2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe has a complaint index of 85, ranking 4th worst out of 21 model years, and carries an Avoid verdict. Airbags account for 44% of complaints, with 4 recalls filed, including two Takata airbag inflator campaigns.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 85/100
- #4 of 21 Tahoe years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 528
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 4
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 6
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 5
- Injuries
- 21
- Top issue
- Airbags
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 16
- 14 city / 19 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 21 / 0
Top 2008 Chevy Tahoe problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Airbags233 (44%)
- Structure & Body136 (26%)
- Other94 (18%)
- Electrical System89 (17%)
- Engine41 (8%)
- Brakes21 (4%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires17 (3%)
- Fuel System14 (3%)
- Transmission & Powertrain9 (2%)
- Seat Belts7 (1%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Airbags fail to deploy during moderate to high-speed rear-end or frontal collisions, including a crash at 65 mph.
- Owners report burning smells followed by smoke and flames coming from under the hood or from the center console cigarette lighter.
- Vehicles have caught fire while parked in a garage after sitting for hours, with no clear trigger identified.
- Stabilitrac and engine power reduction activate unexpectedly on the highway, forcing drivers to pull over and reset the system.
- Tires reportedly separate or lose air repeatedly within a few months of ownership, even on a brand-new vehicle.
- Fuel economy falls well short of the advertised combined figure, with owners reporting lower real-world mileage.
2008 Chevrolet Tahoe recalls
4 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
2008 Chevrolet Tahoe fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 14 MPG
- Highway
- 19 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.
2008 compared with other Tahoe years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe reliable?
- Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2008 Tahoe ranks 4th worst among 21 model years, with a complaint index of 85 and an Avoid verdict relative to other Tahoe years.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe?
- Airbags are the top problem area, making up 44% of the 528 complaints filed, with a median mileage at failure of 93,000 miles and involvement in 5 crashes.
- Does the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe have a recall?
- Yes, NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2008 Tahoe, including two separate campaigns to replace the front passenger airbag inflator and one for an electrical wire harness fix.
- How does the 2008 Tahoe compare to the 2007 and 2009 Tahoe?
- The 2007 Tahoe has a higher complaint index of 100 and is also rated Avoid, while the 2009 Tahoe has a lower complaint index of 65 and rates Caution, making 2008 worse than 2009 but better than 2007.
- What is the fuel economy of the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe?
- The EPA rates the 2008 Tahoe at 16 mpg combined (14 city / 19 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $4,050.