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2008 Chevrolet Tahoe locks complaints

Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 60, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe locks problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Feb 8, 2013 · Electrical, Locks · 34,230 miles · GA

I have taken my 2008 tahoe ltz to the gmc dealership multiple times to repair the door locks / outer door handles. I have had two of the door locks replaced because they will not unlock when I hit the unlock button on the doors or the key fob. This is a major defect in this vehicle. It is a safety conern because I have a small child and I am afraid if I were to have an accident and I try to unlock the doors they will fail and I will be unable to get my child out without crawling over the front seats to manually unlock the lock. The same with the outer door handles breaking. I have had two of those replaced. I had to crawl over the passenger seat at one point to be able to get in the vehicle until I could get it to the dealership. I have searched the internet and see there are several complaints about these issues, yet there are no recalls. Please help us.

Filed Feb 4, 2013 · Electrical, Locks · 30,000 miles · AK

Failure of all four power door locks on my 2008 tahoe. At almost exactly 3 years and 30,000 miles of ownership, the door locks of my, purchased new, 2008 tahoe ltz began to fail. All four locks failed within 12 months of each other. The vehicle had less than 40,000 miles and four years of service at the last and final (4th) failure. Concern: (#1) there is only one manual keyed entry located on the vehicle which is the drivers door. In the event of an emergency and total electronic lock failure, the only passenger door access would be through the drivers door utilizing the key and manual lock/unlock feature. If the manual lock were to also fail, there would be no way to gain access to the vehicle through any of the four passenger doors. Restricted access to the vehicle could cost the life of a child, adult passenger or pet trapped in the vehicle. The system could be designed safer with a redundant manual lock located on another door. Additionally, the electronic locking mechanisms currently installed are inadequate and unsafe. The common failure of these systems eliminates the argument of electronic redundancy for the system since the installed product is faulty and unreliable. Why should we be forced to accept these unsafe products/designs on our vehicles? Concern: (#2) the cost of replacing a lock has been quoted between $250 to $450 per lock from different facilities. The pricing may influence a generally safe mined person to postpone a repair which impacts the redundancy feature of the electronic system. Note: these locks typically begin to fail immediately after the warranty expires. And, gm corporation is unwilling to help with the cost and wasted time to deal with the issue. Further investigation by the federal safety agency is warranted and I feel a recall should be mandated.

Filed Jan 25, 2013 · Electrical, Locks · 70,000 miles · NC

To whom it may concern; I am writing because we have problems with the door locks on our 2008 chevy tahoe. We have had a problem with the door locks in the past as we have had to literally climb out of the window to get out of the vehicle. It happened while on a boat ramp so it was an incredibly memorable event. We have been experiencing problems with the door locks again and took the vehicle to the chevy service this morning. Their customer service rep called us to let us know that all 4 door locks needed to be replaced. The charges are $350 for the front doors and $250 for the back doors. Needless to say we are not happy about having to pay for any additional door lock work on this vehicle. The vehicle has only 70,000 miles. This problem is huge considering that you can not get out of the car once a lock completely fails in that you have to climb out of the window to get out of the car. We request that a recall be initiated as soon as possible.

Filed Jan 17, 2013 · Electrical, Locks · 8,500 miles · PA

I currently own a 2008 chevy tahoe. Today 1-17-13 , I had to have the power door lock actuator replaced for the 5th time on this vehicle. Every door has been affected at least once with today being the right rear door having to be replaced for a second time. From what I have read numerous times online , this seems to be a recurring problem for the gm SUV products starting with the 2007 model years. Gm has yet to address this issue with a recall , however I feel as well as many other owners of these vehicles that this could cause a serious issue if the vehicle is hit from the side or a water related accident occurred with the vehicle being submerged and not being able to get out. 1 or 2 instances in a 4.5 year period I could understand but 5 in a 4.5 year period involving every door is not a coincidence. The replacement cost is well in excess of $200 and as such I can understand why gm would be reluctant to act. Does it have to take a death or 2 for gm to realize that this is a serious issue and needs to be addressed. If you build a vehicle such as this and charge in excess of $50,000 , then I as the purchaser have every reason to expect that these types of issues would be resolved by using quality parts and not junk. Please investigate this issue and you will find a whole lot of customers of these products who are highly upset and want something done to resolve this serious issue. Thank you.

