2020 CHEVROLET TAHOE Recalls, Complaints & Safety

Suddenly lost all power steering, then warning power steering attention, no control for steering, very dangerous, couldn't drive vehicle. Took independent car repair to fix. $5k repair to fix problem. Should not happen to vehicle.

Lifter failed on my Chevy Tahoe 6.2L engine at ~75K miles in September 2025. One lifter bank was replaced. No reason for lifter failure was given. Less than 5 months later the other lifter bank has failed and damaged the cam shaft. Again, no reason for failure was provided. Failed lifters can cause catastrophic engine failure, which is incredibly dangerous when the vehicle is in motion. No check engine lights or and warnings occur with the lifter failure, it is only identified by the driver through the tapping noise from the engine. Even a cursory review of forums and complaints reveals that lifter failure is widespread on this engine and that manufacturing defects have caused issues with this power train dating back to 2019, not just the recalled 2021-2024 models.

I sent this to GM Corporate on 2/12/2025: I'm writing regarding the recall on certain 2020 Chevy Tahoe transmissions. My husband is meticulous with his vehicles including all regular service updates and recommended appointments. It literally looks like it came off the showroom floor 5 years after buying it. Unfortunately, when returning on a trip our vehicle suddenly increased rpm's and wouldn't respond while going 65 miles per hour. Thankfully, it reengaged, and we were okay but imagine what could have happened! We managed to get it home, but while attempting to back up it wouldn't shift. We had to have it towed and have been told our transmission is SHOT! It will cost us over $7000 to replace?!! We attempted to call the GM customer service number to Complain and see if they could provide some help. They put us in touch with a service manager in our area whose voicemail was full and took a week to connect with. She basically said there is nothing she can do as it is within the 5 years but over on miles. So, here we sit with a vehicle we have babied for 4.9 years that needs a new transmission. I am asking for you to listen. Asking for you to expand the investigation/recall to include ALL 2020 (or related) vehicles. Something isn't adding up, and you are leaving customers who have paid off their $60,000 vehicle stuck with more $$ to pay because of an about defect. This could have killed us. It literally froze while we were driving, and now we are without a vehicle waiting for a new transmission. We have never had issues with the transmission before. How does a transmission just go? Definite defect!

We have the L86 6.2L EcoTech 3 Engine. at 85,000 miles we noticed the oil pan is leaking and rear main seal is leaking. Both are common issues with the L87 engine as well.

On multiple occasions, my car has locked my keys on the INSIDE of the vehicle. I have put things inside my vehicle before leaving and closed all the doors, upon returning, even just a few minutes later, my doors are locked and I am locked out of my vehicle. Additionally, my car is not detecting my remote. I cannot unlock my car with the buttons on the door and need to have my keys in hand for my car to detect the fob. Additionally, if someone opens the door while the car is running but in park, and then closes the door, the Car will beep as if there is no longer a remote detected. This has happened on multiple occasions. I have changed the batteries in the fobs multiple times, switched out my fobs so I was using a different fob and it has happened with both of my fobs.

The contact's brother owned a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while his brother was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle crashed; however, the contact was unsure what the vehicle had crashed into. The contact stated that the crash was a single vehicle crash and there was severe damage to the front of the vehicle. The contact stated that the air bags should have deployed but failed to deploy. The contact stated that medical attention was needed, and his brother was currently in the Trauma ICU after recently having back surgery. The contact stated that a Police Report was filed but was not yet finalized. The contact was waiting to speak with the Police Officer who filed the report. No further information was available. The failure mileage was unknown.

Crash 1 injured

I was starting to accelerate to a higher level of speed onto the highway; 55 mph going up a hill. I was unable to accelerate much as I pushed on the gas, however the RPM's would get higher. while I was at 45 mpg the RPM's were at 3.5. All of sudden my service engine light came on. I knew something was wrong. Turned around took my car back home very slowly, had my husband come look at my car, who has mechanical experience. Transmission fluid is dark and gritty; when its suppose to be a red in color and smooth. I am now needing to replace a transmission in a vehicle that is 5 years old. How is this possible? I have owned the car for 2 years. Why has these not been recalled yet? Why has these not been looked into further? We are paying a lot of money for these vehicles to turn around and put a new transmission, which isn't cheap into a vehicle that is 5 years old. Any assistance to look into these complaints would be very helpful. I am just glad no one was hurt and I was able to get my vehicle home safely. I keep up with all of the routine maintenance of this vehicle on a regular basis.

