This is in regards to my 2025 Chevy Tahoe High Country with 12,300 miles. I was driving on the parkway during rush hour and when I took the exit ramp I head a loud ticking. I immediately pulled over as the noise was loud and became louder and faster upon acceleration. I had the car towed to my hometown dealership approximately 36 miles away. The dealership concluded that the engine was damaged beyond repair and I was getting a new engine. When I inquired to why and what was the damage, they told me that the only way to figure out the root cause of the engine damage was to do a total engine breakdown which requires 15 man hours to do. No warning lights came on and the car showed no issues before this incident.
Chevrolet Tahoe knocking problems
159 of the 10,075 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Tahoe describe engine knocking or ticking, most of them for the 2021 model year.
- owner complaints
- 159
- worst model year
- 2021
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,227
- typical mileage
- 70,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 38Engine failure 37Loss of power 16Misfire 13Grinding brakes 10Stalling 7Steering noise 6Harsh shifting 5
Trouble codes mentioned
P318F 1P318C 1P2732 1P050D 1P0016 1
What owners say
While driving on the highway, the engine started making a knocking noise and the vehicle shut down causing us to have to pull over on the side of the road in the middle of highway traffic. The engine light came on and the vehicle would no longer drive leaving my family stranded on the side of the highway. The vehicle had to be towed 200 miles back home.
The dealership diagnosed the truck after investigating a ticking noise and engine misfire. During the inspection, they removed the valve cover and found that one of the pushrods on cylinder #5 was bent. Further disassembly revealed that both lifters on cylinder #5 had failed, causing excessive wear on the camshaft lobe. As a result, the dealership determined that the necessary repair was to replace the camshaft and all 16 lifters. The engine was then cleaned, reassembled, and tested to ensure proper operation. The root cause of the issue appears to have been a failing lifter, which led to damage of the associated valvetrain components.
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the forward collision, check engine, and traction control warning lights illuminated, and the messages "Forward Collision Unavailable," "Service Traction Control," and "Service ESC" displayed on the instrument panel. An abnormal muffler sound was heard, the engine compartment vibrated, and the vehicle failed to accelerate above 35 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the engine was disassembled and it was determined that the lifters failed and the engine required replacement. Prior to the failure, the vehicle was taken to the dealer for an illuminated check engine warning light and an engine knocking sound; however, the dealer only cleared the diagnostic trouble codes while the vehicle was under warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone. The failure mileage was unknown.
First occurrence was 2/03/24 check engine light came on felt stumble in engine continued driving to get home set up appt with dealership. They codes P318C and P318F were present numerous things were checked and found excessive crank shaft end play, removed oil pan and found thrust bearing in bottom of pan broken into pieces. GM authorized engine replacement. The vehicle had 4,603 miles on it. Repairs were completed and vehicle picked up 03/12/24 Second occurrence was 05/28/26 while driving at interstate speeds heard squeaking noise then knocking sounds coming from engine was able to make it home and had vehicle towed to dealership the next day. This time no codes but was determined to be defective engine and was replaced again mileage on vehicle this time was 33,521 miles I started using the 0w/40 oil as soon as recall came out actually before I received information in mail I am hearing rods rattling at start up now until oil pressure picks up on the latest engine installed but it still is running at present time.
Engine failure. Tahoe lost all power on the interstate going 70mph. Was able to get it to the side of the road and restart it. Engine started knocking and became undriveable.
We were driving on the highway and the engine started making a ticking noise and AFM light came on. Took the car to the dealership for inspection and they said the lifter had collapsed and it would cost $1000 to tear the engine down to see if the camshaft was damaged. Asked for the estimate to replace camshaft and lifters and they quoted $10,000.
Vehicle began making loud knocking sound XXX Towed to dealer 9/8 after holiday. They found metal in the oil and believe it needs an engine replacement. A week later I have no answers, there's no loaners available, so I am just without a car. We bought car from Zimbrick Chevy in [XXX]. It was never disclosed to us that the vehicle had an engine replacement right before we purchased. New engine lasted about 16,000 miles. Only once we saw the history of the car in the current dealership's service app did we learn about the engine replacement. This is beyond unacceptable! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine started "ticking" for a bit. Then sounded like marbles were in the engine. Loss of power and engine light came on. Dealer says my 6.2 engine failed and new one needed. Less than 9000 well cared for miles!
Engine failure of the 6.2L L87. Was 12 hours from home with my family on vacation in Colorado cruising up a 4 lane mountain highway about 700 yards from entering [XXX] thru the mountain and the engine started screaming and knocking. Thank the lord there was a way I could quickly steer my vehicle and family off the 65 mph hwy. Engine had recently passed the recall inspection test. “3,000ish miles ago” dealership confirmed engine failure and it’s sitting in cooorado waiting for a replacement engine. I believe this will be the 3rd engine now in my car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with a 6.2L V8 gas engine. The connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage and engine failure.
- Risk
- Engine failure increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the engine, and as necessary, repair or replace the engine. For vehicles that pass inspection, dealers will add higher viscosity oil, install 6 oil fill cap, replace the oil filter, and update the owner's manual. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 18, 2025. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4223, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is N252494000.
Recall number 25V274000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Tahoe knocking
Which Chevrolet Tahoe years have engine knocking or ticking problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2021 (39 complaints), 2023 (15 complaints) and 2022 (14 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix engine knocking or ticking on the Chevrolet Tahoe?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,227 (median of 15 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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