1996 Chevrolet Tahoe problems
NHTSA has received 390 complaints about the 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe, and 25% of them involve brakes. Next are wipers, windshield & visibility (12%) and electrical system (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 390 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 31 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 35 and 3
- Typical mileage
- 110,000 miles 46 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 8 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 12 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 9 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 6 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 46 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 110,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 31 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 35 injuries reported; 3 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1996 ranks 13th most-complained-about out of 32 model years of the Chevrolet Tahoe with enough data (240 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
My 3 year old nephew was able to get into his parents 1996 chevy tahoe and was able to turn the key to the first click (before the click to turn on the radio and power windows, etc.). Then without touching the brake, the toddler was able to pull the shifter into neutral and the vehicle was able to move. The toddler either was thrown from the vehicle or was scared and jumped and was run over by the vehicle and killed.
Fatality as a result of ignition switch being turned without a key and without the brakes being applied. When the complainants three year old grandson turn the key in the ignition one notch forward this allowed the gear lever to be shifted out of park and into neutral without the brake pedal being pressed. As a result the vehicle rolled down a driveway. It unclear if the child fell or jump out of the vehicle as it became to roll but either way he was struck by the open door as the vehicle rolled.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 chevrolet tahoe equip with dexteero dht2 tires, sized: p265/75r/16, DOT 01bthbac00420, and line: not available. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH and making a left turn the front drivers side tire suddenly experienced a blow out causing the driver to loose control of the steering and crashed into a guard rail. No injuries were reported. No police report was taken and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined.
Tl*the contact's mother owns a 1996 chevrolet tahoe. The windshield wipers were not operating normally. They were repaired in 2001. Recall 03v159000 component: visibility:windshield wiper/washer is related to the failure. The dealer confirmed that the VIN is not related to the recall. The dealer also wrote on the invoice that the windshield wipers are working temporarily and can fail at anytime. The corporate office of GM was also notified of the failure.