Most common 2021 Chevrolet Suburban problems
Share of the 200 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Chevrolet Suburban complaints by model year
Best Suburban years: 2014, 2009, 2020. Years to avoid: 2015, 2021, 2023, 2022, 2024. Compare all years →
2021 Chevrolet Suburban recalls (12)
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Hard parts internal/mechanical
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with a 6.2L V8 gas engine.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the engine, and as necessary, repair or replace the engine. For vehicles that pass inspection, dealers will add higher viscosity oil, install 6 oil fill cap, replace the oil filter, and update the…
Power train › Automatic transmission › Fluid/lubricant › Valves/valve body
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.
Remedy: Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a…
Exterior lighting › Lighting control module › Software
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, Cadillac Escalade, and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles. The daytime running lights (DRLs) may not deactivate when the headlights are on.
Remedy: Dealers will provide an over-the-air (OTA) update for the Body Control Module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 15, 2022.
Seat belts › Critical fasteners
General Motors, LLC (M) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with third-row seats. The rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left or right side third-row seat belt buckle assembly may have been improperly…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rivet head formation on both the left and right side third-row seat belt buckle assemblies and replace seat belt buckle assemblies, as necessary, free of charge.
Power train › Driveline › Driveshaft
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, and Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles. The rear wheel driveshaft assemblies may have internal components that were not heat-treated properly, possibly resulting in driveshaft failure.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the left and/or right rear driveshaft assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 14, 2022.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump › Control/drive module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump power control module may cause the fuel pump to fail or operate intermittently, which can interrupt fuel flow to the engine, and cause an unexpected engine stall.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump power control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 14, 2021.
Show 6 more recalls
Steering › Steering control module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. A software issue may cause a loss of power steering assist at startup or while driving.
Remedy: The power steering module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 13, 2021.
Air bags › SRS malfunction warning lamp/light
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Buick Envision, Cadillac CT4, CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles. The communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module (SDM), causing the air bag…
Remedy: The communications gateway module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 2021.
Seat belts › Rear/other
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Suburban, and Tahoe vehicles with third-row seating. The third-row outboard seat belts may have been entrapped or misrouted behind the outboard seat-folding mechanism, which could result in damaged seat belts.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third-row outboard seat belts, replacing any damaged seat belts, and rerouting them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 21, 2021.
Seat belts › Critical fasteners
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at…
Seat belts › Critical fasteners
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021.
Seats › Critical fasteners
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles. During general assembly, a repair involved removal of one or both front seats. The attachment bolts for the front seats may not have been properly reinstalled after the repair was completed.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat attachments for both front seats and install attachment bolts as needed, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2020.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 5 possible defects involving the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban:
Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy
On January 16, 2026, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ26001. This investigation was opened to assess the remedy effectiveness of Recall 25V-274. ODI has received complaints alleging engine failure in vehicles after the recall remedy had been completed, whether that remedy involved an oil viscosity change or a complete engine replacement.
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
On January 16, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE25001 after receiving complaints and field reports concerning engine failures in MY2019-2024 GM's full-size truck and SUV T1XX platform equipped with the L87 6.2L V8 engine.
Air Bag Malfunction
On April 9, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-010 to investigate instances of air bag malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination and potential for frontal air bag non-deployment in several vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM).
Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy
On January 16, 2026, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ26001. This investigation was opened to assess the remedy effectiveness of Recall 25V-274. ODI has received complaints alleging engine failure in vehicles after the recall remedy had been completed, whether that remedy involved an oil viscosity change or a complete engine replacement.
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 1,157 reports of engine bearing failure failures in the L87 6.2L engine produced by General Motors (GM). Of the 1,157 reports received, 173 are outside of the scope of recall 25V-274.
What 2021 Chevrolet Suburban owners say
Engine & cooling all 96 →
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the vehicle was listed under the application TURO. The contact stated that a person rented the vehicle and informed him there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact test drove the vehicle, and while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the lifters, push rods, and two valves, and cylinder 6 had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic; however, no cause for the failure was found. …
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light flashing. There was a rumbling sound coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle started shaking. The contact was able to coast the vehicle to the side of the road. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle and there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with camshaft failure, a misfire in cylinder #6, and a fractured motor mount had caused critical engine damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was later towed to a service center, and the same diagnostic information was provided, and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. …
Transmission & drivetrain all 37 →
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, and the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. Additionally, the vehicle failed to exceed 42 MPH. Later in the day, the gear shifter was shifted to reverse; however, the vehicle failed to reverse as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission valve body failure. The contact was informed that the transmission valve body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was at the dealer from December 2024 until June 2025. The vehicle was picked up from the dealer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized and failed to restart. …
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while in reverse (R), the vehicle failed to reverse as intended. The contact's wife continued driving at approximately 55 MPH, and an unknown message was displayed, and the vehicle failed to exceed 55 MPH. Additionally, the transmission was stuck in gear and failed to upshift into the next gear as designed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, and the battery was disconnected and reconnected, but the message remained displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the transmission control valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,600.
Fuel & propulsion system all 32 →
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving on the highway, the vehicle experienced reduced engine power and failed to exceed 30 MPH. A message pertaining to the deceleration was displayed. The following Monday, the vehicle failed to exceed 35 MPH, and a friend followed the contact while driving to the dealer. The dealer recommended a fuel filter replacement. The contact declined the repair because the fuel filter life was at 47%; however, the dealer proceeded with the replacement. The contact provided the diagnostic trouble code to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the failure was associated with TSB Numbers: 20-NA-197 and 18-NA 361. The contact then advised the dealer of the TSBs, and the dealer determined that the fuel pump module and fuel tank module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. …
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, and the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. Additionally, the vehicle failed to exceed 42 MPH. Later in the day, the gear shifter was shifted to reverse; however, the vehicle failed to reverse as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission valve body failure. The contact was informed that the transmission valve body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was at the dealer from December 2024 until June 2025. The vehicle was picked up from the dealer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized and failed to restart. …
2021 Chevrolet Suburban engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6-cyl turbo diesel | 10-speed automatic | RWD | 21 / 27 / 23 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl turbo diesel | 10-speed automatic | 4WD | 20 / 26 / 22 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 10-speed automatic | RWD | 16 / 20 / 18 |
| 6.2L 8-cyl | 10-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 20 / 17 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 10-speed automatic | 4WD | 15 / 19 / 17 |
| 6.2L 8-cyl | 10-speed automatic | 4WD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban a good car?
Based on 200 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2021 Suburban rates avoid: 2.6× as many complaints as a typical year of the Suburban at the same age. It is one of the Suburban years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban?
The engine & cooling — 96 complaints, 48% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (37) and fuel & propulsion system (32).
How many recalls does the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban have?
There are 12 recalls for the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban, the most recent from April 24, 2025 (hard parts internal/mechanical). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Chevrolet Suburban?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2014, 2009 and 2020. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2015, 2021, 2023, 2022 and 2024. See the full Chevrolet Suburban years comparison.
At what mileage do 2021 Chevrolet Suburban problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 70,000 miles; 36% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 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.