Used 2011 Chevrolet Suburban Consumer Reviews
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Best family vehicle
Bought it used in may 2012 with 30,000 miles for $34,000 otd. Now has 98,000 from tons of road trips, running around town and heavy [8000#] towing. All that is needed is basic maintenance to make it last, which i do all myself with walmart brand synthetics. I did add a 30k transmission cooler and a engine oil cooler to help with the towing loads right after purchasing. Parts replaced: ac blower motor @95k rotor & pads @90k, they had tons of pad remaining but pulsation was bad... battery @60k I plan on keeping this suburban for a very long time. Update Dec, 2016: 126,000 miles Now towing 9000# often since adding some dirt bikes to the trailer. Replaced Motor mounts @100k New battery and Front Axle seal@115k Dash is cracking update: June, 2017 136,000 miles Transmission rubber line split, toasted it ....expensive early rebuild that could have been avoided! Installed a 40k trucool cooler afterwards.
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Very reliable
Purchased this vehicle brand new in 2011... It is now March 2020... Vehicle currently has just over 235000 miles on it.. This has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned.. Very few issues to report.. The driver side power mirror needed Replacing in 2018.. Front right caliber was replaced in 2017 due to a very minor fluid leak. At the moment the vehicle runs a bit rough while in idle... Check engine light is on. Will update with information as to cause of the problem after it's fixed.. Over all I am Very happy with this vehicle..
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- LT 1500 4dr SUVMSRP: $5,510204 mi away
- LT 1500 4dr SUVMSRP: $7,900144 mi away
- LTZ 1500 4dr SUVMSRP: $10,990487 mi away
My first Chevrolet Suburban LT
Great on long distance traveling. During summer we drove about 600 miles comfortably over Donner Pass and the Grapevine (both ways)without stopping for gasoline or needing a break. Outside temperature ranged from 80 (Reno) to 113 degrees (Bakersfield), but inside it was about 72. Still showing 19.2 mpg with mix of city/rural driving, but I am usually light on the gas pedal except when climbing hills. Up to now I am very happy with purchase and ability to fit in lots of people and infant seats. Easy access to the 3rd row and the large cargo area for carrying weekly groceries or bulky items. I think a full sized mattress would fit with rear seat removed and 2nd row folded. XM radio
Fantastic all-around vehicle
Expensive- yes. Great gas mileage- no. Worth it- yes! I took out the third row seat which makes for a very large cargo area, especially with the rear captain seats also folded down. I've made many trips home from Home Depot with it loaded up. Also have gone on several cross country trips with it loaded up. It's nice not to have to pick and choose what to take based on limited cargo space. Also, everything stays secure and dry without extra effort. The ride is very comfortable. Love the heated and cooled captain seats. The 4wd comes in handy in Michigan. It wasn't cheap, but I can use this vehicle for basically anything and everything I would ever want.
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I love my Suburban!
I read Jen's review and while the sunroof leak is regrettable, it sounds to me like the dealership is the real problem. That is unfortunate. My Z71 4WD Suburban has performed flawlessly, providing reliable service day after day. I drive ranch roads and tow a boat and do a fair amount of highway driving. lots of different surfaces and conditions, and this vehicle carries me everywhere in comfort AND holds everything I can stuff into it. I've had no problems whatsoever and have complete confidence in the Suburban. If you can stand the gas mileage - you don't buy a Suburban to get great mileage - then I highly recommend this great truck. And no, I don't sell them.
Shuddering Suburban
My 2009 Suburban is spacious, elegant and well built. The cabin is very quiet at any speed, and the handling for such a large vehicle is impressive. I have a large family and the Suburban is the only "Car" that suits my needs. The Suburban has the ability to cut down to 4 cylinders on flat or down hill surfaces to improve fuel economy. The down side to this feature, which is standard on ALL models, is the unfortunate tendency to "shudder". The truck will "buck" during a coast. Sometimes accompanied by a distinct clattering from the engine compartment. Additionally, when accelerating up hill, the truck will lumber, failing to accelerate, as the engine screams to answer the command.