I was driving in traffic with 8 kids from my football team on a busy street and my truck start jerking and wouldn’t accelerate much. I was going 35 mph and the truck just slows down in the middle of driving. Then as I pulled over thick white smoke comes from the tail pipe. Thank god it was a Sunday and the busy street wasn’t as busy and I was able to pull over safely because this happen while I was driving. I got the truck to autozone and they gave me a misfire code in cylinder 1. I sent my truck to dealership and spoke with them on the phone and they was able to tell me everything going on with my truck without even having to tell them all the issues happening. They looked at the truck and said I had an internal engine issue. I was advised this a well known problem with my type of truck. I reached out to Gm and asked them why haven’t it been a recall on my truck if this is a well known issue with my vehicle after talking with many mechanics. No answer was specifically provided. I’ve been trying to get them to do what’s right and repair the engine but I’m getting the run around. I’ve reached out to over 5 mechanics and a shops and have been told this is a well known problem was trying to see the cost. Once I found out this was well known it made me contact General Motors. I don’t think it’s fair this is a known issue with 5.3L engine and it hasn’t been a recall. It is unsafe to be driving and the engine just fails on you in the middle of traffic. What if I was on the freeway? My truck is at a Gm dealership right now and Gm and the dealership is refusing cost assistance on a well known engine failure problem. These vehicles need a recall on them that would of been 9 lives at risk because this problem hasn’t been addressed by the manufacturer it was scary when it happen because I was on a busy street.

While driving toward intersection, light changed to red. Applied pressure to brake pedal and pedal became extremely difficult to press. Vehicle was not slowing as expected with pedal pressure becoming very hard to press to slow vehicle. Warning on dash "Brake Assist" and Chevrolet app displays "Antilock Braking System" and text that states Schedule service now. If my wife would have been driving, this would have caused an accident. This is extremely dangerous condition that must be addressed with a corrective action taken by the manufacturer.

Driving long distance from Florida to New York and in VA, experienced a check engine light after fueling. Vehicle started, stalled and trembling excessively. It was taken to the Chevrolet dealership across from the gas station (total luck). It was diagnosed after 1 day in the shop that all 8 fuel injectors and the two fuel rails were corroded and had snapped upon inspection.( photos were sent to me). Vehicle could not be driven. If stall would have occurred while driving on the interstate at speed of 70 -75 mph, the potential for a major car accident with other fast moving vehicles was totally possible. I had to remain in a hotel for 3 days as the dealer had indicated that the parts were on back order because this was a recurring issue in the Tahoe/Suburban/Silverado L87 6.2 HP engine. I rented a vehicle to drive back to NY and got my truck back 14 days later after paying for it ($4600) as GM stated that they could not honor the 5 year/60K warranty despite my truck having 52, 182 miles and less then 5 years because they went by the build date of the vehicle which was March 14, 2020 to March 14, 2025, not the calendar year.

Creaking and groaning from rack and pinion. 60,000 miles on vehicle. no other issues. Potential steering system failure. No warning lights. Happens at all speeds.

Check engine light illuminated then went off and came back on after another drive cycle. Vehicle began to idle rough and experienced hard shifting and acceleration hesitation. I checked the oil and noticed a fuel odor smell on the dip stick and the oil appeared thin. Upon mechanic inspection they found a malfunctioning high pressure fuel pump. This part was recalled on other vehicles of the same model year due to bad welds. This could have resulted in fire if left unchecked.

My 2020 Tahoe stabilitrak has gone off approximately 5 times over the past 2 months April and May of 2025 in one incident my vehicle did turn off all incidents were at low speeds less than 5 MPH. Four of the incidents the stabilitrak light turned on and an audible beep, I also lost power to my steering and breaks. When I had the oil change the service Tec at the dealer stated they can not test it unless the light WAS on? Has anyone reported or experiences this issues What can be done to fix this issue. Please email me at [XXX] if you have any questions or helpful hints. Thanks [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Zero warnings. Driving one day and the vehicle started shaking and running very hard even when just in idle. Dealership has determined engine failure, due to piston one failing and braking off into engine. Car has had routine oil changes and maintenance. Has not been inspected by manufacturer. GM is not assisting.

There is an unusual lifter/ticking noise coming from the valve covers on my vehicle. The vehicle is scheduled to go to the Chevrolet dealership on the 15th of this month but it sounds like the numerous other GM motors that have the failing lifters.

My car seat has failed the safety test on recall and they refuse to warranty it. It loosens significantly when pulled.

