Total Complaints
7 filings
Chevrolet Suburban · model year
1986 Chevrolet Suburban
7 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
- Complaints
- 7
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1986 Chevrolet Suburban posts top-quartile complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 15%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1986ChevroletSuburban carries 7 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1986 Suburban is steering: steering wheel/handle bar with 1 filings, followed by tires (1) and tires:tread/belt (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 1986 Suburban, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
7
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1986 Chevrolet Suburban
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| CHILD SEAT:TETHER: STRAP/WEBBING | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20041005FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM
PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE POTENTIAL OF FIRE/EXPLOSION CONCERNING THE FUEL TANK SENDING UNIT (IN OLDER MODEL G.M. VEHICLES) AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A "DIRECT SHORT" TO IT'S WIRING. I BELIEVE THIS COULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *AK
20040928ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK
THE LOCATION OF THE WIRING HARNESS, IN GENERAL, AND ITS LOCATION TO THE FUEL TANK IN A REAR END ACCIDENT WOULD MASH THE HARNESS BETWEEN THE BUMPER AND THE FUEL TANK. IF RUPTURE OCCURS THEN THE IGNITION SOURCE WOULD BE PRESENT, RESULTING INTO AN EXPLOSION. *AK
Mileage: 200,000
20020116CHILD SEAT:TETHER: STRAP/WEBBING
I HAVE A COMPLAINT REGARDING BOOSTER SEATS AND THE INABILITY TO PROPERLY SECURE MY 50 LB FOUR YEAR OLD. SHE IS TOO BIG FOR A 5 POINT HARNESS CAR SEAT (40 LBS) AND THERE ARE NO SHOULDER BELTS IN MY 1986 SUBURBAN TO USE A HIGH BACK BOOSTER SEAT. I CAN NOT COMPLY WITH THE NEW CALIFORNIA LAW AND AS A LOW INCOME FAMILY WE CANNOT AFFORD A NEW SUBURBAN FOR OUR 5 CHILDREN! WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO????
20001218UNKNOWN OR OTHER
THE TIRES WERE PURCHASED NEW. THEY HAVE 30,000 MILES ON THEM. IN THE RECENT MONTHS ONE OF THE THEM HAS DEVELOPED A BULGE IN THE TREAD. ANOTHER IS OUT OF ROUND AND THERE IS AN AWFUL BOUNCE AT 45 MPH. THERE IS LEFT A LOT OF TREAD AND SHOWS NO REAL SIGNS OF WEAR. I AM WORRIED ABOUT TREAD SEPERATION. (DOT NUMBER: VDOR1WT145 TIRESIZE: 235 85RX16)
20001120TIRES:TREAD/BELT
TRAVELING 65MPH AND TIRE BLEWOUT. MADE A LOUD HUMMING NOISE, STARTED TO SLOW DOWN & PULL TO SIDE. STEEL BELT STICKING OUT OF RIGHT REAR. ALSO, TRAVELING 45MPH & VEHICLE WAS WOBBLING & ROCKING. SLOWED DOWN & PULLED TO SIDE, AND NOTICED TREAD SEPARATED FROM RIGHT REAR & THEN IT BLEWOUT. STEEL BELT WAS ALSO SHOWING. SPARE TIRE BLEWOUT WHILE IN VEHICLE. STEEL BELT & PIECES OF RUBBER INSIDE OF VEHICLE. TIRE ON 1987, CHEVROLET, SUBURBAN, FIRESTONE STEEL TEX RTS, LT235/85R16 WITH 21,000 & 23,000 MILES RESPECTIVELY ON 8/5/96 & 7/10/97 & 8/10/99(SPARE TIRE).*AK *SLC
20000905TIRES
BRIDGESTONE DUELER APT TREAD SEPARATED ON DRY ROAD, LIGHT LOAD, 60 MPH. TIRE HAD LESS THAN 6000 MILES ON IT. THIS TIRE WAS A REPLACEMENT FOR ANOTHER SAME MAKE/MODEL THAT EXPLODED AND DID FENDER AND TAILPIPE DAMAGE.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: LT235/85R1 )
19961017STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND THE STEERING WHEEL FELL OFF . PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK
Compare 1986ChevroletSuburban to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 2 Open
EA25007Engineering AnalysisOpen
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
PE23022Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
PE20016Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
EA20002Engineering AnalysisClosed
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
PE20011Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Fuel Line Leak
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1986 Chevrolet Suburban have?▼
The 1986 Chevrolet Suburban has 7 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1986 Chevrolet Suburban?▼
The most-complained component for the 1986 Chevrolet Suburban is STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES and TIRES:TREAD/BELT.
Is the 1986 Chevrolet Suburban safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1986 Chevrolet Suburban; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.