NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Chevrolet Suburban. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Driving on interstate and gradual onset of clicking/knocking. Within 5 minutes complete loss of propulsion and throttle. RPM went to zero. Oil pressure/temperature/engine lights all fine. Dealership states "catastrophic engine failure." My family was in the vehicle. Fortunately still had power steering and brakes and able to guide vehicle to shoulder.
I hadn’t had my car a year and my solenoid in my transmission is in need of replacement. The suv will not pick up speed above 40
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced electrical failures that caused several safety and powered components to turn off and on. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally lost power steering or windshield wiper functionality and would start functioning without having been engaged manually. The contact stated that the instrument cluster occasionally went black. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and advised the contact of Technical Service Bulletin: 18-NA-161, which addressed the electrical failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact stated that the electrical failure described in TSB: 18-NA-161 should have been a national recall due to the safety factors of the systems affected. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
Transmission is not functioning properly at 74,300 miles. Engine kept slipping while driving uphill and the RPMs were not matching vehicle speed. Could not go above 50mph while merging onto freeway which was very dangerous. Whirring noise occurred every time I accelerated which was also noted By dealer and transmission shop. No check engine lights on. Took to dealer, but the misdiagnosed it since no lights were on. Took to Transmission shop, and they found that the transmission had several issues that were not displayed. Besides the shop running specific tests, there are still no warning lamps or messages displayed on the vehicle dashboard or using an OBD2 sensor.
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle stalled. A passerby helped the contact to push the vehicle into a parking lot. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact left the vehicle in the parking lot. The following day, the vehicle restarted as intended. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the vehicle failed to start. The Push to Start button occasionally became stuck, and the contact continuously pressed the button to release it. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was taken back to the residence, and upon exiting the vehicle, the contact noticed loose cables. The contact's husband plugged the cables back into place. The failure persisted, and the vehicle remained at the residence unrepaired. The contact had not driven the vehicle due to safety concerns. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle started shuddering. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the camshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
Our engine went at 100,800 miles, costing us $15k in June 2025. Then our transmission went 3 months later, now costing us another $7k. GM is offering very little financial assistance. It's quite inconvenient that these major mechanical issues occur right after factory warranty. It is at a dealer getting fixed, again, but how can this be ok with GM to see their product be such a failure for consumers? Recall or not, this has left a horrible taste in our mouth for GM/Chevy vehicles. We will no longer trust the longevity of their vehicles and will educate others to be weary on purchasing vehicles. We can understand mechanical failures over time, but not to this extent, and we're very disappointed in the customer service and available assistance for someone that just spent nearly $23k on a vehicle that's less than 5 years old.
The transmission is not shifting appropriately from 2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th. There is a huge whining noise when it reaches the end before shifts. There is known issues in the 2020 suburban and this vehicle was never recalled for similar issues.
Driving through residential area and noticed loud noise from under hood. Went to pull out onto state highway and wasn’t able to get up to speed almost causing an accident because I could not accelerate. Had to maintain speed at or below 40mph. Brought vehicle to dealership and they confirmed that the transmission was shot. Also went to a local transmission repair shop and he stated that he sees 1-2 of this same transmission weekly. That 2016-2020 Chevrolet transmissions are no good and that Chevrolet knows this. This is a $7000 repair on a vehicle that just hit 100,000 miles. Vehicle has always been well maintained. Just wondering how GM doesn’t have a recall on this particular transmission if there are so many reported problems with it. I was fortunate to be able to pull off of the highway and take back roads to get to the dealership. There was no slipping, no warning signs whatsoever. It just made the loud noise and then boom. Done.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2020 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 88,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 252,000.
The vehicle is stuttering, intermittent, jumping, miss firing during acceleration, and hard down shifting. The check engine and forward collision unavailable light flashed as the vehicle struggled to accelerate. According to Chevrolet the camshaft and two lifter has failed.
