"How reliable is the 1990 Chevrolet Suburban?"

"Based on 67 NHTSA complaints, the 1990 Chevrolet Suburban has a median complaint mileage of 0 miles. The most common issue is SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER."

"What are common problems with the 1990 Chevrolet Suburban?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1990 Chevrolet Suburban is SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER, accounting for a significant portion of the 67 total complaints filed."

1990 Chevrolet Suburban: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 67 complaints

Total Complaints

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

Top Issue

Crash Reports

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

SEATS

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

TIRES

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DRIVER SEAT COLLAPSED PRIOR TO/TWICE AFTER RECALL REPAIRS (93V-187). TT & *AK"

"AFTER RECALL WORK WAS DONE, SEATBACK COLLAPSED ALLOWING SEATBACK TO FALL REARWARD, WHEN BOLTS SHEARED OFF, 93V187000, 91-C-19. TT"

"ABS: WHENEVER TOWING BOAT TRAILER, APPLY BRAKES; NO REAR BRAKES; FRONT BRAKES LOCKS UP DURING WET WEATHER; SLIDES; EXTENDED STOPPING. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 15 TX: 8 LA: 7 MO: 4 NJ: 4 IL: 4 UN: 4 MN: 3 MI: 3 CO: 2

Who Files Complaints?

19.4%

Original Owners

80.6%

Second+ Owners

Chevrolet Suburban — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	65	106,744	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	6
1992	226	-	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	45
1993	616	120,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	110
1994	1038	124,062	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	158
1995	587	113,450	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	64
1996	531	93,100	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	25
1997	556	90,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	27
1998	298	76,500	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	11
1999	859	81,250	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	65
2000	382	68,000	PARKING BRAKE	30
2001	543	60,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	38
2002	352	63,700	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	34
2003	360	71,000	SERVICE BRAKES	39
2004	264	65,250	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL	14
2005	161	85,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	5
2006	33	84,500	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES	0
2007	357	80,000	AIR BAGS	4
2008	276	87,000	AIR BAGS	4
2009	133	83,500	AIR BAGS	1
2010	161	86,000	AIR BAGS	3
2011	192	68,245	AIR BAGS	3
2012	139	68,000	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	3
2013	170	55,700	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	4
2014	77	55,000	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	0
2015	584	62,000	SERVICE BRAKES	29
2016	288	55,000	SERVICE BRAKES	11
2017	178	50,000	SERVICE BRAKES	8
2018	108	38,155	ENGINE	3
2019	84	48,000	POWER TRAIN	3
2020	59	3,250	ENGINE	3
2021	223	60,000	ENGINE	12
2022	134	64,083	ENGINE	7
2023	122	25,000	ENGINE	0
2024	42	16,600	ENGINE	0

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28