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2003 Chevrolet Tahoe

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Tahoe years

Owner complaints for the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe are substantially higher than the model-year median of 246.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

408 reports with mileage · 99 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 193 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 84 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

20 crash reports9 fire reports13 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

193 reports
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59,764 miles · Mar 4, 2007
Electrical System

2003 TAHOE, SPEEDOMETER WILL NOT REGISTER. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10184178

41,000 miles · Mar 1, 2007
Electrical System

MY 2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE HAS A SPEEDOMETER WHICH EXHIBITS JUMPING AROUND, GOING 120+MPH WHEN SITTING STILL AND FLUCTUATES ERRATICALLY. IT WILL NOT RESET TO 0 MPH UNLESS YOU START THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION REPEATEDLY. MOST OF THE TIME, IT STILL DOESN'T WORK AFTER THAT. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN SPORADIC SINCE APPROXIMATELY 41,000 MILE…

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MY 2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE HAS A SPEEDOMETER WHICH EXHIBITS JUMPING AROUND, GOING 120+MPH WHEN SITTING STILL AND FLUCTUATES ERRATICALLY. IT WILL NOT RESET TO 0 MPH UNLESS YOU START THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION REPEATEDLY. MOST OF THE TIME, IT STILL DOESN'T WORK AFTER THAT. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN SPORADIC SINCE APPROXIMATELY 41,000 MILES AND NOW IT DOESN'T WORK HARDLY AT ALL (84,000 MILES). I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS ELECTRONIC AND COMPUTER ISSUES SINCE OWNING THIS VEHICLE WITH NO HELP OR CONCERN FROM THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERS OR GM. APPROXIMATELY $2,500 HAS BEEN PAID TO THEM FOR THESE REPAIRS THUS FAR. THE SPEEDOMETER/INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REPAIR ESTIMATE FROM A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IS ANOTHER $1,000. MANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN REGISTERED ABOUT THE SPEEDOMETER PROBLEM. OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A TREND. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10183870

575,000 miles · Feb 27, 2007
Electrical System

SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT WORK, READINGS OF 120 CONSTANTLY. ACCORDING TO THE WEB SITE TOPIX.NET THERE ARE ABOUT 450 PERSONS WHO WROTE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. MECHANICS ARE ASKING $500 - $600 TO FIX THIS ITEM. I BELIEVE GM SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS DEFECT THEY CREATED. *NM

NHTSA ODI #10183688

56,000 miles · Feb 26, 2007
Electrical System

I CURRENTLY DRIVE A 2003 CHEVY TAHOE AND WHILE GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY TODAY, I NOTICED THAT MY SPEEDOMETER WAS SUDDENLY READING "0"...WHILE I WAS AT CRUISING SPEED. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY TACHOMETER RACED UP TO 6000 RPM'S. I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP AND MY SPEED WAS NOW 0 BUT MY RPM'S WERE SHOWING ALMOST…

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I CURRENTLY DRIVE A 2003 CHEVY TAHOE AND WHILE GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY TODAY, I NOTICED THAT MY SPEEDOMETER WAS SUDDENLY READING "0"...WHILE I WAS AT CRUISING SPEED. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY TACHOMETER RACED UP TO 6000 RPM'S. I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP AND MY SPEED WAS NOW 0 BUT MY RPM'S WERE SHOWING ALMOST 5000. AFTER TURNING OFF MY IGNITION FOR A FEW MINUTES, THE SPEEDOMETER STARTED WORKING AGAIN BUT IT WAS VERY JUMPY. THE TACH IS NOW READING 3500 WHEN THE IGNITION IS TURNED OFF. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH BY GM AND CHEVROLET. I'VE LITERALLY READ OVER 400 ONLINE POSTINGS IN THE LAST HOUR FROM PEOPLE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ON GM AND CHEVROLET TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITIES. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10183585

53,000 miles · Feb 26, 2007
Electrical System

2003 TAHOE SPEEDOMETER FAILURE. *NM

NHTSA ODI #10183509

56,295 miles · Feb 19, 2007
Electrical System

SPEEDOMETER FAILED ON MY 2003 CHEVY TAHOE AT ABOUT 56K MILES MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL HOW FAST I WAS GOING. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10182942

