MODELYEARINDEX

Which Chevrolet Tahoe years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2021, 2015 and 2016 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Chevrolet Tahoe Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2021 vs model median 6.7×
Model median3× median
Engine 106
Fuel System 85
Electrical 45
Avoid

2015 · 2021

Best

2018 · 2020

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
0.54× 44 B
2011
1.27× 88 D
2012
0.69× 53 B
2013
1.51× 127 D
2014
0.61× 45 B
2015
5.72× 428 F
2016
2.46× 161 F
2017
1.05× 82 C
2018
0.67× 50 B
2019
0.94× 59 C
2020
0.43× 31 B
2021
6.70× 423 F
2022 P
3.73× 243 F
2023 P
4.23× 296 F
2024 P
1.25× 92 D
2025 P
0.90× 67 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2015 F 428 reports · median 55,000 mi

  1. Brakes 91

    The contact owned a 2015 chevrolet tahoe. When the vehicle was shifted into drive, it independently accelerated. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 62

    The new 2015 tahoes have a push button ignition. I pushed off the ignition with the car in drive (forgot to put in park), exited the vehicle and realized the car was rolling down the hill. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Lights & Visibility 42

    The contact owns a 2015 chevrolet tahoe. While driving various speeds at night, the exterior lighting was too dim because of an invisible line above the dashboard. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

24 crash · 1 fire · 16 injuries

2021 F 423 reports · median 30,000 mi

  1. Engine 106

    Brand new 2021 tahoe 1367 miles catastrophically lost power without notice while in a busy intersection with mother and son. Onstar emergency services did not work. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Fuel System 85

    The contact owns a 2021 chevrolet tahoe. While parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 45

    Brand new vehicle bought two weeks ago. I AM getting a service safety restraint system message intermittently. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

15 crash · 5 fire · 18 injuries

The best year for the Tahoe

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2020 is the best-scoring Tahoe model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 81.8 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2020 0.43× 31 B
2018 0.67× 50 B
2014 0.61× 45 B

Recalls

51 campaigns on record, 3 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
16V651000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL 2015–2017 3,640,162
19V645000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM 2015–2018 3,456,719
21V050000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2011 2,641,272
21V054000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010–2014 1,778,128
18V586000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 2015 1,015,918
22V903000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE 2022, 2023 740,108
21V053000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010, 2013 692,526
19V761000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:WHEEL SPEED SENSOR/TONE RING 2015–2020 652,967
20V792000 SEAT BELTS 2021 624,216
25V274000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL 2021–2024 597,571
14V152000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES 2015 489,936
22V617000 SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS 2021, 2022 484,155

+ 39 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 30,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Chevrolet Tahoe years should you avoid?
2021, 2015, 2016 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Chevrolet Tahoe model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Chevrolet Tahoe?
2020 is the best-scoring Chevrolet Tahoe model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 81.8 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Chevrolet Tahoe have?
51 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Chevrolet Tahoe model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Tahoe
Complaints in window
423
Severity-weighted
670
Model median (weighted)
100
vs model median
6.70×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
16
Open investigations
2
Score 3.3 F