Problems with 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

(1) speedometer reads excessive or diminished speed (2) unable to safely operate vehicle - unable to safely gauge speed (3) no parts have been replaced to date concerning this complaint. *jb

The cluster in my 2003 chevy tahoe has failed. it started failing at approximately 80,000 miles. none of the gauges work properly. it is a safety hazard. dealer says it will cost approx. $600 to fix. i feel that gm should recall and fix this at no cost. *jb

Wife was driving our 2003 chevy tahoe, which only has 51k miles. came to a stop at an intersection and the speedometer suddenly registered her as going 100 mph. the engine wasn't revving. she proceeded to drive and it registered her doing 120 mph, when she was really only doing about 35 mph. took it to local dealer and had the instrument cluster replaced at a cost to me of $500. *nm

Odometer sticking - unhappy chevy owner - recurring event i purchased my 2003 chevy tahoe a year ago and just within the past few weeks my odometer has been sticking at 120. of course i have not driven that fast ever and this is hard to accomplish when truck is in neutral (yet it reads 120..)eventually, it resets itself and that takes a couple days. i have barely registered 10,000 miles of the 54,000 that are on vehicle and can not understand why this could be happening. i did call the dealer and of course just in conversation ball park figure would be around $500 plus no transportation for at least 3 - 5 days. i decided to take my 2003 chevy tahoe to a independent mechanic for a less expensive review. it was determined that their is a problem that can not be fixed by an unauthorized party. so know i have this truck that is not safe to drive by nc state due to faulty odometer. will follow up with further action with manufacturer and whoever else. noticed other complaints and wanted to make sure everyone knows that there is a problem with the 2003 chevy tahoe. very unhappy 1st time chevy owner. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet tahoe. the gauges on the instrument panel malfunctioned. the speedometer would display high speeds when the vehicle was stopped. the vehicle ran out of fuel because the gauge indicated that fuel was present. the manufacturer sent the contact a letter to have the vehicle inspected concerning these failures. she stated that it was not a recall repair, just an improvement. the vehicle exceeded the 70,000 mile limit that was referenced in the letter, therefore the adjustment was not free. the failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 77,000. updated 12-13-07. *kb the air bag light had illuminated as well.

2003 chevrolet z71 tahoe. speedometer gauge working erratic. will read for example 70 mph sitting still or 120 mph moving very slow. *jb

My wife reported an issue with here instrument cluster on her 2003 chevy tahoe in october of this year. the oil pressure, water temp, and speedometer were indicating excessively high readings. when she got home and turned off the vehicle the instruments were still pegged past the values on the displays and the speedometer remained at 45 mph ignition off and in park. the problem would occasionally clear but now remains constant. after researching the issue on the web i found that this is a problem reported by many people. i feel that gm should be made to correct an obvious know problem. thank-you for you good work. *nm

I own a 2003 chevy tahoe z71 and purchased the vehicle in 07/2005 with roughly 25,000 miles. as of 10/2006 my speedometer started acting erratic wherein it wasn't giving the correct speed of my vehicle. it has since completely stopped working and am seeking assistance in replacing the part to remedy this problem as i see while being on a forum (http://www.topix.net/forum/autos/chevrolet-tahoe) that amongst the hundreds and possibly thousands on this website are indicating their dissatisfaction with chevrolet/gm and their lack of assistance in remedying this problem. it's not just one specific make, but apparently will all makes ranging from 2002 to 2007. i would strongly suggest that chevrolet/gm listen to their consumers and remedy this problem immediately or they will surely receive a thrashing from the consumer by no longer purchasing their vehicles. the price to remedy this problem ranges from $550 to $600 depending on which dealer you contact to repair your vehicle. this is surely a nominal amount to a multi-million dollar company, yet would mean a great deal to their consumers. *jb

The speedometer on my 2003 chevy tahoe begun working erraticly at aroun 43,000 miles and since quit working all together. my dealer said the problem is common bet not a recall. this seems odd being that this is directly related to the safety of the passengers of this vehicle as well as other drivers.

2003 tahoe, speedometer will not register. *jb

2003 chevy tahoe speedometer has been working erratically for the past 12 months. especially during hot weather, the speed display showed slower than the actual speed. stopping the car, turning off the ignition and restarting usually fixed the problem. on 10/9/06 the speedometer showed 60 mph when the car was off, and now does not ever fall below 60. online, i've seen many similar complaints from chevy & gmc customers with the exact same problem. the dealer has not indicated that a problem exists, but a dealer told me that they see many repairs of this type. i am scheduled to have the part replaced in two weeks at my expense (since my vehicle is out of warranty) but would like to know if enough complaints indicate that a recall should be issued.

