Chevrolet Tahoe Seat Belts Problems
Owners have filed 177 complaints with NHTSA about seat belts problems on the Chevrolet Tahoe across 28 model years. The 2001 model year has the most (29). The words owners use most often: “seat belt” (58% of reports).
- 177seat belts complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 25mention a crash
- 31mention an injury
- 14related recalls
- 21%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Seat belt: mentioned in 103 of 177 complaints (58%)
- Third row: mentioned in 10 of 177 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do seat belts problems happen?
Based on 76 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 177 complaints, 25 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 31 an injury.
Chevrolet Tahoe seat belts complaints by model year
| Model year | Seat Belts complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Tahoe | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2024 Tahoe | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2023 Tahoe | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2022 Tahoe | 2 | 1% | 35,000 |
| 2021 Tahoe | 13 | 3% | 503 |
| 2019 Tahoe | 3 | 3% | 115,719 |
| 2018 Tahoe | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2017 Tahoe | 2 | 1% | 80,000 |
| 2016 Tahoe | 4 | 2% | 40,000 |
| 2015 Tahoe | 14 | 2% | 61,000 |
| 2014 Tahoe | 2 | 2% | 100,000 |
| 2011 Tahoe | 3 | 1% | 46,000 |
| 2010 Tahoe | 1 | 0% | 62,413 |
| 2009 Tahoe | 1 | 0% | 78,000 |
| 2008 Tahoe | 7 | 1% | 71,953 |
| 2007 Tahoe | 14 | 1% | 108,500 |
| 2006 Tahoe | 2 | 2% | 87,332 |
| 2005 Tahoe | 5 | 2% | 70,000 |
| 2004 Tahoe | 2 | 0% | — |
| 2003 Tahoe | 10 | 2% | 81,500 |
| 2002 Tahoe | 15 | 3% | 23,492 |
| 2001 Tahoe | 29 | 6% | 50,000 |
| 2000 Tahoe | 5 | 2% | — |
| 1999 Tahoe | 12 | 2% | 175,000 |
| 1998 Tahoe | 3 | 1% | — |
| 1997 Tahoe | 7 | 2% | 168,000 |
| 1996 Tahoe | 4 | 1% | — |
| 1995 Tahoe | 13 | 5% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (14)
Seat belts:critical fasteners
Model years: 2021, 2022
Problem: General Motors, LLC (M) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with third-row seats. The rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left or right side third-row seat belt buckle assembly may have been improperly formed.
Risk: A seat belt with a deformed rivet may not properly restrain an occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rivet head formation on both the left and right side third-row seat belt buckle assemblies and replace seat belt buckle assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 28, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on November 1, 2022. 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 N222372380.
Seat belts:front
Model years: 2015, 2016
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2015-2016 Chevrolet Tahoe, and 2014-2015 GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have received an incorrect replacement tensioner cable assembly as part of a previous recall remedy or a subsequent repair. The flexible steel cable connecting the driver's seat belt to the outboard side of the seat may be repeatedly bent over the seat side shield as the driver enters and exits the vehicle causing the cable to fatigue and separate.
Risk: A broken pretensioner cable reduces the effectiveness of the driver's seat belt, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver seat belt lap pretensioner, free of charge. The recall began on May 5, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212330040.
Seat belts:rear/other
Model years: 2021
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles. The second-row center seat belt latch may be trapped beneath the trim bezel and therefore inaccessible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208. "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: A passenger in the second-row center will be unable to wear a seat belt, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the trim bezel, correctly position the seat belt latch plate, and reinstall the trim bezel, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212329320.
Seat belts:rear/other
Model years: 2021
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Chevrolet Suburban, and Tahoe vehicles with third-row seating. The third-row outboard seat belts may have been entrapped or misrouted behind the outboard seat-folding mechanism, which could result in damaged seat belts.
Risk: A damaged seat belt can break during a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the occupant.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third-row outboard seat belts, replacing any damaged seat belts, and rerouting them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 21, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313000.
Seat belts:critical fasteners
Model years: 2021
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.
Risk: If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.
Seat belts:critical fasteners
Model years: 2021
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position.
Risk: If a seat-belt bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the front-row center seat position, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.
Seat belts:front
Model years: 2015, 2016
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Tahoe Police Pursuit and Special-Service vehicles. The flexible steel cable connecting the driver's seat belt to the outboard side of the seat may be repeatedly bent over the seat side shield as the driver enters and exits the vehicle causing the cable to fatigue and separate.
