2009 Chevrolet Suburban 1500: doors won't lock, open or latch

Filed Dec 26, 2018 · 109,000 miles · MD

On three (3) separate occasions in the past year, the vehicle enters what appears to be an "electrical system reset" of sorts. This has occurred on long distance trips during operation at highway speeds. The entire electrical system will suddenly power off and on repeatedly, the electric door locks will unlock and relock, the engine will lose power (quite scary at highway speeds) and the vehicle must be removed from the road, powered down, let sit idle for 5-10 minutes and then can be restarted to a normal operating condition. It is almost as if the computer system is resetting itself while the vehicle is in operation and moving. This has happened three (3) times in the past year - all on long trips - march, july, and november. The most recent, instance occurred about three hours into a return trip home and recurred again about 1-1/2 hours later (10 minutes from home) during the same trip. By restarting/resetting the vehicle, I was able to get home. I took to advanced auto and the diagnostic came up negative - no codes, battery and startup all good. I have a large family and use this vehicle to transport them around town and for vacations and such. This is quite a dangerous situation when it occurs and I am afraid it may leave us stranded at some point in time, or worse.

Filed Jun 16, 2017 · Electrical · 66,200 miles · TX

Door lock/unlock actuators are failing to operate, which poses safety concern for children in these vehicles. I've had two fail. This is a common and wide-spread issue with many 2007-2013 gm trucks and suvs. Just for my particular vehicle (2009 suburban) I counted 13 other complaints (with the federal safety agency id #s) on this website for this issue. Apparently the electric motor in the actuator module for each door lock is poor quality and prone to failure. Given the safety risk and number of vehicles involved, I'm surprised that a recall has not been issued.

Filed Jul 14, 2013 · Locks · 67,000 miles · PA

The door lock on the driver side second row would not unlock when the car was parked either by the inside unlock mechanism or the remote control door unlock button. Had to manually unlock in from the inside which was difficult because of having a carseat back there. Should there have been an issue where I needed to get my child out in a hurry, there could have been a major issue.

Filed Oct 25, 2012 · Electrical · 21,000 miles · MS

At 21,000 miles right read door lock would not operate electronically. Had to manually move door lock button. Dealer replaced lock actuator. At 49,000 miles driver's door lock also became inoperable. Dealer replaced actuator. This seems to be a chronic defect.

Filed Mar 14, 2011 · Locks · 35,000 miles · TX

2009 chevy suburban currently has 57,000 miles. Starting around 30,000 miles the automatic locks started to stop working. Now the passenger front, passenger rear, and drivers side read door locks do not work. They do not lock or unlock while pushing the switch on door or using the remote. Took to dealer today and was advised that the cost to repair would be $875.00. Researched the item and it seems to be an ongoing and frequent problem over the past few years, yet gm is not doing anything about it. This is a safety concern to those of us who have children as the doors to do not automatically lock like they are supposed to and they can be unlocked while the vehicle is in motion. I think that this is an issue that needs to be investigated due to the high number of complaints that have been made, the high number of repairs that have taken place for this, the high cost to correct the problem, and the safety issue that it can cause.