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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
4,677 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #30

Sep 062023

Tahoe

  • miles

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

Wife was driving home from work, vehicle started with no issues and she did not notice anything abnormal as she started her commute home, roughly 20 minute commute. She noticed the vehicle was vibrating, mildly at first and progressively getting worse. When she came to a stop at red light, she noticed the vibrating was worse at idle. She did not note any warning or cautions, she contacted me, i advised her to attempt to make it home. Once the light turned green, she accelerated and noticed the vehicle smoking, she pulled over into a parking lot, parked and shut it off. By this time all the warning in vehicle were flashing, battery and oil pressure gauges were fluctuating, check engine light was flashing, traction control, and other adaptive sensors i.e. blind spot, HUD where signals were displayed as off or not functioning. I was able to drive the vehicle to.4 miles to the dealership service center where we purchased the vehicle from in 2021 brand new off the lot. This occurred on 6 September 2023, still awaiting final diagnostic from from service department. They think its the lifter on the engine that failed, but they have disassemble engine to make exact determination. Once I receive diagnostic/invoice details I can provide that, luckily vehicle is still under warranty.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #29

Aug 272023

Tahoe

  • miles
We were driving down the road and as I tried to accelerate the car would not go. Then I realized the car said push to start. My husband tried to push the neutral button and told me to restart it but I said you have to push the brake. All this is happening as we are coasting down a main road with speed limits of 55mph and my family is in the vehicle (including 2 toddlers in the back seat). Once we coast to a gravel area off the road I push the brakes and try to restart. My dash goes all black and I try to restart. It tells me battery low push to start. The starter engages and stays engaged until I push the start button again to turn off. The screen tells me it is shutting down functions to save battery. The check engine light is on. We tried 3x with same results. Finally we get out and my parents come to us. Within 15 mins of the initial incident, my husband and dad get in and start my vehicle. My dad suspected the fuel pump. The fuel was right under 1/4 tank but not low enough for the fuel light to be on. They drove to the fuel station, approximately 2 miles away, filled up the tank and drove it to an auto parts store who connected it to a diagnostic machine and it read fuel pump. They drove it back to my home, approximately 2 more miles. The check engine light is still on. I will call the dealership tomorrow. The vehicle has 23,000 miles and is still under manufacturer warranty.

- Elkview, WV, USA

problem #28

Aug 212023

Tahoe

  • 43,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,000.

- Coral Gables, FL, USA

problem #27

Aug 032023

Tahoe

  • miles

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

I was driving down the highway and my car simply stopped moving, pressed on the gas and nothing. Had it towed and the dealership said it was the fuel pump power control module which there was a recall on but I never received it. I was in a very dangerous situation and I am not happy.

- Sebastian, FL, USA

problem #26

Feb 012023

Tahoe

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle shuddered. The vehicle had been taken to a dealer on two separate occasions where the check engine warning light was reset; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

- Valdosta, GA, USA

problem #25

Sep 132021

Tahoe

  • miles
The suit also says the lifters in affected engines were installed in an incorrect position in the lifter guide and do not always conform to design specifications. Plaintiffs claim their vehicles needed frequent valvetrain maintenance, including -??more frequent oil changes, engine flushing and cleaning and/or replacing the valve lifter oil manifold and its filter at regular intervals.-??

- Mexico, AL, USA

problem #24

Apr 072023

Tahoe

  • miles

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

I bought the vehicle (a Chevy Tahoe) brand new in 2021. After 7,000 miles the lifter in the motor broke. The top of the motor had to be rebuilt to accommodate a new lifter. Now, with 24,000 miles on the vehicle, another lifter just broke, so the motor has to be taken apart again. I am certain GM knows about this problem, as (the lifter issue) it is all over the internet, but GM will not issue a recall of the defective lifters. I would be very interested in joining a class action law suit to force GM to recall the defective (lifter) parts. In both instances when the lifters broke, there is no warning! The engine looses power and the vehicle "bucks and shakes". It is just a matter of time before this issues causes sever bodily harm because of this massive engine failure. I have all of the repair documentation.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #23

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 #22

Sep 082021

Tahoe

  • miles
I have an on going problem with the emissions system on my 2021 Tahoe. The vehicle discharges raw diesel fuel and DEF from the exhaust tail pipe during cold startup. This discharge is overwhelming and is so strong it can be detected by smell from over fifty feet away. In addition to this issue the fumes enter the inside of the vehicle and at times it is so bad you need to open the windows. I believe this problem is unsafe as it poses a fire risk and a CO exposure risk to the vehicle occupants. The vehicle has been in the shop repeatedly for the past eighteen months with various parts replaced. To date none of the repairs have fixed the problem. In February GM issued a statement saying that this is normal operations.