Speedometer began to fail by fading to zero while driving. *nm

Own a 2003 chevrolet tahoe with 43939 miles as of this email. yesterday, we noticed the speedometer no longer registers how fast the car is going. while traveling on the free-way the speedometer registers 0 mph. *nm

Faulty speedometer on my 2000 tahoe. reads over a 100 mph in park. *nm

At 43,000 miles my speedometer got stuck and will not work. at park it reads 80 or 20. i bought my tahoe new with only 10 miles and now it is 3 years old. i called a dealer and he said that should not have happen to a new vehicle. when i am driving down the highway i look and it says that i am going 60 then a second later it reads that i am going 120 and it is stuck. this is not safe for anyone and i have heard other people complain that there tahoe did the same thing. *jb

Speedometer does not work, readings of 120 constantly. according to the web site topix.net there are about 450 persons who wrote about this problem. mechanics are asking $500 - $600 to fix this item. i believe gm should take care of this defect they created. *nm

Speedometer and/or tachometer quit working after about an hour's driving time. this is a safety issue and should be a recall. *tr

We have problems with the running lights, dash gauges not working properly. now the engines is starting to idle roughly and make noises. we got a notice letting us know that there was a recall on a part that runs all of the dash gauges. some kind of computer thing. i went into the dealership and they told me my car had too many miles to honor the recall and i would have to pay for it!. lets see, we wait long enough for miles to get past 100,000 miles and then they don't have to fix all the vehicles. i can see another tahoe coming down the road and one of the running lights is always out. we have a 2003 tahoe. the dash coating started pealing and they wouldn't cover it being replaced. i had less than 60,000 miles at that time. they said that the extended warranty didn't cover this. the tahoe is shifting real rough at times and will speed up on it's own at times. this shifting happens at least once a day. the gauges don't work at all. (fuel,oil pressure, and sometimes the rpm won't work at all). *tr

2003 chevrolet tahoe- speedometer began erratic jerking, finally began reading either faster or slower than actual, errors ranging from 5 to 90 mph!

Speedometer and oil pressure gauge failure on my 2003 chev tahoe. chev has issued a limited scope recall with limitations to mileage or years. if there is a problem with this part, especially a speedometer it should be recalled and replaced. *tr

2003 chevy tahoe. since about 50,000 miles my speedometer and gas gauge have not worked properly. i have 90k miles now and i've been hoping for a recall. *tr

My concerns are the speedometer failure on my 203 tahoe. i searched this same problem on many web sites and there are thousands of reports on gm autos with the same problem. the cost to fix this failure is $300-$500. i believe this should be classified as a major recall by gm motors. *jb

For the past few years our speedometer on our 2003 chevy tahoe, has been fluctuating incorrect speeds. some days it would say we were doing 120 mph while driving and even when we were in park. some days the speedometer would say 0 all the time. in the summer of 2007 in total stopped working, it does not move at all. since we never know what speed we are driving, we feel this is a safety issue. chevy feels it is not and will only replace this defective part in vehicles that have less than 70,000. ours has more than this mileage on it so they said they don't care it is not a safety issue. i have spoken with numerous people who have chevy's other than tahoes and are younger that our vehicle and their speedometers do not work either. that is too many people on the roads that have faulty speedometers that do not qualify under there rules. *tr

Since january of 2006, the speedometer has failed numerous times. while standing still it will register any speed above 30 or while traveling at highway speeds it will register 0 mph. the tachometer has failed to work three times and the gas gauge has registered half a tank while it takes 20 gallons to fill the 25 gallon tank. last year i had the intermediate steering shaft replaced before the warranty ran out because it was clunking. it is now starting to clunk again!! the vehicle has 50,000 miles on it. i just received a warning for speeding, 54 in a 45mph because i can"t tell how fast i am going!!!!!! *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet tahoe. while driving approximately 55 mph on normal road conditions, the speedometer intermittently displayed inaccurate readings. the failure would occur without warning. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but was not repaired. through research, the contact discovered a warranty extension coverage and notified the manufacturer. the vehicle was excluded from the warranty because the odometer exceeded the mileage limitation of 70,000. the failure mileage was 26,000 and current mileage was 86,000.

