YearToAvoid

2007 Chevrolet Tahoe Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls

Avoid The 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe ranks worst of 21 model years for this vehicle, with a complaint index of 100 and 1,177 complaints logged with NHTSA, mostly tied to airbags, structure, and electrical fires. It carries an Avoid verdict compared to other Tahoe years.

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

YearToAvoid Scorecard

Complaint Index
100/100
#1 of 21 Tahoe years
Verdict
Avoid
vs. other years of this model
Complaints
1,177
unique NHTSA reports
Recalls
4
distinct NHTSA campaigns
Crashes
26
reported in complaints
Fires
27
Injuries
75
Top issue
Airbags
Best nearby year
2014
rated Best
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
16
14 city / 19.5 hwy
Injuries / deaths
75 / 0

Top 2007 Chevy Tahoe problems

Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags500 (42%)
  2. Structure & Body305 (26%)
  3. Other205 (17%)
  4. Electrical System143 (12%)
  5. Engine99 (8%)
  6. Brakes62 (5%)
  7. Transmission & Powertrain50 (4%)
  8. Fuel System41 (3%)
  9. Suspension, Wheels & Tires23 (2%)
  10. Visibility & Wipers15 (1%)

A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.

What owners report

  • Engine compartment fires reported while the vehicle was parked in a garage or driveway, sometimes hours after being shut off.
  • Owners report smoke or sparks coming from underneath the hood near the windshield wiper area while driving under 55 mph.
  • Electrical wiring harness problems tied to NHTSA recall 08V441000, with instrument panel lights flickering after repair.
  • Engine surged and continued accelerating after cruise control was disengaged, in one case leading to a crash.
  • Airbags failed to deploy in a rear-end collision, leaving the dealer unable to diagnose the issue afterward.
  • A fuel system fire was suspected to originate from the fuel pump while the vehicle was parked in the garage.
2007 Chevrolet Tahoe complaints: complaints filed per quarter982006 Q12008 Q32011 Q12013 Q32016 Q12018 Q32021 Q12023 Q4
1,177 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2006 Q1 to 2026 Q3; peak 2017 Q4 (98).

2007 Chevrolet Tahoe recalls

4 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 21V050000Feb 5, 2021Airbags2,641,272 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.

  2. NHTSA 21V052000Feb 5, 2021Airbags557,023 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328780.

  3. NHTSA 10V240000Jun 4, 2010Electrical System1,365,070 vehicles

    Electrical system

    Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.

    Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.

    Remedy: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

See all 4 recalls for the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe →

2007 Chevrolet Tahoe fuel economy and fuel cost

City
14 MPG
Highway
19.5 MPG
Combined
16 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$4,050
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2007 compared with other Tahoe years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2005Caution50293515
2006Good0114315
2007Avoid1001,177416
2008Avoid85528416
2009Caution65284516

All Chevrolet Tahoe years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe reliable?
Based on NHTSA data, the 2007 Tahoe ranks worst among 21 Tahoe model years, with a complaint index of 100 and 1,177 owner complaints, giving it an Avoid verdict relative to other years.
What are the most common problems with the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe?
Airbags account for 42% of complaints with a median failure mileage of 77,000 miles, followed by structure and body issues at 26% and electrical system problems at 12%, including 20 reported fires.
Does the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2007 Tahoe, covering airbag inflators and an electrical wiring harness fix, none of which are do-not-drive recalls.
Which Chevrolet Tahoe years should I avoid instead of 2007?
Among other Tahoe years, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2021, and 2023 also carry Avoid verdicts, while 2014, 2018, and 2020 are rated Best based on NHTSA complaints and recalls.
How many fires were reported for the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe?
NHTSA data shows 27 fire incidents reported for the 2007 Tahoe, many linked to the electrical system and engine compartment.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.