2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 97 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe, 34% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 97,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (18% of reports).
- 97air bags complaints
- 97,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 3related recalls
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 17 of 97 complaints (18%)
- Passenger airbag: mentioned in 12 of 97 complaints (12%)
- Dash cracked: mentioned in 11 of 97 complaints (11%)
- Able confirm become: mentioned in 5 of 97 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 42 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 97 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Chevrolet Tahoe air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Tahoe | 3 | 4% | — |
| 2023 Tahoe | 6 | 3% | 27,072 |
| 2022 Tahoe | 6 | 3% | — |
| 2021 Tahoe | 27 | 6% | 37,000 |
| 2020 Tahoe | 4 | 7% | 12,000 |
| 2019 Tahoe | 8 | 7% | 29,900 |
| 2018 Tahoe | 2 | 2% | 71,000 |
| 2017 Tahoe | 10 | 6% | 40,000 |
| 2016 Tahoe | 10 | 4% | 36,750 |
| 2015 Tahoe | 11 | 2% | 24,500 |
| 2014 Tahoe | 13 | 14% | 46,300 |
| 2013 Tahoe | 51 | 22% | 55,680 |
| 2012 Tahoe | 61 | 34% | 74,000 |
| 2011 Tahoe | 185 | 41% | 66,901 |
| 2010 Tahoe | 115 | 37% | 74,000 |
| 2009 Tahoe | 97 | 34% | 97,000 |
| 2008 Tahoe | 233 | 44% | 93,000 |
| 2007 Tahoe | 500 | 42% | 100,000 |
| 2006 Tahoe | 7 | 6% | 125,000 |
| 2005 Tahoe | 19 | 6% | 122,807 |
| 2004 Tahoe | 14 | 3% | 71,950 |
| 2003 Tahoe | 19 | 4% | 90,000 |
| 2002 Tahoe | 31 | 7% | 84,000 |
| 2001 Tahoe | 31 | 6% | 82,000 |
| 2000 Tahoe | 21 | 7% | 43,902 |
| 1999 Tahoe | 20 | 4% | 162,500 |
| 1998 Tahoe | 9 | 3% | 82,927 |
| 1997 Tahoe | 5 | 1% | 190,000 |
| 1996 Tahoe | 16 | 6% | 142,453 |
| 1995 Tahoe | 18 | 7% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328780.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Dash cover is falling apart, a well known defect. I worry that an airbag deployment could cause dangerous shrapnel to be projected throughout the passenger compartment causing injuries like skin cuts and eye injuries.
Cracked 2009 Tahoe Dash
I have this car since 2018. The dashboard of this car was in good condition however in the last few months we have see cracks developing near the airbag and the driver steering wheel. These are deep cracks. The car was 100% parked inside the garage. We are concerned if the airbag function will be…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Chevrolet Tahoes have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 97 owner complaints about air bags for the 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe (34% of the 284 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe air bags?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 97,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 17 of 97 complaints, followed by “passenger airbag” (12).
Other 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe problems
- Structure problems (52)
See all 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe problems or air bags problems across all Tahoe years.