Comments: 1-15, 16-29
Electrical problems started at about 15,000 miles. Interior lights would come on while driving. I could simultaneously hear the relay under the dash click sporadically. The clicking would sometimes continue without any visual symptoms.
At about 22,000 miles, the A/C blower motor started making an awful roar. Turns out the fan shroud was contacting the fan blades. Dealer replaced the blower motor.
The transmission went out at 44,000 miles. Dealer replaced at no charge, but with no admission of any design flaws or such.
Electrical problems continued. Sometimes the interior lights would fail to come on when the door was opened even when the light override switch was not engaged. Sometimes, the door "chime" would fail intermittently while the door was open with the keys in the ignition. (I don't know if, along with the intermittent chime failure, the lights flashed or not.)
An electrical problem caused a no-start that, when taken to the dealer, could not be reproduced. No service was done at that time, but as soon as the vehicle was picked up, a low-frequency rattle was noticed and seemed to be coming from the rear of the vehicle. In owner-diagnosis, I found that the rattle would only begin at a constant speed. Any change in acceleration, either positive or negative, would cause the rattle to stop. Also, a slight depression of the brake pedal along with a constant accelerator position would cause the rattle to stop. This indicated to me a transmission problem that could possibly be traced back to the torque converter. The service rep first said that, according to his transmission man, there was no problem with the transmission. Instead a rear-end problem was reported to be the cause of the rattle. To make a long story a little shorter, the service rep said that consensus among three mechanics including the service manager was that the torque converter and solenoid was the problem. Transmission number three will be warranted for a period of three years or 50,000 miles. By the way, that rattle might also be characterized as a low-frequency noise that is half-rattle, half-hum.
The truck has a good motor.
Plenty of room in back with and especially without the third seat.
I haven't done any research about the transmission except to be able to say that I suspect a design flaw with either the transmission or its integration into the overall drivetrain of these vehicles. It is further my opinion that a poorly designed shifting program in the computer could also cause transmission problems such as this one.
The torque converter on my 1993 Suburban was bad too... seems that this is a well known problem. I hope GM has fixed it since. I know they have finally fixed the ABS on the Suburban.
The problems I had were the ; rear end, torque converter, hard shifting when hot, air bag light, the clicks and int. light problems, the intake manifold gasket, an ac clog somewhere that required special tools to unclog,the drivers side side mirror controller, and that's it, but the engine definitley started every time.
The problems I had were the ; rear end, torque converter, hard shifting when hot, air bag light, the clicks and int. light problems, the intake manifold gasket, an ac clog somewhere that required special tools to unclog,the drivers side side mirror controller, and that's it, but the engine definitely started every time.
I had the interior light problem with my '96 as well. Upon investigating, I found that the rear glass gate would "lift" slightly when the heat or A/C was blowing strong in the vehicle. This was forcing the rear window open slightly causing the light switch to contact and turn on the lights. You could hear the relay as well. I have tried to adjust the rear glass, but to no avail. I just push the "dome light off" button when this happens and... problem solved!
I too have developed an electrical problem in my 1999 K1500 Series Suburban that so far the dealer has not been able to fix.
The combination relay that controls the 4 ways and turn signal circuit cycle constantly. The lights operate normally, however while driving down the road the relay continues to cycle. It drives me nuts. The vehicle is out of warranty so I'm faced with a $70/hr shop rate to trace the electrical problem, with so far no solution.
The cheap fix is to turn up the radio... If anyone has a fix I'd be happy to read it.
I love the vehicle, just find the little problems a nag.
This is to the guy has the 1999 has the electrical problem.
I am not a mechanic, but like yourself do all my own stuff if possible. I had similar problem I have 1995 K1500. I am sure you have looked at this, but just in-case, what I found wrong with my electrical stuff was my multi-switch (Blinker). Which in the real world we refer it to the blinker. I had mine professional done, which cost $425.00. I still had the problem that went on for a year. Finally it kept getting worst so I started troubleshooting it my self. I found that the mechanic shop that fixed it for me damaged it putting it in, so my problem still existed. I changed it out myself this time and I have not had any trouble since. Going on 2 years. By the way the part was $321 from the dealer.
1998 fully loaded Suburban.
The problem started about two years ago. About every third day, the truck would be absolutely dead in the morning. Even the door locks wouldn't open.
(Hint to those that drive in snow conditions: Unlock your doors with the key once in a while... my keys wouldn't go in the locks until about 30 minutes of WD40 and wiggling).
I finally found the dead battery problem was caused by the interior lights coming on during the night. I discovered this while driving. The lights would come on randomly, sometimes flashing and sometimes staying on longer... even while sitting at a traffic light. I finally caught them doing it while the truck was parked in my driveway... not running...locked for the night. I did the usual cleaning and checking the door switches and door tightness (rear barn doors too), but nothing cured it. At least the "dome light off" switch works to prevent the problem.
But has anyone found the cure?
I have a 1999 with same problem. Dome lights come on after being locked and parked for awhile. If you know what the problem is please e-mail me the solution gnaz@en-tel.net.
I have the same issue as the 1999 Suburban, my blinker relay constantly blinks without any lights flashing. They work normal if you actually use the blinkers, but the noise is constant. If you press the brake pedal, the noise will stop, release the brake pedal and it starts up again. Does anyone know where to start looking for a fix?
I too own a 1999 k1500 suburban and have pretty much the same problems from the trans to the lights and relays. hopefully it doesn't take a fire to breakout and kill someone before gm recalls these vehicles.
I own a 1999 GMC Suburban 2500. I love the truck and have had some minor issues here and there. One ongoing issues that I have is that my right rear bulb for the Stop/Hazard lights burns out once every 4 months. I change it no problem. However, I changed it three days ago and yesterday I noticed after driving the truck my brake lights in the back of the car would not shutoff. I changed the fuse in the small fuse box on the side and nothing. I have to take the fuse off number 1 in order to shut the brake/Hazard lights off otherwise they stay on all the time.
My father had a problem with the stop light being on all the time. what happened there was a switch located right behind the brake pedal, that when pressed, the small switch would get stuck. it was relatively easy to take off, go to the local parts store, and change it.
I also have a 1999 1500 LT suburban 100+K miles. Great vehicle, so far. This week I noticed that the interior lights or dome lights come on after it is parked and they have turned themselves off. Once they come back on, they don't go out. I too have noticed they they occasionally will flash on and off during driving. The dome override switch is a work around. This has to be a known problem.
I currently own a 1997 GMC Suburban since January 2000, purchased with 69,000 miles and I am most pleased with it. I currently have 98,000 miles total and have had no electrical or mechanical issues other than your normal wear and tear. This vehicle would rival the newer models in dependability and performance. I hope to continue to use it for at least another 6 or 7 years.
I have had continuous problems with the electric door actuators going out. Also the automatic transmission is sometimes hard to get out of park. Throw in a couple of expensive coolant leak problems. The engine is very dependable.