2009 Chevrolet Tahoe
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Air bags is the leading concern among 306 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 11th highest complaint count among 26 Tahoe model years with reports.
Of the 2009 reports, 5 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 9 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.
Campaign 21V053000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328780.
Campaign 21V052000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.
Campaign 21V050000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical systemJun 4, 2010
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN NEW REPORTS OF THERMAL INCIDENTS ON HWFS MODULES AFTER THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS INSTALLED. THESE INCIDENTS RESULTED FROM A NEW FAILURE MODE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE'S THERMAL PROTECTION FEATURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE VARIES FROM MINOR DISTORTION TO CONSIDERABLE MELTING OF THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HWFS FLUID CHAMBER.
IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE HEATED WASHER MODULE TO IGNITE AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.
DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Campaign 10V240000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasolineMay 6, 2009
GM IS RECALLING 27,188 MY 2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE HYBRID, ESCALADE ESV, AND ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SUBURBAN, TAHOE, TAHOE HYBRID, AND COLORADO; AND GMC YUKON, YUKON HYBRID, YUKON XL, AND CANYON VEHICLES. THE FUEL SYSTEM CONTROL MODULES MAY HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH AN ADHESIVE SEPARATION OF THE ROOM TEMPERATURE VULCANIZING (RTV) SEAL BETWEEN THE SEAL AND THE HOUSING MAY ALLOW WATER TO SEEP INTO THE MODULE.
WATER IN THE MODULE COULD CAUSE A SHORT OR OPEN CIRCUIT, ILLUMINATION OF THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LAMP, SETTING OF DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES OR THE ENGINE MAY BE HARD TO START, MAY NOT START OR MAY STALL INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW FUEL SYSTEM CONTROL MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 18, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Campaign 09V154000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: other or unspecified
98 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Mar 20, 2024
I Keep getting code p2138 car stalls check engine light turns on, stability control flashes. I have to erase code to get it drive again, but will do it again soon. Been doing it for 4+ years now. The worst time it has done it is when I'm in the freeway where I have to pull off to the side if I can, I almost got into a bad accident because of this issue. Took it to my mechanic and he says take it to the dealer. I've replaced gas pedal, throttle body and it still does it.
Steering, Air bags, Other or unspecified, Feb 4, 2024
Cracked 2009 Tahoe Dash
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Sep 30, 2023
I have this car since 2018. The dashboard of this car was in good condition however in the last few months we have see cracks developing near the airbag and the driver steering wheel. These are deep cracks. The car was 100% parked inside the garage. We are concerned if the airbag function will be impacted due to this cracks
Other or unspecified, May 9, 2022
Cracked dashboard. Took it to the dealer for the Airbag recall and they cracked it even worse. The dealer said well it happens to all of them. They had no solution or anything.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Dec 17, 2021
The dash board is completely falling apart. There are now 5 cracks and I am afraid that this could be a very dangerous situation. Apparently, there are many trucks like mine that have the same problem, but no action has been taken.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Apr 1, 2021
DASH CONTINUES TO CRACK. WORRIED ABOUT INTEGRITY OF DASH IN THE EVENT OF ACCIDENT DUE TO PLACEMENT OF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. GM JUST RECALLED PASSENGER AIRBAG DUE TO 'SHRAPNEL' WHICH COULD ALSO BE PART OF THE DASH EXPLODING. FURTHERMORE, ONLY OPTION IS TO ADD A 'GLUE ON' COVER TO BUILD QUALITY TO OEM, BUT HAS POSSIBILITY TO COVER PASSENGER AIR BAG OR MAKE RECALL OF AIRBAG NOT POSSIBLE (OR OTHER REPAIRS POSSIBLE). GM SHOULD OFFER DASH REPLACEMENT AS A RECALL ALONG WITH PASSENGER AIRBAG.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Mar 6, 2021
FRONT DASHBOARD HAS TWO CRACKS. THIS IS NOT DUE TO SUN DAMAGE OR NEGLIGENCE. THIS IS A PRODUCT FAILURE.
Other or unspecified, Dec 11, 2020
2009 TAHOE HAS A CRACKED DASHBOARD IT'S VERY ENJOYING SOMETIMES CAN CAUSE A DISTRACTION FROM LITTLE BUMPS IN THE ROAD MAKING LOUD NOISES AND MAKES A CAR'S INTERIOR LOOK HORRIBLE IT'S RIDICULOUS THAT GM WON'T REPLACE THESE UNDER THE LEMON LAW IT WAS JUST SITTING IN THE GARAGE WHEN IT HAPPENED TO CRACK
Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2020
DAHSBOARD CRACKED AND SMELLED SMOKE NOW HEAR CLICKING NOISE IN THE DASH THINK THAT ITS RELATED TO AIR FLOW HEAT / AIR COND.
Structure, Other or unspecified, May 28, 2020
CRACKED DASHBOARD. *TR
Other or unspecified, May 8, 2020
DASHBOARD CRACKS ABOVE THE AIRBAG AREA AND ABOVE THE INSTRUMENT COWLING. THE CRACK HAS SLOWLY BEEN INCREASING AND NOW IT IS SO BAD THAT IT WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT POSSIBLY FROM OVER-TIGHTENING BOLTS. *TR
Other or unspecified, Engine, Apr 27, 2020
MY EMGINE HAD JUST A LITTLE OVER 100000 MILES ON IT AND I ALMOST GOT KILLED ON THE INTERSTATE. FIRST I SAW SMOKE COMING FROM BELOW AND IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS COMING FROM THE TRUCK NEXT TO MINE. THEN I FELT A STOPPING FEELING IN MY TAHOE. I MOVED QUICKLY TO THE SERVICE LANE AND GOT IT IMMEDIATELY TO MY MECHANIC. I HAVE RECORDS OF REGULAR SERVICES TO MY VEHICLE. I HAD TO REPLACE THE MOTOR $7239.49. I HAD MY ATTORNEY LOOK INTO IT AND MY YEAR PLUS A FEW OTHER YEARS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM BUT THE DEALER NEVER RECALLED IT.