SEVERE TRANSMISSION SHUDDER. LAST MONTH HAD TAKEN MY 2020 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN TO THE WEST CHEVROLET DEALER LOCATED IN ALCOA, TENNESSEE. I WAS ADVISED BY A TECH THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW TORQUE CONVERTER. I PAID 2,200.00 FOR THIS REPAIR. THIS REPAIRS DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE. AFTER PAYING MY BILL AND DRIVING THROUGH THE PARKING LOT, IT STARTED BACK IMMEDIATELY. THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THEIR WAS NOTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO AFTER EXPRESSING HOW BIG OF A SAFETY CONCERN IT. SO I ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE IT HOME. AS I ENTEREDED INTO A BUSY 4 LANE HIGHWAY (ALCOA HIGHWAY) THE VEHICLE WOULD MOVE AND BEGAN SHUDDER VERY BAD, ALMOST CAUSING A CRASH. AFTER DOING LOTS OF RESEARCH, IT APPEARS I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING THIS ISSUE. I HAVE ALSO REACHED OUT TO SEVERAL NEWS MEADIA OUTLETS TO ASSURE THIS IS ADDRESSED TO PREVENT BY FAMILY GETTING HURT AND/OR KILLED DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE 6L80 TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. PLEASE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATIONS OF THE SERIOUNESS OF THIS ISSUE. THE VEHICLE NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION THAT I CAN NOT AFFORD. THE VEHICLE HAS NO CODES/WARNING DISPLAYED ON THE DASH WHICH PUTS MY FAMNILT AND I AT RISK WHEN DRIVING.
The technical service bulletin for the Service Safety Restraint System is for models 2021-2023. I have a 2020 Service Safety Restraint System error code this is appearing intermittently. Turning off and on. It's almost like a short somewhere. We are taking it in for servicing but I feel that the service bulletin should include the 2020 model as well.
Out of the blue, while driving, my car started lurching and making a weird rattling noise. I was able to make it to a mechanic, where I learned the cylinder lifters collapsed and crankshaft were broken. The mechanic told me this is a common defect for GM motors. My vehicle is only five years old, so to learn we have a $10-20,000 repair on our hands was paralyzing and devastating.
Driving on the highway and I started to slow down even while pressing the accelerator. Pulled over and turned the car off and then back on. I was able to almost get to an exit but then it completely stopped moving. Turned it off and on again but car would not move. Not a single light turned on until the last time I attempted to move the car. Had it towed to Chevy dealer and transmission was completely out. Had 2 different mechanic places (dealer and private) tell me that it is extremely common once a 2020 suburban hits around 100k miles. That is completely irresponsible of GM to not put something out so that owners can at least have knowledge that there could be a potential problem. No warning signs, no lights on that is an accident waiting to happen and a potential wrongful death lawsuit coming your way if something isn’t put out.
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V797000 (POWER TRAIN). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 93,000.
engine replacement at 120,000 miles. I was told by Mechanic that the 2020 Suburban's have a problem with the fuel injector wiring harness dry rotting and the sensor changing the engine from V8 to V6 when on highway going bad causing misfire in engine and ruining the engine.
Complete engine failure. Entire engine needed to be replaced. Only 5 cylinders were working causing the vehicle to shake and shudder violently
On October 27, coming back from a family trip at 10 PM at night on a major highway, the suburban all of a sudden quit. Traveling at 70 miles per hour, all of a sudden, when pressing the gas pedal, the car would not accelerate and the RPM gauge was erratically moving. The car started to slow down till it eventually just quit and it would not go anymore. We were stranded in the middle of the highway with cars coming and going both ways. It was scary, it was dark, and dangerous. A tow truck was called and they told the suburban to a Chevrolet dealership 60 miles away. The following day, the dealership informed us that the transmission was not repairable and that they had found metal pieces in the transmission. They informed us that the only way to repair was to replace with a new transmission. They informed us that these transmissions are faulty and that it’s common for them to replace transmissions in suburbans about twice a month. We were not happy to find this out because this is the second transmission in a second Suburban that we have owned that we have had to spend $12,000 on between both vehicles. The car was out of warranty, Therefore, the expense was totally on us. I need help trying to see if I can get reimbursed for these expensive faulty transmissions that are not our fault! We have serviced car when due. There were 4 small children in the car and we could’ve had a tragic accident because car quit suddenly! Please help!
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel returned to normal operation upon depression of the brake pedal. A week later while the contact's husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm again, and there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that recently while driving 50 MPH, the "Service Power Steering - Drive with Care" message was displayed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
I put vehicle in Chevy dealership 7/8/24 for cold start knocking sound. Dealers called 2 days later said it was defective lifter issue on the 6.2 liter GM engine.Dealer ordered new engine.on 8/23/24 while test driving vehicle with new engine in it while driving on the highway a fire started under the engine. I was told by dealer that people were telling the driver the vehicle was on fire. He abandoned the vehicle on the highway as it burned up inside and outside. Fire trucks put the fire out.Vehicle is total loss. Waiting two weeks for GM to tell me what they will do to help me. No reply to phone calls or emails unless I call them to check and find out what is going on. I wrote email to GM CEO and no reply. Insurance for me offered me pay out of current value. GMis supposedly going to investigate the vehicle and the cause of fire. Lifter issue is widespread on these engines. Many lawsuits. Vehicle is still in dealer lot burned up waiting for gm to investigate it. I am getting no resolution from GM to help me fully recover from this with new vehicle. If no one had told mechanic that vehicle was on fire who knows if he would have gotten out safely before engulfed in flames. I could not upload additional photos due to site no working.
