2019 Chevrolet Tahoe Reliability Report

Air conditioning failure is the most common complaint here. The compressor stops cooling, or the coils crack and leak refrigerant. Owners describe repeat repairs, back-ordered parts, and bills over $1,000 once warranty ends. Transmission failures, one at 70,000 miles, also land in this category, and owners note their VINs show no recall. One owner was treated in a hospital for carbon monoxide exposure in the cabin. Other reports cover shaking at 60 to 70 mph, a trailer brake warning that keeps beeping, and water leaking through the rear hatch.

The main pattern is airbags that fail to deploy in serious crashes. Reports include T-bone and side impacts, a collision with a tree, and hits that damaged the frame. Six of the seven complaints involve crashes and four involve injuries, including head strikes on the steering wheel and fractured ribs. In some crashes the seat belts also failed to lock or retract, and the airbag warning light stayed on afterward. One opposite case describes nearly every airbag firing when a door brushed a fence post at walking speed.

Power steering assist cuts out without warning, sometimes at 70 mph and often right after startup. A "Reduced Steering Assist" warning comes with a heavy or locked wheel, and reverse acts like neutral. Shutting the vehicle off for several minutes usually restores steering, so dealers often cannot reproduce the fault. One report describes a brief total power loss at speed that took out both steering and brakes. Owners point to a recall covering the same issue on 2021 models. Loss of control is the main risk.

Struts leak and seize, and air suspension parts corrode, leading shops to recommend replacing the struts on both sides. Drivers describe shaking, rumbling, and the body shifting around over bumps. One alignment and suspension complaint also involved a transmission replacement. A separate idle tremor was blamed on the motor mounts and continued even after new mounts, bolts, and shims were installed. Only 3 complaints were filed, so these read as scattered failures rather than one widespread defect.

Speed drops unexpectedly at highway speed in the few reports filed. With cruise control set, one vehicle slowed sharply next to semi trucks, then downshifted and sped back up within seconds. Another reports a misfire and loss of speed while merging onto an interstate shortly after purchase. One owner ties the symptoms to an existing safety recall. With only 3 complaints, no clear mileage pattern appears, but every report involves a traffic hazard at speed.

Aluminum wheels corrode on the inside, so the tire bead stops sealing and tires lose air. Dealers and tire shops describe this as a known problem but offer no coverage beyond the standard warranty. One report describes a slipped belt in an original Continental CrossContact LX20 tire at 23,000 miles, caught before it blew out. That owner notes the same tire was recalled on earlier Tahoes. Only two complaints were filed.

Only two complaints were filed. In one, the pedal went stiff and the vehicle rolled forward into a building, causing a crash. The other describes an engine problem more than a brake fault. Power dropped on the highway, the check engine light came on, and the vehicle could not go over 30 mph before it shut down. The dealer said the repair required dropping the engine. No repeating brake defect shows up here.