2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE Complaints

METAL BRAKE LINE UNDER TRUCK BURST . LOOKS LIKE IT RUSTED THROUGH. ALL OTHER LINES RUSTED ALSO. VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN DRIVEWAY.

DRIVING ON ICY ROAD ANTI LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATED AND BRAKE LINE RUPTURED, ADN WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP.

STEERING GOES OUT WHEN BRAKING AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN OR WHEN TRYING TO MANEUVER INTO A PARKING PLACE , TO HARD TO TURN THE WHEEL WITH NO STEERING POWER VERY DANGEROUS. IN TRAFFIC. NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHY OR HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM.

THE CABLE SYSTEM TO LAY DOWN THE REAR 60/40 SPLIT BENCH REAR SEAT IS ALL MESSED UP. SEVERAL OF THE CABLES HAVE STRETCHED AND OR BROKEN OFF AT THEIR CONNECTING POINTS UNDER THE SEATS AND IN THE BACK OF THE SEATS UNDER THE UPHOLSTERY. TO ADD TO THE PROBLEM, THE TAP PULL TO PULL THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT ON THE 60 SIDE NO LONGER OPERATES PROPERLY IN ORDER TO FLIP THAT PART OF THE SEAT FORWARD. THESE PROBLEMS HAVE VIRTUALLY RENDERED THE THIRD ROW SEATS, AND OR THE EXPANDING OF THE CARGO AREA USELESS. NOT ONLY HAS THIS PROBLEM RENDERED THE MIDDLE AND BACK OF THE VEHICLE USELESS, IT IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE! THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE A RECALL ON ALL THESE MODELS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS TRAPPED IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE IN THE INSTANCE OF A SEVERE WRECK, OR GOD FORBID A FIRE. SOMEONE COULD GET TRAPPED AND BURN TO DEATH.

HARD METAL BRAKE LINE FAILURE DURING EMERGENCY, HIGH PEDAL PRESSURE, STOP. NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO AVOID ENTERING AN INTERSECTION, AS THE LEAD CAR. BRAKING WAS FIRM, BEFORE PEDAL DESCENDED STEADILY TOWARD THE FLOOR. PUMPING PROVIDED SOME FRICTION, BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESTORE A MINORITY OF THE SYSTEM'S CAPACITY. THE FAILURE WAS A HOLE DEVELOPED IN THE LINE, ALONG ITS PATH TO THE PASSENGER FRONT BRAKE CALIPER. THE BRAKE LINES SHOWED ALARMING CORROSION LEVELS, WHICH WHILE POTENTIALLY UNDERSTANDABLE FOR A 13 YEAR OLD NORTHEAST OUTDOOR WINTER TRUCK, WAS A SYMPTOM OF CATASTROPHIC POTENTIAL. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE. WHILE APPROACHING A STOP, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIBRATE SEVERELY AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 166,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE. WHILE TOWING A 6000 POUND TRAILER AND DESCENDING DOWN A HILL AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY EXPERIENCED CATASTROPHIC BRAKE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP OR SLOW DOWN WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE INTO A FIELD TO EVENTUALLY STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

I AM ONE OF MILLIONS OF 1999-2007 CHEVROLET V8 TRUCK ENGINE OWNERS, WHO IS TOLD BY THEIR GM MECHANIC THAT THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLT(S) HAS BROKEN, LEADING TO EXPENSES RANGING FROM $500 TO $1,500. GM BUILT THE ENGINES WITH SUBSTANDARD BOLTS THAT DO NOT LAST IN COMPARISON TO THE REST OF THE ENGINE AND VEHICLE. ONE OR MORE WILL BREAK, WHICH CAUSES AN EXHAUST LEAK AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND THEREFORE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF SERVICE AS IT CANNOT PASS STATE EMISSIONS TESTS. ADDITIONALLY, SOME OF THE EXHAUST LEAKS ARE NEAR OTHER SENSORS WHICH CAN CAUSE FAULTY READINGS OR UNSAFE CONDITIONS. THOSE WHO ATTEMPT TO SELF-FIX THIS GM-CAUSED PROBLEM FACE UNSAFE CONDITIONS, AS THEY ARE DIFFICULT TO GET TO, REQUIRE A WELDER TO FIX, MAY DAMAGE SURROUNDING EQUIPMENT, ETC. THE NEED FOR A RECALL IS WELL-KNOWN AND VERY LARGE, AND IT IS TIME FOR A RECALL ON THESE, SIMILAR AS HAVE FORD AND TOYOTA HAD RECALLS ON SIMILAR ISSUES. GM SURVIVED DUE TO A BAILOUT FROM TAXPAYERS (MANY OF THEM THEIR OWN CUSTOMERS); IT IS TIME FOR GM TO PERFORM RESPONSIBLY TO A NEEDED RECALL. IN THE PICTURE, THE BROKEN-OFF BOLT HEAD IS EVIDENCED A FEW INCHES TO THE LEFT OF THE RUSTY ONE THAT STILL EXISTS, WHERE THERE IS AN EMPTY HOLE (THE BOLT REMAINS STUCK INSIDE THE ENGINE, AND REQUIRES BORING OUT OR WELDING SOMETHING ON IN ORDER TO BACK IT OUT).

