There are 50 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2005 Chevrolet Suburbanin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Started with driver side heated seat randomly turning on and off. Going from high, medium, low. No way to turn it off just comes back on. Can hear clicking coming from under dash. Lift gate wiring that goes into body, ground wire burnt. (Replaced) but ground wire has power. (Wiring issue) so rear wiper doesn’t work. “Reading” Lamps only work when door is open. After replacing life gate connector, says lift gate open. Started the repair, which leads to more wiring issues! Needs a recall! Unsafe
Heated seats randomly turn on and off and goes thorugh the diffeent levels of heat and then off and then back on repeat for hours while driving and is very distracting as have to turn off every 10 sec and have almost crashed multiple times taking me eyes off the road but have to turn off as heat is too much in summer months, this is a known issue in almost ever suburban 01 to 05, how is this not a recall yet, there is massive amount of documentation of this issue online.
THE WIRING FOR THE LIGHTERS, POWER PORTS AND COMPUTER LINK MELTED. IT'S ALL PART OF THE UNDER-DASH WIRING HARNESS.
This defect pertains to gear indicator on the instrument panel. During the daylight hours the light indicating the gear the car is in (park, neutral, drive, etc.) is impossible to read. At night you can just barely read the gear indicators. The dimness of the lights behind this gear indicator gauge is a safety hazard because you cannot tell what gear you are in during the day. It is an expensive repair because the instrument panel needs to be removed to fix the problem.
I NOTICED CORRODED AND WHAT I WOULD CALL CHARRED OR BURNT WIRING ON THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE REAR LIFT GATE OF MY SUBURBAN. I NOTICED IT WHEN I OPENED THE LIFT GATE TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE REAR OF THE SUBURBAN. IT APPEARS THAT THE RUBBER GROMMET MATERIAL PROTECTING THE WIRING HARNESS, WAS BURNT OR MELTED AWAY. THE RUBBER HOSE THAT SUPPLIES WATER TO THE REAR WINDOW WASHER/WIPER HAD A HOLE IN IT, AND MAY HAVE BEEN LEAKING WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID ONTO THE WIRES FOR A TIME. THE WIRES WERE BARE IN SOME SPOTS, SOME OF THE WIRE INSULATION LOOKED MELTED/BURNT AWAY, AND THEY LOOKED CORRODED/WITH A GREEN COLOR TO THEM. THE CONNECTOR THAT CONNECTS THE HARNESS, TO THE REST OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, LOOKED LIKE IT HAS SOME BLACK/ POSSIBLY BURNT RESIDUE ON IT. I CAN TAKE A GUESS AT BEST, THAT BECAUSE OF THE HOLE IN THE RUBBER HOSE, WATER MAY HAVE BEEN LEAKING ONTO THE ELECTRICAL WIRING/CONNECTIONS WHEN I USED THIS FEATURE TO CLEAR DIRT FROM THE LIFT GATE WINDOW, BUT I DON'T REALLY KNOW FOR SURE IF THAT IS HOW THE DAMAGE TO THE WIRING HARNESS HAS OCCURED! THANKS!
DRIVER SIDE SEAT HEATER RANDOMLY COMES ON AND GOES OFF. MAJORITY OF THE TIME THE HEATER STAYS ON CONSTANTLY AND BECOMES UNCOMFORTABLE. THIS HAPPENS MORE ESPECIALLY IN WET CONDITIONS AND WHEN YOU ATTEMPT TO TURN THE HEATED SEAT OFF, THE CONTROLS WON'T WORK. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS WHEN THE SUV IS STARTED, CONTINUES WHILE IDLING AND WHILE DRIVING. SOME DAYS IT IS HOURS BEFORE IT WILL GO OFF. OTHER DAYS IT WILL NOT GO OFF. THE SCARY THING IS YOU CAN HEAR THE DASHBOARD CLICKING WHEN THE HEATER TURNS ON AND OFF, CONSTANTLY CYCLING THOUGH HIGH TO LOW, BACK OF SEAT TO BOTTOM OF THE SEAT. ADJUSTING THE SEAT IN ANY WAY DOES NOT HELP. I THINK THIS IS A CONCERN DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT TURNS OFF AND ON AND YOU CAN HEAR IT CYCLE THROUGH. IT'S ALSO A MAJOR CONCERN BECAUSE THE HEAT STAYS ON WITHOUT ANY WAY TO TURN IT OFF. THIS STARTED A WEEK AFTER I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE AND HAS CONTINUED SINCE OCTOBER 2016.
