1996 Chevrolet Tahoe: problems, recalls and reliability
5 recalls and 283 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is service brakes, hydraulic (24% of complaints); the 1994 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Oct 2007
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 283 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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. The local dealer walmart located at 10404 6th st ranch cucamonga ca. Notified. The manufacturer was not notified. The same failure mileage was approximately 100 for the tire. *ln* *bf *tr”Owner report · Tires · Aug 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 1996 chevrolet tahoe. While driving approximately 5 mph and pushing another vehicle, the brakes failed when the brake pedal was depressed. As a result, both vehicles crashed into a wall. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Aug 2013
“Vehicle stop shut down complete with jerking before shutting down stop pulling and lost all power now service engine light is on and anti-lock brake light is on and want shift into second gear as if something is wrong with transmission. *tr”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · May 2013
Show 7 more owner reports
“My husband was driving our 1996 tahoe when it just stopped! We found that the key had shut off while driving. We were in the middle of a thruway when everyone was driving 60 mph. A very dangerous situation indeed. This has happened 3 times in the year I've owned the vehicle. We are also having a problem with the wipers working intermittently and sometimes get stuck in the middle of the windshield or jumping across the windshield pop, pop, pop.etc. *tr”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Mar 2013
“Unwanted antilock brake activation at low speed started intermittent now consistent in unwanted activation resulting in increased stopping distance. There is a current campaign for 1999-2002 that should be expanded to include 1996 vehicles. Campaign no. 05v379000. *tr”Owner report · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Aug 2011
“Tl*the contact owns a 1996 chevrolet tahoe. While driving approximately 25 mph the brakes were applied and the pedal extended to the floor. The vehicle was taken to his residence and the contact could see brake fluid leaking from the brake lines. The failure was not diagnosed and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 53,000.”Owner report · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Dec 2010
“Tl*the contact owns a 1996 chevrolet tahoe. While the vehicle was parked, the contact stated that the front right and left frame rails for the air bag sensor were separating and rotting. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the parts for repair were no longer manufactured. The vehicle had not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 140,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2010
“1996 chevrolet tahoe. The left windshield wiper works and the right windshield wiper does not. This began while my husband was driving in the rain and resulted in very limited visibility. He went to auto zone to replace the wipers and when they replaced the right wiper, it did not correct the problem. I am taking it in for repair today. I have been told that it is probably the wiper transmission. *tr”Owner report · Visibility · Mar 2010
“Paint started chipping/peeling off from drivers front finder and hood in approx. 2009 to todays date (08/21/2013). Ps we are the original owners and our tahoe has been kept up in top condition. *tr”Owner report · Structure · Aug 2009
“Tl*the contact owns a 1996 chevrolet tahoe. While driving 55 mph, the four wheel drive light illuminated and began flashing. There was smoke underneath the hood and the vehicle stalled. After opening the hood, the smoke continued to multipy; however, there was no fire present. A police report was filed. The contact provide more details after receiving a copy of the police report. The vehicle was towed to an auto repair shop. The failure and current mileage was 168,000.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Dec 2008
When filing, owners marked a crash in 27 of these complaints and injuries in 32 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 5 campaigns
CERTAIN HONEYWELL FRAM RACING BRAND HP4 AND HP8 OIL FILTERS THAT WERE MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 25, 2006, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14, 2007, AND SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR VEHICLES LIST ABOVE. THE AFFECTED FILTERS ARE MARKED WITH A DATE CODE A61451 THROUGH A72571 SEQUENTIALLY. THE DATE CODE AND PART NUMBER APPEAR ON THE FILTER HOUSING. FRAM RACING HP4 AND HP8 OIL FILTERS NOT BEARING A DATE CODE IN THIS RANGE ARE NOT AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL. THE GASKET OF THE OIL FILTER BECOMES MORE PLIABLE UNDER HIGH TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES.
Remedy: HONEYWELL WILL REPLACE THE AFFECTED OIL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING NOVEMBER 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE TOLL-FREE AT 1-800-890-2075.
CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18, 2005, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2006, SOLD FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE AND ON CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES. (TO SEE THE SCHOOL BUS ENGINE SIZES, CLICK ON "DOCUMENT SEARCH" AND THEN "BUS APPLICATIONS"). THE CONNECTOR ON THE FUEL FILTER WAS NOT MANUFACTURED TO HONEYWELL'S SPECIFICATION. AS A RESULT, THE O-RING MAY NOT SEAT CORRECTLY ON THE FUEL LINE.
Remedy: HONEYWELL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-890-2075 (OPTION 1).
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, 2 AND 4-WHEEL DRIVE. SOLDER JOINTS NEAR THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR CAN CRACK CAUSING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO WORK INTERMITTENTLY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BOARD AND COVER.
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES WITH CERTAIN MODEL-ENGINE COMBINATIONS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY FAIL DUE TO CRACKED SOLDER JOINTS ON THE CONTROLLER CIRCUIT BOARD. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY OR NOT AT ALL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BOARD AND COVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 19, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, GMC AT 1-800-462-8782, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537.
THESE VEHICLES WERE ASSEMBLED WITH THE THROTTLE CABLE CONTACTING THE DASH MAT WHICH COULD BIND THE THROTTLE. THIS DOES NOT MEET WITH THE MAXIMUM RETURN TIMES REQUIRED BY FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 124, "ACCELERATOR CONTROL SYSTEMS."
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR ADEQUATE THROTTLE CABLE TO DASH MAT CLEARANCE, AND IF THERE IS INSUFFICIENT CLEARANCE, CUT OUT A PORTION OF THE DASH MAT TO PROVIDE PROPER CLEARANCE.
How other years compare
Check your exact Tahoe by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe reliable?
NHTSA has 283 owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns on record for the 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe. The most complained-about area is service brakes, hydraulic (24% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 110,000 miles or less.
Does the 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe have open recalls?
5 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning equipment. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.