Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Fuel line leaks .pouring gas out of pressure side .pics below.vehicle 130000 miles.2.brake lines rotting away .rear mount to differential lines.must be replaced.how can this be allowed? 560 dollars in just parts alone.3.gas fill neck rotted and leaks during fueling.had to replace
Regarding your defect investigation peo4042 fuel system, gasoline delivery, fuel pump, 2000 - 2001 Chevrolet suburban: complaint that fuel pump wiring overheats, resulting in engine stall and fuel leakage from the top of the tank: fyi, this is a common problem with all 1996 and newer Chevrolet / GMC gasoline engine trucks, all of which have the Vortec engine series. This engine requires high fuel pump pressure (55 - 60 psi), which requires high electrical current for the pump, particularly under conditions of high fuel demand, such as towing (the circuit has a 20 amp fuse). Possible root causes of the problem May be: (1) inadequate wire gauge to the pump, causing a voltage drop and consequently high current draw; (2) high resistance at the fuel pump connector; (3) restricted fuel filter; (4) running the tank low on fuel; (5) increased frictional drag in the pump with high mileage. …
On 2-11-03, the california epa announced that general motors has been required to extend the fuel injector warranty on '96-'01 model year light trucks, suvs, trucks & vans to 10 years/200,000 miles. "malfunctioning fuel injection systems (scpi) cause significant increases in air pollution". GM will fix the problem at no cost to the vehicle owners. The fuel systems were replaced with the new mfi units. GM settled with the california epa to avoid a threat of a nationwide recall. I own a vehicle that falls into this category but do not live in california. I contacted local dealerships as well as the Chevrolet customer care center for assistance and was told that only vehicles in california were eligible to be repaired. …
Bought from new 99 Tahoe. Has had 2 runaway over speed events. The 2nd was yesterday. It has been having also, loss of power at time when first starting off. It goes away quickly, usually in few seconds. Hear at least one exhaust popping noise during event. Never looses power during long highway travel. Both times the runaway acceleration was after a hard acceleration. Goes into bauck ( loss of power) & then into full acceleration! Last runaway required 3 key off shutdowns to relieve. Neutral caused it to rev to 5000 RPM. Brakes seem to control run away a bit at 40mph, but not down hill! We never use cruise control & it was in off position. Hard to steer of course with engine off at 40+ MPH! Suspect fuel injection system. Was in drive position at occurrence. First occurrence was about a month previous. It was controlled by full braking stop then. It was then only at slow speed to start. …
Fuel pump failed on the highway, causing the vehicle to stop without warning. Mileage was only 33,100 at the time. I have searched a Chevrolet truck owners website (google alt.trucks.Chevy - advanced search: fuel pump) and found many reports of fuel pump and/or fuel pump fuse failure in 1996-2001 Chevy trucks. The typical failure seems to be melting of wires inside the pump, causing internal shorting, which was the failure in my vehicle. Failures were reported typically at 30,000-75,000 miles. Failure can be intermittant and difficult to diagnose. An additional cause of fuel pump fuse blowing is shorting of the oil pressure switch, which is in the fuel pump circuit. Repair was covered under my GM extended warranty, but would have otherwise cost approximately $700.
Went to visit inlaws in Canada for chrismas, arrived late at nite. Got up in the morning truck will not start, local mechanic diagnosed it as the anti-theft system,{ passlock } he got it running and said I need to go to the nearest dealer to get it reprogrammed be fore it happens again. Next morning was going to dealer it would not start again. Three days latter it finally started. Dealer charged $330 to reprogram {passlock} two days latter when I was going home it would not start again. I haven't got it running yet. Was supposed to be back to work in texas three days latter. I got fired , and I'm still stuck in Canada and broke now. Thank you Chevrolet!!
Fuel pump went out on 1999 Tahoe. Took to dealer to service under extended warranty. I was told that there is a service bulletin about the wiring harness with a warning that they can be faulty and short out the fuel pump, in which case the new fuel pump would not be covered under warranty unless the wiring harness was replaced. I was also told that there is a recall coming out on this very problem but only for 2000-2003 (or 2004?) tahoes. My concern is that if this is a know problem that happen to thousands upon thousands of 1999 tahoes why aren't the 1999 tahoes being included in the recall that is soon to be released? I was told this by my dealer.
Is the NHTSA recall campaign 05V155000 (Chevrolet suburban 2000-2001 fuel pump failure) going to be expanded to other GM trucks? My 1999 Tahoe had the exact failure described in this recall, and I expect it will fail again. If the recall will be restricted to the 2000-2001 suburbans, I will perform my own modification to my Tahoe's pump (I will bypass the internal pump connector and solder the wires). However, if the recall will be expanded to the 1999 Tahoe in the near future, I would rather have the official GM fix applied.
Fuel pump wiring failed causing fuel pump to burn up. Obvious issue as GM now includes replacement wiring with replacement fuel pumps. Safety issue for the following reasons, any wiring failure in proximity to the fuel tank could cause a fire, failure of the wiring resulting in failure of the fuel pump leaves the vehicle immediately stranded, whether on a high speed freeway, in local traffic, in a an unsafe area or sitting in your driveway. There is no symptom so that preventive maintenance can be performed.
The gas tank rusts out around where the fuel pump is attached to the gas tank due to lack of drainage and precipitating the failure of the fuel pump. Just in my circle of friends who own chevrolets all have had the same incident happen. Poor design by manufacturer. Fuel could also leak from this type of failure.
Fuel System complaints in other Tahoe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe, 5% of the model year's 552 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 86,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.