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Reliability report · 2022 Chevrolet Suburban · Updated July 2026 · ~$3,650/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

Far fewer recalls than the launch year, but two separate GM programmes will replace a 6.2L engine outright.

2022 is where the twelfth-generation Suburban starts to settle. The launch-year seat-belt and fuel-pump campaigns are gone, complaint volume falls to 105, and the recall list is down to four. What has not improved is the 6.2L. Recall 25V274 still covers connecting-rod and crankshaft defects across 2021–2024 with a ten-year, 150,000-mile special coverage behind it. On top of that, and specific to this build, GM issued a Customer Satisfaction Program for 6.2L engines whose inner main bearing cap bolts were not torqued correctly — the stated risk is low oil pressure and engine damage, and the stated remedy is to replace the engine. Two independent engine-replacement programmes on one model year is unusual, and it is the whole argument for buying a 5.3L 2022 instead.

The other 2022-specific item is not mechanical at all. Because of the semiconductor shortage, trucks built from mid-November 2021 left the factory with heated and ventilated seats, heated steering wheels or park assist simply not working, and GM promised free retrofits once parts existed. If you are buying a 2022, press every one of those buttons before you agree a price — the retrofit is free but only if it was never done, and a truck can be missing features it was invoiced for. Same truck under the skin, just longer — see the 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe report.

Evidence: 105 NHTSA complaints · 4 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Squawking

What that means: 105 federal complaints, down 41 percent from the launch year, and only four recalls against the 2021's twelve. But the complaint file is engine-led, and the 2022 is the one year carrying two distinct 6.2L engine-failure programmes: the fleet-wide connecting-rod recall and a separate Customer Satisfaction Program for main bearing cap bolts that were not torqued properly, whose remedy is simply to replace the engine. Squawking is about which engine you buy, not about the truck as a whole.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

105

Federal complaints

4

Recalls

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

6.2L engine failure — two programmes, both ending in a new engine

major
  • 6.2L V8

Recall 25V274 covers 2021–2024 trucks with the 6.2L V8 whose connecting rods or crankshaft may have manufacturing defects leading to engine damage and failure; dealers inspect and repair or replace the engine free, and GM's companion Special Coverage runs ten years or 150,000 miles from first service regardless of ownership. Separately, a Customer Satisfaction Program specific to 2022 covers 6.2L engines (GM's engine code RPO L87) whose inner main bearing cap bolts were not torqued properly, risking low oil pressure and engine damage — and GM's stated remedy there is not a repair, it is to replace the engine. A CSP is a Customer Support Program, the industry's quiet extended-warranty coverage, and it will not have been mailed to the owner. Confirm both against the VIN.

This is a 6.2L V8 problem. The 5.3L V8 and 3.0L Duramax diesel don’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Inspection, repair or engine replacement under recall 25V274

$0

Engine replacement under the main-bearing-bolt Customer Satisfaction Program

$0

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 Chevrolet Suburban · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (6.2L engine Special Coverage and main-bearing-bolt Customer Satisfaction Program; transmission control valve Special Coverage; semiconductor feature retrofit programmes)

Ten-speed control valve — rear wheels can lock upmajor

Recall 26V085, opened in February 2026, covers 2022 Suburbans with the ten-speed automatic and Electronic Transmission Range Select whose transmission control valve may fail and lock up the rear wheels. Dealers install new transmission control module software free. The same underlying wear is covered on the repair side by GM's Special Coverage for the control valve, which runs fifteen years or 150,000 miles and pays for a new valve body — the symptoms it lists are harsh shifting, a service-engine-soon message, reduced engine performance and code P0747. This is a recent campaign, so a truck that has sat unsold may well be outstanding.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 Chevrolet Suburban · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (6.2L engine Special Coverage and main-bearing-bolt Customer Satisfaction Program; transmission control valve Special Coverage; semiconductor feature retrofit programmes)

$0

Transmission control module software under recall 26V085

$0

Control valve body under GM Special Coverage (15yr/150k)

DFM (cylinder deactivation) lifter failure on the 5.3Lmoderate

  • 5.3L V8

The 5.3L avoids the connecting-rod recall entirely, which is the main reason to prefer it — but it has its own cylinder-deactivation problem. DFM, Dynamic Fuel Management, can shut down any combination of the eight cylinders and uses collapsible lifters that stick or collapse, scarring the camshaft and turning the repair into lifters plus a cam. Mechanics report DFM failing more often and earlier than the older AFM (Active Fuel Management) design. There is no recall for it. Cold-start the truck and listen for a tick or tap before it warms, and treat a stored misfire code as a reason to keep looking.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 Chevrolet Suburban · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (GM AFM/DFM lifter teardown; Z55 air-suspension and compressor teardowns)

several thousand

Lifter and camshaft repair after failure

Features that were never fitted — the semiconductor retrofitsmoderate

This is the most checkable 2022-specific item and the easiest to be caught by. GM ran a series of Customer Satisfaction Programs because the semiconductor shortage meant trucks left the line with features non-functional: heated and ventilated front and rear seats on builds from 15 November 2021, a heated steering wheel from 17 November 2021, park assist from 2 December 2021, and front seat-cushion ventilation blowers from 30 March 2022. GM's own wording is that buyers should have been told at sale and would be eligible for a no-cost retrofit once parts were available. Press every button. A truck sold twice since new may have lost that story.

