Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Passenger side door lock started having problems. Would work occasionally. Now, it won't work at all. Has to be manually pulled up to unlock and pushed down to lock. I noticed over 450 complaints from others about the actuators going out on theirs too. Seems to be a problem.
I currently own a 2008 Chevy Tahoe. Today 1-17-13 , I had to have the power door lock actuator replaced for the 5th time on this vehicle. Every door has been affected at least once with today being the right rear door having to be replaced for a second time. From what I have read numerous times online , this seems to be a recurring problem for the GM SUV products starting with the 2007 model years. GM has yet to address this issue with a recall , however I feel as well as many other owners of these vehicles that this could cause a serious issue if the vehicle is hit from the side or a water related accident occurred with the vehicle being submerged and not being able to get out. 1 or 2 instances in a 4.5 year period I could understand but 5 in a 4.5 year period involving every door is not a coincidence. …
The door lock actuators on my 2008 Chevy Tahoe have been replaced 5 or 6 times, 2 or 3 the first time and 3 more the last time a few weeks ago all under warranty. The Tahoe has 33K miles on it this problem has occurred on every door at least once this is a safety concern and should be recalled immediately as sometimes the door will only work manually by actually pulling up the door button to open the door from the inside or out. In some cases the affected door does not lock when car is put in gear which can result in a child or an adult inadvertently pulling on the door handle while going down the highway and the door swinging open or in an emergency not being able to open the door without having to enter through another door Chevy dealer suggested I get an extended warranty because after 36K miles it will cost $325 a door to fix the faulty actuators when they break again. …
The passenger door would not lock or unlock, with the remote or by using the drivers door, nor would it lock when putting the vehicle into gear. This is the second time this has happened. So now if you think you are safe, your are not. They put OnStar in your vehicle to keep you safe how does that help if you are hi-jacked at gun point? You thought all doors locked when you put it in gear all but the one door that failed because of a poor design. Or your child falls out of the vehicle while going down the freeway and because the lock failed due to poor design. Please help us with these poor designs on Chevy vehicles. I have had nothing but problems with this vehicle. Clunking noises starting now when I turn corners. Dealership states that is normal. Omg! Are they insane? I know that is not normal because it was making that noise when I purchased it. …
The power door locks work intermittently in my 2008 Chevy Tahoe. I have had the rear driver's side door looked at in the past at my local Chevy dealer, and they were unable to find a problem. Recently my drivers side door will not lock or unlock using the key fob. The alarm is set and all other doors lock, except the driver's side door. I do not know how long this has been happening, as I usually trust that the door is locked when I push the button. Plus, I can hear the other doors lock and I have never had to visually or physically check that all doors are locked. Last year I had a similar problem when I would put the car in park with the engine running. The doors would unlock and then lock again. At one point I had actually gotten out of my car, shut my door, then the doors locked, and I was unable to open the rear drivers door to access my children. …
To whom it May concern; I am writing because we have problems with the door locks on our 2008 Chevy Tahoe. We have had a problem with the door locks in the past as we have had to literally climb out of the window to get out of the vehicle. It happened while on a boat ramp so it was an incredibly memorable event. We have been experiencing problems with the door locks again and took the vehicle to the Chevy service this morning. Their customer service rep called us to let us know that all 4 door locks needed to be replaced. The charges are $350 for the front doors and $250 for the back doors. Needless to say we are not happy about having to pay for any additional door lock work on this vehicle. The vehicle has only 70,000 miles. …
Rear passenger door electric lock actuator failed resulting in no way to open the door without manually unlocking it from the inside. In the even of an emergency, there would be no way to open the door from outside of the vehicle or from the lock switch on the driver door. In addition, there is no key lock on this door from the outside. I have learned that this is a very common problem on 2008 chevrolets, which has cost consumers a huge amount of money in addition to subjecting them to serious safety concerns. I was the victim of a theft when a passenger did not manually lock the door and several days later when I was parked in a parking garage someone entered my vehicle and stole personal property. This would not have occurred if the lock actuator had functioned properly and locked the door when I locked the others. …
I have taken my 2008 Tahoe ltz to the GMC dealership multiple times to repair the door locks / outer door handles. I have had two of the door locks replaced because they will not unlock when I hit the unlock button on the doors or the key fob. This is a major defect in this vehicle. It is a safety conern because I have a small child and I am afraid if I were to have an accident and I try to unlock the doors they will fail and I will be unable to get my child out without crawling over the front seats to manually unlock the lock. The same with the outer door handles breaking. I have had two of those replaced. I had to crawl over the passenger seat at one point to be able to get in the vehicle until I could get it to the dealership. I have searched the internet and see there are several complaints about these issues, yet there are no recalls. Please help us.
1. Door locks failed. Have been replaced multiple times. As a result, my [redacted] old baby got locked in the car in 100 degree weather in August. It continues to be an issue and often I have to resort in climbing through the back tailgate. 2. Stabilitrack and traction control lights flash. Sometimes after these lights flash, my vehicle will go into "reduced power mode" on its on which is very dangerous going 65 MPH or pulling out from somewhere. 3.my wipers work when they want to...ever since the two recalls Chevrolet released, the work intermittently when they want to. 4. Major electrical issues with these vehicles....I have replaced the battery four times and something continues to drain it. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 U.S.c. 552(b)(6).
Power door lock actuating unit failure. Two months ago I was unable to enter my drivers door when it would not unlock with the remote control. I unlocked it with the key and tested the lock mechanics and discovered that the door would neither lock or unlock electronically. GM replaced the door lock actuator to fix the problem. Last week the passenger rear door lock failed in the same manner. GM once again replaced a defective lock actuator, part # 25876390. This failure is a safety concern. If the door does not lock electronically, a small child could inadvertently open the door while the vehicle is in motion. Since two of the four actuators have already failed, I am sure it is just a matter of time before the rest fail too.
NHTSA investigations
Interior Door Handle Laceration Risk
The statistical data regarding problem experience in the table above are net counts for unique vehicles.Review of information in this PE discloses that while accounting for approximately two-thirds of the total population, MY 2007 subject vehicles are cited in more than 90 percent of the consumer complaints, injury reports, and warranty claims, respectively.In addition, improvements in the door handle manufacturing…
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other Tahoe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe?
NHTSA has 60 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe, 11% of the model year's 528 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 2008 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 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 38,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to locks & latches 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.