DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER FAILED.
1996 Chevrolet Suburban complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1996 record →
BATTERY FAILED.
ABS BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULSATE/VIBRATE UPON BRAKE APPLICATION. ALSO, REPLACED WORN OUT PADS. *AK
PULLING AWAY FROM STOP SIGN, HEARD A LOUD POP; VEHICLE STARTED TO HESITATE. CHECKED & NOTICED U-JOINT BROKE; SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED. HAD U-JOINT REPLACED TWICE. PROBLEM HAS REAPPEARED. *AK
FUEL INJECTOR FAILED.
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
FAN MOTOR FAILED.
FRONT BRAKE PAD FAILURE DUE TO DESIGN PROBLEMS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, NOTICED A BURNING SMELL, PULLED OVER AND UNDERNEATH THE HOOD WAS ON FIRE. FIREMAN STATED THAT THE FUEL LINES WERE ON FIRE. *AK
THE TRUCK WAS TRAVELING AT 50 MPH AND THE HOOD FLEW UP AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *AK *SLC
WHEN APPLYING ANTI LOCK BRAKES, VEHICLE WANDERS.
DRIVING AT 20 -25 MPH THE VEHICLE HAD A FRONTAL COLLISION AT A REAR END OF OTHER VEHICLE WHICH CAUSED THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY, BUT THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DIDNOT DEPLOY, CAUSING INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANT. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE BRAKES LOCKED UP, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO RUN ONTO THE RAILROAD TRACK. BOTH FRONT TIRES BLEW OUT. *AK
BRAKES: WHEN DRIVING IN WET WEATHER AND APPLYING THE BRAKES, FOOT IS STILL ON PEDAL,THE BRAKES ENGANGE, DISENGAGE,AND THEN ENGAGE AGAIN WHILE FOOT IS STILL ON PEDAL. BRAKES HAS BEEN SERVICED AT LEAST SIX TIMES, REPLACING CALIPERS ,DISC, HOSES AND ALL PARTS OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THE PROBLEM OCCURS MOSTLY IN RAINY AND COLD WEATHER OR JUST RAIN ALONE. *AK
ANTI LOCK BRAKES FAILED.
OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED.
FUEL SYSTEM FAILED TWICE.
VANITY LIGHT FAILED.
HEAD GASKET FAILED.
WIRING BUNDLE IN STEERING WHEEL HOUSING PINCHES WHEN STEERING WHEEL IS IN A PARTICULAR POSITION.
HATCHBACK DOOR DID NOT PROPERLY LATCH, CAUSING GLASS TO SHATTER WHEN PULLING INTO GARAGE.
DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING FAILED.
HI BEAM DEFECTIVE.
GOODYEAR TIRE BLEW OUT.
WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES IN ANY TYPE OF WEATHER OR SPEED, THE BRAKES FAIL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. REPLACED BRAKES PADS. *AK
ANTILOCK BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING ACCIDENT.
CONSUMER WAS FILLING THE VEHICLE WITH FUEL AND THERE WAS SOME TYPE OF ELECTRICAL STATIC AND THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE AROUND THE FILLER NECK, IN ADDITION WHEN OPENING THE PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR CONSUMER NOTICED ELECTRIC STATIC. *AK
OWNER PULLED OUT OF PARKING SPACE AND REARENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. DEALER SAYS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. *AK
REAR AIR CONDITIONER FAILED TWICE.
FUEL INJECTOR GASKETS FAILED.
SEAT FRAME FAILED TWICE.
OTHER: AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED.
BATTERY FAILED.
CONSUMER NOTICED EXCESSIVE BRAKE WEAR ON THE FRONT PADS/ROTORS AND REAR DRUMS DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. *AK
SEAT BELTS ON DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE BIND WITH LEVERS THAT ADJUST THE SEAT BACK TILT.
WHILE DRIVING, THE TRAILER HITCH BOLTS CAME LOOSE, CAUSING THE TRAILER TO DETACH FROM THE VEHICLE. *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE PEDAL GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. ALSO THERE IS EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND THEY FIXED THE MASTER CYLINDER SEVERAL TIMES. *AK
THE ENGINE IS NOISY AND VIBRATES, BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES, BRAKE LINES AND PUMP HAVE BEEN REPLACED, EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLE CORRODED, AND AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON.
PREMATURE BRAKE WEAR.
IN DRY AND WET WEATHER WHEN APPLYING THE ABS RAKES PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, LEFT/RIGHT FRONT WHEELS LOCK UP AND VEHICLE SKIDS . *AK
WHILE DRIVING THE STEERING ROD DISASSEMBLED FROM THE STEERING COLUMN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GO OUT OF CONTROL. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES IN A SUDDEN STOP SITUATION, THE VEHICLE ABS BRAKES FAILED. *AK
ABS BRAKE FAILURE. *AK
REAR DOOR UPPER HINGE BODY WELD TO B-PILLAR BROKE UPON OPENING THE DOOR.
LOOSE CONTROL ARM BOLTS CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL.
POOR ABS BRAKE PERFORMANCE, A GRINDING NOISE IS EXPERIENCED AND THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR. *AK
POOR ABS BRAKE PERFORMANCE, THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE IS EXPERIENCED. *AK
SEAT BELT FAILED/NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG DURING COLLISION, RESULTING IN INJURIES
DURING FRONTAL IMPACT, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
WHEEL STUDS BROKE.
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1996 Chevrolet Suburban → · Every Suburban year → · How the figures are calculated →