We are concerned that the transmission recall should be including ALL 2020 Tahoe’s. We were driving at 55 MPH and our RPM suddenly excelled and the vehicle felt like it was in neutral. This happened several times in a short distance. When we arrived home and tried to put in reverse it hesitated to move and then finally engaged. Getting it into dealership this week.

this year vehicle is also part of the engine problem GM is experiencing with the V8 Engines. I purchased this vehicle in January 2024. With less than 40k miles on it. I drove it for approx 2 months and the entire engine seized up. I was told by the Chevy Dealership that GM is aware of the engine problems on these V8 Engines and did not issue a recall. It took GM over 9 weeks to send me a new engine. In which 6 weeks they had me rent a vehicle and then finally allowed the dealership to give me a rental from their lot. I had to wait several weeks to be reimbursed for the rental, and pay my high car payment during this time, without having my vehicle in my possession. I have asked for reimbursement on my car payments, and they denied it. My car seized up while doing 35 MPH on a road near my house thankfully, but it is a danger that they knew about, and did not recall these motors. I could have been driving over 65 miles on the highway and this could have happened, causing extreme danger to me and my children.

I was at a red light and when I tried to take off the RPMs reeved up and my car would not move so I turned it off, opened and shut my door, restarted my car and it would move 100yds if that, then the RPMs shot up again (acted like it couldn’t shift out of first gear). Car has 101,647 miles, was serviced on time, no issues before and no warning lights on the dash came on before or after the issue happened. Car has not been repaired yet and still no lights on the dash.

While driving, the vehicle's RPM's accelerated quickly and then the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road and would not move. I could not even get it to the side of the road to be out of traffic. All regular maintenance has been performed. The mileage is almost 100,000, but not there yet. This could have been a very dangerous situation as I was heading to an interstate highway. No warning lamps ever lit up and no strange sounds or vibrations ever came from the vehicle. This happened suddenly. No warning whatsoever. The vehicle is being repaired today. The transmission is being replaced at a cost of $5500.00.

Trailer brake system warning comes on an alarms tones begin. Distracted driving situation and faulting wiring issue. Has occurred on multiple occassions in addition to this time.

Trailer brake warning message, making car un drive able

I writing to complain about the "Trailer Brake" warning light that suddenly appeared on my 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe. After visiting the internet I then saw other complaints about the module on the dash for the trailer brake adjustment having repeated complaints. I have never used the 2020 Chevy Tahoe to tow a trailer that had its own braking system. The only thing I have towed was a small U-Haul Trailer. All the complaints about this module is the same: Warning light on the dash display. If so many other Chevy Tahoe owners have complained ... what hasn't there been a recall for this repeated electrical malfunction?

I was driving with my kids on the expressway about 55mph , when all of a sudden the truck went to 30's mph stayed on the 1st gear and did not want to go further from there, and another vehicle almost struck me from the back but was able to swerve me the check engine light also popped out of nowhere. The truck kept staying there on 1st gear, So i had call someone to come pick it up where I was at. I was concerned being struck from the back where the vehicle all of a sudden went to 1st gear and did not want to move from there and i had just gotten the vehicle 3-4 months ago from the gillman dealership.

Brand new set of tires. Less than 100 miles on them. During a left turn at roughly 15-25 mph the entire tire separated from the rim on the rear passenger wheel. The tire is in a secure location and can be inspected if needed. This led to an accident. There were no warning indicators such as low pressure indicators. The low pressure indicator came on after the tire came off the rim. The car went from make a 90 degree turn to making a 45 degree turn and cause my SUV to smash into a house. Tire size was 285/45/R22.

Crash

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the front passenger’s side tire detached. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the ball joints had fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted, and the driver's side ball joints also fractured. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the driver's side ball joints fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

High pitched whine between 2nd and 3rd gear, dealership states fluid and filter full of metal shavings transmission needed replaced

Fuel pump

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving 4 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the electronic rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

Both front rotors are flaking off in large chunks only on the inside. 35,500 miles . Outside smooth as butter. I don't know if it's a factory issue with the rotors,factory Brembo calipers or both . I included pictures.

While driving making left and right turns a clicking noise was noticed. Vehicle also felt like it was engaged in 4wd when making turns on loose pavement by skipping, vehicle confirmed to be in 2wd mode. Vehicle has less than 10,000 miles. Dealership was able to determine that the noise was coming from the front hubs and saw metal shavings.Chevy Dealership suggested to have both front hubs replaced.

