IllustrationSPEEDOMETER HAS COMPLETELY FAILED AT 46,000 MILES THEREFORE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW HOW FAST I AM DRIVING. *NM
2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 246.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tahoe years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
370–25K
7425–50K
9450–75K
6875–100K
79100–150K
36150K+
388 reports with mileage · 79 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 214 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
25 crash reports7 fire reports14 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
214 reportsSPEEDOMETER ERRATIC ON 2004 CHEVY TAHOE. SAYS I AM GOING 120 PARKED, AND 30 WHEN I AM GOING 70. *JB
2004 CHEVY TAHOE FAULTY SPEEDOMETER STARTED OCCURRING IN JANUARY 2007 AS OF TODAY 2/14/07 IT IS INACCURATE EACH TIME AUTO IS STARTED. NEVER RESETS ITSELF. HAVE NOT HAD IT REPAIRED AS THE COSTS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE FOR AN ISSUE THAT IS CLEARLY A GM PROBLEM. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AS THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH SAME ISSUE. …
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2004 CHEVY TAHOE FAULTY SPEEDOMETER STARTED OCCURRING IN JANUARY 2007 AS OF TODAY 2/14/07 IT IS INACCURATE EACH TIME AUTO IS STARTED. NEVER RESETS ITSELF. HAVE NOT HAD IT REPAIRED AS THE COSTS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE FOR AN ISSUE THAT IS CLEARLY A GM PROBLEM. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AS THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH SAME ISSUE. *NM
SPEEDOMETER FAILURE- VEHICLE IN A PARKED POSITION AND SPEEDOMETER STATES THAT VEHICLE IS TRAVELING AT 50 MPH. WHEN TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF 65 ON HIGHWAY SPEEDOMETER SHOWS TRAVELING 120 MPH. *JB
SPEEDOMETER AND TACH NOT WORKING, SPEEDOMETER STUCK AT 120 MPH, TACH JUMPS ALL OVER THE PLACE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND I HAVE SEEN ON TOPIC.NET THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE NOT KNOWING WHAT SPEED THEY ARE GOING! *JB
WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 TAHOE DOWN THE HIGHWAY MY OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR DROPPED TO ZERO. I PULLED OVER AND SHUT IT OFF. I CHECKED THE OIL, WHICH WAS FINE, AND RE-STARTED THE VEHICLE. THE PRESSURE RETURNED TO NORMAL. TWO DAYS LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED EXCEPT THIS TIME I DID NOT GET OIL PRESSURE BACK. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED…
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WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 TAHOE DOWN THE HIGHWAY MY OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR DROPPED TO ZERO. I PULLED OVER AND SHUT IT OFF. I CHECKED THE OIL, WHICH WAS FINE, AND RE-STARTED THE VEHICLE. THE PRESSURE RETURNED TO NORMAL. TWO DAYS LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED EXCEPT THIS TIME I DID NOT GET OIL PRESSURE BACK. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO A SHOP, NEEDLESS TO SAY IT WORKED AGAIN. AT THIS TIME I WAS ADVISED THAT THE OIL SENDING UNIT MAY BE FAULTY AND PAID TO HAVE IT CHANGED. THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND FINALLY IT FAILED FOR GOOD. THE REPAIR SHOP VERIFIED THAT THE ENGINE DID HAVE GOOD OIL PRESSURE AND THAT IT WAS AN INDICATING PROBLEM. I FOUND A COMPANY ON-LINE THAT REPAIRED INSTRUMENT PANELS AND CHOSE TO TAKE THE VEHICLE HOME AND REMOVE IT MYSELF TO SEND OFF FOR REPAIR. ON THE WAY HOME, MY SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONED AND NOW READS 25 MPH AT A STAND STILL. ONE PROBLEM I CAN UNDERSTAND. TWO PROBLEMS THIS CLOSE TOGETHER TELLS ME THAT THIS INSTRUMENT PANEL IS JUNK. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS I HAVE FOUND MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I AM EXTREMELY UPSET ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY I HAVE SPENT FOR SUCH POOR QUALITY. I WOULD HOPE THAT GM WILL BACK ITS PRODUCTS AND RE-CALL THESE PANELS OR AT LEAST COVER THE REPAIR COSTS FOR THE INDIVIDUALS WITH INSTRUMENT PANEL PROBLEMS. *NM
