Total Complaints
24 filings
GMC SUBURBAN · model year
24 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports. 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
The 1989GMCSUBURBAN carries 24 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 1 fire, 5 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 1989 SUBURBAN is seats:front assembly:recliner with 3 filings, followed by steering: steering wheel/handle bar (2) and engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control (2). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 1989 SUBURBAN. 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.
Total Complaints
24 filings
Crashes Reported
2 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 3 |
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL | 2 |
| TIRES | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| SEATS | 1 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
WHILE AT A STOP VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD INTERMITTENTLY. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
WE PURCHASED A 1989 GMC SUBURBAN IN FEBRUARY 2003. AT THAT TIME THE PERSON WE HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM TOLD US THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY THE PAINT HAD BEEN RECALLED, BUT HE HAD NEVER CHECKED INTO IT. UPON US TAKING DELIVERY I BEGAN TO SEARCH ON THE WEB AND CAME UPON YOUR INFORMATION AND TOOK THE ADVICE OF CONTACTING OUR LOCAL SERVICE MANAGER AT OUR CHEVY DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS TOO OLD AND THE RECALL HAD EXPIRED. TODAY 6-31-03 I CALLED THE GM SERVICE CENTER AND WAS GIVEN A SERVICE # OF 1-1-146-15140, AND TOLD TO CALL A DIFFERENT # GIVEN THE YEAR OF THE VEHICLE. I THEN CALLED WITH THIS REFERENCE# AND WAS TOLD BECAUSE OF THE YEAR AND MILEAGE THEY WOULD NOT LOOK AT THE PAINT, AND THERE WERE "NO OPEN PAINT CLAIMS RECORDED" I ASKED WHAT THIS MEANT AND THE WOMAN SAID THERE WERE NO RECALLS OPEN ON THIS YEAR FOR PAINT. I DID NOT ARGUE WITH HER, AS I HAD ALREADY TOLD HER I HAD LOOKED UP THIS RECALL ON THE WEB. THE TWO SIDE SEATBELTS IN THE MIDDLE ROW OF SEATS. DON'T WO
WE PURCHASED A 1989 GMC SUBURBAN IN FEBRUARY 2003. AT THAT TIME THE PERSON WE HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM TOLD US THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY THE PAINT HAD BEEN RECALLED, BUT HE HAD NEVER CHECKED INTO IT. UPON US TAKING DELIVERY I BEGAN TO SEARCH ON THE WEB AND CAME UPON YOUR INFORMATION AND TOOK THE ADVICE OF CONTACTING OUR LOCAL SERVICE MANAGER AT OUR CHEVY DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS TOO OLD AND THE RECALL HAD EXPIRED. TODAY 6-31-03 I CALLED THE GM SERVICE CENTER AND WAS GIVEN A SERVICE # OF 1-1-146-15140, AND TOLD TO CALL A DIFFERENT # GIVEN THE YEAR OF THE VEHICLE. I THEN CALLED WITH THIS REFERENCE# AND WAS TOLD BECAUSE OF THE YEAR AND MILEAGE THEY WOULD NOT LOOK AT THE PAINT, AND THERE WERE "NO OPEN PAINT CLAIMS RECORDED" I ASKED WHAT THIS MEANT AND THE WOMAN SAID THERE WERE NO RECALLS OPEN ON THIS YEAR FOR PAINT. I DID NOT ARGUE WITH HER, AS I HAD ALREADY TOLD HER I HAD LOOKED UP THIS RECALL ON THE WEB. THE TWO SIDE SEATBELTS IN THE MIDDLE ROW OF SEATS. DON'T WO
THE RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. STEELTEX RADIAL LT TIRES. *AK THE TIRE PRESSURE HAD RUN LOW, BUT NEVER MORE THAN 2 PSI HIGH. (NEVER ANY IMPACT) THE BLOWOUT HAPPENED ON A SMOOTH ROAD AT A LOW SPEED. THERE WERE NEVER ANY REPAIRS DONE TO THE TIRES. THE BLOWOUT HAD A "T" SHAPED 4-5" EDGE OF TREAD, WITH A LEG OF "T" THAT EXTENDED FROM THE TREAD NEAR THE BEAD. FIRESTONE CONSIDERED THIS IMPACT DAMAGE AND WOULD NOT REPLACE. *SCC *JB
Mileage: 13,982
THE TIRE BLEW UP, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO TURN IMMEDIATELY TO THE LEFT. THIS CAUSED A WRECK AND PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO THE DRIVER.*AK (TIRESIZE: LT26575R16)
WHILE TRAVELING NOTICED SMOKE COMIG FROM THE ENGINE. CONSUMER PULLED OVER. LOOKED UNDER HOOD, AND DISCOVERED THAT ENGINE WAS ON FIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
BRAKE SYSTEM IS NOT ADEQUATE FOR SIZE OF VEHICLE.
EXHAUST MAINFOLD TO CYLINDER HEAD BOLTS HAVE BROKEN DUE TO HEAT STRESS EXHAUST LEAKAGE IS APPARENT.
EXHAUST MAINFOLD TO CYLINDER HEAD BOLTS HAVE BROKEN DUE TO HEAT STRESS EXHAUST LEAKAGE IS APPARENT.
BRAKES HAVE FAILED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. DEALER REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER. *AK
PASSENGER SEAT BACK COLLAPSED DUE TO FAILURE OF BOLT BREAKAGE, CAUSED INJURY.
AS A RESULT OF RECLINER BUCKET SEAT RECALL, THE PASSENGER'S SIDE MOUNTING BOLT BROKE AND THE ENTIRE BACK OF SEAT RELEASED, INJURING CONSUMER'S WIFE. *AK
TRANSMISSSION OVERHEATED, CAUSING FIRE.
POWER STEERING PUMP BRACKET CRACKED, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AT 55 MPH AND SERPENTINE BELT TO COME OFF AND DESTROY AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR.
POWER STEERING PUMP BRACKET CRACKED, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AT 55 MPH AND SERPENTINE BELT TO COME OFF AND DESTROY AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR.
POWER STEERING PUMP BRACKET CRACKED, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AT 55 MPH AND SERPENTINE BELT TO COME OFF AND DESTROY AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR.
THE STEERING WHEEL BOLTS COME LOOE AND CAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL TO HAVE TOO MUCH PLAY AND CAUSES THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL FROM TIME TO TIME. *AK
THE STEERING WHEEL BOLTS COME LOOE AND CAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL TO HAVE TOO MUCH PLAY AND CAUSES THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL FROM TIME TO TIME. *AK
THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY WOULD ORDER THE PART AND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP THERE WAS NO PART. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
DRIVERS CHAIR SLIPPED BACK WHILE DRIVING, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT/INJURY PRIOR TO RECALL.(93V187000) *DSH
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 1989 GMC 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.