GMC TruckSuburban 2WD1984Overview/gmc-truck/suburban-2wd/1984/base/

1984 GMC Truck Suburban 2WD

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1984 Suburban 2WD.

The 1984 GMC Truck Suburban 2WD is the two-wheel-drive variant of GMC’s Suburban truck line, and its routine service specification calls for 5 quarts of engine oil in viscosities of 20W-20, 15W-40, or 5W-30. Reliability data for this specific year is sparse but clean: it has generated only 5 owner complaints, with tires standing out as the top complaint area, and has logged 0 recalls. That profile sits outside the broader model complaint history, which spans 1990–2004 and ranges from a high of 480 complaints in 1994 down to a single complaint in 2004. For researchers, the 1984 model therefore predates the documented surge in reported issues and carries no recall exposure, though the low complaint count limits how much can be inferred about long-term durability.

Model year19881984

Quick specs

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

Engine oil capacity5 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type20W-20 / 15W-40 / 5W-30OEM · verified

Service quick specs OEM factory data

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

This engine holds 5 qt of 20W-20 / 15W-40 / 5W-30 engine oil, 80W-90 · GL-5 in the differential, DOT 3 brake fluid.

Lubricants & capacities

Brake FluidDOT 3
Differential Gear Oil80W-90 · GL-5
Differential Gear Oil Capacity4.2 qt
Differential Gear Oil80W-90 · GL-5
Differential Gear Oil Capacity27.0 qt
Differential Gear Oil80W-90 · GL-5
Differential Gear Oil Capacity5.5 qt
Engine CoolantETHYLENE GLYCOL

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 1984 GMC Truck Suburban 2WD dominate in one area — the tires, 3 of 5 reports (60%), well ahead of the next concern. NHTSA has issued no recalls for this vehicle, so these are owner-reported concerns only. 2 of the reports describe a crash and 0 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the tires 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
1
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
1
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
5
Owner complaints
2 involved a crash · 0 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★
Frontal★★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 5 complaints on record, top 3 components.

Tires3
Wheels1
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1

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.

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 1 of 1 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
376602A1995-01-01Engine And Engine CoolingNEW CAST IRON EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND STAINLESS STEEL GASKET TO CORRECT ENGINE NOISE…

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.

Reference guides

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

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 1984 Suburban 2WD take?

5 qt of ABOVE 40 degrees F: 30, ABOVE 20 degrees F: 20W-20, ABOVE 10 degrees F: 15W-40, BELOW 60 degrees F: 5W-30, per the factory manual.

Does the 1984 Suburban 2WD have open recalls?

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