Engine making ticking on passenger side when first started in the morning. Service bulletin is out but dealers are not doing a recall. Engine can fail while driving from this if it gets worse. GM admitted problem in Service Bulletin No 19-na-218 lifter and push rod failure is the problem.
Had to replace motor. Had to replace the vibrater in the seat. Had to replace transmission. Electric shorted
I had to replace my rear differential due to grinding and metal shavings in the rear end. Recently had to take my truck in for repairs due to the motor mounts breaking. Discovered the front differential is also damaged with metal shavings due to grinding. The auto shop reached out to the local Chevy dealership to order the part to place. Was told the front diff is on back order due to this being a common problem.
Fuel injector failed and pumped too much gas into cylinder causing gas to get into engine oil and ruin engine. GM claims they are building the replacement engine, but won't give any estimate of when it will be fixed. Other dealers that are receiving these engines will not sell the engine to my dealer. I believe there is a bigger problem that GM will not admit to and they should be held accountable. Four months is too long for this situation to exist!
When putting vehicle in reverse, the screen for the rear camera will go to full intensity brightness. There is no adjustment for this, as the dashboard lights do not control the screen brightness. It is impossible to see out of the Sideview mirrors with the windows up due to the reflection off of the windows. This is amplified even worse when it is raining at night. GM had a recall for this problem on the previous generation Suburban, and it was corrected by a software update. I have had it at the dealer twice since buying it in June. They have confirmed the issue, but state that GM says this is normal. You shouldn't need to roll down windows at night in order to see out of your mirrors. When the vehicle is taken out of reverse, the camera will dim down to an appropriate brightness, but that is when the vehicle is in Drive, and the screen returns to normal layout. There are numerous complaints on this specific generation vehicle on multiple forums across the web.
My car shut off two times while driving. When you google the issue, it auto populates meaning that this is a very common issue with GM. It starts back to 2015 searches as well. GM needs to recall their suburbans for their cars turning off while driving which caused me to lose power steering, power brakes and anything that requires electrical.
The water pump burst without any warning.
Total Brake failure without warning, DTC, or messages. Coming out of a parking lot applied the brakes and the brake pedal went to the floor and was not able to stop. I tried pumping the brakes which pedal to return to the correct position but went back down to the floor. Had the vehicle towed to the dealer which confirmed the truck needed a new master cylinder, brake booster, and vacuum pump.
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle a banging noise was present coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, while driving, the cluster gauges and the air conditioning malfunctioned. The vehicle was later examined by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the water pump had failed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Have had starter problems since we purchased the vehicle. Starter intermittently loudly grinds when pressed 2-3 times a week and won’t start. Dealership could repeat problem once, but never fixed it. Took vehicle in at least half a dozen times. Never fixed. Car also makes an odd humming when gas is applied. This week, car started and died after driving a foot. Then car wouldn’t start at all. Brakes stiffened up and wouldn’t compress without substantial effort. Everything resolved on its own within 30 minutes. But the very next day, pulled inti position in our alley to back our Suburban into the garage. Put car in reverse. While using the back up cam (that came on like normal when car is in reverse), i applied gas. The car didn’t respond at all (didn’t even rev like what happens when you apply gas while car is in neutral). I applied a touch more gas and car all of a sudden lurched forward with the full force of a V8 engine being floored. I tried to slam on the brakes, but the brakes wouldn’t respond in such a way that i thought my shoe must have gotten stuck. It hadn’t. The brakes did not work. I don’t know how long it would have taken to finally stop because we only had 5 feet to go before we slammed into our neighbor’s house (which is what stopped our vehicle). Car is not drivable and I wouldn’t drive it if it were. It is available for inspection. Will be towed once scheduled.
The vehicle has 70,000 miles. The engine has failed and been replaced two times. We are on the third engine. The first time was in 2021 the second time was in 2024. I heard that others are having a similar issue. This is a 2020 .6.2L RST. The engine failed the first time while driving at high speed the car just stopped working. The second time we heard it failing and were able to drive it to the dealer where the engine fell apart in the parking lot The vehicle has had other issues too. Currently the wire harness has failed. This has happened several times but the dealer has not figured out a repair. Each time it’s failed while driving causing power steering to fail while driving. I don’t not trust my teen drivers around the vehicle or to drive.
