2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE Complaints

YOU CAN NOT LOWER THE SPARE TIRE,UNDER THE VEHICLE,THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM AND I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WITH THIS PROBLEM, THE PART THAT HOLDS THE SPARE TIRE HAS A SPRING LOADED LOCK ON IT THAT CANNOT RELEASE BECAUSE OF A BAD DESIGN OFF IT,THEIR IS A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE ABOUT IT (GOOD INFORMATION ABOUT IT) YOU NEED TO CUT THE TIRE DOWN WITH A CUTTING TORCH, THIS IS A BAD IDEA AROUND A GAS TANK, I CAN NOT EXPRESS HOW MAD I AM RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I CAN'T EVEN THINK OF THAT MANY CUSS WORDS,AND IT IS GOING INTO HEART A TACK MODE, I WOULD LOVE TO MEET THE ENGINEER THAT DESIGNED THIS, AND HAVE HIM CHANGE THE TIRE, FIRST YOU NEED A TOW TRUCK THEN A SHOP WITH A LIFT THEN TWO MECHANICS IF NOT THREE AND YOU THEN NEED A TRANSMISSION JACK TO PUT UPWARD PRESSURE ON THE TIRE TO RELEASE THE TENSION OF THE LOCKING DEVICE THAT HOLDS THE TIRE, AFTER YOU LET THE AIR OUT OF THE TIRE, I CAN OVERHAUL THE ENGINE AND THE TRANSMISSION AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT NEED TO BE DONE TO THIS OR ANY OTHER CAR,BUT THIS IS A BIG BIG MISTAKE IN DESIGN,CAN YOU IMAGINE A LADY HAVING TO CHANGE A TIRE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD!!! IF A MECHANIC (MALE OR FEMALE) CANT DO IT,HOW CAN THE AVERAGE CONSUMER, DO IT? AND WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN A RECALL,I KNOW WHY IT HASN'T BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE FORCED TO PAY FOR IT AND FORGET IT,WELL I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE WITHOUT LOOKING FOR THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE MY WIFE AND DAUGHTERS AND SONS HAVE ALL BEEN PROPERLY TRAINED ON HOW TO HANDLE THIS PROBLEM,BUT IT CAN'T BE DONE ON THIS VEHICLE OR ANY OTHER CHEVY VEHICLE OF THIS MAKE FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, YOU CAN NOT DO THIS SAFELY,NO I DON'T HAVE A FLAT TIRE EITHER I WAS JUST EXPLAINING TO THE WIFE THAT IT MAY BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT SO I WANTED HER TO SEE IT JUST INCASE SHE HAD A PROBLEM AND SHE WOULD BE PREPARED ON HOW TO HANDLE IT (WRONG) IT SHOULD TAKE TEN OR FIFTEEN MINUTES TO DO, CAN'T BE DONE,AND I CAN'T BELIEVE IT PLEASE CONTACT ME. *TR

WIPERS WILL NOT SHUT OFF BY SWITCH. THEY WILL ONLY GO SLOW OR FAST NO DELAY. *TR

REAR BRAKE LINE RUSTED THROUGH AND LOST BRAKES. BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR LOSING 95% OF BRAKING ABILITY. I WASN'T IN THE CAR, WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH MY CHILDREN. IF THIS HAD BEEN AT A HIGHER SPEED OR GOING DOWN A HILL I SHUTTER AT WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. MECHANIC REPLACED 90% OF THE BRAKE LINES AS HE SAID THEY WERE IN BAD SHAPE. THOUSAND DOLLAR JOB. MY WIFE'S HIGHLANDER (OTHER VEHICLE) HAS 175K ON IT, SAME YEAR AND WE DON'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM, I WILL DOUBLE CHECK THEM THOUGH. I ASKED THE MECHANIC IF HE SEES A LOT OF TOYOTA'S IN HERE FOR BRAKE LINES, NOPE. THEY USE BETTER STUFF WITH A SPECIAL COATING. MOSTLY CHEVY, DODGE, FORD COME THROUGH. YOU WOULD THINK THESE MANUFACTURERS WOULD KNOW BETTER WITH SOME STATES BEING IN THE "SALT" BELT. *TR

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. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH WHEN THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR INDEPENDENTLY OPENED WHENEVER THE POWER WINDOW DEVICE WAS ACTIVATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN FAILED TO MENTION WHICH PART WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,430.

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. *TR

MY WIFE WENT TO START THE VEHICLE BY PLACING FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. AT START-UP THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND SHE REALIZED SHE HAD NO BRAKING POWER. I CRAWLED UNDER THE VEHICLE TO NOTICE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF BRAKE FLUID LEAKING FROM VERY CORRODED BRAKE LINES. LUCKILY, WE WERE TWO BLOCKS FROM A REPAIR SHOP. ONCE AT THE REPAIR SHOP THEY ADVISED THAT NOT ONLY WERE THE FRONT BRAKE LINES LEAKING BUT ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED AND NEEDED REPLACED IMMEDIATELY. THIS REPAIR COST ME OVER $815.00 ON A 9 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. I'VE NEVER HAD BRAKE LINES GO BAD ON ANY VEHICLE I'VE OWNED. *TR

MY BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY AS I WAS DRIVING HOME I WAS ONLY ABLE TO STOP BY GOING UP HILL. THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT DID NOT GO ON UNTIL THE BRAKES WERE FAILING. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO OUR SERVICE STATION AND HAD TO REPLACE THE COMPLETE BRAKE SYSTEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO AVOID CRASHING INTO A DEER AND LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE WAS FLIPPED SEVERAL TIMES. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AND THE DRIVER WAS KILLED. THE CONTACT DID NOT CONFIRM IF THE DRIVER WAS SECURED BY THE SEAT VEHICLE SAFETY BELT. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED FOR THE AIR BAG FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 182,000.

I WAS ADVISED BY A GM TECHNICIAN DURING VISIT TO DEALER FOR REGULAR MAINTENANCE TO REPLACE CORRODED BRAKE LINES IF I INTENDED TO KEEP THE VEHICLE. COST WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $2,000 TO $2,500 AND THAT I SHOULDN'T WAIT TOO LONG TO DO SO FOR OBVIOUS SAFETY REASONS. SERVICE MANAGER AT THIS GM DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED A "TON" OF THEM AT OWNERS' EXPENSE. MY VEHICLE IS NEVER DRIVEN IN SNOW OR ICE AND I HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE BRAKE LINES ON ANY VEHICLE THAT I HAVE OWNED OVER THE PAST 50+ YEARS - VERY DISHEARTENING. *TR