2018 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Power Train Problems

Transmission will not go into drive or reverse. This also happens when car is in drive going down the road it will all of a sudden lose power and not go when pressing gas pedal. Vehicle has to completely shut off several times before it will go back into gear. No warning before it started. This can be dangerous when it happens in traffic and I can’t move car out of the road. It has not been inspected yet. Also blind spot warning does not always says it needs serviced.

Transmission has to be replaced due to transmission slipping and delayed shifting under heat and prolonged highway driving. This issue also causes SUDDEN hard shifting, hard breaking, shaking of the steering wheel, along with grinding of gears!! This is a safety issue to to no warning signs at all along with a sudden drop in speed and power!! While driving on the interstate or highway this sudden change can cause the vehicles behind you to rear end you or cause a pile up!!! The driver has no control of vehicle when these issues happen!! A loss in control due to shaking of the steering wheel is a huge issue!!! Lack of shifting or hard shifting causes a SUDDEN stop of vehicle with no warning signs while driving!! It is going to cause a crash!!!! These are serious and dangerous issues that Gm will NOT do a recall for!! GM is aware of the issues due to Suburban, Tahoe and Silverado vehicles in the year models 2018-2023 having this reoccurring issue!!! I recall needs to be done to save someone’s life!!!!! I have only had my suburban for 8 months!! I was not made aware of this issue at all!!!!!! This also causes rough idle!!!!!!!!

Dear NHTSA, I am submitting this complaint to report a recurring and potentially dangerous issue with the transmission in my 2018 Chevrolet Suburban, which I purchased brand new in 2018. At approximately 60,000 miles, I experienced severe transmission issues that led to a complete transmission replacement. Now, at around 133,000 miles, I am encountering the same symptoms once again. The transmission makes a loud clunking noise during acceleration and braking, and shifts gears abruptly and harshly. These symptoms appeared suddenly, with no warning lights or prior alerts. This problem poses a significant safety concern. The vehicle sometimes struggles to accelerate properly, making it dangerous to merge into traffic. Additionally, the forceful shifting makes the vehicle feel unstable and unpredictable, as though something beneath the car might fail while in motion. I transport my husband and our children in this vehicle, and this issue puts all of us at serious risk. I have scheduled another appointment with a GM dealership to inspect the vehicle. However, given that this is a recurring failure involving a critical system, I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this matter as a potential defect affecting other owners of the same model. Thank you for your attention to this serious concern.

My Suburban is having the same issues as the most recent recall on the 2021-2025 Chevrolets. The issue is with pretty much all of the motors that go from the V8 to the 4 cylinders. It's doing the same exact thing a friend of mine's 2019 Tahoe did. It's making a loud knocking/ticking noise. When you first get to going it starts almost sputtering which can cause issues if you're in oncoming traffic trying to cross roads.

Had to replace transmission at 103000 miles. Regularly maintained no harsh driving. No warning signs it was going out till it happened

On two occasions, most recently on 6/13/23 the vehicle went from 70 mph to 10 mph very suddenly on an Interstate in heavy traffic--very dangerous. The display indicates an over-heated transmission but the dealer believes its some electrical problem. This 2018 Suburban has an 8 speed auto transmission which has a lot of on line complaints and lawsuit pending.

Vehicle started shaking while accelerating. Independent mechanic and his recommended transmission shop diagnosed an issue with the transmission - specifically the torque converter. Shop said the car was unsafe to drive while waiting for new transmission as it could lose ability to accelerate while driving. When I asked the transmission shop if they felt the previous owner(s) may have abused the car with their driving to cause the issue at a relatively low mileage, they said this was a systemic issue with this vehicle. In fact one of the repair techs had the exact same issue with his personal vehicle at similar mileage (same make / model).

Car has been at dealer 3 times for Wi-Fi issue. Mechanic took car home for longer drive to check. No found issues. Brought in for small noise that comes and goes. They Came back saying $10000 for cam shaft and lifters they are assuming.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving and attempting to merge onto the freeway at approximately 50-55 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact attempted to accelerate to approximately 70 -75 mph when the vehicle failed to accelerate. The transmission suddenly failed without any warning lights. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

Mileage: 111,000

We were driving the 2018 Chevrolet Suburban with our three children we tried to accelerate at a green light the car jolted to a halt and someone almost hit us from behind. If this would have happened on the highway we could have caused a major accident and put my kids lives in danger. Was able to get the car to move to the side of the road. We had the car towed to an automotive repair shop and they said there was an issue with the torque convertor and the transmission was totally ruined. There were no check engine lights and no warning what so ever! The repair shop said they haven’t seen this happen on a car with so few miles. Costing us 4.5k and a couple weeks. There are no recalls for this issue on our car.

I purchased the vehicle in June. On a trip in July the transmission stopped functioning in the middle of a major highway. There was no warning and the car just stopped. After getting it to a service dealer in the state we were traveling in, we were told it was the transmission. The car had less than 34,000 miles on it. Fast forward to today and 4 garage visits later, I know own a vehicle that I am told by service dept could need an entire transmission. At less than 40,000 miles.

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN DEC OF 2019 USED. 35,000 MILES. NOW HAS 88,000 AND THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. REGULAR OIL CHANGES. NO WARNING LIGHTS. NO ISSUES. STOPPED RUNNING. AFTER HAVING SOMEONE LOOK AT IT TO SEE WHAT THE ISSUE WAS, THE MECHANIC SAID THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION HAS TO EITHER BE REBUILT OR REPLACED.

Mileage: 88,000

VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND ENGINE OFF AND KIDS WERE GETTING INTO CAR WHEN ONE OF THE KIDS PULLED IN THE SHIFTER AND SHIFTED THE VEHICLE INTO GEAR. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL. THE SUBURBAN WAS STOPPED WHEN IT HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE PARKED BEHIND. THE SLOPE WAS SMALL AND THE IMPACT WAS INCONSEQUENTIAL. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION IT WAS FOUND THE VEHICLE CAN BE SHIFTED IN/OUT OF PARK WITH OR WITHOUT KEYS IN THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE IN THE OFF POSITION. THIS EVENT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC, HAD A CHILD BEEN BEHIND THE VEHICLE WHEN IT CAME OUT OF PARK AND INTO GEAR. WE HAVE VIDEO OF THE VEHICLE BEING ABLE TO BE SHIFTED WITHOUT THE FOOT ON THE BRAKE OR THE VEHICLE RUNNING.

Mileage: 42,000