There are 5 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2021 Chevrolet Suburbanin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The headlight adjustment screw is broken. Was never used or adjusted and now the headlights point to the ground. GM does not offer a replacement part for the adjustment screw, the only fix is to purchase a whole new headlight assembly which is roughly $1,000 before installation costs. This causes a dangerous situation since the drivers side headlight points to the ground and it is hard to see in front of you at night.
The headlight adjuster failed. As a result, the headlight points straight down creating a safety issue at night. I have read online this is a common problem on suburbans and tahoes. This happened on my car around 60k miles and only ~3 years.
The headlamps are defective and unexpectedly break causing them to aim basically straight down towards the pavement making it unsafe to drive at night. In February of this year I took the vehicle to Cox Chevrolet in Bradenton and they said the headlamps would need to be replaced and it would cost several thousand dollars. I rarely need to drive at night and have been taking our son's car since then. There is a chance one broke and I didn't notice at first then the second one but, at this point, it is unsafe to drive the vehicle at night. I have found several posts on online forums where owners of other GM/Chevrolet vehicles with the same headlamps have had the same experience. Some have mentioned that an adjuster pin breaks and is not repairable (which I have confirmed with a service advisor at another Chevrolet dealership). I am [XXX] who drives responsibly (i.e. not going off road in my Suburban) so having an issue like this is of concern as it makes the vehicle suddenly unsafe to drive at night. This is not a defect that is noticeable during the day so anyone purchasing a used vehicle with this problem wouldn't know they essentially don't have headlamps (I can see maybe 10 feet in front of the car) until they get on the road at nighttime. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While night driving driver noticed the driver side headlight completly pointing down providing no visibility. Vehicle was brought into GM dealership where is was discovered the Driver LED headlight adjuster screw broken causing a safety issue, where the light beam pointed down. Vehicle light assembly is currently being inspected for replacement under manufacture warranty under 36,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the driver’s side low-beam headlight was pointing inward, affecting his visibility of the roadway. The contact stated that the failure later occurred with the passenger’s side low-beam headlight. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the headlights needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
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