Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 GMC Suburban owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Coming back home from a trip to niagra fall, our GMC Suburban 1999 rolled over 5 times. One of the tire (driver side front) exploded and right rear back tire shredded. Which caused truck to rollover. We were in little falls, were taken to st. Elizabeth hospital in utica. Our oldest daughter 11 got the most injuries. She has gotten 60 stitches on her face etc. Air bags of the vehicle did not deploy. Wondering why ????
Tread separated from the tire and damaged the vehicale. I have photographs of the tire and the tread. I also have one of the orginal tires left on the spare rim. GM will not repair the damage because they said they need the old tire. I was 3000 miles from home and had to purchase new tires to get home I had to keep a good tire for the spare not the blown tire.
While the vehicle was parked consumer observed all four tires showed cracks around the rim and the steel belt was also noticeable. After market equipment, installed at 20,000 miles. Dot # m670jc0r0902, m6700jc0r38301 & two were m670jc0r10027. Dealer was notified and replaced the tires at a pro rate.
Having dirven a manicured gravel road at 30 MPH, distance of 25 miles, @ kananaskis national park in british columbia, all four tires showed gravel puncture/split marks, about 12 on each tire. One of these went through to the air chamber, after driving on the damaged tires for approximately 2800 more miles. Tires were removed and replaced with Michelin. One month ago, costco replaced all 5 firestones with 5 michelins. One is mounted as spare; others are in garage for future use. Firestone was contacted in reno twice. GMC was contacted twice and had possession of damaged tires for 3 weeks. Firestone attempted to reassure customer (age 58) all was OK. "permit my grandmother to travel on these tires." after the air loss, I didn't buy Firestone's reassurance. Firestone has no road hazard guarantee. …
Tires maintained properly. When towing 8000 lb. Vacation trailer, 80 lbs. Rear, 50 lbs. Front. (mfgr. Spec.). Wheels equipped with tire sentry monitoring system which sound an alamr and blinking light on dash if tire pressure is lower than factory setting. While traveling south on hwy. 1999 near bakersfield, ca on a hot July afternoon (103 degrees) while towing 8000 lb trailer at freeway speed, the left rear Suburban tire suddenly began viberating viloently, started to flap, lost tread and the blowout (this all happend very quickly). - submitted claim for tire and damage to vehicle to Firestone and was the claim was denied. They said the tire had been operated for an unknow period of time with insufficient air pressure to carry load (this is not true) and that the failure did not result from a defect in either materials or workmanship. …
I have had three (3) explosive blowouts over the past ten months. All the tire failures involved the same type and size tire listed. All three of the tire failures resulted in tread seperation and the last one dented my car and bent the exhaust pipe in half. I was fortunate in all three failures to have no traffic around me and a place to pull off the road to change the tire(s). All three failures were during highway driving and all occured at approximately 65 miles per hour. (tiresize: lt245/75r1)( dot number: tire size: lt245/75r1 )
Tire tread separated while at 65 MPH. Steering erratic with major vehicle vibration. These OEM Firestone tires were not balanced when the vehicle was received from the factory. The dealer's shop tried to balance all four tires and sent the vehicle out for balancing at a local tire dealer with marinal sucess. Very carefully placed, large wheel balance weights were required to meet minimum acceptance. More than 8/32ths tread remained on the tire with an even tread wear pattern. (dot number: v611 b1a tiresize: lt24575r16)
Consumer's car was pulling to right and braking to left. Took to dealer, and and they aligned front end, and did repairs on brakes and knuckles. The steering wheel wobbles when the vehicle comes to a stop. There was wind noise from right side of the vehicle. The engine idles rough due to dirty injectors. The vehicle vibrates at speeds of 80-90 MPH due to bent wheel. The vehicle would not start due to a weak battery. The steering moans when turning due to failure of evo sensor on steering column.
On February 3, I took delivery of an 1999 Suburban. The rear driver's tire has 5 punctured holes. Both the Firestone dealer, and the GM customer services representative confirmed that this tire is not offered to the public; Firestone is selling it only to GM for production. I have made phone calls and sent faxes to GM. GM has not secured a tire. This monopolistic practice threatens the safety of the public. The tire should be available to the public.( dot number: tire size: 245/75r16 )
While driving about 40 MPH and towing a trailer, passenger's side rear tire blewout. Driver was able to maintain control of vehicle. Original tire equipment on a 1999, Suburban. Tire size p24575r216. Tire mileage at 39,000. Firestone was contacted about t problem. Owner was told that he could replace the tire, and file a claim for reimbursement.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Suburban years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 1999 GMC Suburban?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 1999 GMC Suburban, 11% of the model year's 285 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 GMC Suburban wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 1999 GMC Suburban, though it has 1 recall 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 1999 GMC Suburban wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 35,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to wheels & tires problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.