Sources: NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (6.2L engine Special Coverage and main-bearing-bolt Customer Satisfaction Program; transmission control valve Special Coverage; semiconductor feature retrofit programmes)

Trailer brake switch and over-the-air battery drainminor

Two small free programmes worth knowing about if you tow or if the truck sits. A Customer Satisfaction Program covers a Service Trailer Brake message that appears when a trailer with electric brakes is connected and the driver uses the manual slider or the brake pedal; dealers replace the trailer brake control switch. A second covers a battery that can drain after an over-the-air software update, sometimes showing a Download Paused message on the radio — dealers charge and test the battery, replace it if it fails, and reprogram the serial data gateway module. Neither is a safety recall; both are free.

Sources: NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (6.2L engine Special Coverage and main-bearing-bolt Customer Satisfaction Program; transmission control valve Special Coverage; semiconductor feature retrofit programmes)

Air suspension and rear-axle wearminor

The independent rear suspension introduced in 2021 carries into 2022 with the same wear items. On air-suspension trims, hands-on teardowns show the compressor seizing with its piston scored by grit and moisture, and the units are not practically rebuildable — one mechanic's view is that they will eventually fail regardless of brand because of where they sit under the truck. Coil-sprung trims sidestep it. Park an air-sprung truck overnight and check it has not settled at one corner, and listen for a compressor that runs long or often.

Sources: Independent mechanic channel transcripts (GM AFM/DFM lifter teardown; Z55 air-suspension and compressor teardowns)

Certain vehicles, equipped with a 6.2L gasoline engine (RPO L87), may have a condition in which the inner main bearing cap bolts were not torqued properly. Dealers are to replace the engine.
From the manufacturer’s own recall notice or service bulletin, in its words.

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Chevrolet dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 25V2746.2L V8 connecting rod and/or crankshaft manufacturing defects can lead to engine damage and failure (2021–2024, 597,571 vehicles); engine inspected and repaired or replaced free (GM N252494000).VERIFY BY VIN
  2. 26V085Ten-speed transmission with Electronic Transmission Range Select — the transmission control valve may fail and lock up the rear wheels (2022); new transmission control module software installed free. Opened February 2026 (GM N252536750).VERIFY BY VIN
  3. 22V617Third-row seat-belt buckle retaining rivet may have been improperly formed (2021–2022); buckle assemblies inspected and replaced as necessary, free (GM N222372380).VERIFY BY VIN
  4. 22V903Daytime running lights may not deactivate when the headlights are on, causing glare (FMVSS 108; 2022–2023, expands recall 22V-827); body control module software updated by dealer or over the air, free (GM N222386380).VERIFY BY VIN

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2022 Suburban

Four sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

17 MPG combined (15 city / 20 highway) for the RWD, 5.3L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 44659 (Suburban 2WD).
Other builds EPA lists: 4WD, 5.3L 16 MPG · RWD, 6.2L (premium fuel) 16 MPG · 4WD, 6.2L (premium fuel) 16 MPG · Diesel 4WD, 3.0L turbo 22 MPG.

$3,650/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Crash losses

Collision losses run about average here. Neither a red flag nor a discount at the insurer.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute HLDI collision losses, 2021–22 models, published April 2023 (report R-23). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4dr 90, where 100 = average.

94 vs 100

6% below average

Theft

Stolen about 29% less often than the average vehicle. One less thing to price into coverage.

Source: HLDI HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2022–24 models, published May 2025 (report WT-24). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4dr 112, where 100 = average.

71 vs 100

29% below average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Inspection, repair or engine replacement under recall 25V274$0
Engine replacement under the main-bearing-bolt Customer Satisfaction Program$0
Transmission control module software under recall 26V085$0
Control valve body under GM Special Coverage (15yr/150k)$0
Lifter and camshaft repair after failureseveral thousand
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Confirm which engine the truck has first. On a 6.2L, get both recall 25V274 and the main-bearing-cap-bolt Customer Satisfaction Program checked against the VIN.
  2. 02Ask the dealer to run the VIN for open FIELD ACTIONS as well as open recalls — the engine-replacement and semiconductor programmes are Customer Satisfaction Programs and are not mailed like recalls.
  3. 03Verify the transmission recall 26V085 by VIN; it only opened in February 2026 and is commonly outstanding.
  4. 04Drive it long enough to feel for harsh shifting and shudder, and ask whether the valve body has been replaced under the fifteen-year/150,000-mile special coverage.
  5. 05On a 5.3L, cold-start and listen for a DFM lifter tick before the engine warms.
  6. 06Press every comfort button — heated and ventilated seats front and rear, heated steering wheel, park assist. Anything dead may be owed a free retrofit.
  7. 07If you tow, connect a trailer and check for a Service Trailer Brake message.
  8. 08Verify the third-row buckle recall 22V617 and physically test both outer third-row buckles.
  9. 09On an air-suspension truck, park it overnight and check for a settled corner.

Own one already?

The canary watches your VIN — new recalls and the mileage where known issues start.

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vincanary.com/chevrolet/suburban/2022