Almost Perfect Tow Vehicle
Traded my 2004 3/4 Ton in. The new hitch Platform is appx. 3" higher than the old one, so the trailer tongue and hitch needed to be adjusted. The engine Combo with the 6 speed Transmisson pulls my 24' 10'tall Wells Cargo trailer very well. Weight 3000 lbs empty and 8500 lbs with my Pierce or Bentley loaded. 2400 miles so far and 350 towing. In Tow Mode with a full load the transmission will down shift to hold the load back when needed. It shifted down to 2nd gear at 35mph. The tach popped to 4500rpm. but did in fact help slow the vehicle. I achieved 9.0MPG towing on highways and back roads on pretty agressive hills and valleys. w/o trailer I got 20 MPG on pure highway driving.
Fun to drive & safe!
We are very happy with our new Suburban LTZ. We were able to get one of the last 2010 models. So far, everything is great. Impressed with the NAV, particularly compared to our Acura MDX. OnStar is also impressive, but a bit expensive once the free trial is up. Very smooth ride, quiet, and a great sound system. Sufficient power and the cylinder management really seems to help with gas mileage. It is a big car, so it takes time to get used to the braking. We now have plenty of room for the kids and dog.
Great family hauler
With four kids and doing a lot of winter traveling in New England this Suburban was perfect. Holds all of our gear, feels safe on the road and no vehicle is better driving on the highway with a car full. Mechanically solid. Electronics leave a bit to be desired. Little things like cruise control and rear window wiper stopped working for no known reason. Brakes have to be replaced more often than normal and the front suspension has had to be rebuilt. But it's a heave vehicle so I guess that's normal and to be expected.
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Chevy is letting me down...
I Recently purchased my Suburban less than a month ago and I'm already running into nightmares with constant trips to the dealership. My check engine light has already came on twice due to the ECU (Computer) changing my fuel settings which ends up leading to my truck not starting or running extremely rough. They keep resetting the ECU and it will run for a couple of days but I'll end up right back to where I started from, not driving. The truck is at the dealership as I write this... so beware, this truck is an electronic mess. Now I'm sure I just ended up getting a bad build from the factory line but there are a few people already out there suffering with the same problems that I'm having.
Great vehicle with poor GM support
This is a great vehicle and was just the right size for my whole family. I bought this vehicle used and was a good deal so I jumped on it. A few months after we took possession of the vehicle, the dashboard started to crack by the passenger-side airbag and then on top of the instrument cluster. I come to find out that this a common and very documented occurrence on 07-13 full-size GM trucks and SUVs. The bad part of this is that GM will not recall this issue even though the cracks occur in the same places in all of these vehicles. They say it's not a safety issue - wait until the airbag deploys and the plastic shrapnel come flying towards you or the dashboard rips apart during a crash and slices through your arms, head, etc. Even worse is that GM dealerships are being authorized to repair this with GM's consent but there is no uniform pricing. Some customers are paying $100, some pay $300, others pay $750 while others do not have to pay anything. First of all, this is not the consumers' fault that these materials are defective so the customer should not have to pay anything. I have had cars and trucks from other manufacturers that were more than 5 years old and the dash and every other interior material seems to be just fine. Suffice it to say, we're not buying another GM product again. Update: The Suburban has been traded - good riddance.
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Avoid Suburbans with 5.3 engine
Hey everyone have had on going issues with my truck and wanted to share my experience . I have a 2009 Suburban with the 5.3 liter engine. I have been to the dealer 4 times with engine related issues. Me and my family have been left at the roadside by this truck. The truck has had the engine rebuilt at 38000 miles by the dealership and continues to consume oil at 41000 miles. I have no confidence in this truck any longer. I've requested a new engine or buyback. Best GM has to offer is $2000 certificate towards purchase of another GM product. Avoid the 5.3 liter versions of the Suburban/ Tahoe/ Yukon as many have had engine problems.
This Gen of Suburbans is only good to haul people, the utility/camping aspect is gone.
We have always had Suburbans and loved them, until the 2007-2014 body style. GM has really screwed the pouch on the interior design. The Dash is awkward and has no room for stuff (very important for long drives) and for the first time ever they don't offer a fold flat interior.... What gives, the say it's not cost effective, but yet they are charging 60k for one... I am selling mine because the back of the truck is only good to haul people, not cargo, not dogs or camping. As far as I am concerned I will not be buying anything newer then 2006... I can't believe we bailed GM out...