I purchased the 2003 chevrolet tahoe in february 2004 at about 60000 miles the speedometer stopped working, later the rpms, and the fuel gauge stopped working. the dealership told me that they would have to send these components out and it would take a week or two, and the cost would be around $1,100. i have not had it repaired, yet, i am in the process of buying a second vehicle so that i would be able to let the vehicle go for that long. i have noticed on the internet a number of this same complains . one website had 622 emails of complains about this same problem. this was a manufacturers defect ,and general motors needed to take care of it. this could be a potentially dangerous problem.*ak

Speedometer failure on a 2003 chevrolet tahoe: with approximately 50,000 miles, the speedometer became highly erratic and eventually quit working all together, but not before i had been pulled over for speeding. luckily, the office dismissed the event after explaining the situation. i was told this is a common issue with this generation of tahoes, suburbans, and trucks, and would like to include my complaint about the gauge motor failure with the other one. *jb

My 2003 chevrolet tahoe has a speedometer which exhibits jumping around, going 120+mph when sitting still and fluctuates erratically. it will not reset to 0 mph unless you start the vehicle's ignition repeatedly. most of the time, it still doesn't work after that. this problem has been sporadic since approximately 41,000 miles and now it doesn't work hardly at all (84,000 miles). i have had numerous electronic and computer issues since owning this vehicle with no help or concern from the local chevrolet dealers or gm. approximately $2,500 has been paid to them for these repairs thus far. the speedometer/instrument cluster repair estimate from a chevrolet dealership is another $1,000. many of the same complaints have been registered about the speedometer problem. obviously, there's a trend. *jb

Gauge cluster has failed in the vehicle, does not read speed correctly, oil pressure or engine coolant temp. *jb

Very well documented via internet: speedometer and fuel gauges failed to work. the speedometer will stick at a random point and then add the speed traveling , and this results in the speed not being accurately displayed. the problem has been ongoing for over 2 years starting with the gas gauge showing fuel remaining but the tank being empty. very unsafe and costly known problem by gm and most owners. *ak

I purchased new and still own a 2003 chevy tahoe. for the last year and a half the airbag light comes on from time to time. i have had the truck at the dealer numerous times and they tell me they cannot fix the problem. what i have been told is that this light means that the airbag will not deploy if the vehicle gets into an accident. i am very frustrated that this safety issue cannot be corrected. *jb

This is now the 2nd winter season that the hvac blower motor pulses between high and low when the outside temperature is below approximately 35 degrees. this seems to continue until the engine has warmed up then stops. the dealer has been unable to find a cause. *jb

While parked lights pulse bright then dim, this includes all dash lights and headlight and tail lights. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet tahoe. the contact stated that the fuel gauge worked intermittently and displayed false readings. as of november 26, 2007, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. the failure mileage was 17,527 and current mileage was 78,000. the consumer stated the problem didn't warrant further inspection. updated 12/07/07

Front passenger seat heater comes on by itself. blinker sensor will tell me that the blinker is on when it isn't. cd/radio lights blink on and off. rear passenger window rolls down by itself. fuel guage does not work properly and will often say it's full when it's empty or it's empty when it's full or half a tank when it is empty. fuel injectors keep clogging up with carbon. transmission failure from stop and delay acceleration while driving. *ak

4 wheel drive light came on and would not engage. the dealer told the consumer it was a software problem. *la the consumer thought the problem was resolved until a couple of weeks later when he attempted to place the vehicle in reverse and it did not engage. after trying a second time if engaged and the 4-wheel drive light illuminated again and the vehicle failed to go into 4-wheel drive. the consumer was finally told that the manufacturer did not have a fix for the malfunction of the 4-wheel drive. the vehicle had other problems such as a rattling noise coming from the glove compartment, the remote keyless entry was inoperative, there was a thumping sound coming from the drivers side when the consumer made a turn, the emblem fell off the back of the truck, the seat mechanism did not work and there was in the drivers side running board. *jb

2003 chevy tahoe speedometer has stopped working, needle is stuck past 120 mph, even when vehicle is stopped or off! call gm customer service, but haven't received any help. have been called on 2 different days, that they would call the next day with info, but only called and told they will call tomorrow.

Digital console suddenly read foreign languages and then blinked out while driving. when this occurred the console components were not readable. in some cases, the console stayed illuminated in the foreign language. the consumer was unable to correct the failure. the battery died on 6 separate occasions. when this occurred, the dealership reprogrammed the system. however, the problem recurred. the dealership replaced the module in the console. *ak *sc *jb