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U.S. public vehicle records

2021 Chevrolet TAHOE problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

445 owner complaints analyzed

16 distinct recall campaigns

40,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2021 model year. Data snapshot: . 99 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 163 of 445 complaints (36.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Fuel system concerns8018.0%
Transmission and shifting6915.5%
Engine operation6514.6%
Electrical and battery issues429.4%
Braking behavior337.4%
Steering behavior184.0%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Engine
163
Fuel/Propulsion System
93
Power Train
85
Electrical System
55
Unknown Or Other
40
Air Bags
24
Fuel System, Gasoline
22
Engine And Engine Cooling
17
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Engine163
Fuel/Propulsion System93
Power Train85
Electrical System55
Unknown Or Other40
Air Bags24
Fuel System, Gasoline22
Engine And Engine Cooling17

Engine: 163; Fuel/Propulsion System: 93; Power Train: 85; Electrical System: 55; Unknown Or Other: 40; Air Bags: 24; Fuel System, Gasoline: 22; Engine And Engine Cooling: 17

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
35
25,000 to 49,999
22
50,000 to 74,999
21
75,000 to 99,999
13
100,000 to 149,999
7
150,000 and above
1
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,00035
25,000 to 49,99922
50,000 to 74,99921
75,000 to 99,99913
100,000 to 149,9997
150,000 and above1

Under 25,000: 35; 25,000 to 49,999: 22; 50,000 to 74,999: 21; 75,000 to 99,999: 13; 100,000 to 149,999: 7; 150,000 and above: 1

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (35). 346 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2020
12
2021
29
2022
29
2023
50
2024
63
2025
161
2026
101
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
202012
202129
202229
202350
202463
2025161
2026101

2020: 12; 2021: 29; 2022: 29; 2023: 50; 2024: 63; 2025: 161; 2026: 101

Pattern summary

Engine leads the component reports. Fuel system concerns appears in 80 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 69 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 65 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 11385637 · 2020-12-30 (December 30, 2020)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 CHEVROLET TAHOE. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SERRA CHEVROLET SAGINAW (4200 BAY RD, SAGINAW, MI 48603) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FUEL PUMP CONTROLLER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 616.

Owner-reported narrative. 616 miles reported. Look up ODI 11385637 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11421145 · 2021-06-16 (June 16, 2021)

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 hazar…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11421145 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11384381 · 2020-12-21 (December 21, 2020)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FROM ONSTAR THAT THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO BEAVER CHEVROLET (3494 PHILIPS HWY, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32207, [phone removed]) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE HAD COLLAPSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REQUESTED A NEW VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED HOWEVER, NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILU…

Owner-reported narrative. 2,700 miles reported. Look up ODI 11384381 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11418385 · 2021-05-24 (May 24, 2021)

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…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11418385 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11378279 · 2020-12-07 (December 7, 2020)

BRAND NEW 2021 TAHOE 1367 MILES CATASTROPHICALLY LOST POWER WITHOUT NOTICE WHILE IN A BUSY INTERSECTION WITH MOTHER AND SON. ONSTAR EMERGENCY SERVICES DID NOT WORK. UNABLE TO PLACE CAR IN NEUTRAL TO MOVE OUT OF BUSY INTERSECTION. POLICE CALLED, VEHICLE TOWED. COULD NOT START, JUMPING NOT SUCCESSFUL. TOWED TO DEALER (HENDRICKS CHEVY 12050 W BROAD STREET RICHMOND VA 23233). CHEVY CERTIFIED MECHANIC STATED CABLE FROM BATTERY TO ALTERNATOR HAD BURNED/MELTED/FRIED, CAR LOST POWER, NO WARNING. WANTED TO SIMPLY "REPLACE CABLE" AND "GET ME BACK DRI…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,367 miles reported. Look up ODI 11378279 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11407748 · 2021-04-12 (April 12, 2021)

VEHICLE WILL NOT START. ONLY 6900 MILES. BATTERY FINE, LIGHTS AND RADIO WORK, WINDOWS AND TAILGATE WORK. CAR TURNS OVER, BUT JUST WON'T START. READ MANUAL, DID EVERYTHING SUGGESTED. CLEARLY AN ELECTRONIC ERROR. AND, BECAUSE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE STARTED, IT COULD NOT BE PUT IN NEUTRAL. TOW DRIVER HAD TO DRAG CAR ACROSS PAVEMENT ON FLATBED. COULD NOT BE GOOD FOR BRAKES OR ANYTHING ELSE DOWN BELOW. WHEN ARRIVED AT DEALERSHIP, COULD NOT GET TAHOE OFF FLATBED. WINCH ONLY PULLS UP ONTO FLATBED, DOES NOT PUSH BACKWARDS. OILED THE FLATBED…

Owner-reported narrative. 6,900 miles reported. Look up ODI 11407748 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11372952 · 2020-11-04 (November 4, 2020)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE DRIVER EXPERIENCED A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. DURING THE INCIDENT, THE PRE COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED AND DID NOT ACTIVATE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A STEEL TRANSFORMER. DURING THE CRASH THE DRIVER SUSTAINED FRACTURED RIBS THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AWAY. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH WAS DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKIN…

Owner-reported narrative. 3,400 miles reported. Look up ODI 11372952 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11397468 · 2021-02-22 (February 22, 2021)

TOOK DELIVERY OF VEHICLE ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 29TH, 2021. WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM PLYMOUTH, MA TO CONCORD, NH, I WAS USING THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL. I WAS TRAVELING BETWEEN 65MPH AND 70MPH. ROADS WERE COMPLETELY DRY, THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS NEAR ME, AND THERE WERE NO OBSTACLES IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS TRAVELING IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF A THREE LANE HIGHWAY. OUT OF NOWHERE, THE BRAKES WERE FORCEFULLY APPLIED BY THE COMPUTER WHICH NEARLY BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE. AFTER REACHING MY DESTINATION I NOTICED THAT …

Owner-reported narrative. 980 miles reported. Look up ODI 11397468 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11398531 · 2021-03-01 (March 1, 2021)

2021 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN, 79 MILES ON ODOMETER WHEN DRIVEN OFF LOT ON 02/22/21. VEHICLE FRAME AND SUSPENSION PARTS, AS WELL AS, CONTROL, STEERING, AND POWERTRAIN PARTS HAVE SIGNIFICANT CORROSION OCCURRING. VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED AND INSPECTED 11/2020. VEHICLE WAS VISUALLY INSPECTED BY OWNER. CURRENTLY IN PROCESS OF TRYING TO REMEDY WITH GM. CORROSION SO EARLY IN VEHICLE LIFE WILL UNDOUBTEDLY LEAD TO FAILURE. I RESIDE IN TACOMA, WASHINGTON. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN PUYALLUP, WASHINGTON. MORE PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. THERE ARE SEV…

Owner-reported narrative. 80 miles reported. Look up ODI 11398531 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11422644 · 2021-06-28 (June 28, 2021)

2021 Chevy Tahoe/ Service Steering Column Lock contnues to message after each start.milage 900 miles.My concern is that steering failure could occur while in transit. Dealer was unable to resolve issue.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11422644 at NHTSA ↗