Is your defective Chevrolet Tahoe actually a LEMON?

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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
2,521 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 1 of 2)

problem #22

Sep 082021

Tahoe

  • miles

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

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
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

problem #10

Aug 222021

Tahoe

  • 14,170 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving approximately 45-50 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light flashing. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 14,170.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #9

Jul 112021

Tahoe

  • miles
The engine started knocking and running rough. My wife pulled the car over. She could tell from the sound it was not a minor issue. We had the 2021 Tahoe toed to Vaden Chevrolet in Beaufort, SC, where we purchased the vehicle. The dealer confirmed it was an engine problem. 8 lifters along with other associated parts need to be replace. This is a major engine repair. The vehicle is 8 months old and has approximately 10,000 miles on it. Doing internet search, the failure of engine lifters in Tahoes and Silverados appears to be a known problem. The service department manager told me that they have already done 10 of these this year. Failure of an engine while driving is a major safety issue. The vehicle is in for repair, now.

- St Helena Island, SC, USA

problem #8

Jul 032021

Tahoe

  • miles
On July 3, 2021 approximately 2:00pm EST. Left to go out of town, had driven about 50 miles. Stopped to top off fuel. Left station for fueling stopped at red light to turn left to get back on interstate. The vehicle stuttered, stalled, and would not restart in middle of intersection. Hazard lights put on nearly hit by other vehicles. State trooper had to get behind vehicle to let other know of hazard. Towed to nearest dealer. Onstar diagnostic revealed fuel management system and transmission. Dealer hasn-€™t contacted but service advisor from GM notified me it was fuel pump.

- Greenville , SC, USA

problem #7

Jun 132021

Tahoe

  • miles
We have owned this 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe for a little less than a year. Since acquiring this vehicle, there have been multiple safety recalls and we have had to get the vehicle serviced 3 times due to electrical issues. Now for the major safety issue, was out of town waiting at a red light in a turning lane. As we were waiting, the Tahoe spontaneously turned off. All of the indicator lights on the dashboard were illuminated and my husband tried to restart the car but the engine just kept turning and the car would not start. We put the hazard lights on and wanted to get the vehicle out of the road where there was active traffic. However, the vehicle was unable to be shifted to neutral so we were stuck and also important to note the hazard lights were not working. We towed to the nearest dealership and tow driver had to apply WD40 on the ramp to get the truck off since it wouldn't shift to neutral. At the same time, my husband received an email from OnStar "An issue with the Engine and Transmission System in your 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe has been detected." Now being told by dealership this was caused by a fuel pump module cut off, causing the car to go into "limp mode" so who knows what is true. I do not feel safe driving this car nor having my kids in it. This would be a very different conversation if this happened on a highway. This vehicle should be recalled because someone gets killed.

- Land O Lakes, FL, USA

problem #6

May 282021

Tahoe 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
On my way to work a few days ago I noticed a lag while driving and a knocking feeling/sound ever few seconds going highway speeds. No engine light came on to warn or tell of an issue. I thought maybe it was just a section of roadway that makes cars ride rough. Anyway, made it to work and I could hear a whining sound every time I gave vehicle gas and RPMs increased. We called our GM dealer and he said it-€™s a known issue of collapsing lifters and to bring it in for repair. Vehicle had around 5900 miles. 20% oil life was left. I checked oil and level was fine. I-€™m in a loaner now waiting for repair. If it-€™s a known issue, why is it happening. Inferior parts or bad design? A recall needs to happen before someone gets hurt.

- Castroville, TX, USA

problem #5

May 192021

Tahoe 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
We purchased this vehicle on 11/28/20, and on 12/10/20 began receiving multiple error messages and loss of power on the accelerator. Shortly after the error messages began I was no longer to even start the vehicle. It needed to be towed to the dealer and eventually required a full engine replacement, and was out of service for 22 days. On 5/19/21 I was getting on the highway with my wife and 3 young children and began receiving many of the same error messages. The car was brought to the dealership the following day and I found out that this was another major engine issue. They need to order several parts, one of which is on backorder. As of 5/24 it has been out of service for an additional 5 days, bringing the total up to 27 days out of service, and there are currently 4800 miles on the car.

- North Haven, CT, USA

problem #4

Apr 032021

Tahoe

  • 5,334 miles
On April 3, 2021 at approximately 5:00pm, while driving on the highway through North Carolina (on a trip from Maryland to Florida) with my family of 5 (two adults and 3 young children, including my infant son) out of nowhere my brand new Tahoe began shaking uncontrollably and the engine starting popping and sputtering as if it were going to give out completely. This occurred on a very busy highway, where my vehicle was surrounded by many other vehicles driving at high rates of speed. It was a very frightening situation and I immediately exited the highway and stopped at the nearest safe location, which was a wendy's restaurant. At the time that this serious safety defect occurred, my brand new 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe rst, which I had owned for less than 6 months, had only 5334 miles on it. I contacted onstar and was told there were no issues detected and that I should "take it easy" and continue driving. The engine continued shaking and sputtering for about an hour and then stopped. We went to atlanta to meet with family and parked the car. The next morning when I went to start the car, it began shaking and sputtering again like the engine was going to blow and the electric panel on the car displayed a number of errors. I contacted onstar and was informed there was engine trouble and I should take the car to the nearest dealer. I still have not gotten my car back. I have initiated a lemon claim with GM but they have said there's a backlog and have no eta on when this issue is to be resolved. Meanwhile, my family is out of a vehicle and I am still paying a car note for an $80,000 brand new car that I do not have access to and that is too dangerous to drive. Something needs to be done about this as I've seen other reports of similar issues on the internet. Please help.

- Upper Marlboro, MD, USA

problem #3

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

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