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, Jun 6, 2016
DASH HAS CRACKED BY DRIVER SIDE.
Other or unspecified, May 18, 2016
THERE IS A LARGE CRACK IN THE DASHBOARD RUNNING PARALLEL WITH THE FRONT WINDSHIELD OF THE CAR. IT EXTENDS FROM DRIVER SIDE TO PASSENGER SIDE UP TO THE AIRBAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. IT ALSO SPLITS IN TWO SEPARATE AREAS OFF THE HORIZONTAL CRACK. ONE ABOUT 2 INCHES PERPENDICULAR TO THE LARGE CRACK NEAR THE DRIVER SIDE AND ANOTHER PERPENDICULAR CRACK CLOSER TO THE PASSENGER SIDE THAT EXTENDS 1-2 INCHES AWAY FROM THE LARGER CRACK. MY CAR HAS BEEN STORED IN THE GARAGE FROM DAY ONE. I DID NOT NOTICE HOW LONG AGO THIS CRACK BEGAN.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, May 12, 2016
CRACKS ON DASH AND CORNER OF PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG ON DASH
Other or unspecified, May 7, 2016
MY DASHBOARD HAS A CRACK IN IT....I AM AFRAID IT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROTECT ME IN A CRASH (MAY EFFECT AIRBAGS).
Other or unspecified, Apr 27, 2016
DASH BOARD CRACKING
Other or unspecified, Apr 26, 2016
DASHBOARD CRACKED.
Other or unspecified, Apr 18, 2016
EXTENSIVE CRACKS IN DASH INCLUDING AROUND AND GOING UP TO FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG PLACEMENT. FEAR IS THAT IF AIRBAG DEPLOYS SHARDS OF PLASTIC DASH MAY BE DISLOGED AND BECOME PROJECTILES.
Other or unspecified, Apr 7, 2016
DASHBOARD CRACKING IN PLACES
Other or unspecified, Apr 6, 2016
CRACKED DASH IN MULTIPLE PLACES
Other or unspecified, Apr 4, 2016
DASH CRACK APPEARING ON TOP LEFT CORNER OF PASSENGER AIRBAG AREA AND DRIVERS SIDE ABOVE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER . THE VEHICLE WAS IN A ENCLOSED GARAGES;STATIONARY AND NOT RUNNING.FIRST NOTICED ON 04-04-2016
Other or unspecified, Feb 28, 2016
DASH HAS STARTED CRACKING MORE STARTED ON TOP BY GAUGES AND NOW HAS ANOTHER CRACK BY AIRBAG ON PASS SIDE. CALLED DEALERSHIP SAID ITS OUT OF WARRANTY GM WONT COVER IT, ALTHOUGH ITS MANUFACTURED DEFECT.
Other or unspecified, Feb 27, 2016
THE DASHBOARD OF MY 2009 CHEVROLET TAHOE IS CRACKED IN THE PASSENGER SIDE WHERE THE AIRBAG IS LOCATED. I SEE MANY CHEVY TAHOE OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE BUT THERE IS NO RECALL YET AND IT SEEMS THAT THIS PROBLEM COULD NOT ONLY GET WORST BUT POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS BASED ON THE LOCATION OF THE CRACK.
Other or unspecified, Feb 4, 2016
THE DASHBOARD ON MY 2009 TAHOE CRACKED JUST TO THE LEFT OF THE AIRBAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AND THEN SEVERAL MONTHS LATER CRACKED ABOVE THE GAUGE CLUSTER. I CONTACTED GM, ALONG WITH MANY OTHER OWNERS WITH THIS ISSUE, AS I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY - SINCE IT WAS SO CLOSE TO THE AIR BAG.
Other or unspecified, Feb 3, 2016
THE DASHBOARD IS CRACKED IN TWO PLACES .
Other or unspecified, Jan 7, 2016
IN OCTOBER OF 2015, I WAS DRIVING MY 2009 CHEVROLET TAHOE ON A CITY STREET DURING NORMAL WEATHER CONDITIONS. AS I WAS SITTING AT A RED LIGHT, I HEARD A LOUD "POP" NOISE THAT I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT CAME FROM AN OBJECT HITTING THE WINDSHIELD. UPON FURTHER REVIEW, I NOTICED MY DASHBOARD HAD INEXPLICABLY CRACKED IN 2 PLACES. THE CRACKS ARE RATHER LARGE AND I AM CONCERNED THIS WILL JEOPARDIZE THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAGS. I CONTACTED THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF ANY RECALLS REGARDING THIS MATTER.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Jan 6, 2016
DASHBOARD IS CRACKING IN MULTIPLE PLACES, PIECES FALLING OFF INSIDE DASH AND RATTLING. 2 PLACES ON DASH WHERE PASSENGER AIRBAG DEPLOYS. THIS HAS HAPPENED OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS AND KEEPS GETTING WORSE. AFRAID OF AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT ON PASSENGER SIDE WITH THE CRACKS ON THE DEPLOYMENT AREA AND POSSIBLY HAVING SHARDS OF HARD DASH PIECES FLYING AND HITTING/HURTING SOMEONE ELSE OR MYSELF.