32,000 miles · Feb 14, 2007
Electrical System

SPEEDOMETER ON 2003 TAHOE STOPPED WORKING @ 32,000 MILES. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10182602

Mileage unknown · Feb 13, 2007
Electrical System

I OWN A 2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE WITH 57,000 MILES. LAST WEEK MY SPEEDOMETER STARTED ACTING EROTICALLY. I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 50 MPH, SECONDS LATER I CHECKED MY SPEEDOMETER AND IT WAS READING 94 MPH. AT FIRST I WAS SHOCKED, BUT I REALIZED I WAS STILL FOLLOWING THE SAME CARS IN RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN I…

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I OWN A 2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE WITH 57,000 MILES. LAST WEEK MY SPEEDOMETER STARTED ACTING EROTICALLY. I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 50 MPH, SECONDS LATER I CHECKED MY SPEEDOMETER AND IT WAS READING 94 MPH. AT FIRST I WAS SHOCKED, BUT I REALIZED I WAS STILL FOLLOWING THE SAME CARS IN RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO BE TRAVELING OVER 90. BY THE TIME I GOT HOME THE SPEEDOMETER WAS STUCK AT 0 MPH. SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN EROTIC. THE SPEEDOMETER WILL REGISTER 30 WHEN I'M TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, OR NOT REGISTER AT ALL. I AM NOT AS CONCERNED WHEN I AM DRIVING THE VEHICLE, BECAUSE I CAN GAUGE MY SPEED OFF THE TACHOMETER. MY SIXTEEN-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER OR MY WIFE HOWEVER IS ANOTHER STORY. IF THEY ARE ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 55 OR 60 AND THE SPEEDOMETER IS ONLY REGISTERING 30, THEY MIGHT INCREASE THEIR SPEED IN ERROR AND TRAVEL MUCH FASTER WHICH COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS. THIS CAN HAVE GRAVE CONSEQUENCES IF ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY WITH SPEED LIMITED CURVES. I CANNOT BELIEVE WITH ALL THE COMPLAINTS LOGGED ABOUT THIS CHEVROLET IS NOT RECALLING, OR REPAIRING THE DEFECTIVE GAUGE. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR OVER 35-YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD A SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTION. *NM

NHTSA ODI #10182500

45,300 miles · Feb 13, 2007
Electrical System

I OWN A 2003 CHEVY TAHOE. I VISITED THE DEALER IN NOVEMBER 2005 WITH A FAILING SPEEDOMETER. IT SEEMED TO STICK ON COLD MORNINGS AND RESULTED IN HIGH READINGS. THE MOVEMENT WAS VERY JERKY AND THERE ALSO SEEMED TO BE A RHYTHMIC CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE CLUSTER. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AT THIS TIME. THE DEALER WA…

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I OWN A 2003 CHEVY TAHOE. I VISITED THE DEALER IN NOVEMBER 2005 WITH A FAILING SPEEDOMETER. IT SEEMED TO STICK ON COLD MORNINGS AND RESULTED IN HIGH READINGS. THE MOVEMENT WAS VERY JERKY AND THERE ALSO SEEMED TO BE A RHYTHMIC CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE CLUSTER. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AT THIS TIME. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIND A PROBLEM, BUT 'RESET' THE CLUSTER AT NO CHARGE. AFTER A FEW WEEKS, THE SPEEDOMETER SEEMED TO BE WORKING AGAIN EXCEPT UNDER VERY COLD CONDITIONS. IT IS NOW 2/13/2007 AND THE SPEEDOMETER IS STICKING AGAIN. IT READS ABOUT 70 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PARKED. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATE THAT THE CLUSTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED (AT A COST OF $500+). THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, SO I AM CHECKING WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER SINCE THIS IS A PROVEN, PRE-EXISTING CONDITION PER MY VISIT IN 2005. I SHOULD HAVE AN ANSWER ON THAT ON 2/16/2007. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND ON A SINGLE SITE, TOPIX.NET, I FOUND OVER 400 ENTRIES OF CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM ON GMC AND CHEVY TRUCKS AND SUVS. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION (NOT BEING ABLE TO GAUGE SPEED)!*JB

NHTSA ODI #10182442

18,500 miles · Feb 6, 2007
Electrical System

GAUGES IN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ARE FAILING. SPEEDOMETER IS JERKY IF IT WORKS AT ALL. OIL PRESSURE IS PEGGED ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT. ENGINE TEMP IS MAX. DEALERSHIP WANTS TO CHARGE OVER $500 TO FIX. CHECKED INTERNET MANY OTHERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10181809