- Anacortes, WA, USA

problem #21

Jan 072023

Tahoe

  • miles
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 #20

Dec 202021

Tahoe

  • 16,786 miles

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

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing and the contact was made aware of a cylinder #3 misfire which caused the lifters to fail. The contact stated that the lifters on the driver-??s side and the gaskets, bolts, and rods were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacture was not contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 16,786.

- Albany, GA, USA

problem #19

Jun 032022

Tahoe

  • miles
The lifters failed at 18,000 miles stranded on the side of the road with 3 kids for hours. Only one side is apparently being replaced, leaving me just waiting for the other to go out. I was assured by the dealership that it would happen just would be a matter of when

- Valdosta, GA, USA

problem #18

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 #17

Jan 222022

Tahoe

  • miles
Experienced a collapsed lifter on my 2021 Chevy Tahoe at 18,000 miles, also had a bent push rod, all whiling 40 mph. This is my second time having this issue. There is a problematic design with the active fuel management system. The frequency this is occurring is unacceptable. I also had the same issue on another GM truck at 120k miles which costs 6,000 dollars to repair.

- Mount Dora, FL, USA

problem #16

Jan 252022

Tahoe

  • 10,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that stated while the vehicle was parked and unoccupied caught fire without warning. The contact noticed there was smoke and flames emerging from the vehicle, and it burnt to the ground. There were no reported injuries. The contact's belongings purse and wallet were destroyed in the fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was not filed. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but, no further assistance was provided. The vehicle was towed to a salvage investigation lot by the insurance company. The approximate failure mileage 10,000.

- Pacific Palisades, CA, USA

problem #15

Jan 122022

Tahoe

  • miles
This model engine stalls/cuts out acceleration because of valve lifter problems. While Chevrolet has repaired many of these engines, they are waiting until the check engine light comes on (or flashes) to initiate the warranty repair. It is very possible to be miles from a dealer, requiring a tow, and the dealer not having the repair parts in stock.

- Jackson, WY, USA

problem #14

Aug 122020

Tahoe

  • miles
GM has been building V8 engines with a known defect that is bending push rods and damaging lifters. These newer engines use a DFM system and that system is compounding this engine defect. GM has refused to replace all the lifters and is going forward with just fixing engines as they blow up which can happen at any time. The 5.3 and 6.2 engines are a ticking time bomb and can leave you without engine power at any given time when a lifter fails or a push rod gets bent. Hopefully the NHTSA will look into this issue and force GM into a recall.

- Auburn, MI, USA

problem #13

Nov 292021

Tahoe

  • miles
I have has this vehicle for just over a year, and in the time i have accumulated 8,600 miles. Suddenly, yesterday after normal I stopped for a red light. The start/stop function came on (normally) and then all of a sudden the vehicle restarted it self, but, it started running rough, and misfiring. when i moved it backfired several time. I had to have the car flat bedded to the dealer, and apparently it has a known issue, with the lifters and the push rods. The dealer stated it will take a while to get the parts. h as 5 others in the shop for the same problem. My comment is, I am lucky this happened at a stop, I think this would be a major issue if this was to happened at 65 MPH ? You could end up in an accident while you deal with the issue.

- Huntington, NY, USA

problem #12

Aug 052021

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Traction control and forward collision warning lights stared to go crazy in August 2021 (3800 miles), five months after buying my Tahoe. Sales rep indicated his new 2021 Silverado did the same and he was able to get it to reset by turning off and restating his engine. So I did the same and thought my issue may have resolved itself. Yesterday, the warning lights started to go haywire again (6700 miles) This time my vehicle felt as though it was going to stall and was making a clicking noise under the hood. The warning lights continue to flash regardless of how many times I turn on and off the engine. The engine also revs loudly.

- Irmo , SC, USA

problem #11

Oct 082021

Tahoe 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Valve lifter damaged. Caused poor engine performance and lack of acceleration. Vehicle at dealer, who is very aware of this issue with GM V8 engines. Replacement parts on multi-week back-order. Check engine and other warning lights appear, as well as audible noises from engine compartment. Symptoms appeared on 10/8/21. 9,000 on vehicle

- Johns Creek, GA, USA

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