When I make turns/curves my Tahoe will periodically lock the wheels on the opposite side and pull our vehicle to the other lane of travel. I’ve noticed previous recalls on other Tahoes for the same thing and the delearship claims they can’t replicate the problem and our vehicle is not included in that recall. I have had the vehicle in Auto and 2wd and it continues to happen. I can disengage the 2wd to auto and vice versa and it sometimes feels to help the problem. I have also disengaged traction control and that will seem to help as well. This has been happening on and off for over a year.

Rear view camera goes off starts with striped blurry lines then goes to blue screen says “service rear vision system”. Took to dealer battery tests low. They recommend replacing battery, positive and negative cables to the tune of $1000. They aren’t positive this will fix it they say this is what they start with there are several errors codes with that system message. Not covered under extended warranty because they say it’s wear and tear/maintenance. Haven’t had issues with the battery just the rear view camera system. 2020 Tahoe LS 3 yeas old. Battery shouldn’t be bad this soon. Chevrolet needs to recall this rear camera system.

Back up camera does not work. Quick google search shows this is a common issue in GM vehicles with no real identifiable fix. Starts with blurred lines and within weeks it turns to just a blue screen. Backup camera is a safety feature and therefore should be investigated by NHTSA.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: M Plus S, Tire Size: P265/65/R18, DOT Number: M3KA007X0820. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side tire was continuously losing air. While the vehicle was in for routine service, the tire was examined by the mechanic who discovered the cause of the failure was due to multiple pin holes in the tire. The contact was informed that the tire was unrepairable and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving upwards of 80 MPH, the vehicle would violently shake without warning. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

My engine light keeps coming on randomly. When this occurs, the dashboard lights blinks and I get a " steering assist" error message. Once this happens it is really hard for me to steer AND I lose acceleration as well. Imagine losing acceleration in the middle of an intersection. Also, I noticed my temperature gauge moves up & down as well. I have taken it to the dealership each time it happens and they are saying they haven't been able to replicate the issue. The engine light only stays on for a few hours or days and the problem goes away once the engine light is off. From my research, this was the same exact problems the 2015 Chevy Tahoes had as well. I don't understand why they cannot figure why I am having this issue. The engine light errors code listed alot of issues yet they still can't diagnose a problem. They have updated the system and checked all wire connections per the dealership. This is my third or fourth time complaining about this issue and this is the dealership's third or fourth time trying to diagnose the problem but they keep telling me they can't.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that the service trailer brake system warning light illuminated intermittently. The recurrence of the warning light being illuminated had increased mostly while driving at highway speeds. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

Auxiliary battery exploded while vehicle was in operation. Explosion caused damage to front driver side headlight, hood insulation, windshield washer reservoir, terminal covers and battery. See attached images. Later learned of GM service bulletin (19-NA-099) regarding overheating of relay causing melted terminals on auxiliary battery

In August 2021 I got a system light for a Saftey Restraint System, aka airbag issue. This system was going on and off sometimes as little as 5 seconds apart and then sometimes would go off for a bit then back on. I live on an Island and there is no dealer here I had to buy somewhere else. There is a mechanic here that does work on vehicles and per the dealership, I bought the car from I was told if the mechanic there can do a software update which is what he thought the problem was, then I should do that. I took this advice and did it. When we drove off the light was off and fixed for about 30 minutes, then the light and safety restrain error came back on. This time remaining on. I took it back to the mechanic and got two error codes. I have since tried to contact GM and been dealing with them for 3 weeks with no assurances if I pay to get my car to a dealship to fix I would get my money back for their error. I also came across and article about investigations into 750k 2020 & 2021 GM models including 2020 Chevy Tahoe for airbags not working. As a consumer, I should have the right to be able to be reimbursed for costs accruded to me to get my vehicle where I'm forced to get it fixed.

Stopped at a traffic light my power steering warning light on the dash came on. After that I had no power steering, and the vehicle is very difficult to steer. I drove back to my location turn the vehicle off and who won out about an hour later started and the power steering was working. Upon looking the issue up online I found that other models of my Tahoe have had a recall but no particular model has not.

The contact owned a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, a 2016 Hyundai Sonata crashed into the front end and pushed the vehicle into other vehicles a Dodge Caravan and a 2021 Ford Expedition. The driver sustained a neck fracture and medical attention was provided. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where informed the air bag bracket was bent or broken. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 16,000. The vehicle was deemed a total loss.

Crash 1 injured