AROUND 37,000 MILES MY SPEEDOMETER BEGAN ACTING UP. IT WILL READ ANYTHING FROM 0-120 MPH AT ANY SPEED. THIS HAS BECAME A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND THE SPEEDOMETER READS 70 MPH, BUT UNTIL YOU PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE AND GET A SENSE OF YOUR ACTUAL SPEED THAT I REALIZE THE SPEEDOMETER IS STUCK, AND I RE…
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AROUND 37,000 MILES MY SPEEDOMETER BEGAN ACTING UP. IT WILL READ ANYTHING FROM 0-120 MPH AT ANY SPEED. THIS HAS BECAME A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND THE SPEEDOMETER READS 70 MPH, BUT UNTIL YOU PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE AND GET A SENSE OF YOUR ACTUAL SPEED THAT I REALIZE THE SPEEDOMETER IS STUCK, AND I REALLY AM TRAVELING CLOSER TO 85 OR 90. GM HAS TOLD ME THAT THE ENTIRE SPEEDOMETER WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. A COST OF AROUND $450. *NM
SPEEDOMETER STARTED STICKING. SOMETIMES IT FIXES ITSELF. OTHER TIMES IT STOPS AND WON'T GO BELOW 30. TODAY IT WOULDN'T GO LOWER THAN 60. ALSO, IT WILL BE BURIED AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING. *JB
SPEEDOMETER WOULD FREEZE AT 50 THEN 70 THEN 35 AND NOW JUST STUCK ON 0. 54000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. $3-500 REPAIR JOB. MAKES IMPORTS LOOK GOOD. *NM
SPEEDOMETER ON MY 04 TAHOE ISN'T WORKING, PEGGED AT 120 MPH WHEN STOPPED. *JB
Official recalls
205V163000 · Seat Belts:rear/other
Apr 22, 2005
ON CERTAIN CREW CAB PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE 2ND ROW CENTER OCCUPANT SEAT BELT ROUTING MAY MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO POSITION THE LAP PORTION OF THE SAFETY BELT LOW AROUND THE HIPS OF OCCUPANTS, ESPECIALLY SMALLER OCCUPANTS, SEATED IN THIS POSITION. APPROPRIATE USE OF A CHILD SEAT OR BOOSTER SEAT, AS RECOMMENDED FOR SMALL CHILDREN, DOES IMPROVE THE FIT CONDITION FOR THIS USER GROUP. IN ADDITION TO INSTRUCTIONS ON PROPER INFANT AND YOUNG CHILD RESTRAINT (WITH CHILD SEATS OR BOOSTERS), SPECIAL VERBIAGE FOR RESTRAINING OLDER CHILD IS INCLUDED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL. ALSO, THE SUGGESTED SEAT BELT FIT/ROUTING FOR ADULTS, IRRESPECTIVE OF SEATING POSITION, IS DESCRIBED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL TEXT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A LAP PORTION OF THE SEAT BELT ROUTING THAT IS NOT LOW AND SNUG ON THE HIPS CAN ALLOW THE LAP BELT TO RIDE UP ON AN OCCUPANT'S ABDOMEN INSTEAD OF FITTING LOW AROUND THEIR HIPBONES, AND THEREFORE, CAN EXPOSE THEM TO MORE RISK OF ABDOMINAL AND INTERNAL ORGAN INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL CUT OPEN THE GUIDE LOOP, REMOVE A PORTION OF THE LOOP, AND THEN THE REMAINING TWO SIDES SHOULD BE FOLDED OVER AND SECURED WITH A RETAINER FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 21, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493.
04V045000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Feb 4, 2004
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND PASSENGER VANS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 135, ?PASSENGER CAR BRAKE SYSTEMS.? SOME OF THESE VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH AN OUT-OF-SPECIFICATION BRAKE HYDRO-BOOST HOUSING RELIEF VALVE BORE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: CONSEQUENTLY, THE VALVE O-RING SEAL MAY FRACTURE. STEERING EFFORTS MAY BE SLIGHTLY INCREASED WHILE BRAKING OR PARKING. UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS, A FRACTURED SEAL MAY REQUIRE A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE APPLIED BRAKE PEDAL EFFORT TO ACHIEVE THE SAME VEHICLE DECELERATION RATE AS PRIOR TO THE SEAT FRACTURE.
Remedy: DEALERS ARE TO REPLACE THE HYDRO-BOOST RELIEF VALVE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 18, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; GMC AT 1-866-996-9463; OR HUMMER AT 1-866-486-6376.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.