What Year is Reliable

[91RS]

The 6L transmissions came out in 2005 in 2006 year model Cadillacs and the Denali and Escalade got the 6L80 starting in 2007 so it was no longer new by 2009 when it became available behind the 5.3L.

 

[muncie21]

2009 or earlier 6.2 is my recommendation. No AFM there and doesn't have the problematic 8-speed tranny the 2015's do.

 

[stevedonato]

Hey Folks,


I am looking into getting a Suburban for my wife and I'm curious if any of your folks know if there is any one year that may has proven to be more dependable than others. I currently own a 2001 Tahoe and it has been awesome for me. I've learned that model's engine and other major systems have proven to be very dependable for many of the owners. I've even had mechanics comment that they are one of the best engines chevy has made.


I'd prefer to steer towards a 2015 or newer, but if an older year is more reliable, I may be persuaded.


Lastly, if anyone knows if there is a site that tracks this type of data, I'd love to see it...please share.


Thanks in advance,

Matt

Mat try taking a look at this website https://www.carcomplaints.com/ they have virtually every car manufacture and all their models for every year along with owner complaints for every year and model I found it use full. They also have all recalls and NTSB complaints of their own . According to their chart 2015 had 91 complaints 2016 had 27 and 2017 had only 2. check it out

 

[stevedonato]

I found the https://www.carcomplaints.com/ to be a very valuable resource. It is interesting that the year GM went bankrupt (2007) is the worst year for complaints and all their vehicles failiers in all of GM history.

 

[avalonandl]

Get a 2009 -14 denali XL you will luv it....

 

[Torrus]

I'm stuck on the GMT800s - my 03 Tahoe LT is my daily driver (174K mi), 00 Silverado Z71 for work (222K mi) and just picked up another 03 Tahoe (220K mi) with a blown tranny to become my project vehicle. The 03's seem to hit a sweet spot in comfort & simplicity - extra interior features, no VVT.

 

[KATfishing]

I have a 6-speed fully-loaded '08 Denali. Bought it at 85k and it now has 185k. Speaking of that 2-year run transmission, it failed 30k miles ago and that was with careful maintenance. I had a remanufactured and updated GM transmission installed with 3-year warranty/unlimited miles. The truck is on its third front differential, but the current and previous were purchased used, so there's some assumed risk. If it wasn't for those two major drivetrain components, it's been pretty easy going. Love the 6.2 L in the '08. However, given the transmission update that I believe came in the '09 models, I'd take the advise and search out a clean 2009 Denali.

 

[91RS]

I'm stuck on the GMT800s - my 03 Tahoe LT is my daily driver (174K mi), 00 Silverado Z71 for work (222K mi) and just picked up another 03 Tahoe (220K mi) with a blown tranny to become my project vehicle. The 03's seem to hit a sweet spot in comfort & simplicity - extra interior features, no VVT.

I like the GMT-800 trucks also but the main thing that will likely always keep me from buying one is that in the SUVs you don't get rack and pinion like the pickup trucks got in 2WD. Even with everything replaced they still feel sloppy. VVT makes such a huge difference on a big heavy truck and it never breaks, I'll never have a truck without VVT again. My opinion is that the GMT-900 is the sweet spot just because they drive so much better. The AFM is the Achilles heal unfortunately.

 

[CMNTMXR57]

I don't know that one generation is "more reliable" than another. It's that each generation has their nuances. I worked on the 400's and 800's when I was in a Chevy service department. With that said, I think both are probably equal in terms of reliability, but with different plusses and minusses.

The GMT400's with the old school Vortec 5700 was rock solid. Put aside the distributor cap issues... They were very mich K.I.S.S. Not a lot of electronics, and many of the tings like seats, window regulators, and other body type of stuff were a little better designed and simpler than the 800's. But the 800's got the new whiz-bang LS derived (GenIII and up), engines which are stout in their own rights and many parts between the branded vehicles were a little more interchangeable due to the modularity of the systems.

I think that the 400's are suffering more from sheer age now and the 800's in the next 5 - 10 years will be facing the same.

With that said, my '99 OBS 'Burb keeps going. It's closing in on 200k with no muss or fuss. And on my way home tonight, the 800 will turn 100k. With the Big Block, it's just breaking in.