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Electrical systemPart report

2005 Chevrolet Suburban Electrical system Problems

Complaints
36about this part
Share
28%of 129 total for the year
Median mileage
69,360miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 36 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban, 28% of the 129 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 69,360 miles.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Speedometer would go up when I increased speed but would not go back down when the vehicle slowed down. I was able to get the speedometer to reset to zero by repeatedly starting and turning off the vehicle. Over the course of the next month the needle would do the same thing. I could reset it the same way. As of now its pegged at the bottom and I cannot reset it.”

NHTSA complaint #10219721, filed 2008-02, 63,500 miles

“The speedometer on my 2005 chevy tahoe has been acting erratically. Sometimes it will work normally. Other times, it will not register at all. Additionally time it will read erroneously when driving traffic speeds. The selection process did not allow me to register a tahoe, only a Suburban, which is why the vehicle information looks as it does.”

NHTSA complaint #10213201, filed 2007-12, 41,000 miles

“I have a 2005 Chevrolet Suburban. The speedometer has been going out for some time. It will either not register or register off so that the person driving has no idea of speed. I have contacted chevy and my dealer and have been informed that chevy knows of the issue but will only cover replacement through model year 2004. There is a class action suit to try to force coverage of additional years.”

NHTSA complaint #10256576, filed 2009-01, 69,720 miles

“Erratic speedometer...often the needle sticks at 120 MPH when only going about 30...sometimes at 40 when actually not moving at a stoplight. It reads erratically all of the time. Started about 2 years ago (75,000 miles). Very costly to repair, so I keep my portable GPS running to get actual speed.”

NHTSA complaint #10277083, filed 2009-07, 75,000 miles

“In ,may 2009 my speedo was out of whack says im driving 100mph down street, buried at 120mph on highway. Came back to life later but now its hit or miss if it works. I have to use my magellan for speedo now and chevy dealer said if I was under 70k they could fix it for free but since im at 85k and they say I have to pay in full (approx $750.00) and chevy never told me about this I learned of the problem from a friend.”

NHTSA complaint #10311768, filed 2010-02, 70,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2024511%
20231411%
20222218%
20212010%
2020818%
201979%
20181720%
20172115%
20162612%
20155813%
2014712%
20131412%
20121010%
2011107%
201098%
20091615%
20082210%
2007259%
2006313%
20053628%
20047235%
20038127%
2002104%
2001307%
2000135%
1999589%
1998147%
19974210%
19964713%
1995327%
1994212%
199371%
199295%
199124%
199036%
198912%
1987211%
1986114%

Other parts of the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban

Brakes
25 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
15 complaints
Body and structure
11 complaints
Air bags
10 complaints
Fuel system
8 complaints
Vehicle speed control
8 complaints
Engine
6 complaints
Latches, locks and linkages
6 complaints
Other or unknown
5 complaints
Steering
5 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaints
Equipment
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology