Total Complaints
10 filings
CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500 · model year
10 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1994CHEVROLETSUBURBAN 1500 carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1994 SUBURBAN 1500 is seat belts with 3 filings, followed by visibility/wiper (2) and visibility:glass, side/rear (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 1994 SUBURBAN 1500, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
10 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS | 3 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 |
| VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES | 1 |
| VISIBILITY | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO GM CUSTOMERS AND PASSENGERS THAT USE VEHICLE AIR CONDITIONING HAVE BEEN CONTAMINATED AND/OR POISONED. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED GM DEVELOPED AN AFTER-BLOW RETROFIT KIT TO REMOVE EXCESS WATER FROM THE A/C EVAPORATOR CORE. THE CONSUMER STATED IN DECEMBER 2002, HE WAS IN THE VEHICLE WITH HIS WIFE, WHEN HE TURNED ON THE HEATER, THE AIR HAD MUSTY ODOR AND HE BEGAN HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING. HE TURNED OFF THE HEATER AND OPENED THE WINDOWS. THEY STOPPED A T A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER AND INQUIRED ABOUT THE ODOR, AND THEY WERE TOLD IT WAS A DESIGN DEFECT OF HVAC SYSTEM. THE AC EVAPORATOR CORE DID NOT ALLOW WATER TO DISSIPATE/EVAPORATE AND MICROBIAL GROWTH COULD OCCUR WITHIN 24 TO 48 HOURS. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEFECT MADE HIS ENTIRE FAMILY SICK. *JB
THE SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT WHEN YOU LEAN FORWARD AND THE WIPERS WILL WORK SOMETIMES BUT MOST OF THE TIME THEY WILL NOT TURN ON. THIS REDUCES VISIBILITY WHILE RAINING AND IF IT RESULTS IN A CRASH THE SEAT BELTS MAY NOT WORK PROPERLY TO PROTECT THE PASSENGERS. *TR
THE SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT WHEN YOU LEAN FORWARD AND THE WIPERS WILL WORK SOMETIMES BUT MOST OF THE TIME THEY WILL NOT TURN ON. THIS REDUCES VISIBILITY WHILE RAINING AND IF IT RESULTS IN A CRASH THE SEAT BELTS MAY NOT WORK PROPERLY TO PROTECT THE PASSENGERS. *TR
CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED AROUND THE INNER AND OUTER TREAD OF ALL FOUR TIRES AFTER 14001 MILES OF WEAR ON THE YOKOHAMA TIRES GELOLANDER 11/T-S. THE CRACKS RADIATE AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE TIRE. TREAD SEPARATION ON ALL FOUR TIRES. SIZE P245/75R-16 109S DOT FB8Y. *TR
Mileage: 119,175
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK INTERMITTENTLY, THERE ARE 2 RECALLS ON WINDSHIELD WIPERS, BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK *JB *TR
Mileage: 106,000
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 CHEVY SUBURBAN 1500. THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT IS FAILING TO RETRACT. THE DEALERS TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE SEAT RETRACTOR WAS FAILING AND UNABLE TO BE REPAIRED SINCE THE MANUFACTURER NO LONGER MADE THE PART. THE DEALER RECOMMENDED THAT THE CONTACT USE THE JUNK YARD TO OBTAIN THE PART. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT SINCE THE PART IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE THAT SHE WOULD HAVE TO OBTAIN THE PART ON HER OWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 174,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 175,255. UPDATED 01/14/09. *LJ UPDATED 01/21/09
Mileage: 174,000
1994 SUBURBAN, WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK INTERMITTENTLY SOME TIMES STOPPING ALL TOGETHER. OTHER TIMES THE WIPERS WILL NOT WORK AT ALL. HAVE HAD LOCAL GARAGE REPAIR. TRIED TO USE OLD RECALL TO GET THE BOARD REPLACED AND THE GARAGE STATED THAT IT HAD EXPIRED AND OUR VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM. *TR
Mileage: 150,000
WE HAVE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE SEATBELTS ON OUR 1994 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. AFTER CLOSING THE SEATBELTS, THEY HAVE A TENDENCY TO POP OPEN UNEXPECTEDLY AND ESPECIALLY WHEN THE BRAKE IS APPLIED. (THE FORCE WILL CAUSE THEM TO OPEN.) WHILE NO ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED, THIS IS ALARMING TO ME BECAUSE IF THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT, THE PEOPLE IN OUR VEHICLE WOULD NOT BE PROTECTED BY SEATBELTS. *TR
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WAS HANGING DOWN UNDER THE DASHBOARD. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC MADE THE REPAIR AND INFORMED THE CONTACT IF IT FELL OFF AGAIN, TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK. WHILE DRIVING AT 10 MPH, THE PUSHROD CAME OFF OF THE BRAKE PEDAL, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT WITH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL NHTSA # 93V152000, FOR THE SERVICE BRAKES: HYDRAULIC: PEDAL AND LINKAGES DUE TO THE VIN, ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL.
Mileage: 231,980
I OWN A 1994 CHEVY SUBURBAN. THIS MODEL HAS THE BARN DOORS ON THE BACK AND EACH DOOR HAS ONE WINDOW IN IT. THREE WEEKS AGO WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE GLASS IN THE BACK DOOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE JUST SHATTERED. THERE WERE NO BUMPS IN THE ROAD. NO GRAVEL AROUND. NO REASON WHATSOEVER FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. $300 LATER I HAVE A NEW WINDOW BACK THERE. YESTERDAY THE SAME THING HAPPENS ONLY IT IS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH GM HAS ENGINEERED THIS GLASS TO LAST ONLY SO LONG AND THEN POP! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF ANY ONE ELSE IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM. *NM
Mileage: 160,010
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
Fuel Line Leak
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.