How many miles will a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban last?
Half of the 354 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban that list mileage came after 77,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 151,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 406 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
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See what the paid report includes →Of the 354 complaints on the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban that list mileage, the middle half came between 50,000 and 111,000 miles; 103 (29%) came after 100,000 miles, 37 (10%) after 150,000 and 4 (1%) after 200,000.
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How many miles will a 2004 Suburban last?
The 354 mileages owners gave run from 15 to 350,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 50,000 miles, half at or under 78,000, three quarters at or under 110,611 and nine in ten at or under 152,000; 103 (29%) came after 100,000 miles, 37 (10%) after 150,000 and 4 (1%) after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2004 Suburban wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 15 miles |
| 25th percentile | 50,000 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 78,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 110,611 miles |
| 90th percentile | 152,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 350,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 103 (29%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 37 (10%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | 4 (1%) |
Every model year together: Half of the 4,190 NHTSA owner complaints on the Chevrolet Suburban that list mileage came after 76,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Chevrolet Suburban last? →
Common problems with the 2004 Suburban
NHTSA's file holds 406 owner complaints on the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban. Owners named the electrical system most often: 163 complaints, and half of the 139 that list a mileage came after 62,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 163 | 139 | 63,000 |
| Service Brakes | 61 | 59 | 118,800 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 33 | 28 | 63,200 |
| Steering | 29 | 24 | 40,000 |
| Power Train | 24 | 19 | 72,200 |
Of the 406 complaints, 15 report a crash, 11 report a fire and 10 report an injury (12 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2004 Suburban a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2004 is a good or a bad Suburban: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2004 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 406 complaints, the 2004 ranks 11th of the 40 Chevrolet Suburban model years from 1987 to 2026 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1994 (872). The fewest: the 1987 (18).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 Suburban | 18 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1988 Suburban | 30 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1989 Suburban | 62 | 2 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1990 Suburban | 54 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1991 Suburban | 52 | 5 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1992 Suburban | 189 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1993 Suburban | 498 | 17 | 120,000 |
| 1994 Suburban | 872 | 43 | 124,125 |
| 1995 Suburban | 469 | 28 | 120,000 |
| 1996 Suburban | 370 | 34 | 102,000 |
| 1997 Suburban | 431 | 92 | 102,856 |
| 1998 Suburban | 216 | 68 | 83,000 |
| 1999 Suburban | 720 | 296 | 90,000 |
| 2000 Suburban | 356 | 202 | 85,000 |
| 2001 Suburban | 566 | 403 | 70,000 |
| 2002 Suburban | 439 | 330 | 77,000 |
| 2003 Suburban | 497 | 406 | 84,432 |
| 2004 (this page) | 406 | 354 | 78,000 |
| 2005 Suburban | 229 | 185 | 71,000 |
| 2006 Suburban | 56 | 46 | 75,000 |
| 2007 Suburban | 482 | 272 | 80,000 |
| 2008 Suburban | 321 | 184 | 78,000 |
| 2009 Suburban | 162 | 109 | 80,000 |
| 2010 Suburban | 175 | 113 | 80,160 |
| 2011 Suburban | 235 | 143 | 75,000 |
| 2012 Suburban | 101 | 84 | 66,000 |
| 2013 Suburban | 118 | 80 | 60,000 |
| 2014 Suburban | 59 | 35 | 55,000 |
| 2015 Suburban | 432 | 294 | 62,000 |
| 2016 Suburban | 220 | 131 | 59,963 |
| 2017 Suburban | 142 | 71 | 53,333 |
| 2018 Suburban | 84 | 27 | 42,000 |
| 2019 Suburban | 79 | 26 | 64,000 |
| 2020 Suburban | 44 | 13 | 30,000 |
| 2021 Suburban | 209 | 38 | 68,448 |
| 2022 Suburban | 127 | 21 | 58,166 |
| 2023 Suburban | 150 | 19 | 50,000 |
| 2024 Suburban | 46 | 7 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2025 Suburban | 32 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2026 Suburban | 19 | 2 | Under 10 mileages |
Every Suburban year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Chevrolet Suburban years to avoid →
2004 Chevrolet Suburban recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 7 recall campaigns that name the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban (4 vehicle campaigns and 3 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 07E106000 | Dec 17, 2007 | WHEELS:HUB |
| 06V289000 | Aug 3, 2006 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING |
| 06E043000 | May 19, 2006 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE |
| 06E026000 | Mar 23, 2006 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING |
| 05V163000 | Apr 22, 2005 | SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2004 Suburban lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2004 Suburban.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 52 of the 406 complaints on the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA names counted: SUBURBAN, SUBURBAN 1500 and SUBURBAN 2500. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only these.
- Recall-file names matched: SUBURBAN, SUBURBAN 1500 and SUBURBAN 2500.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2004 Chevrolet Suburban questions
How many miles will a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban last?
Half of the 354 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban that list mileage came after 77,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 151,000 miles. Of the 354 complaints on the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban that list mileage, the middle half came between 50,000 and 111,000 miles; 103 (29%) came after 100,000 miles, 37 (10%) after 150,000 and 4 (1%) after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 2004 Suburban that never had one.
What are the most common 2004 Chevrolet Suburban problems?
NHTSA's file holds 406 owner complaints on the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban. Owners named the electrical system most often: 163 complaints, and half of the 139 that list a mileage came after 62,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 406 complaints, 15 report a crash, 11 report a fire and 10 report an injury (12 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2004 is a good or a bad Suburban: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2004 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 406 complaints, the 2004 ranks 11th of the 40 Chevrolet Suburban model years from 1987 to 2026 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1994 (872). The fewest: the 1987 (18).
How many recalls does the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 7 recall campaigns that name the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban (4 vehicle campaigns and 3 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2004 Chevrolet Suburban before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2004 Chevrolet Suburban.