Is your defective Chevrolet Tahoe actually a LEMON?

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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
2,828 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2021 Chevrolet Tahoe drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Owner Comments

problem #17

Feb 012024

Tahoe

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2 ISSUES - 1) vehicle repaired 5 times for "transmission" problem by replacing wiring harnesses. On 5th attempt, the GM factory part or the technician caused the Tahoe to catch fire. Worst part is that it happened 1 hour after test driving and parking the car at their dealership, thankfully, I would normally have driven it home and it would have destroyed my home too. GM investigated and was unable to determine cause. 2) each time the "transmission" error occurred the GM car went into what they call the "limp" mode. The car immediately loses speed control and drifts to about 35 mph until you have control of the accelerator. I was on an interstate going +70 mph to pass a semi and immediately after passing the car went into Limp Mode, the semi nearly rear ended me and then passed me blowing his horn and cursing me. GM could certainly correct this latter issue by creating a warning on the screen that gives the driver ample time to pull over and address the problem as they do when DEF fluid (this was a diesel) is low and will give warning to add DEF or reduce speed after so many additional miles are driven. The former issue needs to be addressed immediately too, I've noted 4 other drivers on social media that had similar fires. Both of these issues could have resulted in serious injury to me or my family.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #16

Mar 082024

Tahoe

  • miles
As a traffic crash reconstructionist, the issue is a MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. My wife was exiting a residential driveway when the vehicle started to stutter and immediately shut down with no power or any capability to get the vehicle off the road. The shutdown caused the blockage of a residential street on a Friday afternoon, until the correct tow truck arrived. This was due to the fact the vehicle could not be moved due to not being able to start the engine nor the ability to place the vehicle into neutral, without starting the engine or crawling un der it with tools. It was determined the fuel module went bad. There was no warning of the failure of the component. Luckily the shut down of all components of the vehicle did not occur on a high speed or highly traveled road since I did not have any control of the vehicle after the fuel module failed. This is not the first report of the issue to NHTSA. Hopefully something will happen to find a fix to put the vehicle in neutral without tools, for the safety of the motoring public.

- Xenia, OH, USA

problem #15

Jan 262024

Tahoe

  • miles
The vehicle experienced a catastrophic control arm failure at low speed while turn left onto a residential street. the brake line severed, the wheel began to roll under the drivers side of the vehichle.

- Lake Oswego, OR, USA

problem #14

Jan 032024

Tahoe

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This is the second engine I-??ve had replaced since I bought the vehicle in December 21, 2023. The first engine failed in August of 2022 while I was driving on the highway. The vehicle began to smoke and shut down while I was driving on the highway. The vehicle shut down and I had to use the current momentum of the vehicle to pull over to the shoulder. The vehicle would not come out of gear and would not restart. I complained of transmission problems ever since the engine was replaced. The service department escalated the concerns to the GM engineers who never gave directions to check the transmission fluid or physically check the transmission. January 24 of this year I was on the highway driving to work when the vehicle again shut down. The dash stated restart the vehicle. While in motion the vehicle was trying to shift to neutral. I informed the dealer of this message and they claim they took note of it. With the vehicle not being able to start or move out of gear the tow truck had to drag the vehicle onto the bed of the tow truck. This also occurred on the first engine failure as well.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #13

Oct 012023

Tahoe

  • miles
Vehicle is sputtering and jerking while driving When slowing to a stop vehicles engine will shut off. I do know that the 2021 Tahoe has recalls on the fuel pump issues but not sure why my vin number isn-??t covered under this recall. This is a 2 year old vehicle and already has recalls on this year model on its fuel pump. At this point it is barely driveable and is a danger for myself and my family to drive.

- Edgewood , TX, USA

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problem #12

Mar 312023

Tahoe

  • miles
On three (3) different occasions, I put the SUV in Park and the car engaged, and the "P" lit up as engaged. As I took my foot off the brake, the SUV went into Drive and rolled. This last time, the SUV did this at my kid's school Ater putting it in Park, I took my foot off the brake and turned to get the kids unbuckled, and my foot accidentally pushed the gas pedal. The SUV went into drive on its own and the SUV drove over the sidewalk hitting a rock staircase causing an accident with all 4 kids in my SUV. This is the 3rd time, and I don't know what to do about it. Thankfully there were no kids in front of the SUV.

- Claremont, CA, USA

problem #11

Jan 072023

Tahoe

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving in traffic the car shut off, engine stopped. When the car stopped it went into park. Could not restart the car. Starter worked and engine started but ran very rough then stopped several times. I could not completely shut off the car in an attempt to basically reboot. Car had to be towed to the dealer.

- Bonita Springs, FL, USA

problem #10

Oct 022022

Tahoe 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 27,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the transmission independently moved into park (P) and the gear shifter would not move after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who informed the contact that they could not repair the vehicle because they did not have the adequate tool to unlock the transmission. Upon receiving the tool days later, the dealer diagnosed that water had leaked into the fuel tank, which led to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they would follow up. The contact was still awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000.

- Paulding, OH, USA

problem #9

Sep 022022

Tahoe

  • 14,608 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH with the adaptive cruise control activated, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The contact indicated that after the adaptive cruise control reduced the speed due to a nearby vehicle instead of resuming the intended speed, the vehicle lost motive power in the middle of the busy highway and would not restart. The tow truck was called to the scene and discovered that the transmission could not be shifted into neutral(N). The vehicle had to be dragged onto the flatbed of the tow truck. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,608.

