1999 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 problems & reliability
74 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Chevrolet Suburban 1500. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 43 | 58% |
| Service Brakes | 6 | 8% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 4 | 5% |
| Steering | 4 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 4% |
| Structure | 3 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 3% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Other | 2 | 3% |
| Power Train | 2 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 100,000 miles (middle 50% between 81,000 and 140,000 miles), based on 69 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Vehicle has just over 200,000 miles. At about 150,000 miles had drivers side door unable to open from inside, had to roll down window to open from ext'r handle. At same time back passenger door and window would not open. Spent way too much $ with chev dealer to fix, this is a safety issue. Now at 200k miles same thing…”
Structure · filed Mar 15, 2018
“Brake lines rusted through front passenger side causing minor accident dec 2015 separate incident:: high-pressure fuel line rusted through causing fuel to spray around the front of gas tank area unnoticed for 2 trips. Thankfully no fire resulted.”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Aug 24, 2017
“The passenger side rear door lock failed in the locked position. The auto locks do not affect it nor can the lock be manually unlocked from the inside. The door cannot be opened at all from inside or out. No indication of breakage occurred, it just froze up one day with normal use.”
Structure · filed Jun 18, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
8 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Chevrolet Suburban 1500.
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2023
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to reprogram the media disc player with the latest calibrations to correct a condition of the rear entertainment system not operating as intended in colder ambient…
16NA260 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 26, 2016
Vehicle Recalls
Recalls · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 30, 2014
Refinishing Aluminum Wheels This bulletin updates General Motor's position on refinishing aluminum wheels. GM does not endorse any repairs that involve welding, bending, straightening o re-machining. Only cosmetic…
99-08-51-007F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2014
Refinishing Aluminum Wheels This bulletin updates General Motor's position on refinishing aluminum wheels. GM does not endorse any repairs that involve welding, bending, straightening o re-machining. Only cosmetic…
99-08-51-007F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2014
Underbody Component Corrosion The following information may be helpful when addressing underbody component corrosion with customers. Some customers may comment that one or more of their vehicle's underbody components…
PI0281D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2014
Underbody Component Corrosion The following information may be helpful when addressing underbody component corrosion with customers. Some customers may comment that one or more of their vehicle's underbody components…
PI0281D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2014
Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
130089009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2013
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1999 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Chevrolet Suburban 1500?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 100,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.