Filed Dec 10, 2012 · Electrical, Locks · 47,950 miles · WA

Drivers door and back hatch will bounce back open and not catch and then the door lock will not unlock to open the door by remote, door panel lock or by hand trapping person in the vehicle. Spoke to gm, they know this is an issue but unwilling at this time to put out a bulletin or recall.

Filed Dec 3, 2012 · Electrical, Locks · 87,331 miles · MA

After vacating the car through the front driver's side door, the electric door locks on the rear doors did not operate while my grandchildren were in the tahoe. The doors would not unlock either with the fob or the electric switch in the tahoe. This incident was very scary and could have been serious. Fortunately, I was able to reenter the tahoe through driver's door, start the car, lower the rear windows, manually unlock the doors, and remove my grandchildren. Had this been an emergency, serious problems could have occurred. As a result of this problem, which has recurred many times, I am not willing to drive with my grandchildren in the tahoe, unless an adult is available to accompany them in the rear seat.

Filed Nov 9, 2012 · Locks · 52,000 miles · WY

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet tahoe. The contact stated the front passenger and rear passenger interior power doors would not unlock upon engaging. The passenger seated in the front or rear exited the vehicle through the driver's side door. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.

Filed Oct 25, 2012 · Locks · 8,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet tahoe. The contact stated that while parked the driver was unable to enter the vehicle since he was unable to lock or unlock the doors. On several occasions the back door of the vehicle had to be used to enter and/or exit the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated the door lock actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 8,000 and the current mileage was 29,713.

Filed Oct 24, 2012 · Body, Electrical · 35,518 miles · FL

5/31/2011 driver door lock actuator failed, door would and alarm would not set. Fixed under warranty. Rear left and front right failed within a year. Both were replaced at no charge out of warranty at 45000 miles, approx. October 23 2012, rear right lock actuator failed. Not sure how long it was not working, but the vehicle was parked and driven with the door unlocked, unknown to me. I find this to be a very unsafe condition, and with the number of complaints on this issue I'm surprised no injuries have been reported. Thefts, kids opening moving vehicle door, carjacking are all things that come to mind. Why is there no recall? Clearly a safety issue, and not isolated to just a few vehicles.

Filed Oct 17, 2012 · Locks · TX

1. There were no significant events leading up to this. 2. The locks on the doors to not automatically unlock and lock. The actuator is failing. Happens approx. Every 2 years. This is on a 2008 chevrolet tahoe. 3. Actuator must be replaced at the cost of the vehicle owner.

Filed Oct 5, 2012 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 12,000 miles · SC

1. Door locks failed. Have been replaced multiple times. As a result, my [xxx] old baby got locked in the car in 100 degree weather in august. It continues to be an issue and often I have to resort in climbing through the back tailgate. 2. Stabilitrack and traction control lights flash. Sometimes after these lights flash, my vehicle will go into "reduced power mode" on its on which is very dangerous going 65 MPH or pulling out from somewhere. 3.my wipers work when they want to...ever since the two recalls chevrolet released, the work intermittently when they want to. 4. Major electrical issues with these vehicles....I have replaced the battery four times and something continues to drain it. 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).

Filed Aug 22, 2012 · Locks, Visibility · 60,000 miles · ME

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet tahoe. The contact stated that the driver and passenger side windows and door locks malfunctioned. The contact stated that she was unable to open or close the windows and the locks failed to unlock. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. Updated 10/23/2012

Filed Aug 20, 2012 · Electrical, Locks · 29,225 miles · WI

The power door locks do not work. You have to manually lock them. They are suppose to automaticaly lock when the vehicle reaches 5 miles an hour for safety and they do not. One door lock was replaced under warrenty without my knowledge but now the other 3 are not working properly. The mechanic said that this has been a known problem with the tahoes. It is over $200.00 per door to replace. This vehicle is not even 5 years old and is under 30,000 miles.

