My paint is popping off in large and small areas.
2003 Chevrolet Tahoe body problems
13 complaints (3% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 69,000. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 69,000
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 2
Which part fails
- Body4
- Body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments2
- Body: hatchback/liftgate2
- Body: door1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Chevrolet Tahoe body problems in other years
Related recalls
Structure
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 03V094000 · Recall details
Structure: body: door: hinge and attachments
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 03V037000 · Recall details
What 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet tahoe. The contact stated that the dashboard on the front driver side front dashboard fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The contact was informed that the dashboard fractured due to the age of the material. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,000.
Hatchback locked and will not open.
Right hinge on rear hatch debonded glass loose.
You can not lower the spare tire,under the vehicle,this is a big problem and I am not the only person with this problem, the part that holds the spare tire has a spring loaded lock on it that cannot release because of a bad design off it,their is a video on youtube about it (good information about it) you need to cut the tire down with a cutting torch, this is a bad idea around a gas tank, I can not express how mad I am right now because I can't even think of that many cuss words,and it is going into heart a tack mode, I would love to meet the engineer that designed this, and have him change the tire, first you need a tow truck then a shop with a lift then two mechanics if not three and you then need a transmission jack to put upward pressure on the tire to release the tension of the locking device that holds the tire, after you let the air out of the tire, I can overhaul the engine and the transmission and anything else that need to be done to this or any other car,but this is a big big mistake in design,can you imagine a lady having to change a tire on the side of the road!!! If a mechanic (male or female) cant do it,how can the average consumer, do it? And why hasn't this been a recall,I know why it hasn't because people are forced to pay for it and forget it,well I bought the vehicle without looking for this problem because my wife and daughters and sons have all been properly trained on how to handle this problem,but it can't be done on this vehicle or any other chevy vehicle of this make from what I understand, you can not do this safely,no I don't have a flat tire either I was just explaining to the wife that it may be a little different so I wanted her to see it just incase she had a problem and she would be prepared on how to handle it (wrong) it should take ten or fifteen minutes to do, can't be done,and I can't believe it please contact me.
Returned to a friends from a trip to access my vehicle and head for home. Brakes pushed to the floor and when I tried to move a little, car wouldn't stop with either the brake or emergency brake and proceeded to roll forward into a steep embankment in front of my friend's home. Luckily I was not injured but needed all the brakes repaired and drivers side door replaced. I am in the process of waiting to hear from my claims adjuster.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet tahoe c1500. She noticed that the rear lift gate glass was loose and made a noise whenever it was opened. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed that the failure was located in the lift gate hinge. The dealer replaced the lift gate assembly and glass with a newly design lift gate. The failure mileage was 84,000 and the current mileage was 87,000.
Plastic/rubber attaching hinge on rear liftgate window cracked, separating glass window from body. Reported to chevrolet on 6/3/2010. They had me take to williams chevrolet to inspect on 6/4 and said they would call back that afternoon with a conclusion. Service manager first said adhesive failed, then part was missing that attaches hinge. No significant amounts of material are missing, two sides fit back together with a crack in the middle. Hinge does not appear to have any physical attachment to glass other than molded rubber that bonds to glass, sandwiching hinge in-between. Dealer inspected other hinge and found it to be cracking also. Chevrolet didn't call me back, I had to call almost daily and leave messages until finally someone called on 6/30 and said that this was not be a defect and general motors would not assist in resolving the complaint. The vehicle has less than 55,000 miles on it. I find a failure like this to too soon in a vehicles life and appear to be either a flaw in the fastener design or assembly.
Popping noise from under hood, mainly when turning left (has now started when turning right). Almost sounds like the wheels are going to fall off. It can also be felt in the steering wheel. Feels very unstable, like front-end could fall apart at any minute. Gm is aware of this problem and has been since 2001 (the federal safety agency item #10009991, #10010873, #10000950, #10004991, #1004239, #10005172, #10004723, and finally their "fix" #10025148) . However, they act as though they have never heard of this problem. I have researched this online (edmunds.com, yahoo...just search for I-shaft assembly) and this is a wide-spread problem on numerous gm/chevy/cadillac vehicles and gm should be forced to remedy this situation. This situation is as-much, if not worse than the electrical system/dashboard panel problems, that gm has recalled. Please, help the masses who have been sold this defect. Before someone is seriously hurt.
One of the plastic hinges to the rear lift gate/rear window of my 2003 chevrolet tahoe separated, and now the rear window does not close properly. The vehicle is less than five years old with approximately 55,000 miles. This is a kin to a passenger door coming apart. I do not believe that it is reasonable for a door to a vehicle to fail after the limited amount of use it gets, and the age and wear to the vehicle. The dealership, gordon chevrolet (tampa, florida), told me that the whole lift gate/rear window would have to be replaced because the part (15847109) is one unit. The cost is an incredible $855.55 for the part, $96.98 for labor, shop supplies, and tax which brings the cost of replacing chevrolet's defective part to over $1,000.00.
Questions about the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe body
Does the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe have body problems?
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the body of the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe, 3% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe body problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 69,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe body?
Yes, 2 recalls: 03V094000, 03V037000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Chevrolet Tahoe have the most body problems?
The Chevrolet Tahoe model years with the most body complaints are 2007 (279 complaints), 2010 (89 complaints) and 2011 (81 complaints).
Other 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe problems
Electrical 193Brakes 113Steering 52Fuel system 36Engine 29Acceleration 27Airbags 19Seats 19Transmission 19Visibility 18Suspension 14Tires 14Seat belts 10Lights 9Locks 6Driver assistance 2Wheels 2
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history