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2008 Chevrolet Suburban 2WD

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2008 Suburban 2WD.

Body SUVTransmission Automatic 4-spd

The 2008 Suburban 2WD is a full-size SUV that uses 6 quarts of 5W-30 oil and achieves EPA fuel economy of 12 city, 16 highway, and 14 combined mpg through a four-speed automatic transmission. With 314 total owner complaints, the most common issue reported is with the air bag system, and the model year has been subject to four recalls. In the model's reliability history from 1990 to 2024, the 2008 Suburban's complaint count is notably lower than the peak of 1,004 in 1994 but still far above the 37 complaints of the 2024 model, placing it in a middle tier that suggests moderate reliability concerns.

Model year20082003200220001991

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity6 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type5W-30 APIOEM · verified
Lug nut torque140 ft-lbsOEM · verified
EPA fuel economy12/16/14 mpgEPA · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 48 · 615 CCA battery, OE oil filter 12690386. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 48 · 615 CCAOEM · verified
Tire sizeLT245-75R16EOEM · verified
Wheel / rim6.5-JJ inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter12690386
Engine air filter22845992 alt 15908916
Spark plug12621258
Front wiper blades25877402 alt 15214346
Serpentine belt12576447 alt 12626222
Thermostat89018168 alt 12587397
Cabin air filter22759203 alt 23101674

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

TransmissionAutomatic 4-spd

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length222.4 in
Overall width79.1 in
Overall height76.8 in
Wheelbase129.9 in
Curb weight5756 lb
Track (front / rear)68.9 / 67.3 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)51/49

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined12 / 16 / 14 mpg
DrivetrainRear-Wheel Drive
Recommended fuelRegular Gasoline

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 6 qt of 5W-30 API engine oil, SAE 75W · SYNTHETIC in the differential, DOT 3 brake fluid. Torque lug nuts to 140 ft-lbs, the oil drain plug to 18.0 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3. Note the cylinder-head bolts finish on a torque angle (torque-to-yield) — they stretch permanently and should be replaced, not reused, during any head service.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission FluidATF
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity7.4
Brake FluidDOT 3
Differential Gear OilSAE 75W · SYNTHETIC
Differential Gear Oil Capacity6.5 qt
Engine CoolantDEX-COOL OR EQUIVALENT
Engine Oil5W-30 · API
Engine Oil Capacity6 qt

Engine torques

Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug18.0 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug18.0 ft-lbs
Engine Valve Cover Bolts9.0 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Leaf Spring to Axle (U-bolts)74.0 ft-lbs
Leaf Spring to Chassis Bracket125.0 plus 90 degrees ft-lbs
Leaf Spring to Rear Shackle70.0 ft-lbs
Leaf Spring Rear Shackle to Chassis Bracket70.0 ft-lbs
Lug Nuts140 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub177 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3

Battery & A/C

RefrigerantR134a
Oil GroupPAG
Standard BCI Group Number48
Standard BCI Cranking Performance615 cca
Standard BCI Group Number48
Standard BCI Cranking Performance615 cca

Service checks

Pressure Test15 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief15 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature188-206 °F
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)50-60
RPM43-45 @ Idle rpm
Injector Primary Resistance11-14 @ 50-90 degreesF ohms
Injector Primary Resistance11-14 @ 50-90 degreesF ohms
Engine Oil Pressure6

Brakes

Brake ApplicationWITH RPO JD9 / WITH RPO JH6
Torque Caliper to Bracket74 ft-lbs / 28 ft-lbs / 80 ft-lbs
Torque to Knuckle148 ft-lbs / 221 ft-lbs
Minimum Pad ThicknessFront: 0.030; Rear: 0.030 specification
Brake ApplicationWITH RPO JD9 / WITH RPO JH6
Rotor Max Parallel Variation0.0004 in / 0.0001 in
Rotor Runout Limit0.001 in / 0.01 in / 0.005 in
Rotor Nominal Thickness From1.181 in / 0.787 in / 1.496 in

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
1Installation, 92 ft. lbs., step 2: then remove bolt, install new bolt., step 3: 92 ft. lbs., step 4: 130 degrees.92 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 4 stages

Prep Do not reuse old bolts. Do not allow oil on cylinder head or head bolt bosses · M11 Bolts:

122.0 ft. lbs.22 ft. lbs
290 degrees90 degrees
3bolts 1-890 degrees
4Bolts 9and1050 degrees
111.0-15.0 ft. lbs.11–15 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 3 stages

Prep Do not reuse old bolts. Do not allow oil on cylinder head or head bolt bosses · M11 Bolts:

122.0 ft. lbs.22 ft. lbs
290 degrees90 degrees
370 degrees; M8 Bolts:70 degrees
122.0 ft. lbs.22 ft. lbs
222.0 ft. lbs22 ft. lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
13.7 ft. lbs., step 2: 7.43.7 ft. lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111 ft. lbs., step 2: 1811 ft. lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
13.7 ft. lbs., step 2: 7.43.7 ft. lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111 ft. lbs., step 2: 1811 ft. lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
13.7 ft. lbs., step 2: 7.43.7 ft. lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111 ft. lbs., step 2: 1811 ft. lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
13.7 ft. lbs., step 2: 7.43.7 ft. lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111 ft. lbs., step 2: 1811 ft. lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
13.7 ft. lbs., step 2: 7.43.7 ft. lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111 ft. lbs., step 2: 1811 ft. lbs

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the spark plugs every 100,000 mi; coolant at 150,000 mi. The big-interval services (at 150,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 25,000 miExhaust System (Complete) (inspect) · Fuel System (inspect)
Every 50,000 miEngine Air Filter Element (replace) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System (inspect) · Transfer Case Assembly (drain & refill)
Every 100,000 miSpark Plug Wires (inspect) · Spark Plugs (replace) · Transmission Fluid & Filter (replace)
At 150,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 2008 Chevrolet Suburban 2WD dominate in one area — the air bags, 112 of 314 reports (36%), well ahead of the next concern. That matters, because the air bags are also the target of recalls 21V-052 and 21V-050 on this vehicle — so the single most useful check before buying or servicing one is confirming they were actually performed. 6 of the reports describe a crash and 0 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the air bags pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

4
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
1315
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
3
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
314
Owner complaints
6 involved a crash · 0 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Rollover★★★★★
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent
’90’91’92’93’94’95’96’97’98’99’00’01’02’03’04’05’06’07’08’09’21’22’23’24

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 314 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Air Bags112
Unknown Or Other38
Structure24
Engine21
Latches/Locks/Linkages17
Electrical System13
Air Bags,Unknown Or Other12
Structure,Latches/Locks/Linkages7

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 4 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

21V052000Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator ModuleReported 05/02/2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk…

21V050000Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator ModuleReported 05/02/2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1315 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
135982025-09-09Unknown Or OtherNew Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
PIC5650M2025-08-06Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…
PIP5601C2025-07-18Unknown Or OtherThis PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic…
PIT5074R2025-05-30Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…
PIT5074R2025-05-30Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Suburban 2WD. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group 48 batteryVehicles taking 6 qtEngine oil filter 12690386Engine air filter 22845992Spark plug 12621258Front wiper blades 25877402

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBsOBD-II trouble codesTorque specificationsMaintenance schedulesFluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2008 Suburban 2WD take?

6 qt of 5W-30 API, per the factory manual.

Does the 2008 Suburban 2WD have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the Suburban 2WD get?

EPA figures are 12 city / 16 highway / 14 combined mpg.