Filed Jun 19, 2012 · Electrical, Locks · 31,359 miles · VA

2008 chevrolet tahoe. Consumer writes in regards to defective remote door locks *tgw the consumer stated the remote door lock for the front passenger door was replaced under warranty on 06/03/11. However, on 05/21/12, the remote door lock for the front driver's side had to be replaced. The dealer replaced the lock actuator/latch assembly.

Filed Jun 4, 2012 · Body, Locks · GA

I have a 2008 chevrolet tahoe ltz which has ~53000 mile on it. I have in the last 2 years replaced 2 door handles and 2 door lock actuators. Dealership actually told me this morning after had 2nd lock actuator replaced that another lock actuator failed. As you could imagine I wanted to explode. I was livid, especially at the cost of replacing these items. I did not have an issue with it before they started looking at the other one. It looked liked they were trying to milk me for money in my opinion. I am astonished that there has not been a recall on these items, as of yet. It is apparent that these parts are defective, especially the lock actuators. Any searches on the web or discussion with any dealer advisors one would realize these parts have issues. The lock actuator issue is the most concerning, especially when you have small children riding in these vehicles. What is it going to take for a recall to occur, someone dying? These parts(possibly chinese made)are failing left and right with replacement costs upwards of $300 or more. These parts are probably being replaced with different manufactured parts but owner would not know. The dealerships do not want to show you the defective parts. Is there a reason there is no recall in respect to the lock actuators?

Filed May 15, 2012 · Electrical, Locks · 45,000 miles · MN

The passenger door would not lock or unlock, with the remote or by using the drivers door, nor would it lock when putting the vehicle into gear. This is the second time this has happened. So now if you think you are safe, your are not. They put onstar in your vehicle to keep you safe how does that help if you are hi-jacked at gun point? You thought all doors locked when you put it in gear all but the one door that failed because of a poor design. Or your child falls out of the vehicle while going down the freeway and because the lock failed due to poor design. Please help us with these poor designs on chevy vehicles. I have had nothing but problems with this vehicle. Clunking noises starting now when I turn corners. Dealership states that is normal. Omg! Are they insane? I know that is not normal because it was making that noise when I purchased it. Everything starts going right at the time of the warranty ends. Poor window designs the windows are so loose they could possibly fall out when going down the highway.

Filed Mar 7, 2012 · Locks · 27,000 miles · KY

In april 2011, the front passenger door would periodically not lock unless I manually locked it. Eventually it would not lock automatically at any time. A couple of months later the front driver door began doing the same thing. The car was under warranty until august 2011 so we had the locks replaced by a chevrolet dealership in july 2011. I was told this was a known problem. They refused to give me an extended warranty on the new front locks or the rear locks that were not replaced b/c at the time they were working. In february 2012 the rear driver side door will not unlock automatically. About a week later, the rear passenger side door began to occassionally stay locked. I consider this a very concerning safety issue b/c I can not open the door unless I manually unlock the door by either climbing through the other side-if it opens or through the front seat. In the event on an emergency and the door locks fail to unlock, I (or emergency response crews) would be unable to remove my infant son whose car seat is placed in the middle seat or my three year old daughter who is on the passenger side. It is an enormous hassle to climb over car seats or through the front to unlock doors, but more importantly I am very fearful of driving with the kids in the car in case I were unable to remove them from the car if we were in an accident, etc. I called the chevy dealership again and was once again told, it was a known problem and my car was now not under warranty so I would be responsible for payment. I explained I had the front door locks replaced in july and the person I spoke to said "if it is not broken, chevy will not fix it." they have suggested I can request/apply for the gm assistance program. I feel very strongly that because it is a known problem and definitely a safety issue, there should be a recall or they should replace the locks at no cost.