2005 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500 4X4 FLEX FUEL, 5.3L. THIS VEHICLE'S INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DOES NOT WORK. TACHOMETER PEGS AND STICKS. THE SPEEDOMETER IS STUCK AT ZERO. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN THAT GENERAL MOTORS/GM SHOULD DO A FREE RECALL FOR AS MANY OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS. MY ABS SENSOR LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF NUMEROUS TIMES A DAY, AND CLUSTER STATES SERVICE AIR BAG. GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD ALSO FIX THIS FOR FREE UNDER A RECALL AS OTHERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE. MY THIRD MAJOR COMPLAINT, IS THE VEHICLE STARTING PROBLEM/HARD START. IT TAKES TWO TURNS OF THE ENGINE FOR THE VEHICLE TO TURN ON AND STAY RUNNING. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ON VARIOUS SEARCH ENGINES, FORUMS, AND INCLUDING RECALL.GOV. GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD ADDRESS THIS ISSUES AS WELL UNDER A RECALL. GM INSTALLED FAULTY FUEL PUMPS OR FUEL PUMPS WITH FAULTY COMPONENTS IN THEM. A VEHICLE SHOULD START WITH ONE TRY. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO GET THE FUEL PRESSURE GOING IN THE ON POSITION, OR CRANK IT TWICE FOR MY TRUCK TO START.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE TWO WHEEL OR FOUR WHEEL DRIVE LIGHT FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE FAILURE PREVENTED THE CONTACT OF KNOWING WHICH GEAR THE VEHICLE WAS IN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
SPEEDOMETER STAYED AT SPEED I WAS DRIVING WHEN I STOPPED THE CAR. WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR IT DID NOT RETURN TO ZERO BUT STARTED AT LAST SPEED I WAS DRIVING, THEN INCREASE FROM THERE. SPEEDOMETER FINALLY STAYED AT 100 MPH, IT DID NOT RETURN TO ZERO AND I WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE SPEED OF CAR WHEN DRIVING. RPM ALSO MALFUNCTION, IT STAYED AT 1.5 WHEN DRIVING AND DIDN'T VARY WHEN I INCREASED OR DECREASED MY SPEED. HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED AS I COULD NOT DETERMINE SPEED I WAS DRIVING. NO OFFICIAL RECALL, ONLY A CLASS ACTION SUIT. MY MAKE/MODEL/YEAR WAS PART OF THE CARS AFFECTED IN THE SUIT, ONLY I DIDN'T QUALIFY FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF REPAIR BECAUSE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED OUTSIDE OF THE 7 YEAR 80,000 MILE PARAMETER GM SET UP FOR REIMBURSEMENT. *TR
ATTEMPTED TO LOCK THE VEHICLE USING THE KEY FOB - ALL FOUR DOORS LOCKED - THE REAR HATCH DID NOT - TRIED THE KEY FOB SEVERAL MORE TIMES WITH THE SAME RESULT - OPENED THE DRIVER'S DOOR AND USED THE MANUAL LOCK BUTTON - GOT THE SAME RESULT, THE FOUR DOORS LOCKED BUT NOT THE REAR HATCH - FOR MY 2005 MODEL, AND FOR SEVERAL MODEL YEARS OTHER THAN MY 2005, I READ MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM ON THIS WEBSITE PRIOR TO SENDING THIS - AND MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE PROBLEM, NAMELY, THE REAR HATCH DOOR LOCKS AND CANNOT BE OPENED - THERE IS NO KEY HOLE IN THE DOOR, ONLY THE KEY FOB OPERATES LOCKING AND UNLOCKING THE DOOR - OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN PROBLEM THAT YOU OUGHT TO ISSUE A RECALL ON - AND, READ MANY, MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER OVER MANY MODEL YEARS - AGAIN, OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN PROBLEM - WHY DON'T YOU FOLKS MAKE GM FIX THESE FAULTS ? - THEY ARE NOT FEW IN NUMBER - THEY ARE NOT ISOLATED - THEY CERTAINLY ARE NOT OWNER GENERATED - MAKE GM FIX THEM - ISN'T THAT YOUR JOB? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP AND GOOD LUCK, WAITING TO SEE IN ALABAMA *TR
OUR SPEEDOMETER JUST ALL OF A SUDDEN STOPPED WORKING,FROM TIME TO TIME IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS WORKING BUT IT IS NOT GOING THE SPEED THAT IT SAYS. SINCE THIS STARTED OUR OIL GAUGE,AND NOW FUEL GAUGE HAS STOPPED WORKING. *TR
MY SPEEDOMETER RECENTLY STARTED MALFUNCTIONING. IT READ 20MPH WHEN I WAS DRIVING AT LEAST 50MPH, THEN IT READ 90+MPH WHEN I WAS ACTUALLY DRIVING 30MPH. FINALLY, MY SPEEDOMETER GAVE OUT AND IS "STUCK" IN THE 120+MPH POSITION. THANKFULLY, I HAVE A GPS NAVIGATION SYSTEM THAT HAS A GAUGE ON IT SO I KNOW MY RATE OF SPEED. I CONTACTED GM AND THEY REFUSED TO REMEDY THIS "WIDESPREAD" PROBLEM. THEY SAID THAT MY "SPECIAL COVERAGE" HAS ENDED (REFERRING TO THE 2008 CLASS ACTION SUIT THAT PROMPTED IT). I AM VERY UPSET! I HAVE READ MANY, MANY FORUMS AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE. MY MECHANIC SAYS THEY REPLACE THEM "ALL THE TIME" AND CHARGES $700-$1,000 TO FIX IT. IN MY OPINION, THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY GM WON'T STEP UP AND FIX IT FREE OF CHARGE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DETECTED A SHORTAGE WITHIN THE CIRCUITS UNDER THE DRIVER'S SIDE DASHBOARD, WHICH RESULTED IN THE WIRES BECOMING MELTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND RECOMMENDED THE VEHICLE BE TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 107,000.
