Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2011 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 8 safety complaints about the 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.

The most complained-about system is the body structure, named in 3 complaints, 38% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 113,352 miles, the median across the 8 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers April 2014 to May 2019 · How this is counted

What is on file

8 complaints on file

Complaints

Describe a crash

Mention fire

People injured

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system

STRUCTURE 3 · 38% 3 38%

STEERING 2 · 25% 2 25%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 25% 2 25%

AIR BAGS 1 · 13% 1 13%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 · 13% 1 13%

ENGINE 1 · 13% 1 13%

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 13% 1 13%

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 13% 1 13%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 13% 1 13%

0 4 8

One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 8.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2014 at 2.

4 3 2 1

14 2014 16 2016 17 2017 18 2018 19 2019

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2014 to 2019.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2011 Chevrolet TAHOE HYBRID, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test	SUV 4WD	SUV RWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash	Not rated	Not rated
Side barrier	Not rated	Not rated
Side pole	Not rated	Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover	22.8%	24.6%

Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL Filed April 11, 2014

crash · 60,000 miles

I WAS DRIVING IN CRUISE CONTROL AT 55 MPH ON A HIGHWAY ON A DRY SUNNY DAY. NO WEATHER ISSUES. SUDDENLY, THE CAR ACCELERATED AND VEERED OFF ACROSS THREE LANES OF THE HIGHWAY, ACROSS THE MEDIAN, THROUGH THE GUARDRAIL IN THE MEDIAN AND INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND THE CAR CONTINUED AT HIGH SPEED BACK INTO THE MEDIAN, CLIPPING THE GUARDRAIL THREE MORE TIMES. WHEN I GOT MY SENSES BACK, I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AND PULLED OUT THE KEY. THE CAR ROLLED TO A STOP IN THE MEDIAN. THE ONLY REASON THERE WERE NO INJURIES, IS THAT THERE WAS LITTLE TRAFFIC ON THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND I DIDN'T HIT ANYONE IN THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC LANE. IT WAS TERRIFYING TO COMPLETELY LOSE CONTROL OF THE

NHTSA complaint 10579136, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER Filed May 22, 2019

104,703 miles

DASHBOARD IS CRACKING IN TO PEICES

NHTSA complaint 11209319. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Filed January 31, 2019

170,000 miles

STARTED MY TAHOE TO DRIVE HOME AND I'M GOING 70 MPH DOWN A HIGHWAY WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY ENGINE LIGHT POPS ON AND SAYS ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED PLUS IT SAYS SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL AND SERVICE STABILITRAK. I WENT FROM 70 MPH TO 20 MPH IN LESS THAN 5 SECONDS AND NOW MY TAHOE IS SPUTTERING AND HAS NO POWER. THE WHOLE VEHICLE IS VIBRATING. I'VE SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE MULTIPLE TIMES AND I CAN'T GET THE ERROR TO GO AWAY. SITTING AT AN IDLE MY RPMS FLUCTUATE CONSISTENTLY. UNKNOWN BUT I HAVE A FEELING THAT THE THROTTLE BODY IS GOING OUT ON THE ENGINE, IT WOULD BE THE ONLY THING I CAN THINK OF THAT WOULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO DROP SPEED AND SPUTTER LIKE THIS NON STOP.

NHTSA complaint 11173430. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed September 14, 2018

125,000 miles

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS (35 PLUS TIMES IN PAST 2 MONTHS) I HAVE EXPERIENCED A TERRIFYING COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER TO EVERY ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED COMPONENT OF MY VEHICLE. FOR 3 TO 5 SECONDS I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO POWER STEERING, TRACTION CONTROL OR HEADLIGHTS. MY DASHBOARD DISPLAY GOES BLANK, ALL RADIO AND AC DISPLAY GOES OFF AS WELL AS THEIR FUNCTIONS, MY DOOR LOCKS REPEATIDLY LOCK AND UNLOCK AND MY ACCELERATION STALLS OUT. AFTER THE POWER INTERRUPTION ALL MY DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS (ABS/ AIRBAGS/ STABILITRACK/ TRACTION CONTROL/ CHECK ENGINE) FLASH ON AND OFF FOR A FEW SECONDS WHEN THEY ALL STOP FLASHING THE TRACTION CONTROL AND STABILITRACK WARNING LIGHTS REMAIN GLOWING. ON 1 OCCASION WHILE

NHTSA complaint 11129521, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING Filed November 13, 2017

130,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET TAHOE HYBRID. WHILE PERFORMING A TURN AT 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF STEERING ABILITY AND IT REQUIRED MORE EFFORT TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE SERVICE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER, TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE, AND RESTARTED IT MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE BECAME OPERABLE, BUT THE AIR CONDITIONING FAILED TO OPERATE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 130,000.

NHTSA complaint 11045726. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY Filed July 8, 2016

69,060 miles

DASHBOARD CRACKED ON TOP OF MAIN GAUGE DISPLAY.

NHTSA complaint 10883687. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER Filed May 27, 2016

122,000 miles

MY VEHICLE IS PARKED UNDER A SHELTER. THE DASH CRACKED AT THE CORNER WHERE THE AIR BAG IS. IF YOU LOOK ON THE INTERNET, THERE TO SEE IF THERE IS A RECALL, YOU WILL SEE THAT THERE ARE THOUSANDS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE SAME EXACT LOCATION.

NHTSA complaint 10871127. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other 2011 Chevrolet models

Malibu 978 Equinox 782 Cruze 732 Traverse 608 Silverado 1500 563 Impala 505 Tahoe 446 HHR 203

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Chevrolet on this site — 304 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file, published October 2, 2026.

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst