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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
68,971 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.

2003 Chevrolet Tahoe electrical problems

electrical problem

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2003 Chevrolet Tahoe Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #65

Apr 042022

Tahoe

  • miles

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

I bought my 2003 Chevy Tahoe used and as is at a dealership for $10,000. Yes, I've been robbed. The truck is in great LOOKING condition. Has a little bit of superficial dings and a couple dents but overall exterior is great. Interior isn't shabby. Has wear on the driver's seat but not bad. The first thing that happened, I was on my way to work at 4 in the morning, turned on right blinker to change lanes, about blinded the guy in front of me with high beam lights. I thought I had bumped the switch, I took the right to get off at my exit I was more mindful. Definitely not a me thing. The high beam came on with the right blinker. So, the next thing. CD player runs continuously without a disc in. I cannot put a disc in. There may be discs already in there, it is a 6 disc changer, but it will not play. The radio has a mind of its own. Plays what it wants at anytime its on. My husband drove it, tried to adjust the driver's seat and all it did was growl at him. It doesn't move except forward and back. My speedometer had a glitch one time. I was driving at 35mph and it showed 60mph. I turned it off, then back on, hasn't done that again. My heater works but it's difficult to change the individual temp settings. Almost as if the push buttons are worn inside or have a bad connection. The air conditioner only works when I'm on the freeway and not in stop and go traffic. The first time I turned on the AC, it blew all hot air for longer than 10 minutes. Halfway home I turned it on again but kept the button in off setting, I have cold air. There is a loud popping underneath when I turn left. Also, dropped into 4H driving down the highway at 65mph. Thought I was going to die. I have to drive in auto all wheel because the buttons are messed up. In 2H or 4H I get 4L. It is a mess. The dash is confused. 4 wheel does not go in easily, It bangs when it goes in and comes out. It really isn't safe but I was soaked on the price, I am female and first purchase. Should have bought a Ford

- Apache Junction, AZ, USA

problem #64

Jun 202020

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 63,000 miles
While driving the Tahoe close to home I started to smell of burning and I could see smoke coming up from the dash. I pulled over and by then the whole car was filled with smoke and I could see flames coming from under the dash on the passenger side. I tried to put out the flames (not recommended) but the fire just spread upwards into the dash and was obviously out of control. I left the vehicle and called 911 and within minutes the whole front of the car was engulfed in flames. The police and fire service arrived and eventually the fire was extinguished after it had burned through most of the vehicle. Fortunately I was on my own and I suffered no injuries except a few minor burns to my hands. I am guessing the fire may have started with the blower motor resistor wiring which is a problem many others have reported.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #63

May 312019

Tahoe

  • 276 miles
Takata recall, today, May 31, 2019, I drove my truck to a meeting at 1:30 in the afternoon and parked my vehicle in the parking lot (it was stationary in a city parking lot). When I returned to my car after the meeting at 3:30 in the afternoon I open my car and the interior was engulfed in smoke. A component of the power seat on the drivers side started the fire. It was fortunate no one was in the truck at the time and the windows were closed. After the fire ignited and used up all the oxygen in the interior the fire burned out on it's own. I did call the fire department he had never seen anything like this before. (I've included the fire department investigators card and I can obtain a report if needed). The investigator was the one that determined where the fire started. He explained that the top layer of the seat upholstery has some fire retardant but the underside does not. You can see that the seat was burned from the bottom to the top, the electrical was still operational as you can see from the lights that are on in the photos. I can find no recall on this issue and your assistance would be appreciated. I can only imagine what would have happen if I had been behind the wheel while driving and or had my daughter with me. I am the sole owner of this Chevy Tahoe since 2003. I was completely stock and no outside work has ever been done to it. I have had it regularly serviced and it was running great. I have never noticed any problems with my seats. I do not smoke and had no other combustibles in the car. Please see photo's attached. ## VIN passed ## Chevy Tahoe 2003 ##

- Fairfield, CA, USA

problem #62

Jan 012011

Tahoe

  • 83,000 miles

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

My control panel lights and heat and air control knobs are going out. My back seat seatbelt sometimes want latch and my 3rd row seating will not latch to the bracket. My stearing is bad it will not line up and thats just the begining of the problems that should not happen. My grandkids ride in this vehicle.

- Suwanee, GA, USA

problem #61

Oct 292017

Tahoe

  • miles
While driving my instrument cluster stopped working pulled over unplugged battery started working but been happening a lot it has 180,000 on

- Meadows Of Dan, VA, USA

problem #60

Apr 082017

Tahoe

  • 246,000 miles
My Tahoe caught fire inside the driver side dash. It was parked, no one had driven it that day. I put in a claim with GM (claim #sr 8-2955875514) and it was denied as they said there are no recalls for my Tahoe. This fire started out of no where. Thank goodness our neighbor came banging at the door to let us know that our Tahoe was on fire. We weren't home at the time but my son was, we arrived to find him with the water hose extinguishing the flames that were coming from inside the vehicle. I sent the pics to GM and they just denied it with no other explanation other than there was no current recall. They didn't even tell me why the fire started no one came out to see the vehicle.

- Wilmington, CA, USA

problem #59

May 152015

Tahoe

  • 220,000 miles

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

While driving on the interstate at 70 mph the car switched to reduced engine power and reduced speed immediately to 25 mph, leaving me in the position to navigate through rush hour traffic to get to the side of the road. After happening a couple of times over a 30 period, it is now a regular occurrence. Each attempt to take the car in to a mechanic to be repaired results in the same issue occurring afterwards. Mechanics seem not to be able to determine the cause resulting in a completely unsafe car. The throttle body has been replaced, wire harness, pedal sensor, and throttle body sensor. Nothing has solved the problem!

- Aurora, IL, USA

problem #58

Mar 182009

Tahoe 6-cyl

  • miles
Engine light, oil pressure gauge dropped to zero, but had no motor symptoms.also 3 chimes rang.would like to have history of repairs and previous codes. Thank you. [xxx] please email to me or I can download from my P/C information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Beechgrove, IN, USA

problem #57

Nov 032014

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • miles
Speedometer quit working. GM needs to step up and fix this problem.

- Martinsville, IN, USA

problem #56

Oct 032014

Tahoe 4WD 8-cyl

  • 150,000 miles
When I when to pull out of my drive way 3 or 4 weeks ago I turned on my left turn signal and the four hazards started flashing! it stopped and started back up again and now does it all the time!

- Eugene, OR, USA

problem #55

Sep 222014

Tahoe 4WD 8-cyl

  • 166,514 miles

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

Yesterday was driving home from work and came to a round about, slowed down and vehicle died (alternator gauge went below 14, oil pressure dropped below 40, and battery light came on). I lost all steering and brake pedal was stiff. Now vehicle continuously idles rough and will stall out if not on the throttle, idles 500 and lower. I have replaced mass air flow sensor, air filter, plugs, wires, O2 sensors, fuel filter, evap canister, alternator, and had throttle body cleaned. See there are many complaints filed of the same issues and wondering if anyone at GM has found a solution. Also have noticed GM has recalled the intake gasket but I have not received anything on this recall.

- Port Orchard, WA, USA

problem #54

Feb 072009

Tahoe 4WD 8-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that the instrument panel and the gauges failed intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel gage and ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 08/12/14 GM informed the consumer, since he was not the original owner, they would not fix the problem. Updated 08/14/14

- Lothian, MD, USA

problem #53

Mar 132014

Tahoe

  • 177,980 miles
ABS, brake service light comes, door locks cycle repeatedly, loses power and won't start.

- Starkville, MS, USA

problem #52

Jan 122014

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 130,667 miles
Not sure what is happening to my car but it is very scary when it happens. Shortly after I start my car and it is warmed up, when I am driving it and I put the brakes on to slow down on a corner or at a intersection, my car will shut off. I can't steer and the brakes are hard to push. Please help, don't want to kill myself or my family.

