine quit. Fuel tank was topped off before pump tested, engine would run but no pump pressure. Someone will be killed if more failures occur in heavy traffic areas. …
My wife and I have been very happy with the vehicle until a situation last year. Specifically, there is a known problem with the gas tank and gauge. The gas tank will be a 1/4 full but the car will not start because it thinks the gas tank is empty. My local GM dealer service center quoted me over $800 to fix this problem. It is a known GM defect. GM's technical solution is document id # 1575648. It reads: vehicle with flexible fule (rpo l59) will not start, stalls and will not restart, loss of power, poor performance, and /or fuel guage reads inaccurate/incorrect (replace fuel sender/module assembly) #04-06-04-012b - (dec 6, 2004) * replace fuel sender /module assembly with redesigned fuel strainer and /or redsigned fuel level senor can you please help ? Thanks, brendan and lisa o'reilly.
Since purchasing an 02 Chevrolet surburban, 8.1l and 81K miles, I have experienced multiple random engine shut offs while highway driving, creating dangerous safety situations. The motor will restart after a 5 minute rest period and run fine, until the next failure which occurs without warning. The dealership has so far been unable to diagnose the problem, cleaned maf sensor, replaced thermostat and fan clutch, changed oil, checked fuel pump pressure. No engine failure codes reported. Researching internet information, I have discovered a recurring symptom related to an intermittent crankshaft position sensor (ckp) failure, that causes the engine to shut off. There is a a timed reset which allows the engine to restart.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving on the highway at 20 MPH and pulling up to a toll booth, the vehicle stalled suddenly without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealership where the dealership determined the vehicle needed a new ignition switch. While driving back home the vehicle stalled again. The vehicle was towed 100 miles to a dealership where the dealership determined the vehicle had a faulty fuel pump. The dealership informed the contact there was a history of faulty fuel pumps with this year, make and model.
When driving at 60mph in heavy traffic the engine quit running twice in less than 20 miles. The dealer said it was due to defective fuel pump and the design of the fuel pump and gas tank, which they said could not be fixed. Vehicle had more than 1/2 gas full in its tank. On several other occasions, the car would not start even with a 1/4 tank of gas. I was told by dealer not to let the tank get less than 1/4 full. The dealer replaced the fuel pump 3 times, and the car has less than 20,000 miles on it.
During evacuation for hurricane rita as we were proceeding in traffic our 2002 Chevy Suburban just died. It was as if it was getting no fuel. We had a full tank. The RPM and power steering along with the engine just went dead. Since the hurricane I have talk to 3 other people with suburbans or yukons that this happen to. The dealership said it was the fuel pump. I now think something is wrong with these vehicles. I have the fuel pump taken from my Suburban.
Fuel System complaints in other Suburban years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2002 Chevrolet Suburban?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2002 Chevrolet Suburban, 9% of the model year's 286 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Chevrolet Suburban fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2002 Chevrolet Suburban, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Chevrolet Suburban fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.