While turning at driving speed I feel as if I loose control of the steering for a split second. The front wheels feel like they begin to turn without me turning the steering wheel. This has happened at least a dozen times in the 6000 miles I have put on the car. It is extremely dangerous especially on wet roads. I have not reported this to GM. I was searching the internet for a recall and found your website.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY MODIFIED WITH HUTCHINSON WHEELS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT A SLOW SPEED, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE WHEEL DETACHED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED HOWEVER, NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.
NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING AN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE WAS MOVING FORWARD AND HIT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT QUARTER BY ANOTHER VEHICLE DOING APPROXIMATELY 45MPH. MY SUBURBAN WAS TURNING LEFT ONTO A HIGHWAY.
2020 CHEVY SUBURBAN LESS THAN 5,000 MILES ON MICHELIN ENERGY SAVER A/S 265/65R18--APPEARS A BULGE CAUSED A TRIANGLE SIZE CRACK EXPOSING SIDEWALL. THE VEHICLE HAS NEVER TOWED, OR BEEN OFF ROAD AND IS STORED IN GARAGE
INTERMITTENTLY, WHILE ACCELERATING, A JOLT IS FELT EMANATING FROM THE RIGHT HAD SIDE, POSSIBLY TOWARD THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, WHEN THE AUTO FEATURE OF THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE IS ENGAGED. THIS OCCURS AT SPEEDS OVER 50. WHAT IS DESCRIBED IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM, SINCE THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN PURCHASED. NOT ONLY OCCURRING THE DATE AND MILEAGE PROVIDED IN THIS FORM, BUT CONSISTENTLY SINCE THAT DATE AND MILEAGE.
WHEN ADAPTIVE CRUISE IS ENGAGED, THE SYSTEM HESITATES WHEN LEAD VEHICLES SLOWS AT A SLOW RATE (NO BRAKE LIGHTS OBSERVED ON LEAD VEHICLE), REQUIRING OPERATOR TO APPLY BRAKES. WHEN ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL IS ENGAGED DURING HIGHWAY DRIVING, INTERMITTENTLY, MEDIUM SLOWING OF LEAD VEHICLE (BRAKES APPLIED) THE VEHICLE DOES NOT REACT IN TIME TO AVOID COLLISION WITHOUT ACTIVE AND HEAVY BRAKE APPLICATION (JERKING DRIVER AND/OR PASSENGER) TO AVOID COLLISION. ABOVE 65 MILES AN HOUR THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT LEAVE ADEQUATE DISTANCE BETWEEN VEHICLE AND LEAD VEHICLE. I FIRST NOTICED THIS IMMEDIATELY UPON FIRST LONG DISTANCE DRIVE. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. HAPPENING FREQUENTLY BETWEEN JULY 4TH AND JULY 12. SINCE THE JULY 12 THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN USED FREQUENTLY IN SITUATION WHERE THE CRUISE IS USED REGULARLY. HOWEVER DURING THE FEW TIMES ON THE HIGHWAY BETWEEN JULY 12 AND NOW, THE PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED.
2020 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. UPON VEHICLE START: STEERING ASSIST, TRAILER BRAKE SYSTEM, STABILITY TRACK ALL INOP. TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER INOP. NO REVERSE GEAR. WHEN IN DRIVE, ONLY FIRST GEAR OBTAINABLE AND MANUAL SHIFT MODE INOP. SEAT HEAT INOP. TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED APPROX FIVE TIMES AND ISSUES REMAINED. UPON SIXTH RESTART ISSUES NO LONGER PRESENT. DROVE 15 MILES HOME. VEHICLE SAT 2 HOURS, THEN RESTARTED AND OPERATED NORMALLY FOR 1/2 HOUR OPERATION, THEN TURNED OFF. VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY TWICE WITHIN TWO HOUR PERIOD. PARKED OVERNIGHT, AND IN A.M. REMOTE STARTED SUBURBAN AND ISSUES PRESENT AGAIN. TURNING OFFF AND RESTARTING APPROXIMATELY 10 TIMES DID NOT RESOLVE ISSUE. TURNING IGNITION OFF AND THEN TURNING TO 'ON'( BUT NOT STARTING ) SHOWS WARNINGS AS WELL. ATTEMPTED 10 TIMES TO "RUN" POSITION WITH NO CHANGE. AFTER SITTING FOR 15 MIN, VEHICLE STARTED NORMALLY AND DROVE TO DEALERSHIP. 816 MILES TOTAL ON VEHICLE.