I was driving in [XXX] on 1604 and the car was driving fine and out of nowhere. The car started shaking while on the highway for about seven8 seconds and then I heard an explosion smoke and fire. I pulled to the side. The car was on fire. The whole car was on fire within a minute or two I always took care of the car. Don’t understand how that happened. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Chevrolet Suburban fire or smoke problems
97 of the 8,047 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Suburban describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 1996 model year.
- owner complaints
- 97
- worst model year
- 1996
- typical mileage
- 120,000
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Engine failure 4Airbag light 4Won't start 3Overheating 3ABS 3Tire blowout 2Jerking 2Fuel smell 2
What owners say
The vehicle caught on fire in our garage The Vehicle had been parked outside than moved into the garage nothing smelled like smoke after it was parked other than the exhaust after I got out of my suburban I have a good idea what caused this but until its done being ispected I happened to look back and saw a flame in the Suburban coming from the center area of the dash on the right hand side of the divers seat I thought for sure it was gonna blow up the dogs were in the back of the garage behind the vehicle off to the side I started screaming and calling for help and had to go around the house to the front door to get my husband and him and one of my sons went out there why I called 911 and was with my other son whom has a disability and they told us to get out of the house and I could not get back to the garage we were on the other side of the house going to go out on the patio my other son and husband were in the garage trying to put it out and getting to the two dogs my son went through the smoke to reach the dogs were one ran out on her own and the young German shorthair was in shock and he had to carry the 2 year old out and put them in a safe place but my husband was still trying to put out the fire he hooked his pick up to the suburban to try to pull it out of the garage and it moved maybe a few inches he was stuffing wet towels on it also to try to stop it nothing worked the fire dept showed up and police after having to tear the inside of the front of the dash out our home owners insurance adjuster was out yesterday The Suburban has had multiple and thousands of dollars of mechanical issues even Gm putting a new engine in it after only a year in a half of owning it fluid got pushed up into the wiring after a service last year there was splater inside the dash glass after a new steering wheel was istalled and I asked the dealer if they could fix that and they said that they didn't go inside there the amount of detail that has led up to this is huge
We experienced catastrophic failure while driving the vehicle on the highway. It stopped working with no warning leaving our family stranded in the lane with heavy traffic all around us. The steering wheel would not move the car would not go in neutral and there was a burning smell coming from the hood. My kids were terrified. We had to wait for state police and a tow truck while praying that the cars behind us would stop in time. We are very lucky there was not an accident. The car is with the Chevy dealer now.
I parked at my home, approximately 5 minutes after arriving home my grandson ran in yelling papa your car is on fire. The engine was on fire, shooting flames onto the windsheild. The cause of fire is unknown at this time.
I put vehicle in Chevy dealership 7/8/24 for cold start knocking sound. Dealers called 2 days later said it was defective lifter issue on the 6.2 liter GM engine.Dealer ordered new engine.on 8/23/24 while test driving vehicle with new engine in it while driving on the highway a fire started under the engine. I was told by dealer that people were telling the driver the vehicle was on fire. He abandoned the vehicle on the highway as it burned up inside and outside. Fire trucks put the fire out.Vehicle is total loss. Waiting two weeks for GM to tell me what they will do to help me. No reply to phone calls or emails unless I call them to check and find out what is going on. I wrote email to GM CEO and no reply. Insurance for me offered me pay out of current value. GMis supposedly going to investigate the vehicle and the cause of fire. Lifter issue is widespread on these engines. Many lawsuits. Vehicle is still in dealer lot burned up waiting for gm to investigate it. I am getting no resolution from GM to help me fully recover from this with new vehicle. If no one had told mechanic that vehicle was on fire who knows if he would have gotten out safely before engulfed in flames. I could not upload additional photos due to site no working.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving 50-60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started jerking. Additionally, the contact noticed that there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to Triple A service station, where the cause of the failure could not be determined; however, unknown plugs and wire were replaced. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where flour coil packs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that intake lifter of cylinder #1 was not moving due to a collapsed lifter roller, which lead to oil built up on the oil pan and the rear main seal. The dealer determined that engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.
While driving the Suburban in the early morning of Sunday, March 26, our Suburban's started on fire from under the front hood. The fire quickly engulfed the entire vehicle within minutes, destroying everything inside of it.
The contact owned a 2022 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while his wife was driving at approximately 30 MPH she crashed into another vehicle striking the driver's side door of the other vehicle, which then crashed into another vehicle in the rear having been redirected from the force of the impact. The vehicle had been moved in the same direction that the wife's vehicle was traveling. The vehicle that the wife had crashed into had run a stop sign. The contact stated that all the front air bags deployed, however, the wife told him that the passenger side air bag had begun to emit smoke after deploying and then a fire started. The contact stated that the vehicle had stopped after the impact and that his wife was having difficulty unbuckling her seat belt. The wife had stated that OnStar had contacted her the moment following the crash, she told OnStar that she was having trouble unbuckling and that the vehicle was on fire. OnStar released her seat belt. The police, ambulance, and fire department were on the scene. There were no injuries, however, the contact's vehicle was fully engulfed in flames and exploded. The contact stated that the fire department extinguished the fire with water. The police wrote a report. The other two vehicles drove away from the scene, and the contact's vehicle was towed to a police impound lot. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while her son was seated in the driver's side front seat with the door opened, the key was not in the ignition, the doors inadvertently locked and unlocked. The contact's son noticed that there was smoke coming from the dash and exited the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact and her son detected a burning odor and noticed that there was smoke coming from underneath the hood; however, there were no flames. The contact's son opened the hood and disconnected the battery. The fire department arrived and inspected the vehicle. The fireman informed the contact that the alternator and battery connectors were extremely hot. The fire department assisted in moving the vehicle away from the residence. A fire department report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was diagnosed but still hasn't been repaired. The contact related the failure to a faulty electrical system. The vehicle was not yet deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
We had the 2006 Suburban parked with the engine running while our family was just starting to get in. A couple of them noticed a slight smoke smell which we followed and we trailed it to the rear of the vehicle. While I was pulling off a left rear column trim piece to locate where the smoke was coming from, the far rear dome light fixture started dripping melted and burning plastic close by my head. I looked up and saw the rear dome light fixture on fire and flicked it down into the rear cargo area. One of the family was already fetching a fire extinguisher and as they arrived I used it to put out what fire was left in the headliner.
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks manufactured January 24, 2014, to February 26, 2014, 2015 Chevrolet Suburban vehicles manufactured February 12, 2014 and Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles manufactured February 6, 2014, to February 13, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
- Risk
- If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on November 20, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 15573.
Recall number 15V640000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
- Risk
- If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006 (Cadillac), 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), or 1‑800‑462‑8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.
Recall number 14V827000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.
- Risk
- If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), and 1‑800‑462‑8782 (GMC). GMs number for this recall is 14515.
Recall number 14V614000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.
- Risk
- It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 10V240000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 buick lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; my 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, saturn outlook; and my 2008 buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire.
- Risk
- This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080; cadillac at 1‑800‑982‑2339 or http://www.cadillac.com; chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 or http://www.saturn.com, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9436; or hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493; or through their website at http://www.gmownercenter.com .
Recall number 08V441000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Suburban fire or smoke
Which Chevrolet Suburban years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1996 (10 complaints), 1999 (9 complaints) and 2002 (8 complaints).
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