Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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).
I bought my 2003 Chevy Tahoe used and as is at a dealership for $10,000. Yes, I've been robbed. The truck is in great LOOKING condition. Has a little bit of superficial dings and a couple dents but overall exterior is great. Interior isn't shabby. Has wear on the driver's seat but not bad. The first thing that happened, I was on my way to work at 4 in the morning, turned on right blinker to change lanes, about blinded the guy in front of me with high beam lights. I thought I had bumped the switch, I took the right to get off at my exit I was more mindful. Definitely not a me thing. The high beam came on with the right blinker. So, the next thing. CD player runs continuously without a disc in. I cannot put a disc in. There may be discs already in there, it is a 6 disc changer, but it will not play. The radio has a mind of its own. Plays what it wants at anytime its on. …
While driving the Tahoe close to home I started to smell of burning and I could see smoke coming up from the dash. I pulled over and by then the whole car was filled with smoke and I could see flames coming from under the dash on the passenger side. I tried to put out the flames (not recommended) but the fire just spread upwards into the dash and was obviously out of control. I left the vehicle and called 911 and within minutes the whole front of the car was engulfed in flames. The police and fire service arrived and eventually the fire was extinguished after it had burned through most of the vehicle. Fortunately I was on my own and I suffered no injuries except a few minor burns to my hands. I am guessing the fire May have started with the blower motor resistor wiring which is a problem many others have reported.
My Tahoe caught fire inside the driver side dash. It was parked, no one had driven it that day. I put in a claim with GM (claim #sr 8-2955875514) and it was denied as they said there are no recalls for my Tahoe. This fire started out of no where. Thank goodness our neighbor came banging at the door to let us know that our Tahoe was on fire. We weren't home at the time but my son was, we arrived to find him with the water hose extinguishing the flames that were coming from inside the vehicle. I sent the pics to GM and they just denied it with no other explanation other than there was no current recall. They didn't even tell me why the fire started no one came out to see the vehicle.
Takata recall, today, May 31, 2019, I drove my truck to a meeting at 1:30 in the afternoon and parked my vehicle in the parking lot (it was stationary in a city parking lot). When I returned to my car after the meeting at 3:30 in the afternoon I open my car and the interior was engulfed in smoke. A component of the power seat on the drivers side started the fire. It was fortunate no one was in the truck at the time and the windows were closed. After the fire ignited and used up all the oxygen in the interior the fire burned out on it's own. I did call the fire department he had never seen anything like this before. (I've included the fire department investigators card and I can obtain a report if needed). The investigator was the one that determined where the fire started. He explained that the top layer of the seat upholstery has some fire retardant but the underside does not. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe. While approaching a stop, the vehicle began to vibrate severely and the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the throttle position sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was also taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the wiring harness failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 166,000.
While driving on the interstate at 70 MPH the car switched to reduced engine power and reduced speed immediately to 25 MPH, leaving me in the position to navigate through rush hour traffic to get to the side of the road. After happening a couple of times over a 30 period, it is now a regular occurrence. Each attempt to take the car in to a mechanic to be repaired results in the same issue occurring afterwards. Mechanics seem not to be able to determine the cause resulting in a completely unsafe car. The throttle body has been replaced, wire harness, pedal sensor, and throttle body sensor. Nothing has solved the problem!
Tl contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact turned the ignition key just enough to activate the radio. She then heard a popping noise from the cigarette lighter component and smelled smoke. The cigarette lighter was released from the socket and a small fire erupted from the instrument panel. There were no prior warnings. The fire department was called to the scene and a report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. The contact was waiting for an explanation of what caused the failures. The failure and current mileages were 80,053. Updated 10/14/08 updated 10/15/08.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that smoke came from under the hood. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was determined that the blower relay resister module failed. This failure caused the air conditioner to fail and it smelled like plastic was burning. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 135,000.
My control panel lights and heat and air control knobs are going out. My back seat seatbelt sometimes want latch and my 3rd row seating will not latch to the bracket. My stearing is bad it will not line up and thats just the begining of the problems that should not happen. My grandkids ride in this vehicle.
My 2003 Chevy Tahoe got on fire after replacing a fuse that powers the cigarette lighter. I replaced the fuse and when I went inside the car I saw smoke coming from the inside of the dashboard and in less than 2 minutes I had flames commons from the dashboard.
Electrical complaints in other Tahoe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe?
NHTSA has 193 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe, 38% of the model year's 507 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (124 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe, though it has 4 recalls 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 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 6 fires and 1 injury to electrical 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.