Front Seat Power Adjust Problems of Chevrolet Suburban

While commuting to work on interstate 15, northbound on February 1, 2017, with my two sons in the vehicle, I smelled smoke. I pulled over to investigate and realized the front passenger seat was on fire (pictures attached). I noticed the switch for the heated seat was on, so I turned it off. I then proceeded to the Chevrolet dealership in butte, mt (approx. 15 miles) and had them disconnect the electrical to the seat and ensure it was not still burning. This disabled the power seat, seat heater and passenger front airbags. I contacted gm product services to inform them and they started a service request, number 8-2712194856. They instructed me to take it to the Chevrolet dealership in dillon, mt where I live for inspection. After the dealership finished the inspection and sent their findings to gm product services I was informed by the customer relationship specialist at gm that they had completed their investigation and closed the case on my "product allegation", concluding it was "normal wear and tear" that caused the seat to catch fire and that gm would not pay for any repair or damages. When I asked how to proceed with appeal of their decision, I was informed their decision was final and non-appealable. I requested written record of their findings to which they sent the attached letter stating they would not assume responsibility and suggested I resolve the matter with my insurance carrier. Their letter stated nothing specific of their findings during the inspection. I requested info from the dealership that did the inspection and they said they could not release that information without consent from gm. My insurance carrier inspected the vehicle and documented the cause of the fire as an electrical short.

See all problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

Power seat on driver's side quit working along with seat warmers on both front seats. Examination found that the electrical feed at the rear of the driver's seat had failed in some manner, causing high resistance in the power and ground circuits which in turn led to arcing and burning of the plastic connector. The amount of damage to the connector and its proximity to carpeting and potential contents in the vehicle raises concerns of a possible interior fire.

See all problems of the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

I own a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban which I purchased new. The model I have, a z71 has power seats which have a memory option. One of the functions of the seat is called "easy exit" which has the seat travel all the way back to help make it easier to exit/enter the vehicle when the ignition key is removed. The seat seems to have a programming issue (according to my dealer) in which the seat acts inconsistent and creates a significant driving hazard. For example: the seat once or twice per week will move all the way forward and up on it's track, not responding to inputs on the side of the seat, doing it by itself. It wouldn't be that bad if it did it at just key exit/entry, but it does it while the vehicle is in motion. This regularly occurs and I feel that it is a safety hazard. I complained to my local Chevrolet dealer, who said there is a "technical service bulletin" about it but Chevrolet does not have a fix, other than to swap out the seat memory computer, which has been done. The seat still acts by itself. Since I am 6'2", moving me all the way forward and up is not only uncomfortable, but makes it hazardous to drive since I have to wait for the seat to reach it's position before I can start to move it back. This happens weekly. I feel that it is irresponsible to have a moving seat while the vehicle is in motion, given that it compromises the driving position and quite possibly could cause an accident. It doesn't seem that Chevrolet is interested in fixing the "programming issue" the module has since I've had this problem for well over a year. When the seat does this movement, it always goes to the same spot, all the way forward, all the wap up. This presses my legs and lower abdomen against the wheel, making it difficult to turn. It also presses my legs backward (at the knee) which makes breaking nearly impossible. Clearly a fix should be made. According to the dealership, they have "a lot" of these complaints.

Drivers seat makes noise and moves forward and backwards slightly during acceleration and braking.

See all problems of the 2002 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

Consumer was driving and experienced other related problems due to cold weather. Consumer exited vehicle to resolve probelms. As vehicle was parked with engine running, a fire started possibly due to electric heated driver's seat which was told by fire department. Vehicle was totaled. About 5 days prior to incident, consumer noticed seat was getting extremely hot intermittently. There was no chance to take vehicle in to dealer.

See all problems of the 1999 Chevrolet Suburban 🔎.

The drivers seat caught fire and burned the interior of the vehicle.