Official recalls

4

05V163000 · Seat Belts:rear/other

Apr 22, 2005

ON CERTAIN CREW CAB PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE 2ND ROW CENTER OCCUPANT SEAT BELT ROUTING MAY MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO POSITION THE LAP PORTION OF THE SAFETY BELT LOW AROUND THE HIPS OF OCCUPANTS, ESPECIALLY SMALLER OCCUPANTS, SEATED IN THIS POSITION. APPROPRIATE USE OF A CHILD SEAT OR BOOSTER SEAT, AS RECOMMENDED FOR SMALL CHILDREN, DOES IMPROVE THE FIT CONDITION FOR THIS USER GROUP. IN ADDITION TO INSTRUCTIONS ON PROPER INFANT AND YOUNG CHILD RESTRAINT (WITH CHILD SEATS OR BOOSTERS), SPECIAL VERBIAGE FOR RESTRAINING OLDER CHILD IS INCLUDED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL. ALSO, THE SUGGESTED SEAT BELT FIT/ROUTING FOR ADULTS, IRRESPECTIVE OF SEATING POSITION, IS DESCRIBED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL TEXT.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A LAP PORTION OF THE SEAT BELT ROUTING THAT IS NOT LOW AND SNUG ON THE HIPS CAN ALLOW THE LAP BELT TO RIDE UP ON AN OCCUPANT'S ABDOMEN INSTEAD OF FITTING LOW AROUND THEIR HIPBONES, AND THEREFORE, CAN EXPOSE THEM TO MORE RISK OF ABDOMINAL AND INTERNAL ORGAN INJURY.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL CUT OPEN THE GUIDE LOOP, REMOVE A PORTION OF THE LOOP, AND THEN THE REMAINING TWO SIDES SHOULD BE FOLDED OVER AND SECURED WITH A RETAINER FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 21, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493.

04V045000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Feb 4, 2004

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND PASSENGER VANS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 135, ?PASSENGER CAR BRAKE SYSTEMS.? SOME OF THESE VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH AN OUT-OF-SPECIFICATION BRAKE HYDRO-BOOST HOUSING RELIEF VALVE BORE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: CONSEQUENTLY, THE VALVE O-RING SEAL MAY FRACTURE. STEERING EFFORTS MAY BE SLIGHTLY INCREASED WHILE BRAKING OR PARKING. UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS, A FRACTURED SEAL MAY REQUIRE A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE APPLIED BRAKE PEDAL EFFORT TO ACHIEVE THE SAME VEHICLE DECELERATION RATE AS PRIOR TO THE SEAT FRACTURE.

Remedy: DEALERS ARE TO REPLACE THE HYDRO-BOOST RELIEF VALVE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 18, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; GMC AT 1-866-996-9463; OR HUMMER AT 1-866-486-6376.

03V094000 · Structure

Mar 7, 2003

CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCK, VAN, AND MINI VAN CONVERSIONS EQUIPPED WITH SOUTHERN COMFORT BUILT RUNNING BOARDS THAT CONTAIN CERTAIN COURTESY LIGHTS MANUFACTURED BY AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS, INC. THESE UNITS CONTAIN A COURTESY LIGHT OR LIGHTS THAT MIGHT OVERHEAT WHEN THE WIRE HARNESS IS EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE MOISTURE AND ROAD SALT.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS OVERHEATING CONDITION CAN CAUSE THE RUNNING BOARD TO MELT OR CAUSE A FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS ON THESE RUNNING BOARDS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 7, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SOUTHERN COMFORT AT 1-800-745-6096.