Risk: If the pretensioner cable becomes fatigued or breaks, the driver may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pretensioner cable and seat side-shield, free of charge. The recall began June 19, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18156.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Model years: 2015, 2016
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Electrical system:software; seat belts:front:warning light/devices
Model years: 2015
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, and 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban vehicles equipped with a base radio and an internal amplifier. The radios in the affected vehicles may become inoperative, and as a result, there would be no audible chime to notify the driver if the door is opened with the key in the ignition or no audible seat belt warning indicating the seat belts were not buckled. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention," and 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: Without an audible indicator, the driver may not be aware that the driver's door is open while the key is in the ignition, increasing the risk of a vehicle rollaway. Additionally, there would be no reminder that the driver's or front seat passenger's seat belt is not buckled, which could increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on July 2, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM's customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GMC owners may contact GM's customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 14315.
Seat belts:rear/other
Model years: 2003, 2004, 2005
Problem: On certain crew cab pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, the 2nd row center occupant seat belt routing may make it difficult to position the lap portion of the safety belt low around the hips of occupants, especially smaller occupants, seated in this position. Appropriate use of a child seat or booster seat, as recommended for small children, does improve the fit condition for this user group. In addition to instructions on proper infant and young child restraint (with child seats or boosters), special verbiage for restraining older child is included in the owner's manual. Also, the suggested seat belt fit/routing for adults, irrespective of seating position, is described in the owner's manual text.
Risk: A lap portion of the seat belt routing that is not low and snug on the hips can allow the lap belt to ride up on an occupant's abdomen instead of fitting low around their hipbones, and therefore, can expose them to more risk of abdominal and internal organ injury.
Fix: Dealers will cut open the guide loop, remove a portion of the loop, and then the remaining two sides should be folded over and secured with a retainer free of charge. The recall began on july 21, 2005. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, or hummer at 1-800-732-5493.
Seat belts:front:retractor
Model years: 2001
Problem: Vehicle description: pickup and utility trucks. Some of these vehicles have an internal component in the outboard seat belt retractors for the 2nd and 3rd row of seats that could be cracked. With repeated actuation of the locking mechanism, the crack could spread to the point such that the seat belt would no longer lock.
Risk: In a crash, increased occupant injury could result from the no-lock condition.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the outboard seat belts for specific lot numbers and replace the belts if necessary. Gm is enclosing an inspection procedure for the owners to use or they can have their dealers do the inspections. Owner notification began july 2, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 or gmc at 1-800-462-8782.
Seat belts:front:webbing
Model years: 1999
Problem: Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. These vehicles do not comply with the occupant protection requirements of fmvss no. 208, "occupant crash protection."
Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, the right front passenger restraint systems may not meet the neck extension requirements.
Fix: Dealers will install a tray insert on the top of the passenger side of the instrument panel. The tray insert corrects the noncompliance.
Seat belts:rear/other
Model years: 1995
Problem: Vehicles fail to conform to fmvss no. 210, "seat belt anchorages." the center rear seat lap belt was improperly routed.
Risk: Consequence of non-compliance: the occupant of this seat will not be properly restrained in the event of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Instructions for rerouting the center rear seat lap belt will be sent to the vehicle owners. If the owner prefers, they can take their vehicle to their dealer and have it rerouted free of charge by the dealer.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that upon attempting to fasten the rear drivers side third row seatbelt they had noticed that the cross lap piece would not secure itself into the latch. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was inspected and the contact was…
I purchased a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe on March 8, 2026, in [XXX] . After the sale, I discovered that the vehicle has serious undisclosed safety defects, including evidence that the airbag (Supplemental Restraint System) had previously deployed and was not properly repaired or restored to working…
Seat belt 3rd row dont work properly doesnât lock
The passenger seat belt wonât click in sometimes or it will click in and get unclicked on it own. After multiple tries it clicks in most times
Unknown

Frequently asked questions
Do all Chevrolet Tahoes have seat belts problems?
No. NHTSA has 177 owner complaints about seat belts for the Chevrolet Tahoe. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Chevrolet Tahoe seat belts?
Yes: 14 safety recalls list seat belts. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about seat belts problems on the Chevrolet Tahoe?
The most frequent phrase is “seat belt”, in 103 of 177 complaints, followed by “third row” (10).
Other Chevrolet Tahoe problems
- Air Bags problems (1,552)
- Electrical System problems (1,496)
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems (918)
- Structure problems (897)
- Power Train problems (848)
- Service Brakes problems (824)
- Engine problems (805)
- Steering problems (561)
See all Chevrolet Tahoe problems.