ON NOVEMBER 5, 2015, I TOOK MY 2003 TAHOE IN DUE TO THE FACT THAT AN EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLT HAD SHEARED OFF DURING THE NORMAL COURSE OF DRIVING. I BOUGHT MY TAHOE NEW AND HAVE ALWAYS HAD IT SERVICE AT THE MCCARTHY-MORRIS CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP ON OVERLAND PARK, KS. I REALIZE THAT OVER TIME PARTS ON A VEHICLE WILL BREAK AND AT 118,000 MILES I SHOULD EXPECT TO INCUR MAINTENANCE EXPENSES. HOWEVER, BASED ON MY RESEARCH GM USED A SUBSTANDARD BOLT AND THIS ISSUE IMPACTS MILLIONS OF GM V8 MOTORS. FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE, I HAD THE REPAIR DONE BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO RISK HAVING EXHAUST FUMES ENTERING THE CAB OF MY VEHICLE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THIS TYPE OF EXHAUST LEAK COULD HAVE EPA IMPLICATIONS AS WELL. IN ORDER TO HAVE THE REPAIR DONE, THE DEALERSHIP HAD TO PULL THE HEAD BECAUSE ONE OF THE TWO BOLTS THAT SHEARED OFF WAS FLUSH WITH THE HEAD AND HAD TO BE DRILLED OUT. TOTAL COST WAS $1,381.07. THE SAD FACT IS THAT AFTER GETTING THE VEHICLE BACK, IT IS RUNNING ROUGH AND CHANCE ARE I WILL HAVE TO RETURN IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR ADDITIONAL REPAIRS. I CONTEND THAT WHEN MAJOR REPAIRS LIKE THIS ARE DONE, THE VEHICLE IS SELDOM THE SAME. IT TOOK 5 DAYS TO GET IT BACK DO TO THE WEEKEND. IF THE NHTSA WON'T TAKE ANY ACTIONS OVER CONCERNS ABOUT THE EXHAUST LEAK, I HOPE SOME LAW FIRM MIGHT CONSIDER STARTING A CLASS ACTION SUIT. I HAVE NO ISSUE PAYING FOR REPAIRS CAUSED BY NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, BUT THIS APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT THAT RESULTED FROM CHEVROLET USING A SUBSTANDARD BOLT.

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2003 CHEVY TAHOE TO THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE WITHOUT ANY WARNING BRAKES TOTALLY WENT OUT, GOD MUST HAVE BEEN WATCH OVER HER BECAUSE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY, THANK GOD FOR EMERGENCY BRAKES. GM STATE THAT THE VEHICLE WILL STOP WHEN THE BRAKE LINE GIVE AWAY WILL THAT BULL [XXX]! THIS IS THE SECOND VEHICLE THAT WE HAVE HAD BRAKES LINE GO OUT ON FIRST MY 2002 CHEVY SILVERADO WITH 41000 MILES ON IT AND NOW OUR 2003 CHEVY TAHOE WITH APPROXIMATELY 90'000 BOTH WITHIN A WEEK OF ONE OTHER. ALSO MY STEPSON HAS A 2006 CHEVY SILVERADO THAT THE BRAKES WENT OUT ON TWO WEEKS AGO IS A HOSPITAL PARKING LOT THAT WAS ALMOST DEVASTATING. *TR INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR