My 2023 Chevrolet Suburban RST equipped with the 6.2L V8 engine has developed serious transmission and drivetrain issues following an engine replacement performed under a GM recall approximately one year ago. Shortly after the engine replacement, the transmission began exhibiting unusual shifting behavior. The dealership advised that the transmission needed to reset or relearn its shifting patterns. However, approximately 10,000 miles later, the problems have continued and become increasingly concerning.The vehicle now shifts extremely hard when engaging Drive or Reverse and experiences harsh, abrupt shifts while driving. More concerning, the rear wheels have appeared to lock up unexpectedly on multiple occasions at low speeds, creating a dangerous situation where the driver could lose control of the vehicle or be struck by another vehicle. I reported these problems to the Chevrolet dealership, but I was informed that they could not reproduce the issue or identify any diagnostic trouble codes. Despite these serious symptoms, the underlying problem remains unresolved. I am concerned that this may be a transmission, torque converter, transmission control module, or drivetrain defect affecting other GM vehicles equipped with similar powertrains. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate these potentially dangerous failures, particularly the unexpected drivetrain locking and severe transmission engagement issues, before they result in a serious accident or injury.
2023 Chevrolet Suburban: engine failure
37 of the 133 complaints about the 2023 Chevrolet Suburban describe engine failure.
- owner complaints
- 37
- of this car's complaints
- 28%
- typical mileage
- 50,000
- recalls
- 1
Engine failure by model year
What owners say
I was driving south on Highway 395 with 2 of my friends on our way home from vacation, which is a 2 lane road in the mountains. About 45 miles north of Victorville, CA. As I was accelerating, my vehicle all of a sudden dropped adaptive cruise control, the engine light started blinking, traction control errored, and I got a service ESC message on the dash. I let off the gas a little and everything seemed fine but when I reapplied pressure to the gas pedal the engine started making a loud ticking sound and had barely any propulsion. I had to keep going and was luckily able to find a safe place to pull off the road (which had many blind curves and minimal shoulder space along the highway). Had there not been a safe place to pull over before the engine completely died we could have been hit by any of the many semi trucks traveling on that road. After waiting 2 hours for a tow truck and having the vehicle towed to the Chevrolet dealer in Victorville, I was provided a small SUV rental vehicle to drive the remaining 150 miles home while I left my 2023 Suburban High Country for them to disassemble. When I called the next day they verified there was a Rod Bearing Failure inside the engine and they were submitting to GM for engine replacement. There were NO symptoms before the engine failure happened.
Tuesday October 6th, 2026, I dropped my 2 children off at school and was driving on the highway to work through heavy traffic when I had a suddenly loud knocking coming from my car, transmission not wanting to shift properly, high rpm’s for extended periods of time. I was able to safely make it to the dealership with about 10 minutes, where it was determined L87 engine failure had occurred. I am sickened that this vehicle is advertised as a family vehicle, knowing the engine failure issues!
The vehicle experienced an initial incident of significant engine power loss while traveling at highway speeds approximately two weeks prior to the eventual complete engine failure. During that incident, the vehicle unexpectedly lost engine power while traveling at speeds exceeding 65 mph. On Thursday, September 3, 2026, a second incident occurred within approximately one-half mile of leaving my residence. The vehicle again experienced a significant loss of engine power. I had already notified the dealership of the this occurrence and had a scheduled appointment for repairs the following day. I was attempting to drive the vehicle to the dealership as planned. Shortly after leaving my neighborhood, I stopped at a nearby gas station after the vehicle displayed a "Low Oil Pressure" warning on the dashboard. I also subsequently received an email notification from OnStar identifying diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0016. The vehicle was then driven again and subsequently experienced a catastrophic and complete loss of engine power while traveling at highway speeds above 65 mph. Following this failure, the engine would not turn over or crank and the vehicle could not be restarted. The sequence of events is significant because the vehicle had previously experienced engine power loss at highway speeds, the dealership had been notified of the initial incident, and the vehicle was being driven to the dealership for its scheduled repair appointment when the second power-loss event occurred. The vehicle subsequently suffered complete engine failure. I am documenting these events, including the dates, circumstances, dashboard warning, OnStar diagnostic notification, and sequence of failures, for purposes of establishing the history of the vehicle's mechanical problem and the circumstances leading to the catastrophic engine failure.
Complete engine failure on 2023 Chevrolet Suburban 6.2L. On October 31, 2024 while on the interstate. The truck shut off twice with no warning. I was able to make it to the side of the interstate twice to restart. The truck was taken to Serpentini Chevrolet and they stated no issues were found and send the vehicle back on the road. On December 13,2024 while on a state route, speed limit 55, 12,231 miles the Suburban abruptly slowed down and violently started to shake and knock. I pulled off to the side of the state route and waited approx 2 hours for the vehicle to be towed. The vehicle was towed to Serpentini Chevrolet and they stated the engine was blown and needed replaced. The vehicle was at the dealership until February 13, 2025 when the engine was replaced. The recall was released in April 2025 at which time the vehicle was taken in for the oil change “repair”. The truck now has 20,200 miles and is lacking power and starting to shake when accelerating from 0-50mph. I will be scheduling additional service in the coming week. While going through the blown engine, GM stopped responding to emails, did not compensate for months of payments I incurred while they had the vehicle and they are still selling unsafe vehicle.