- Oroville, CA, USA

problem #51

May 312013

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 135,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that smoke came from under the hood. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was determined that the blower relay resister module failed. This failure caused the air conditioner to fail and it smelled like plastic was burning. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 135,000.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #50

Jun 152009

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • miles
We noticed the speedometer and the battery was losing charge for several months. We have replaced the battery multiple times and had alternator and starter checked but could not find anything wrong with them. Did not take the vehicle to a Chevrolet dealer cause couldn't afford it the computer analyzing cost. Looked up on computer and in 2009 there was a recall on the "cluster" of the 2003 Tahoe and we were never notified. Chevrolet now says the recall has expired. We did not change addresses at all during this time period. (I also have a friend with a 2003 Tahoe and she did not receive a notice of recall either and has the same problems). What do I do about getting this problem fixed without it costing me a great deal of money. If they know something is wrong with one of their vehicles they should correct the problem especially if someone has a vehicle with a problem and never received a recall notice.

- Shawnee, OK, USA

problem #49

Dec 212012

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 125,000 miles
When driving, I noticed my speedometer registered around 80 and it was on a road that I normally go about 55. Many others were passing me, and I couldn't believe people would be going 90 or 100. And I certainly didn't feel I was going 80. I slowed down to 55, and I was crawling. I came to a stop light, and my speedometer went down to 15 at a stand still. I sped up again, and the same thing. Now it is stuck at 40 when sitting still and goes to about 100 when I drive. Apparently googling this, it appears to be a massive problem and no one can understand why a recall hasn't been issued. The dealer told me a bad cluster at $650 to repair. This needs to be escalated and Chevrolet needs to cover this problem. It is an extreme hazard on the road, and probably has caused many accidents and fatalities because of faulty readings. Please let me know what else I can do to get resolution.

- Laurel, MD, USA

problem #48

Oct 012012

Tahoe

  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that the instrument panel gauges all failed and she was unable to read the fuel gauge, speedometer, thermometer, etc. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where they advised that the instrument cluster failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was later contacted and advised that there were no recalls for the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was approximately 168,286.

- Lake Charles, LA, USA

problem #47

Feb 132012

Tahoe

  • miles
I was driving my 03 Tahoe, when an explosion went off in my vehicle. My entire back end of my Tahoe was literally blow to bits. There were no other vehicles or people around me. I immediately called the police dept. They were shocked to see the condition of my vehicle and said it looked to them, that it was a Chevy malfunction of some sort. I called my insurance company right away. They came out and towed the vehicle. They were also shocked to see the damage, and had no idea what or why it had happened. After assessing all the damage they found it would cost $2000 to fix the damage. Ins. Said they were willing to cover the damage, we had to pay a $500 deductible. I have five kids who are normally in the truck with me, thank god that morning, they were not. Glass was blown all over the inside of my truck, the noise alone would have damaged their ears, mine were ringing all day. I also contacted Chevy's customer service line. I spoke with an agent there who as no help, asked to speak to her supervisor, and she was no help. I then asked for whoever was above her, and I was told there was no one else to help me. I asked for a name, a phone number, an email anything for someone with more authority and was told that there was no one. This is wrong! what if I had been driving down I95, or what if I had my children with me?? then id be suing Chevy for millions! im asking is that they cover the $500 deductible since this is obviously something that is a safety issue. This wasn't normal wear and tare, this wasn't something that was just out of warranty and isn't covered. This is crazy! this is obviously a Chevy defect and needs to be addressed. I am sending pictures so you can see how horrible this was. This wasn't just the back glass shattered, this was like a bomb literally blew off my back door, while I was driving. Chevy needs to take responsibility for this.

- Sebastian, FL, USA

problem #46

Oct 162011

Tahoe

  • miles
I can be going down the highway running 65-70 mph and the reduced engine power light will come on and reduces my speed to 10 mph! I pull over, disconnect the battery cable and replace it, then I could continue for another week or so. Finally, I left the diagonstic computer in my truck and was able to capture the code P1125. The mechanic said to replace the throttle body. That was done in October. It ran fine for a while, but it started doing it again. The throttle body was replaced again! now, two months later, it's doing it again! no one can seem to fix the problem. Meanwhile, I am a female who travels the highways everyday going back and forth to work and I have been in several dangerous situations due to this problem that will not stop! as of now, I can not drive my truck and having to rely on carpooling again until it's fixed for the third time in the past 6 months. It also appears that several people are having the same problem with no results. Someone is going to get killed if this is not addressed soon!

- Sandston, VA, USA

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