ON AUGUST 3RD, 2012 MY 2005 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500 FIRST SHOWED SIGNS OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER FAILING. THE TACHOMETER SHOWED A READING OF 5,000 RPMS WITH THE ENGINE IDLING. THIS CONTINUED FOR A FEW DAYS AND THEN SEEMED TO GO BACK TO NORMAL. ABOUT A WEEK LATER THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO INDICATE INCORRECT READINGS. BY SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2012 I HAD NOTICED IT WOULD SOMETIMES SHOW A SPEED OF 120 MPH WHILE GOING AN ACTUAL SPEED 50 MPH OR SOMETIMES SHOW 29 MPH WHILE GOING 50 MPH. FOR A WHILE IT WAS MOVING THE NEEDLE BELOW 0MPH. I CAN NO LONGER RELY ON THE GAUGES OF THIS VEHICLE WITH ONLY 65,000 MILES ON IT. *TR
ELECTRICAL CLUSTER SPEEDOMETER WENT HAYWIRE THEN QUIT ODOMETER DID THE SAME. *TR
I WAS DRIVING ON A TRIP TO FLORIDA WHEN AT 65 MPH MY SPEEDOMETER KEPT INCREASING AND PEGGED OUT AT THE 120 MPH MARK. I PULLED OVER TO TRY AND RESOLVE THE ISSUE BUT TO NO AVAIL IT STAYED STUCK AT THE 120 MPH MARK. WHEN I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE ALL MY CLUSTER GAUGES WERE PEGGED OUT: OIL, BATTERY, TEMP, AND EVEN GAS GAUGE. I ALSO STARTED GETTING INFO THAT MY AIRBAG SYSTEM NEEDED ATTENTION. FOUR WHEEL DRIVE LIGHT CAME ON JUST A DIFFERENT ARRAY OF MALFUNCTIONS CAME FLYING ACROSS MY DISPLAY. TO THIS DATE MY BATTERY GAUGE IS STILL PEGGED OUT MY AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON, SERVICE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE LIGHT STILL FLASHES INADVERTENTLY AND NOW MY DRIVERS SIDE HEATER AND CONTROLS ARE NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. BROUGHT IN TO REPAIR SHOP & THEY SAID NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED SO MY COST WOULD RUN WELL OVER $1500.00. RIDICULOUS. OWN UP CHEVY FIX THIS. *TR
HEATING, VENTILATION, AND AIR CONDITIONING BLOWER NOT FULLY FUNCTIONAL ON ALL BLOWER SPEEDS, RUNS CONTINUOUSLY WITH THE IGNITION OFF. DISCHARGES BATTERY WITH IGNITION KEYS REMOVED, AND HAS A BURNING SMELL. *TR
A/C SYSTEM WOULD RANDOMLY BLOW HOT AIR; THEN FAN WOULD RUN WITH IGNITION OFF; THEN FAN SPEEDS WOULD QUIT WORKING; FINALLY BLOWER QUIT ALTOGETHER. GM HAS 2 SERVICE BULLETINS OUT WITH EXACT PROBLEM DESCRIPTION, BUT THEY CLAIM MY VEHICLE NOT COVERED. *JS
I HAVE A CHEVY SUBURBAN 2005 MY SPEEDOMETER HAS STOPPED WORKING. I ALSO HAVE A 2005 DURAMAX THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A FULL BLOWN RECALL PLACED ON ALL GMC/CHEVY VEHICLES. APPARENTLY THESE ARE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS PEOPLE WITH THIS ISSUE ACROSS THE U.S./ WORLD ACCORDING TO FORUMS I HAVE BEEN ON. WHILE THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OUT THERE FOR A VERY LIMITED GROUP OF GMC VEHICLES, MAKING LAWYERS RICH. INSTEAD OF TAKING CARE OF THE PEOPLE WHOM MAKE THIS WORLD ACTUALLY RUN. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO SERIOUSLY LOOKED INTO. MY NEXT STEP IS TO GET THE MEDIA INVOLVED SHOWING HOW AGAIN THE AVERAGE CONSUMER CAN GET SCREWED BY THE BIG COMPANIES. I AM NOT KEEPING MY MOUTH SHUT ABOUT THIS. THANK YOU *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER READS ERRONEOUSLY HIGH AND OFTEN EXCEEDS 100 MPH READINGS WHILE MY GPS READS AT 70MPH. THERE IS NO TIME AT WHICH INDICATED SPEED READINGS CAN BE TRUSTED. *TR
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026