YearToAvoid

2019 Chevrolet Suburban Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Good

Complaint Index

27/100

#12 most-complained of 16 Suburban years

The 2019 Chevrolet Suburban has 78 NHTSA complaints and a complaint index of 27, ranking 12th worst out of 16 model years, with a "Good" verdict. It carries 3 recalls, none for the transmission itself, though Transmission & Powertrain accounts for 49% of complaints.

Complaints
78
Recalls
3
incl. Do Not Drive
Crashes / fires
2 / 1
Injuries / deaths
2 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
16.5
14 city / 21.5 hwy

Top 2019 Chevrolet Suburban problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Transmission & Powertrain38 (49%)
  2. Engine28 (36%)
  3. Electrical System7 (9%)
  4. Steering6 (8%)
  5. Brakes5 (6%)
  6. Seat Belts5 (6%)
  7. Other4 (5%)
  8. Airbags2 (3%)
  9. Collision Avoidance & Cameras2 (3%)
  10. Visibility & Wipers2 (3%)

What owners report

  • Owners report the vehicle drifting or veering left and right at highway speed, requiring constant steering correction.
  • Some describe the steering becoming difficult to control, causing hand and arm fatigue and headaches.
  • One owner reported the transmission lurching forward from Park with the emergency brake set and foot on the brake.
  • An electrical fault caused engine-bay smoke and fire shortly after driving onto a highway at low speed.
  • A rear window wiper intermittently stopped working after car washes or heavy rain, then resumed after restarting the vehicle.
  • One owner reported being trapped in the driver seat when a seat belt failed to release and had to cut it to escape.
2019 Chevrolet Suburban complaints: complaints filed per month9Aug 2019Aug 2020Jun 2022Mar 2023Feb 2024Mar 2025Sep 2025Apr 2026
101 complaints filed with NHTSA from Aug 2019 to Sep 2026; peak Jul 2026 (9).

2019 Chevrolet Suburban recalls

3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 26V289000May 7, 2026Transmission & Powertrain66 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Power train:transfer case (4-wheel drive)

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2026 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, and GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles with four-wheel (4WD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), and certain 2015-2020 Suburban, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Yukon, Yukon XL, and Tahoe vehicles. A component missing from the drivetrain transfer case may cause the front and/or rear wheels to lock up without warning to the driver.

    Risk: Front or rear wheel lockup increases the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transfer case assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 18, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. GM's number for this recall is N262557620. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 7, 2026.

  2. NHTSA 19V761000Oct 24, 2019Brakes652,967 vehicles

    Service brakes

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic mode, the Electronic-Brake Control Module (EBCM) software may activate the driveline-protection system.

    Risk: Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.

  3. NHTSA 18V673000Sep 26, 2018Seat Belts15,800 vehicles

    Seat belts:rear/other

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Cadillac CT6, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Volt, and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. Certain second-row or third-row rear seatbelts retractor assemblies may not automatically lock when the seatbelt is fully pulled out of the retractor, possibly preventing a child seat from being properly secured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

    Risk: If the child seat is not properly secured in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seatbelt retractors and replace them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 7, 2018. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18315.

2019 Chevrolet Suburban fuel economy and fuel cost

City
14 MPG
Highway
21.5 MPG
Combined
16.5 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$4,050
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2019 compared with other Suburban years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2017Caution601415 !18.5
2018Best20814 !18.5
2019Good27783 !16.5
2020Best7444 !16.5
2021Avoid871991217

All Chevrolet Suburban years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?
Compared to other Suburban model years, 2019 rates "Good." It has a complaint index of 27, well below the worst year (2015, index 100), and ranks 12th worst out of 16 years tracked.
What problems does the 2019 Chevrolet Suburban have?
NHTSA complaints are led by Transmission & Powertrain (49% of complaints, median mileage at failure 77,000) and Engine issues (36%, median mileage 81,000). Electrical, steering, brake, and seat belt complaints round out the rest.
Does the 2019 Chevrolet Suburban have any recalls?
Yes, NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2019 Suburban: a brake-system EBCM reprogramming recall, a seat belt retractor recall for second- and third-row belts, and a later transmission-related recall affecting 2026 models that also names Suburban, though that campaign is not specific to the 2019 model year.
How does the 2019 Suburban compare to other years?
2019 has 78 complaints and a complaint index of 27, far better than 2015 (428 complaints, index 100, "Avoid") and 2021-2023 (all rated "Avoid"). Only a handful of years, like 2014, 2018, and 2020, score better.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.