ChevroletK10 Suburban1981Overview/chevrolet/k10-suburban/1981/base/

1981 Chevrolet K10 Suburban

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1981 K10 Suburban.

The 1981 Chevrolet K10 Suburban carries a reliability record defined by minimal owner feedback, showing only one reported complaint in the gasoline fuel system category and zero factory recalls. With such a low complaint volume, this model year stands out for an absence of widespread issues that would typically trigger manufacturer action. The data positions this Suburban as a statistically quiet entry in terms of documented problems, offering researchers a baseline of minimal reported defects for the period.

Model year198619841982198119801979197819771976

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length185.4 in
Overall width79.5 in
Overall height73.6 in
Wheelbase106.7 in

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 1981 Chevrolet K10 Suburban dominate in one area — the fuel system, gasoline, 1 of 1 reports (100%), well ahead of the next concern. NHTSA has issued no recalls for this vehicle, so these are owner-reported concerns only. 0 of the reports describe a crash and 0 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the fuel system, gasoline 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.

0
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
0
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
2
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
1
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 0 a fire

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 1 complaints on record, top 1 components.

Fuel System, Gasoline1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.

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 K10 Suburban. 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.

Reference guides

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

Frequently asked

Does the 1981 K10 Suburban have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.