2021 Chevrolet Suburban: engine failure

Filed Oct 29, 2026 · Engine · OR

In the evening I was driving home locally and noticed a slight lurch in the car when coming to a complete stop at the stoplight. From there I proceeded into my neighborhood. There was a sudden and very loud bang sound like metal and an explosion. Immediately the engine failed and my vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. I also smelled a lot of gasoline. I was unable to shift the vehicle into neutral to move it off the road. I called a tow through AAA. Luckily I was not on the freeway or a busy road when this happened as it could have caused an accident. My vehicle is at a certified chevrolet service center where they confirmed their opinion is the timing chain snapped and destroyed my engine. They are recommending a complete motor replacement. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This vehicle is the same year make and model as a previous recall in 2025 however I am curious as to why my VIN is not included in this recall.

Filed Oct 23, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · CA

I was driving 60 miles per hour on the 101 highway around 8:30AM and a couple error messages suddenly appeared on my dash - one regarding traction control and the other regarding ESC. My engine light continuously flashed. I took the car into the dealership and they requested 3K to take apart the engine to figure out the issue. They now state that the number four cylinder lifters and the camshaft are pitted and thus the cylinder walls of the engine are scratched and thus the cylinder block can not be reused and needs to be replaced. They are requesting an additional 17,000 to replace the engine entirely. There was a recall on this vehicle for March 2021-2024 vehicles. Mine is just outside that recall being manufactured in January or Feburary 2021. Clearly, my issue is suffering the same problem from this recall.

Filed Oct 13, 2026 · Engine · 160,000 miles · AL

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and shut off completely without warning. An attempt was made to restart the vehicle, but the engine failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where a diagnostic inspection revealed a lifter failure, and the engine was replaced. The contact stated that three months after the engine replacement, the engine was leaking oil and the transmission failed. The failure mileage was 160,000.

Filed Oct 6, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · MI

Cylinders were misfiring and lifters had to be completely replaced along with pushrod and camshaft. This cost me $7018.64 to fix out of my own pocket. Received the vehicle back, and there was a slight ticking sound that was new to me. Scheduled to bring the vehicle back in and 2 days before I was scheduled to go in and approximately 1000 miles later, the engine completely shut down while I was driving on the road. As I did not know what was going on and I had my newborn baby in the car, I was panicking as I was trying to figure out how to pull over to get out of traffic. Turns out there are now metal shavings in my engine according to the GM certified dealership that I had the work on the lifters done at in the first place. They are now quoting me an additional $13,000+ dollars to completely replace the engine with one that is not even brand new. Highly disappointed and concerned for my family's and I's safety while driving this vehicle. Also, not happy that I apparently need to spend $20K on a vehicle that I have only brought to certified GM dealerships for work on and I have kept in excellent condition.

Filed Sep 19, 2026 · Engine · AZ

Our Chevy Suburban High Country suffered sudden engine failure resulting in the vehicle to shake and smoke while driving on a busy intersection. The dealership diagnosed internal engine mechanical failure at only 46,000 miles. I believe this is directly tied to the known GM 6.2 L87 engine issues.

Filed Aug 29, 2026 · Engine · TX

Another 6.2 Liter Engine Failure in a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban that is not included in the original Recall affecting 2021 Suburbans Starting March of 2021 this on was purchased in Dec. of 2020.

Filed Aug 28, 2026 · Engine · MO

My engine was initially part of the 6.2L v8 engine recall. The dealer cleared my engine after inspecting it and told me my engine was not affected, but that I had to use corvette engine oil. After my 3rd corvette engine oil change, and two days after having it serviced and getting an all clear inspection from Chevy, the engine blew while going 70 mph on the highway. No warning lights. I looked down at my dash and there was a gray box that said “engine oil pressure low, turn engine off”. By the time I checked my side and rear view mirror I could see clouds of white smoke and other cars flashing me with their headlamps. I was traveling by myself with 4 small children through a very bad part of town. It was frightening. Thankfully we were able to safely pull over and have it towed to Chevy where they confirmed that the engine was blown. Chevy gave me a false sense of security when they told me my engine was not affected. I would never have put my family at risk had I known it was a ticking time bomb.

Filed Aug 24, 2026 · Engine · IA

While coming to a stop on a highway, the engine started running very rough, shaking the vehicle constantly, and the check engine light came on and the ESC failure notice came on. We brought it to an independent repair shop that ran diagnostics and recommended the vehicle needed a new engine and should not be driven for risk of it seizing. They introduced us to the fact that there was a GM recall on this particular engine and production year. Upon taking the vehicle to the local Chevy dealership, they suggested that we first repair a failed cylinder lifter, but that there may also be crankshaft issues, but that it would be costly to determine this for sure and that it was likely more cost effective to replace the whole engine than approach the repairs in order. They also confirmed our VIN was not part of the recall so the replacement engine would be our responsibility. We had the engine replaced back at the independent repair shop. Given the recent recall expansion, I wanted to submit this, as it seems that a broader number of vehicles within the production years of this engine should be considered included in this recall.

Filed Jul 7, 2026 · Engine · GA

I had a recall serviced on a Friday which was completed by the dealership. My car sat all weekend and was not driven until Monday AM which was fine. After work, there were several warning lights that popped up and it was making a terrible noise. I was unable to drive home and had to have my car towed to the dealership. Following there inspection, my engine had to be replaced due to a known issue with this engine and GM. Cylinder #2 misfire, lost compression - lifter had spun in guide, camshaft is damaged - engine needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, I was just out of warranty so it was either pay $12,000+ for a new engine or walk away from a car that I love. I just don't understand why if GM knows this is an issue, why there is not some sort of recall on it.

Filed Apr 4, 2026 · Electrical · OK

Had an engine replacement in dec of 2025 and had to pay for it since wasn’t under warranty or recall. And now my replacement engine which has a warranty now. Just failed in March 2026 which about 3 months later. Had metal shavings in engine and multiple cylinders misfiring. And now I don’t have a family vehicle to drive my family around again. There should’ve been a recall on my engine, but wasn’t this is not fair. And I’m paying the price for it.

Filed Mar 23, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · CA

My 2021 Chevrolet Suburban experienced a sudden and complete engine failure at approximately 79,000 miles. The vehicle became inoperable and is currently at a dealership pending evaluation. There were no prior warnings indicating an imminent catastrophic failure. A sudden engine failure of this nature presents a significant safety concern, including the risk of loss of propulsion during operation. The failure has been confirmed by the dealership, and no repairs have been authorized at this time pending further review. This complaint is being submitted to document a sudden and severe engine failure and to request evaluation of potential safety-related defects involving internal engine components.

Filed Mar 11, 2026 · Engine · 92,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH on the highway, the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired out-of-pocket. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.