Cam shaft lifter motor failure. Was rebuilt by GM dealership and one year later engine failed agian no warranty in both cases becasue I was just over the milage threshold.
Chevrolet Suburban engine failure problems
204 of the 8,047 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Suburban describe engine failure, most of them for the 2021 model year.
- owner complaints
- 204
- worst model year
- 2021
- typical repair cost reported
- $9,434
- typical mileage
- 89,139
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Loss of power 33Check engine light 26Knocking 24Misfire 13Stalling 12Oil consumption 10Won't start 9Fuel pump 9
Trouble codes mentioned
P129F 1P0601 1P0016 1
What owners say
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.
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.
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.
Driving our 2024 Suburban, 6.2 L engine, on a 2-lane highway in southern Utah, traveling on cruise control at 70 mph, felt 2 hesitations (jerking movement), and turned off cruise control. Immediately after, heard knocking/thumping sound in the front of the vehicle, followed by a whining sound that got louder. Immediately found a turn-off from the highway, pulled in, and engine died while vehicle was still in motion. Attempted starting again and would not start. People stopped to help us and tried to jump vehicle without success. Suburban was towed to a Chevy dealership and we were told the Suburban's engine seized. In researching this issue, we came across the federal safety agency's investigation case EA26005. Our VIN does not fall in to this recall.
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.
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!
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.
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine failed after the message “Drive Carefully - Reduce Acceleration” was displayed and the vehicle then came to a sudden stop. The vehicle was unable to accelerate, and the engine seized. The contact replaced the battery, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the vehicle was diagnosed with a blown engine. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was 125,000.
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
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks equipped with an 8.1l v8 engine, the crankshaft position can operate intermittently or fail completely. If the sensor operates intermittently, the ses light may illuminate and the vehicle may run rough. The engine may stall, and if so, may re-start immediately or after a cool down period.
- Risk
- If the sensor becomes completely inoperative, the engine will quit running and will not re-start. Either of these failures can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the crankshaft position sensor free of charge. The recall began on december 18, 2007. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 and gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.
Recall number 07V521000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks equipped with an 8.1l v8 (rpo l8-VIN g) engine have a condition in which the engine fuel rail pulse damper retainer clip may fracture resulting in inadequate retention of the damper.
- Risk
- If the damper comes loose, a fuel leak may result. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the engine fuel rail pulse damper retainer clip free of charge. The recall began on august 31, 2006. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 and gmc trucks at 1‑866‑996‑9463.
Recall number 06V289000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Suburban engine failure
Which Chevrolet Suburban years have engine failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2021 (44 complaints), 2023 (37 complaints) and 2022 (32 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix engine failure on the Chevrolet Suburban?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $9,434 (median of 17 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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