- Roopville, GA, USA

problem #8

Apr 212022

Tahoe

  • miles
I encountered the same issue which most of the other complaints on here saw where the engine lost power (due to one cylinder misfiring) suddenly and it was due to a faulty lifter in the engine. Fortunately, I was able to limp the vehicle back to my house where it could be towed, but had it been worse it could've stalled in an intersection and I'd be unable to move the vehicle due to how the engine must be running in order to put it in Neutral. GM really needs to recall the engines that are affected by the lifter problem as this issue is showing up on several forums online along with this site. My engine date code falls within their TSB, however they only replaced one bank due to my mileage being over 8,000 miles. That means that I most likely get to look forward to more issues soon with the other bank of lifters as they're of the same faulty design.

- Cedar Falls, IA, USA

problem #7

Jan 192022

Tahoe

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle was manufactured with a push button transmission gear selector. If there is an electrical issue(ie. dead battery, electrical short, engine failure, etc) you cannot shift transmission gears. If I pull into my garage, notice a burning smell coming from engine area, possibly an electrical short, I cannot put vehicle in neutral to push out of garage in case it does erupt into a fire and not burn down my house. Recently my dead battery caused the tow company to lift the back end and pull it our of garage. General Motors did not install an override to put transmission in neutral in an emergency. The transmission will only shift if the engine is running. Imagine driving on a road or stopped at a traffic light and the engine stalls, will not restart, good Samaritans offer to push you off the road, but can't shift to neutral. Dealerships have a hydraulic lift they place under rear tires to move vehicle around service area. As a retired law enforcement officer, many times we had to move vehicles out of the way until wrecker serviced arrived. I feel this is definitely something that has to be addressed and corrected before major damage occurs or lives are endangered.

- Monroe, GA, USA

problem #6

Dec 202021

Tahoe

  • miles
You cannot put the vehicle into Neutral unless the engine is running. This is a huge safety issue as my Tahoe broke down in the middle of a very busy intersection at night time, and it took 3 hours for a tow truck to show up. If I had been able to get the vehicle into Neutral, I could have pushed it out of the intersection into a safe location.

- Camas, WA, USA

problem #5

Dec 202021

Tahoe

  • miles
The lifters failed which caused my vehicle to stall in the middle of a very busy intersection. Chevrolet knows this lifters are an issue, but they need to treat it as a Safety Recall. When these fail, it happens while people are driving. It is a HUGE safety issue.

- Camas, WA, USA

problem #4

Jul 132021

Tahoe

  • miles
After turning off a major highway (65 mph) onto a side road after driving for approximately eight hours, the transmission shifted into N...on its own. The engine continued to run but the vehicle would not move. We could not shift into P, R or D. When attempting to shift into P, R or D, an error message appeared on the dashboard that said "Conditions not right for shifting." We turned the vehicle off and then back on and the error cleared. The vehicle continued to drive "normally" for another two hours and the end of the journey. Had this happened in the middle of heavy traffic, a deadly accident could have occurred. Mileage on vehicle is 4,900. Date: 13 July 2021 at 1800 hours. Dealer has been notified but has taken no action to date. There were no warning signs or messages prior to the incident. I'm guessing it is a sensor or software problem related to the engine/transmission. There is a paragraph in the Owner's Manual that states: "Under certain conditions, propulsion will be disabled. Try restarting after the ignition has been off for two minutes." It offers no other explanation as to what "under certain conditions" means.

- Bellevue, NE, USA

problem #3

May 062021

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
May 6, on vacation, sudden engine failure, valve lifter and lifter rod. GM told dealer only to replace lifters on one side, Cyl 5 was problem. May 24 car ready, pickup and 68 miles later same problem while on I95 in SC. Did not trust engine and drove in right lane. GM played Russian roulette with our safety and that of other people on road. Sudden engine failure can result quickly in accidents with possible casualties at highway speeds. After pulling of I95, called GM Road assistance. Towed to dealer. They were of no help. Family member from CHS, SC send trailer to bring us all the way home in New Smyrna Beach Fl. While on phone with GM Road assistance we idled the engine to keep cell phone charged. Suddenly engine stopped and on restart heavy smoke came from tail pipe. May 25 car delivered to dealer in NSB where we bought car. May 27 they informed us same lifter/rod problem occurred on other side. Look at Chevroletforum.com and you will see 2021 6.2 engine having these problems within 8000 miles. Have been in contact with GM customer Assistance Center since May 14. We do no longer trust this engine. GM already decided to redesign the lifters as they are aware of the problem. NO recall has been issued yet. Consider this a serious highway safety issue. Do not consider the car a lemon, but yes the engine sure is.

- New Smyrna Beach, FL, USA

problem #2

Feb 232021

Tahoe

  • 5,101 miles
My wife was driving our new Tahoe (5,101 miles) down a neighborhood street, stopped at a stop sign and hit gas to proceed into a turn and engine completely turned off. She was able to glide to a stop in front of a house, but is terrified what may have happened if she was traveling far from home or on the interstate at high speed with the same occurring. Car would not turn over/start after stopping and had to be towed to dealership. Occurred on a neighborhood street (ashleigh road in fairfax, va)

- Fairfax, VA, USA

problem #1

Dec 052020

Tahoe

  • 1,367 miles
Brand new 2021 Tahoe 1367 miles catastrophically lost power without notice while in a busy intersection with mother and son. Onstar emergency services did not work. Unable to place car in neutral to move out of busy intersection. Police called, vehicle towed. Could not start, jumping not successful. Towed to dealer (hendricks Chevy 12050 w broad street richmond va 23233). Chevy certified mechanic stated cable from battery to alternator had burned/melted/fried, car lost power, no warning. Wanted to simply "replace cable" and "get me back driving." Fearful of major/larger electrical issue causing fire/electrical failure.

- Henrico, VA, USA

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