BEST SUV I HAVE EVER OWNED OVERALL
Bought a 2009 Ltz with one owner with 49k miles. About 1 year ago. (Feb) 2015. Absolutely love it and will never own but these again. Parts cost a lot so make sure you have a warranty. A lot of electronics in this vehicle and are not cheap. Thank goodness for my warranty because I had small parts to be fixed. All over 200 each. Cruise control switch, air bag sensor, and side mirror interal clip that makes your windows bind in that was a 400 dollar repair. Thank goodness for my extended warranty. That was all covered. I also has the suspension light come on. Had to have a shock absorber replaced that was 600 which I had to pay. So with all that the truck is great and I love every bit of it. But not to cheap to repair. Overall worth it all.
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Clanking Noise Everytime it drives
I have a 2009 Suburban that has been in the dealership 3 times for the same thing. Everytime the car is driven cold there is a clanking noise somewhere. The dealership could not find out what it was so they started to say that at first it was a broken weld, then they said the chassis had some bolts tightened, then they tightened up bolts in the transmission. I don't feel like it is a safe drive at all and am very concerned that the dealership is with holding information from me. Oh and when I asked them for my paper work the 2nd visit they didn't want to give it to me. I had to argue with them to release the paperwork to me. Very concerned and the car was not cheap.
I Love My Suburban (Big Black)
I've had everything from Corvettes to Jeeps (my family owned 3 new car franchises) and for a "Grown Up" the Suburban is the perfect vehicle for me at this stage (50 years old). My black LTZ gets looks everywhere because it evokes the Secret Service / Government impression. The LTZ package offers all of the amenities that I need. My actual mileage is a very respectable 15 MPG and would be substantially better if I didn't use the remote starter so much (to warm/cool the interior). Also, mileage would be better if I didn't have such a heavy foot. For me this is the right vehicle at the right time.
Best Vehicle Ever
This thing hauls, well, pretty much everything. My Family of six and 3 other adult relatives, the shortest being around 5 foot 8, travel with unbeleivable comfort. Bottom line, there is no better SUV on the market than you will find at a GM dealership.
Buyer Beware
Nothing but headaches since we purchased it. Back and forth to dealership to address shuddering/vibration and power issues. (5 times so far) No codes no TSB so they say no problem, car has intermittent shudder at low speeds occurring while accelerating up incline now occurs any time accelerating. Told vibration is normal for these vehicles due to electronic drive system.hesitation when pressing on gas going up inclines lack of power feels as if struggling to get up hill,could not imagine how this could tow anything,shuddering at times is quite severe in as whole vehicle feels as if it shakes, does not seem normal.Customer service at GM is less than helpful
SofarSogood
Traded in my 2006 Expedition. Loved the Expedi, but wanted more room and hated the look of the Expedi EL. Drove the Suburban for 800 miles around town and then took it 4,600 miles back east with the whole crew. Excellent truck. Great ride and the best looking SUV out there. The mileage was unreal, averaged 18.5mpg for the trip. Mostly highway, but 4x4 on the beaches of the Outer Banks for 7 days. The six speed tranny is good, but it does shift abruptly and awkwardly once in a while. The seats are super comfortable, but I went with cloth because I am sick of the leather looking like crap after a year. This is the worst Chevy cloth ever, everything pills up on it so get seat covers.
Trading up
Just traded in an 07 on an 09 suburban and pleased with the six speed transmission. The 07 had a four speed transmission (I think the 08 year had both but on different models) and the shifting is much smoother. It also finally has blue tooth. Other than that, it is the same truck as what we had and we were pretty happy with it.
The Granddaddy of SUVs
This is our second Suburban. After watching people use and enjoy these big rigs for years, we finally joined the other Suburban owners and we love them. For a "do everything, go anywhere and do it in absolute comfort", it is really hard to beat a Suburban. A/V controls are not as easy to use or see as the 2005 model and I really don't like the seats as well. But otherwise, everything is improved, especially the structure of the chassis, fit and finish and especially the addition of the 6 speed automatic transmission. We really planned to buy a new Expedition EL and test drove both of them several times, but the ride and quietness of the Suburban won out.
Lemon!
This was my first American car purchased. It will also be my last. Less than six months and I've already been to the dealership four times for problems to be addressed. First was the seating. It felt like an extra bar was in the seat that was pushing upwards. It was intolerable to drive more than 5 miles without it hurting . The second was the A/C. It blows hot air when the A/C is on. Not good for a 100 degree day. Very disappointed in overall quality. I expected much more from a company that has made such a dramatic financial turnaround.
