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Chevrolet Suburban - Fuel Pump

Suburban • Transmission • Fire • Fuel pump • Fit & finish • Miscellaneous problems News • GM Buys Back Some Models With Noisy Engines

Steven of Boulder CO (10/4/02):
My 2000 Chevrolet Suburban had a fuel pump failure at 37,300 miles. I took it to John Elway Chevrolet, who promptly replaced the pump. The cost was over $650 because the pump sits atop the fuel tank. I spoke with the Service Manager to express my concerns about the pump's failure at only 37k miles. He indicated that his dealership sees THREE Suburbans/Tahoes with failing Fuel Pumps a WEEK! He further stated that his dealership sees as many as TEN S-Blazers a WEEK with the same problem.

He acknowledged that GM has attempted to enhance the reliability of this component, but with little success. This concerns me very much, because my Suburban’s pump failure almost caused a potentially dangerous accident on the 25 Freeway (near the 58th Street exit). The vehicle completely stalled in the fast lane while traveling at highway speeds, with no power steering or brakes. This put my wife at significant risk.

Second, I contacted GM to solicit an explanation and reimbursement for the cost of replacing the pump (Warranty ended at 36,000 miles). They indicated that the problem had not reached the threshold that would mandate a ‘recall’, or ‘alert’. They further indicated that they would not reimburse me for the cost of the replacement, because they only consider reimbursement for those customers that have a track record of ‘loyalty’ through their Service Programs.

At 37,000 miles there are two scheduled service maintenance requirements. Both involve changing the oil (which I do personally with Mobile-One), rotating the tires (which my local Firestone dealer does for free), and other minor checks and adjustments. The 30,000 schedule maintenance involves changing the Fuel Filter (which has been replaced on my vehicle).

I asked the obvious question -- Would any of the ‘scheduled maintenance’ items have prevented the failure of the fuel pump? They answered ‘no’. While the cost of replacing the fuel pump is a personal issue for me, the failure rate of this critical system on these large vehicles should be a concern for any existing, or prospective owner … and anyone traveling in proximity to one.

I wish to be clear in my complaint, John Elway acted professionally and responsibly. I have no criticism of their work or subsequent actions. In fact, the Service Manager was very forthcoming and concerned about addressing my issue.

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