Other or unspecified, Jan 5, 2016
MY DASH IS CRACKED ACROSS HUMP OVER SPEEDOMETER GAUGES AND CRACKED ON SIDE OF PASSENGER AIRBAG. JUST GOT IN MY CAR ONE MORNING TO NOTICE THE DASH CRACKED IN TWO PLACES. WORRY ABOUT IT CRACKING MORE AND IF PASSENGER AIRBAG GOES OFF, POSSIBLY SOME PIECES BREAK OFF AND FLY WITH AIRBAG.
Other or unspecified, Jan 5, 2016
CRACKED DASH. GM IS OFFERING NO HELP. THEY ACT LIKE THEY HAVEN'T HEARD OF THE PROBLEM. MY DASH IS CRACKED ABOVE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND STARTING TO BY THE PASSENGER AIRBAG.
Other or unspecified, Sep 10, 2015
THE DASHBOARD HAS CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES. WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY WRECKS.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Sep 7, 2015
MY DASH HAS BEEN CRACKING AND I HAVE A CRACK IN BETWEEN THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I'M AFRAID THAT THE AIRBAG CAN DEPLOY AND ENGER MY PASSENGER IN THERE FACE. I'VE TRIED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH THE DEALERSHIP, BUT I'VE GOTTEN NO HELP, ESPECIALLY NOW SINCE MY WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. I REALLY HOPE I CAN GET SOME HELP WITH THIS MAJOR PROBLEM AND CONCERN I HAVE WITH MY DASH.
Other or unspecified, Jul 10, 2015
MY DASHBOARD BEGAN TO CRACK AROUND 40,000 MILES ON MY PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. WITHIN A YEAR ANOTHER CRACK DEVELOPED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. THEN AT APPROX 85,000 MILES I HAD A HUGE CRACK DEVELOP AND SPREAD ON MY DASH RIGHT BEHIND MY STEERING WHEEL. THIS CRACK HAS BEGUN TO GET BIGGER. I HAVE CONTACTED MY DEALERSHIP AND GM.
Other or unspecified, Jul 9, 2015
DASH BOARD HAS CRACKED OVER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND OVER THE GLOVE BOX AREA. NO REASON FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jun 9, 2015
THE 2009 CHEVROLET TAHOE AUTOMATIC LIFT GATE BECAME A SIGNIFICANT DANGER TO THOSE ACCESSING THE REAR COMPARTMENT OF THE VEHICLE. TYPICAL OPERATION OF THE AUTOMATIC LIFT GATE IS THAT THE REAR HATCH OPENS COMPLETELY AND REMAINS OPEN WITH A SINGLE BUTTON CLICK. THE SAME AUTOMATIC LIFT GATE TYPICALLY CLOSES AND REMAINS SHUT WITH A SINGLE BUTTON CLICK. ON OR AROUND MAY 28TH, 2015, MY SON WAS PLACING SEVERAL ITEMS IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE LIFTGATE BEGAN SHUTTING ON HIM. IN AN ATTEMPT TO HOLD THE LIFTGATE OPEN, IT CONTINUED TO CLOSE FORCEFULLY WITHOUT RAISING BACK UP. THINKING QUICKLY I WAS ABLE TO PULL HIM AWAY FROM THE LIFTGATE AS IT CONTINUED TO CLAMP ANYTHING IN ITS PATH. MY SON RECEIVED A BUMPED HEAD AND SCRATCHES AS THE DOOR SHUT ON HIM. THE ISSUE APPEARED TO BE AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE THAT CAUSED THE LIFTGATE TO CLOSE FORCEFULLY AND CLAMP SHUT WITHOUT CONSIDERATION OF ANYTHING IN ITS PATH. I ALSO WAS NOT ABLE TO PREVENT THE LIFTGATE FROM CLOSING AS IT JUST CLAMPED SHUT, CRUSHING ANYTHING IN ITS PATH. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AND WE FEAR THAT OTHER PEOPLE MAY BE INJURED OR KILLED AS A RESULT OF THIS MALFUNCTION. THERE IS NO RAPID FUNCTIONALITY TO OVERRIDE THE THE MOTOR (SWITCHING TO MANUAL) THAT CONTROLS LIFTGATE OPERATIONS. THIS COULD VERY WELL HAVE CRUSHED MY CHILD IF I HADN'T BEEN STANDING NEXT TO HIM. OTHER ISSUES THAT OCCURRED AT THE SAME TIME WITHIN THE VEHICLE INCLUDED: 1) A SINGLE EVENT WHERE THE RADIO STAYED ON ONE CHANNEL AND WOULD NOT CHANGE WITHOUT RESTARTING THE CAR WAS WHEN THE ISSUE BEGAN; 2) XM SATELLITE RADIO BEGAN WORKING WITHOUT A SUBSCRIPTION; 3) THE AUTOMATIC MEMORY POSITION OF THE DRIVER SEAT DID NOT REMAIN IN POSITION AS TYPICAL; AND 4) THE LIFTGATE WOULD AUTOMATICALLY OPEN ABOUT 18 INCHES AND IMMEDIATELY CLOSE, CRUSHING ANYTHING IN ITS PATH.