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while entering a parking lot at a low speed, the engine shut off without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure, which was associated with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle remained at the dealer for approximately three months before the engine was repaired. The contact stated that while driving recently, the vehicle hesitated upon depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning light illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the recent failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
My 2023 Chevrolet Suburban equipped with the 3.0L Duramax diesel engine (LM2) has experienced a recurring engine oil leak involving the rear main seal/lower timing cover area. The vehicle has required repeated dealer repairs for substantially the same oil-leak condition, including major engine-related disassembly, but the leak has returned after repair. This is a safety concern because failure of the rear main seal or lower timing cover sealing system can result in loss of engine oil while the vehicle is being operated. A significant oil loss could potentially cause loss of oil pressure, engine damage or engine failure and resulting loss of propulsion while driving. Leaking engine oil also has the potential to contact hot engine or exhaust components, creating an additional safety concern. The problem has been inspected and confirmed by authorized GM dealerships and documented on multiple repair orders. This does not appear to be an isolated occurrence on this vehicle because substantially the same engine oil leak has required repair more than once. GM has previously issued service information, including Bulletin PIP5795, concerning rear main oil leaks on 3.0L LM2 Duramax engines where the rear main oil seal may move or become severely shifted out of position in the timing chain lower cover. I am concerned that repeated repair of this condition may not adequately address the underlying cause and that the oil leak could recur while the vehicle is being driven. I am requesting that the federal safety agency review complaints and repair data involving rear main seal/lower timing cover oil leaks on GM 3.0L Duramax-equipped vehicles to determine whether a broader safety-related defect exists.
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the transmission erroneously shifted to neutral(N), and the vehicle decelerated unexpectedly. The vehicle was pulled off the freeway and parked on the shoulder of the road, and the police were contacted and arrived at the scene and assisted with removing the small children from the vehicle. The vehicle was later towed to a nearby towing lot. The contact later received messages on the App for transmission and engine failures. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V274000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); even though the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 25,300.
I brought my Chevrolet Suburban High Country in to the dealer pursuant to a recall for engine issues due to a manufacturing defect in connecting rods and crankshafts that can cause catastrophic engine failure. The service center changed the oil viscosity and fill cap and stated that the change should eliminate the issue. I have had persistent engine knocking upon acceleration since then and it is getting louder and more prominent. A suspension warning intermittently flashes as well. Please advise, thank you
The engine of this car has been under recall for multiple issues during the time we have owned it. The most recent issue that was experienced was total engine failure and electrical malfunction while driving on a busy street near train tracks. The vehicle was making a loud banging sound moments before this occurred. I wasn't even given time to get to a safe spot to investigate the issue. When it shut down, a quick message flashed across the dash board--stating ability to shift had been lost (or something to that effect)--the vehicle then flipped into neutral and immediately lost power. My safety was put at great risk due to the fact that the entire vehicle shut down moments after I crossed over a very busy railway track. The vehicle had to be towed to a nearby Chevrolet dealership where it has been confirmed there was total engine failure as well as blown main electrical fuse.
My 2023 Chevrolet Suburban Premier is covered under GM recall 25V‑274 for the 6.2L L87 engine defect (loss of propulsion from connecting rod and crankshaft failure). In XXX, the dealer notified me my vehicle required a full engine replacement under this recall. Wareing Sheridan Chevrolet in [XXX] replaced the engine, and the vehicle was out of service approximately 12 to 14 days. Approximately 6,000 miles later, on XXX, the replacement engine failed while I was driving on the interstate highway near Billings, Montana. There were no warning indicators of any kind until I suddenly lost power. Only at the moment power was lost did the check engine light come on and a low oil pressure warning appear. I was barely able to get the vehicle off the interstate before it died. I had my family in the vehicle, and losing power on the interstate with no warning created a serious risk of a crash. The vehicle had to be towed to Denny Menholt Chevrolet in Billings, MT. On June 13, 2026, the dealer confirmed the vehicle needs a second complete engine replacement under the same recall. This is the second L87 engine failure and second full engine replacement on this vehicle under recall 25V‑274. No crash or injuries occurred. I have an open case with GM (#XXX). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The engine siezed up due to the issues that are related to the recall. Currently waiting for a new engine, it has been almost 5 weeks and no time frame on when it will be fixed.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Condition where the connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components in these vehicles may have...
- Under Field Actions N252494000, N252494001, the service procedure includes performing a PICO test on...
- Condition that could
- This technical bulletin provides a procedure to replace the camshaft actuator magnet to correct customer...
- This service bulletin provides information on replacing the intake manifold when the engine is replaced...
- This bulletin advises the tech to inspect deeper into what may be to main
- The service bulletin advises the tech of a normal transmission shift condition and the delay in throttle...
- This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel for new vehicles with less than 1,000...
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with a 6.2L V8 gas engine. The connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage and engine failure.
- Risk
- Engine failure increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the engine, and as necessary, repair or replace the engine. For vehicles that pass inspection, dealers will add higher viscosity oil, install 6 oil fill cap, replace the oil filter, and update the owner's manual. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 18, 2025. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4223, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is N252494000.
Recall number 25V274000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2023 Chevrolet Suburban engine failure
Is engine failure a common problem on the 2023 Chevrolet Suburban?
37 of 133 owner complaints about the 2023 Chevrolet Suburban (28%) mention engine failure. The model year with the most reports is 2021.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2023 Chevrolet Suburban?
There is 1 recall and 106 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2023 Chevrolet Suburban
Check engine light 18Loss of power 16Won't start 7Knocking 6Stalling 6Misfire 5
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