Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe. While driving 60 MPH in rainy weather, the brakes were abruptly applied to avoid a collision. The brakes did not respond and the contact swerved to avoid crashing into the rear of another vehicle. The contact crashed into a ditch. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was able to be driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,000.
While driving the brakes totally failed. Pedal went to the floor with no brakes at all. Vehicle had to run off the road and stop using the emergency brake. As soon as the brake pedal was pushed it went to the floor and then warnings light to service ABS started flashing and beeping. There was no warning prior to the failure of the brake system. After the vehicle was towed we found that there was no brake fluid and a large rupture was found in the brake line on the drivers side towards the front of the drivers side door.
Exiting from the expressway with traffic light about 20 yards away, cars were stoped due to red light and I am coming down hill exiting. Applying the breaks and the paddle goes to the floor, I rear ended the vehicle on the far right .
Rusted brake lines resulting in failure of braking system. Brake lines should last longer than the service life of the vehicle. Hence no brake lines should ever be made out of steel. Especially on on a system as critical as the braking system. This failure could have costed me my family. The the ethical thing for any company to do. Is rectify the problem. I really don't understand why this would be an issue. We are talking about the braking system on a vehicle that by itself weighs 5,000 pounds. Without a trailer or any payload attached to it.many of people have not been as fortunate as myself. The vehicle is. Otherwise in excellent condition. To this day.if faulty ignition switches get recalled it's common sense to recall a brake issue. Especially since the brakes totally fail without any warning. I have been building cars since I was a kid.and this is a first. …
Well my air bag light stay on never goes over and my driver seat belt does not even lock at all. Then I keep hear this popping noise that come from hub and shocks and nothing on my dash works 1st it started off by I couldnt see what gear I was in. My driver seat u push the button to go forward it moves the seat back. My heat blower has something wrong with and it has something to do with this purple wire on the floor bored. Now my truck cant get on the free way because every thime I get on the freeway and on the free way four more then 10-15 min my truck just shuts off. My heated seated only stay on for 1 to 2 min and then keeps shutting off. My back seats dont let down at all. Then at the bottom of my truck where the oil pan is for some reason there is always alot of oil all over at the bottom like someone just dip my truck in a big bowl of oil. …
Brakes line burst due to excess amount of rust under vehicle. Called dealer where it has been serviced for last 8 years. Service manager said he was well aware of problem and that replacement lines...not revised one but OEM ones which will do the same again we're back ordered due to demand. He said a lot of clients were having their vehicles resolved and that replacement part could possibly be months to obtain.. Idiots and when is Chevy going to do something before more people get hurt or worse? Classictube.com has a stainless kit for $450. Replaces every part brake fluid runs through. We'll worth it for peace of mind. Hate GM for denying claim. Hope a lot of them drive same vehicles and learns about the life threatening issue first hand or has family affected... Angry father, husband and owner.
My wife was driving our 2003 Chevy Tahoe to the doctor's office without any warning brakes totally went out, god must have been watch over her because this could have been deadly, thank god for emergency brakes. GM state that the vehicle will stop when the brake line give away will that bull [redacted]! This is the second vehicle that we have had brakes line go out on first my 2002 Chevy silverado with 41000 miles on it and now our 2003 Chevy Tahoe with approximately 90'000 both within a week of one other. Also my stepson has a 2006 Chevy silverado that the brakes went out on two weeks ago is a hospital parking lot that was almost devastating.
1) 12/23/2014 - sitting in pharmacy rx drive-thru with foot on brake. Without warning, brake pedal went to floor. Assessed problem and determined brake line feeding rear brakes burst from corrosion. Fixed brake line next day. 2) 1/27/2015 - ironically, sitting in fast-food drive-thru. Exact same as above occurred. Determined all 4 brake lines leading to the front of vehicle were split and corroded causing loss of fluid and full braking capability. I was fortunate (and lucky) that I was at a stand still each time this happened. Could have been catastrophic if I had been traveling at any speed. Especially with the size and weight of this vehicle.
Hard metal brake line failure during emergency, high pedal pressure, stop. No injuries. The vehicle was unable to avoid entering an intersection, as the lead car. Braking was firm, before pedal descended steadily toward the floor. Pumping provided some friction, but was unable to restore a minority of the system's capacity. The failure was a hole developed in the line, along its path to the passenger front brake caliper. The brake lines showed alarming corrosion levels, which while potentially understandable for a 13 year old northeast outdoor winter truck, was a symptom of catastrophic potential.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe. While driving down an incline at approximately 10 MPH, the brakes failed and the vehicle accelerated to approximately 30 MPH. The vehicle stopped at the end of the road on a flat area on its own. The contact also stated that the brake pads, rotors, and master cylinder were replaced approximately one year ago in August of 2016 by an independent mechanic. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired again. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic
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.
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.
NHTSA investigations
Brake line corrosion failure
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia,…
Parking brake failure
Odi's review of complaint data received since the close of ea04-011 revealed no indication that the investigation should be re-opened.more details can be found in the federal register notice enclosed in the dp05-009 public file.odi reserves the right to reopen the investigation in the future should conditions warrant.
Brake complaints in other Tahoe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe?
NHTSA has 113 complaints about the brakes of the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe, 22% of the model year's 507 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-045 (service brakes, hydraulic, Feb 4, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 109,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 9 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes 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.