Filed Feb 16, 2012 · Electrical, Locks · 3,274 miles · FL

I have had all four doors in for repair at one time or another. First it was the rear left door which would not open from the outside. Same door still does/does not open. Second door was theright rear which dropped down when you opened it. Third door was the drivers door which would not open. Had to insert car key to open. Fourth door was the front passenger door which would not open. Each time the door lock actuator was changed. But now I'm still having trouble with the left rear door sometimes opening, sometimes not opening. If I had a child in a infants seat in that rear seat, I may or may not be able to get to him/her in a emergency. I believe this is a safety problem.

Filed Dec 5, 2011 · Locks · 20,057 miles · MN

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet tahoe. The contact stated that all of the door locks were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the lock actuator but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times for the same failure but the problem continuously recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,057 and the current mileage was 39,509.

Filed Nov 26, 2011 · Electrical, Locks · 35,000 miles · TX

Automatic door lock stop working on driver side then passenger side front door went out one month later.

Filed Aug 23, 2011 · Locks · 37,000 miles · TX

Doors will not all lock or unlock. Dealer said that lock actuators in each door need replacement.

Filed Aug 4, 2011 · Locks · 37,863 miles · MS

Driver's side door lock will not work unless I push it down manually. If you don't lock the door manually and press "lock" on the key fob - when you try to open the door the alarm goes off.

Filed Jul 26, 2011 · Body, Locks · TN · 1 injury

Continuously having to replace door handles on 2008 chevy tahoe. Pinches my hand and causes brusing.

Filed Jul 7, 2011 · Body, Locks · 35,000 miles · CT

Door handles on my 2008 chevy tahoe broke again for 3rd time. Chevy dealer notes its a issue but says its not covered under warranty since im over my mileage. Please help!

Filed May 26, 2011 · Locks · 37,000 miles · FL

Drivers door, front passenger, and driver side passenger doors do not lock or unlock using key less entry and driver side door lock button. 2008 tahoe lt with only 38k just out of warranty.

Filed May 2, 2011 · Locks · 91,300 miles · KY

Driver's door and driver side rear locks failed. Neither door lock would operate manually or with key remote. Access in/out had to be from passenger side. This is the second occurrence. First time repairs were in excess of $400, this time repairs for both doors are $580.

Filed Apr 29, 2011 · Locks · 39,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet tahoe. The contact stated that the door actuator would not remain locked. The dealer replaced the driver and passenger side lock actuators two years prior to the current failure. The contact did not seek assistance from the manufacturer and the vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was 94,000 and the failure mileage was 39,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Apr 28, 2011 · Locks · 33,214 miles · GA

The door lock actuators on my 2008 chevy tahoe have been replaced 5 or 6 times, 2 or 3 the first time and 3 more the last time a few weeks ago all under warranty. The tahoe has 33k miles on it this problem has occurred on every door at least once this is a safety concern and should be recalled immediately as sometimes the door will only work manually by actually pulling up the door button to open the door from the inside or out. In some cases the affected door does not lock when car is put in gear which can result in a child or an adult inadvertently pulling on the door handle while going down the highway and the door swinging open or in an emergency not being able to open the door without having to enter through another door chevy dealer suggested I get an extended warranty because after 36k miles it will cost $325 a door to fix the faulty actuators when they break again. This is the first time I have never had a vehicle with any kind of door lock issues and to have 5 or 6 problems within 3 years is a problem not to mention a huge safety concern for drivers and passengers alike.

Filed Mar 31, 2011 · Body, Locks · 58,170 miles · PA · 1 injury

Passenger lacerated right hand middle finger on sharp edge of peeling chrome on the top of the rap door handle. The rear doors exhibit some roughness of the chrome overlay indicating probable failure of the bonding on these as well. The drivers door handle was replaced the prior week at the owners expense for the same issue.

Filed Mar 21, 2011 · Locks · 53,000 miles · NY

Drivers side door will intermittently not open from inside or outside. Must climb out other side door. This would be a death trap in an emergency.

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