2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE Complaints

WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND DASH SAYS REDUCED ENGINE POWER. VEHICLE WILL ONLY DRIVE ABOUT 15 MILES PER HOUR. UPON RESEARCHING THIS THROUGH VARIOUS INTERNET WEBSITES, THIS SAME PROBLEM HAS AND IS HAPPENING TO A HUGE AMOUNT OF 2003 TAHOE OWNER'S AND IT'S ALWAYS A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS PROBLEM - YET GM REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A PROBLEM. ON A SIDE NOTE, HEADLIGHTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY DIM. *TR

IN THE PERIOD OF 4 WEEKS I EXPERIENCED TWO HIGH SPEED TIRE FAILURES WHILE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE 95 IN VIRGINIA. IN EACH CASE I WAS BARELY ABLE TO MAINTAIN VEHICLE CONTROL AND PULL OFF THE ROAD. IN EACH CASE THE TIRES WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND OFF THE RIM. AFTER THE SECOND CASE I CHOSE TO HAVE ALL FOUR TIRE REPLACED AND PRIOR TO ACTUAL REMOVAL I CHECKED THE TIRE STEM ON ONE OF THE 2 REMAINING (NOT NEW TIRES) AND DISCOVERED THE VALVE STEM HAD A SPLIT. THE SAME WAS DISCOVERED ON THE OTHER TIRE STILL ON THE VEHICLE. I ALSO CHECKED THE VALVE STEM ON THE LATEST TIRE THAT HAD GOBE FLAT AND IT TO HAD A CRACK. IT IS CLEAR THAT AT LEAST 3 AND MOST LIKELY FOUR OF THE VALVE STEMS FAILED CAUSING THE COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF TWO RELATIVELY NEW TIRES (LESS THAN 17 K MILES) AND ALMOST RESULTING IN TWO HIGH SPEED INTERSTATE VEHICLE ACCIDENTS. *TR

SPEEDOMETER QUICK WORKING PROPERLY. IT REGISTERS AT 120 MPH AT ALL TIMES, EVEN WHEN IN PARK. *TR

THERE IS A WEAK FEELING AND A KNOCKING IN THE STEERING BOX OR STEERING COLUMN IN THE VEHICLE. IT FEELS UNSTABLE LIKE THE CAR'S FRONT END COULD FALL APART AT ANY MINUTE. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 CHEVY TAHOE. THE SPEEDOMETER ISN'T REGISTERING THE CORRECT SPEED OR SOMETIMES DOESN'T REGISTER AT ALL. THE GAUGE IS STICKING AT VARIOUS NUMBERS ON THE SPEEDOMETER. *TR

RIGHT PASSENGER WHEEL HUB FAILURE ON OWNER'S 2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE WITH ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON DASHBOARD WITH GRINDING NOISE FROM WHEEL. HUB REPLACED BY CHEVROLET DEALER, AND INFORMED THAT DRIVER'S WHEEL HUB NEEDS REPLACEMENT TOO. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) ON THE ISSUE BY CHEVROLET, WHICH DOES NOT CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE, EVEN THOUGH THE HUB HAS THE POTENTIAL OF SHEARING OFF AT SPEED. *TR

2003 TAHOE AND ON MANY OCCASIONS THE SERVICE AIR BAG SENSOR HAS COME ON. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT WHEN THIS LIGHT IS ON THE AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY. THIS SEEMS VERY DANGEROUS. ALSO THE DEALER CAN'T GET A CODE ON WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT UNLESS THE LIGHT IS ON. IT DOESN'T STAY ON A LONG TIME BUT IS VERY FREQUENT IN COMING ON. LOOKS LIKE THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON IT. *TR

EXPERIENCE TIRE FAILURE OF FIRESTONE WILDERNESS LE ON 2003 CHEV. TAHOE ON 4/6/2008 WHEN RETURNING TO MEMPHIS FROM ATLANTA. WAS TRAVELING AT 70-75MPH WHEN ENTIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE CAUSING A VIOLENT EXPLOSION OF TIRE. I STRUGGLED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE. THE ENTIRE TREAD WAS GONE FROM THE TIRE. THE REMAINING MATERIALS WERE NOTHING MORE THAN STEEL BELTING MATERIALS. THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE DONE TO THE WHEEL WELL LINING, FENDER, REAR DOOR, FENDER AND BUMPER AS WELL AS PAINT DAMAGE. THESE TIRES HAD 68,000 MILES ON THEM WITH APPROX. 1/4" OF TREAD REMAINING. I EXAMINED THESE TIRES AND VERIFIED 34 LBS OF PRESSURE PRIOR TO LEAVING MEMPHIS FOR ATLANTA. NO OBJECT WAS STRUCK IN THE ROADWAY. THIS WAS SIMPLY A TREAD FAILURE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH DOWNHILL AND APPROACHING A STOP, THE ANTILOCK BRAKES PUSHED BACK ON THE CONTACT'S FOOT. THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STOP AND ANOTHER VEHICLE NEARLY CRASHED INTO THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE BRAKES UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V045000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED A SECOND TIME, THE DEALER HAD A TECHNICIAN INSPECT THE VEHICLE. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ANTILOCK BRAKES FAILED AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT THE COST OF $200. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 53,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 59,000. UPDATED 10/16/08 *BF UPDATED 10/20/08. *JB

I OWN A 2003 CHEVY TAHOE. I NOTICED IN THE FALL OF 2004 THAT MY SPEEDOMETER WAS BEGINNING TO BE WRONG - I WOULD BE RUNNING AT 1,900 RPM, WHICH FOR MY VEHICLE IS ABOUT 65 MPH, BUT THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD ONLY BE SHOWING 40 MPH. I TOOK THE TAHOE INTO MY DEALERS SERVICE DEPT WHERE THEY TOLD ME THAT THE SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER WAS BAD AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. I HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, SO THIS WAS NOT A PROBLEM. A NEW CLUSTER WAS REPLACED ON 12/6/04 WHEN THE TAHOE HAD 40,000. I NOW HAVE OVER 108,000 MILES ON IT AND THE REPLACEMENT SPEEDOMETER IS NOW DOING THE SAME THINGS THE OLD ONE DID. THE OTHER NIGHT (3/29/08) I WAS DRIVING HOME AT 1,900 RPM ON THE TACH AND THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE WAS SITTING ON 0 MPH - NOW I KNOW I WASN'T STANDING STILL ON THE HIGHWAY! I HAVE HEARD ABOUT MANY MANY OTHER CHEVY OWNERS WITH VEHICLES AROUND THE SAME YEAR AS MINE HAVING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR SPEEDOMETERS. WHEN IS GM GOING TO ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM AND ISSUE A RECALL SO PEOPLE AREN'T REQUIRED TO PAY $300-$700 (DEPENDING UPON DEALER INFO) TO REPLACE THEIR FAULTY SPEEDOMETERS. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *TR