Airbag, electrical, tire, forward collision avoidance, and many other issues feature in complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Having space for all the occupants and cargo is something that people look forward to when driving a 2022 Chevrolet Suburban. In fact, the automaker claims this large SUV has “enough room at the top for everyone.” Yet, customers are complaining about a myriad of problems. These include airbag and electrical system malfunctions, major issues with tires, and forward collision-avoidance system failures.
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It’s difficult to pinpoint the most common problems experienced by 2022 Chevrolet Suburban owners. We rely to a large extent on complaints lodged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and these are incredibly varied.
Components and systems that feature include airbags, back-over prevention, the electrical system, engine, forward collision-avoidance, fuel/propulsion system, powertrain, seat belts, seats, steering, and tires. The Unknown or Other category highlights an exploding sunroof.
There are also a couple of recalls that were issued during 2022 that show there are other problems too.
Additionally, the 2022 Chevy Suburban is one of 12 General Motors (GM) products affected by a recall initiated because of deformed rivets on seat belt buckle assemblies. NHTSA Campaign Number 22V617000 warns that this fault may result in the seat belt not restraining “an occupant” in a crash. This, of course, increases the risk of injury if the vehicle crashes. In total, nearly half a million (484,155) GM vehicles are affected.
The other recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 22V903000, affects closer to three-quarters of a million (740,108) GM vehicles. This one was prompted by running lights not deactivating as they should. When deactivation doesn’t occur, the result is typically a glare that reduces visibility, in this way increasing the risk of a crash. According to the recall, dealers will update the software to resolve the problem. This may be done at a dealership or over-the-air (OTA). Either way, customers won’t be charged.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | |
| Electrical System | |
| Power Train | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Seat Belts | |
| Air Bags | |
| Back Over Prevention: Warnings | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Seats |
The most dramatic airbag complaint tells how when driving at 30 mph, the wife of a 2022 Suburban owner crashed into the side door of a vehicle that had run a stop sign. This vehicle then crashed into the rear of another vehicle. While the airbags deployed, the passenger side airbag started emitting smoke and then it caught on fire. To make matters worse, the woman was struggling to unbuckle her seat belt.
The complaint states that many services were on the scene, including the police, ambulance, and fire department, and that OnStar released her seat belt. The “vehicle was fully engulfed in flames and exploded.” The fire department extinguished the fire with water, and the police “wrote a report.” The BMW was towed to a police impound lot.
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An owner from Michigan describes multiple problems, one of which is the electrical system. For example, when starting the vehicle, the cabin air blower came on normally but the engine wasn’t running. They tried again using the Z71 launch sequence but it still didn’t work. “After several attempts to start using the brake+start button method, we noticed a clicking sound that seemed to be coming from the engine cabin just in front of the passenger cabin however it would never ignite/start the engine.” The complaint describes several other attempts, but nothing worked and the vehicle was eventually towed.
“The tow truck driver indicated several new Tahoe drivers experiencing the same issue. To me, this is a software launch issue. While the vehicle was not perceived to be in danger, it left us stranded in what could be a dangerous location.”
Another completely different electrical system complaint highlights issues with audio in the vehicle. “The audio would at times play normal, at times go completely out losing all sound to turn signals, hazard signals, and safety sensor audios inside the vehicle. It would additionally lose communication between the key fob and the unit causing warnings during driving and non-start issues. With that said, the loss of audio when expecting safety sensor sounds, or sudden audio on complete full volume with the only resolution being to shut the car off, is a safety issue.” The eventual diagnosis was that the telecommunication module had malfunctioned.
The forward collision alert system is intended to safeguard drivers and occupants in vehicles. However, the owner of a 2022 Chevrolet Suburban reports in a complaint to the NHTSA that after an OTA software update, it failed to operate. The owner was reversing her Chevy Suburban when it failed. It only had about 1,000 miles on the clock.
The dealer confirmed that the Forward Collision alert system chip needed to be installed. But the chip was on backorder because of a chip shortage and the vehicle was not repaired.
The tires a car rides on say a lot about the safety and handling of the vehicle. But there are Suburban owners who don’t feel safe.
“When I got home I could hear air leaking out of the passenger rear tire. I called OnStar who sent a tow truck driver out to put the spare on. We could not find a nail or anything in the tire but there was about a 1.5-inch crack in the sidewall about 1 inch away from the rim with nothing sticking in it. I took it to the dealership where I purchased the tire and they ordered a replacement tire. They said that I could file a complaint with the State Department of Transportation if I wanted. It cost me about $328 to repair.”
Adding insult to injury, the same thing happened again about two months later. ”The tire sensor light came on saying the passenger rear tire had low air pressure. I pulled into a park and went to look and I again could hear air leaking from the tire. I had not hit any bumps this time, but the tire was completely flat within 20 minutes.
When the tow truck driver came to put the spare on, I explained to him what happened previously and that was the second time this had happened within 2 months of purchasing the vehicle. He looked at the tire with me and it had the same tear in the sidewall in the same location as the previous tire. There was no nail or object in the tire, just a 1.5-inch long rigid crack. I noticed that there had been a Bridgestone recall for this type of tire for size 275 55R20 in 2021 because of a pinhole in the sidewall.”
In Service Bulletin #030310007K dated 8 November, 2021, GM talks about vibrations, shaking, and other characteristics of bad tires. In a more recent bulletin dated 9 June, 2023, GM provides dealerships with information about tire sidewall irregularities. However, they claim “that will not affect durability, reliability or performance of the tires.” Dealerships are told to tell customers that “slight sidewall indentations are a common characteristic of radial tire construction.” There’s no mention of cracks.
Not every NHTSA complaint indicates a lemon. But if your vehicle has persistent problems that substantially impair its safety, use, or value, Lemberg Law can help you assess your problem.
Call our Helpline today. The law makes the manufacturer pay, so you don’t have to worry about legal bills.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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