03V037000 · Structure:body:door:hinge And Attachments

Feb 6, 2003

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 214, "SIDE IMPACT PROTECTION." THESE VEHICLES ARE BUILT WITH FOUR WELDS ON THE REAR DOOR UPPER HINGE. ON SOME OF THESE VEHICLES, ONE OR TWO OF THE WELDS MAY NOT BE TO SPECIFICATION.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: AS A RESULT, THE DOOR STRENGTH MAY BE DEGRADED DURING A SIDE IMPACT VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WELDS ON THE LEFT REAR DOOR UPPER HINGE. IF A WELD IS FOUND OUT-OF-SPECIFICATION, A BOLT WILL BE INSTALLED TO SECURE THE HINGE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN FEBRUARY 17, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-800-458-8006, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, OR GMC AT 1-800-462-8782.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

3

EA11001 · Brake Line Corrosion Failure

Opened Jan 5, 2011 · Closed Apr 8, 2015

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t

Additional source detail variants (2)

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t

DP05009 · Parking Brake Failure

Opened Dec 20, 2005 · Closed May 31, 2006

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Parking Brake; Parking Brake:conventional; Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical

ODI'S REVIEW OF COMPLAINT DATA RECEIVED SINCE THE CLOSE OF EA04-011 REVEALED NO INDICATION THAT THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE RE-OPENED.MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE ENCLOSED IN THE DP05-009 PUBLIC FILE.ODI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION IN THE FUTURE SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Parking Brake:conventional

ODI'S REVIEW OF COMPLAINT DATA RECEIVED SINCE THE CLOSE OF EA04-011 REVEALED NO INDICATION THAT THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE RE-OPENED.MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE ENCLOSED IN THE DP05-009 PUBLIC FILE.ODI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION IN THE FUTURE SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT.

Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical

ODI'S REVIEW OF COMPLAINT DATA RECEIVED SINCE THE CLOSE OF EA04-011 REVEALED NO INDICATION THAT THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE RE-OPENED.MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE ENCLOSED IN THE DP05-009 PUBLIC FILE.ODI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION IN THE FUTURE SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT.

Parking Brake

ODI'S REVIEW OF COMPLAINT DATA RECEIVED SINCE THE CLOSE OF EA04-011 REVEALED NO INDICATION THAT THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE RE-OPENED.MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE ENCLOSED IN THE DP05-009 PUBLIC FILE.ODI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REOPEN THE INVESTIGATION IN THE FUTURE SHOULD CONDITIONS WARRANT.

PE03026 · Steel Wheel Rim Fracture

Opened Jun 12, 2003 · Closed Nov 3, 2003

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Wheels; Wheels:multi Piece; Wheels:rim

THERE HAVE BEEN LESS THAN 2 COMPLAINTS PER 100,000 SUBJECT VEHICLES RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT.THE OLDEST VEHICLES (MY 1999) HAVE ONLY 2 COMPLAINTS IN OVER 140 THOUSAND VEHICLES AFTER OVER 4 YEARS IN SERVICE.THE RATE OF WARRANTY CLAIMS POTENTIALLY RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IS LESS THAN 0.1%.THERE ARE NO KNOWN INCIDENTS INVOLVING RAPID LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE OR LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. A DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Wheels

THERE HAVE BEEN LESS THAN 2 COMPLAINTS PER 100,000 SUBJECT VEHICLES RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT.THE OLDEST VEHICLES (MY 1999) HAVE ONLY 2 COMPLAINTS IN OVER 140 THOUSAND VEHICLES AFTER OVER 4 YEARS IN SERVICE.THE RATE OF WARRANTY CLAIMS POTENTIALLY RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IS LESS THAN 0.1%.THERE ARE NO KNOWN INCIDENTS INVOLVING RAPID LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE OR LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. A DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Wheels:multi Piece

THERE HAVE BEEN LESS THAN 2 COMPLAINTS PER 100,000 SUBJECT VEHICLES RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT.THE OLDEST VEHICLES (MY 1999) HAVE ONLY 2 COMPLAINTS IN OVER 140 THOUSAND VEHICLES AFTER OVER 4 YEARS IN SERVICE.THE RATE OF WARRANTY CLAIMS POTENTIALLY RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IS LESS THAN 0.1%.THERE ARE NO KNOWN INCIDENTS INVOLVING RAPID LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE OR LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. A DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Wheels:rim

THERE HAVE BEEN LESS THAN 2 COMPLAINTS PER 100,000 SUBJECT VEHICLES RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT.THE OLDEST VEHICLES (MY 1999) HAVE ONLY 2 COMPLAINTS IN OVER 140 THOUSAND VEHICLES AFTER OVER 4 YEARS IN SERVICE.THE RATE OF WARRANTY CLAIMS POTENTIALLY RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IS LESS THAN 0.1%.THERE ARE NO KNOWN INCIDENTS INVOLVING RAPID LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE OR LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. A DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.