Other or unspecified, Feb 12, 2020
I HAVE 2 LARGE CRACKS IN THE DASHBOARD OF MY 2009 CHEVY TAHOE LTZ. I HAVE ALWAYS KEPT A SUNSHIELD IN THE WINDOW TO REDUCE INTERIOR HEAT AND DAMAGE TO DASH. BUT, THIS DIDN'T WORK. THE DAMAGE HAPPENED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN FRONT OF MY HOME. I BELIEVE THAT THE PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE MANUFACTURER HAD USED A THICKER MATERIAL (PLASTIC) FOR THE DASH. I LOVE THE VEHICLE. BUT, HATE TO LOOK AT THE CRACKS EVERY TIME I GET IN. I INQUIRED INTO REPLACEMENT OF THE DASH AND WAS GIVEN A ROUGH ESTIMATE OF $1500-1800.
Other or unspecified, Jan 30, 2020
CRACKED DASHBOARD. HAZZARD FAULTY INSTALLATION AND MATERIALS
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Dec 30, 2019
THE DASH ON THE VEHICLE HAS CRACKED AT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG COVER. ALSO CRACKED ABOVE THE SPEEDOMETER. CONCERN IS THERE MAY BE HUMIDITY INGRESS TO THE AIRBAG, THE ELECTRONICS OR SUB ASSEMBLIES INCREASING THE RISK FOR AN AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT ANOMALY. ANOTHER CONCERN IS PLASTIC OR METAL FROM THE DASH COULD ALSO IMPACT THE AIRBAG (DEFLATION) OR PRESENT INJURY TO THE OCCUPANTS (FLYING PARTS). A LESSER CONCERN IS THE SENSORS FOR THE AUTOMATED AC/HEATING SYSTEMS IN THE CAR. BELIEVING THEY ARE CALIBRATED WITH SEALED INTACT COMPONENTS. THE LARGER SPLIT AT THE SPEEDOMETER HAS ONLY RECENTLY HAPPENED WHICH MAKES THIS A CONCERN THAT THERE ARE LARGER MORE UNDERPINNING ISSUES NOT FULLY REALIZED.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Dec 23, 2019
THE DASH IS CRACKED IN 2 PLACES NEAR THE PASSENGER DASH AIRBAG AND DIRECTLY UP THE DASH WHERE THE SPEEDOMETER IS LOCATED. I'M CONCERNED THIS COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT.
Other or unspecified, Nov 16, 2019
DASHBOARD CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES
Other or unspecified, Jul 26, 2019
PURCHASED VEHICLE FEB 2012. THE DASH BECAME CRACKED ABOVE STEERING WHEEL WITHIN A YEAR OF OWNERSHIP, HAD DASH REPLACED AT CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IN MAY 2013. WITHIN 3 YEARS THE NEW DASH STARTED TO CRACK ALSO AND HAS CONTINUED TO CRACK IN MULTIPLE PLACES; ABOVE THE STEERING WHEEL AND AROUND PASSENGER SIDE DASH AIRBAG. WE LIVE WITHIN CITY LIMITS ON PAVED ROADS, WE ALSO HAVE A PAVED DRIVEWAY.
Other or unspecified, Jul 14, 2019
DASH CRACKING AND CAUSING IMPAIRED VISON
Other or unspecified, Apr 13, 2019
DASH PANEL IS CRACKED IN TWO SEPARATE PLACES
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Feb 21, 2019
DASH BOARD ABOVE STEERING WHEEL WELL TO WIND SHIELD AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG PANEL IS CRACKING AND CONTINUES TO GROW IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED THIS WAY AND OTHERS OF THIS YEAR HAVE THE SAME ISSUES.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Feb 4, 2019
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE I HAVE SPOKEN TO WITH 2007-2013 YEAR MODEL CHEVROLET VEHICLES MY DASHBOARD IS CRACKED BECAUSE OF A DESIGN FLAW. I AM WORRIED THAT MY PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WILL NOT WORK CORRECTLY BECAUSE OF THE CRACK. I HAVE CONTACTED GM FOR HELP BUT THEY OFFER NOTHING. THE CRACK HAS GOTTEN WORSE OVER THE YEARS AND IS NOW REALLY BAD. GM IS PITIFUL
Other or unspecified, Jan 12, 2019
DASHBOARD CRACKED IN MORE THAN ONE PLACE
Other or unspecified, Nov 14, 2018
DASH HAS CRACKED IN TWO PLACES. ABOVE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND AT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG
Other or unspecified, Electronic stability control (ESC), Oct 4, 2018
I REPORTED THIS SEVERAL TIMES TO CHEVROLET I WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THEIR RESEARCH. I AM HAVING ISSUES WITH THE BRAKES IN MY CAR. SOMETIMES WHILE BRAKING THE BRAKES WILL AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAGE AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE BEING THROWN FORWARD. I TOOK THIS TO SEVERAL CHEVY DEALERSHIPS WHILE MY CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY COULD NEVER FIND THE ISSUE. I AM STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND SINCE MY WARRANTY EXPIRED THEY TOLD ME, I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE DIAG. I FEEL THAT SINCE I DID REPORT THIS WHILE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR MORE DIAG. I INITIALLY THOUGHT IT WAS JUST AN ISSUE WITH MY CAR, UNTIL A NEIGHBOR WITH THE SAME CAR ASKED IF I EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUES MY CHEVY CARES CASE NUMBERS : [XXX], [XXX] AND [XXX]; [XXX]*DT PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*JB