2010 Suburban LTZ 1500
Great vehicle with lots of room, a bit under powered, but atiquie. Tons of room and towing capacity.
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Owner Review 2009 Suburban
Purchased a 2009 Suburban, my 12th Suburban since 1980. The vehicle is the best designed, finshed and highest quality Suburban yet. Fit and finish are perfect and engine noise is nonexistant. The handling and steering are perfectly tuned, and the vehicle feels like a lightweight crossover when you are cornering and drving city traffic. Amazing how they have accomplished it. For anyone who needs a big SUV (as I do) you cannot do better than this one. My only complaint is that Chevy can't figure out how to make the middle row seats lay flat. A very minor issue, however. On a scale of owner satisfaction and value I would rate my Suburban as a 9.8.
Nice Truck
Just bought the Suburban LTZ for my wife and 4 daughters. So far VERY happy with the Chevrolet. Disappointed with cheap plastics but overall a very good feel inside. Truck is very smooth and relaxing for such a big vehicle. Not trouble at all to drive for the wife with the backup sensors. Love the big power tailgate and 20 inch rims with the Bridgestones. Rides great. Plenty of power and looks to be as good of mileage in town. If you're thinking about buying a mini van worried about mileage, suck it up and get the Suburban you won't be sorry.
Very Pleased so far
Our 5th Suburban in the last 20+ years, this is the best by far. Creature comforts are significantly improved over previous years, and the 6-speed transmission and proven 5.3 V8 are strong and smooth. Looks like this will be a very good vehicle for years to come.
2010 Chev Suburban
Great vehicle for hauling 8 people and your dog in the back, plus gear. On top, carry lumber, kayaks, canoes, multiple Yakima-Thule cargo box(s), yes, two will fit nicely. Need to sleep in the back, remove third seats and you are ready for travel and sleeping. Hauling plywood, easy as lower the back seats and put the sheets in the back. Comfortable to drive, only problem is it uses gas with a range up to 500 miles on the highway, oh, did I mention 4 wheel drive, enough said. Great vehicle.
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Love suburbans
Its big.
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Need To Make Some Changes
This is my fourth suburban this is my least favorite the air vents are in the wrong place and the navigation system and the knobs for the heat and air are all so low you cant see them they should have put them up higher like other cars did. this is really dangerous where it is.they should have left the cup holders like they were in the older models there in nowhere to put things in this one.the DVD system is awful in this model if you have kids you will understand. what were they thinking if the tv control gets lost you cant even work it from the back seat.had to be a man to come up with this idea and they must not have had children.wish i had my old one back dont like this one at all.
The Highwayman and Backroads Boogie
It is the perfect Mode of Transportation for me , My Doggy Milo and I do a lot of Driving and it will hold my gear and still have plenty of Space for Comfort.. It might not have the mileage of a compact or a sedan, but it has raw torque and horsepower and is proven to be Reliable.. Which is exactly what I want in a vehicle.. My Ride , My Style..
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leak and shudder
Have only owned suburban for 1.5 months and have been at the dealership 2 times with them having it for a week one of those times. Sunroof leaks--I get a wash when my truck gets a wash. Dealer put in a new piece of glass, no shower this time, but still leaks. So far drip pan handles water, but what about 2 years down the road--leaks only get worse. Dealer says they are "designed to leak". Funny--salesman didn't tell me that they were suppose to leak. I wouldn't have gotten one with a sunroof if they had told me that! Also runs rough--was told that again "they all do that--it's how a Chevy idles".wow sounds like a miss to me.should have kept my ford diesel
Proudest owner of a Chevy Suburban
Best car ever. My very first Chevy and won't be the last either
Love it!
We were interested in buying a larger car for our growing family. Salesman was very helpful. He brought the Suburban down to my home in Utah County so I could see it and test drive it. Throughout the week we talked often on pricing and the type of car we wanted. He was always very patient and helpful. Krista S.
Love it!
I love my new Suburban. I used the Costco buying program and paid $400 under invoice! The truck is perfect, it rides like a dream and and the kids love the DVD player. It is very easy to drive and with the rear camera it is a dream to park.