general problems of the 2009 Chevrolet Suburban

18 problems related to electrical system have been reported for the 2009 Chevrolet Suburban. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2009 Chevrolet Suburban based on all problems reported for the 2009 Suburban.

1 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/04/2022

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 not diagnosed nor 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 not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

2 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/25/2020

Driving for a few weeks on more got up one morning and it would not s started keep cranking turn it over there wouldn't started.

3 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/05/2020

Driving down a road and shut off will not start aga.

4 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 05/06/2020

1st: back ac/heater turns on by itself. Blows only hot air 2nd. Car engine sometimes is hard to start, or won't start, some times when turing on the ignition will get start as it was still powering on, and when turning off it won't turn off even if ignition is off. The speedometer/rpm will go to 0 while on freeway.

5 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 08/26/2019

Tl the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Suburban. While the contact was reversing out of the driveway, the door locks began to lock and unlock independently. The failure stopped when the vehicle was placed into drive. After driving 40 mph for a while, the check engine, stability, traction, and various other warning indicators illuminated. Also, the rpms revved from 1 to 5, the odometer fluctuated up and down, and the locks malfunctioned again. The vehicle was turned off, but the revving did not stop right away. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the body control module was contaminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 195,889.

6 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 03/29/2019

Driver window stopped working, replaced the switch that didnt help, not have no power to the left side of my vehicle, my doors dont lock and unlock, we believe it has something to do with the computer control module. Took it to the local chevy dealer and they didnt fix it with the window switch.

7 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 03/28/2019

Passenger seat motor overheated. Initial indication was smell. Seat is powered (forward and back only). Seat switches were not in use at the time. Vehicle was in powered and in motion. Smoke followed w/I 20" of initial smell. Vehicle stopped at sight of smoke and driver was able to locate plugs for motor under passenger seat. Driver removed plug, burned hand significantly in the process.

8 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 06/13/2017

Door lock/unlock actuators are failing to operate, which poses safety concern for children in these vehicles. I've had two fail. This is a common and wide-spread issue with many 2007-2013 gm trucks and suvs. Just for my particular vehicle (2009 Suburban) I counted 13 other complaints (with NHTSA id #s) on this website for this issue. Apparently the electric motor in the actuator module for each door lock is poor quality and prone to failure. Given the safety risk and number of vehicles involved, I'm surprised that a recall has not been issued.

9 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 05/14/2015

My 2009 Chevrolet Suburban began stalling in the middle of intersections after it had rained heavily the day prior. The shop discovered that the issue was the fuel system control module. There was a recall on this, but gm informed me that it excluded my VIN #. The problem with the module was exactly what is listed in the recall and was not related to "wear and tear" as suggested by randy with gm (senior advisor), but a faulty seal intended to prevent water infiltration. I am requesting a recall that includes my VIN. . . I am not sure how this can happen on the exact year and car listed in the recall, yet be excluded. I have found additional 2009 chevy owners with the same issue through online blogs that also were denied this recall.

10 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 05/13/2014

Tl -the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the rear passenger side door failed to unlock. The contact mentioned that the door would only unlock manually from the inside of the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for a diagnostic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 76,000. Dr.

11 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 01/04/2014

While driving, vehicle suddenly goes into "reduced engine power" mode ("limp mode") with console message "traction contol disabled, service stabilitrak, engine power reduced". Generally occurs when temperatures are lower than 25 degrees farenheit. Shutting down vehicle for several minutes and restarting leads to normal operation, however vehicle will generally repeat same problem within 5-15 minutes if outside temperature is cold enough (below 25 degrees farenheit) . Error code p1235 (throttle position sensor 1-2 correlation. . . ) is set, but may not persist in memory. Gm is providing owners with additional protections for 10 years/120,000 miles under csc-10047220-3332 (bulletin no. 11273), however not all vins are included. Vehicle had throttle body (including sensor) replaced in 2010 and appears to be exhibiting exact problems covered by this bulletin, however gm dealer and gm are not extending protection for this vehicle. Dealer is recommending another new throttle position sensor and/or throttle body (including sensor), along with computer reset. This intermittent problem has occurred for more than three years and poses a significant safety risk when the vehicle is in motion at normal highway speeds (drastic sudden deceleration in traffic).

12 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 07/15/2013

Dashboard cracked by airbag and over instrument cluster hss to be safety issue dash board is loose and vibrates.

13 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 12/13/2012

The door locks intermittently work. Seems to happen to a lot of people. Safety issue. Can't get in or out of vehicle. We had one fixed and now all of the doors are doing it. Sometimes the car locks itself.

14 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 09/03/2012

The discovery of the defect was on September 2012. There is a crack on the dash above the vehicles instrumentation I. E. Speedometer, oil pressure, gas level, etc. I reported to local gm dealership (henry brown Chevrolet) about the defect and my concern for safety. They said there is no available safety recall for this problem. Thinking that this was an isolated case I did not pursue the matter. Then recently when I surfed the internet I came upon a group of gm vehicle owner with the same type of vehicle and the same type of issue. So I investigated further. Going to different web blogs, I found more gm vehicle owners with the same problem. Everybody have the same issue. They have cracked dash on their gm vehicles. Some have the cracks on both side where the passenger airbag is. The danger is that this might puncture the airbag and render it ineffective. The main concern is safety because I don't want my vehicle to fail on me and my family. If for some reason water gets in the vehicles instrumentation and causes an electrical short, me and my family could be in danger of a vehicle accident. I am trying to be proactive and have this problem resolved rather than wait to be a victim of an unsafe vehicle or cause another driver to be in an avoidable accident. We need this vehicles recalled so that gm can take responsibility and fix an unsafe vehicle.

15 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 06/13/2012

Vehicle driver side back door would not unlock using remote control. Cost over $300. 00 to have Chevrolet dealer fix. Now in Feb 2014 with 7600 miles it started not working on the passenger side back door stop working with remote control. All other locks would open but not the rear door at that time. It appears their are issues with these door locks. The door locks will only open manually when they fail which is a pain due to the size of the vehicle.

16 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 11/05/2011

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Suburban. While parked, the contact exited the vehicle and was unable to unlock the driver side door. The contact turned the key to shut the vehicle off but the gear shift selector shifted into drive and began to reverse independently. The contact was able to depress the brake pedal and shut the vehicle off. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics or repairs. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000.

17 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 05/26/2011

At 21,000 miles right read door lock would not operate electronically. Had to manually move door lock button. Dealer replaced lock actuator. At 49,000 miles driver's door lock also became inoperable. Dealer replaced actuator. This seems to be a chronic defect.

18 Electrical System problem

Failure Date: 04/26/2010

Electrical malfunction on my 2009 Chevrolet Suburban ltz. The car was purchased new from the dealer in Nov 2009. Upon delivery, it was noted that the dash lights for function buttons did not illuminate and visor lamps were inoperable. Dealer assured us that they would fix the problem. The hazard occurs when the light completely go out on this vehicle while driving at night for no apparent reason. After four attempts to fix the problem and gm technical support has yielded no clear answers or assistance. I am concerned that my family will be injured in this vehicle.


Other Electrical System related problems of the 2009 Chevrolet Suburban


Fuel Economy of Suburban Vehicles
Suburban Service Bulletins
Suburban Safety Recalls
Suburban Defect Investigations