Factory Tires done at 40,000
Head gasket blew at 60,000
Brakes about every 20,000
Rotors about every 40,000
Alternator at 80,000
Both CC'c at 70,000
O2 Sensors at 35,000, 80,000, 115,000
Door Hinge Repairs at 60,000 and 100,000
Driver's Seat Base Broke at 85,000
Transmission 78,000 & 98,000 & 120,000
Distributer at 76,000.
I am (now WAS) a "Chevy person." This is a great truck... on road, off road, long road trips. Just a pleasure to drive. But I could have bought another Tahoe for the money that I have spent on transmissions alone. There is something very wrong with the workmanship in this vehicle. I expect this from "cheap foreign car," but not something that should be "CHEVY TOUGH." I am completly disgusted with the reliability of the Tahoe... and I am not the only one. Just use google and you will find that these trucks are basic pieces of junk in terms of reliability. My advice, because I really do like driving the Tahoe, is to buy one new and sell it before it reaches 50,000 miles because after that it will suck the life out of your bank account.
This is exactly my sentiments and experience with the 98 Tahoe. It is like being in an abusive relationship that you stay in because you hope it will get better, but only gets much worse. This truck is a cruel joke.
What are you talking about? I have a 96 two door, and it is the best SUV I have ever had. I have had to replace minor things that just wore out, but nothing major. I have 150,000 miles on it and runs awsome. The only thing is that I wish GM would build another two door, I would buy right away.
Well I don't know what to tell you about your 97 Tahoe, but I would not say that all are "pieces of junk." I own a 97 tahoe that I bought at 130,000 and now has 162,000. It has had regular maintenance before I bought it, according to the dealer, and has had regular maintenance since I have owned it. I have only had to replace the water pump and U-Joint so far. This is pretty good I think for the amount of miles and the thrashing I have given it. I did google it though just like you said and did not see anything for reliability problems. All I know is that my tahoe has seen lots and lots off roading and burnouts and has been yet to break down. So I am guessing you just got a lemon and if you read many reviews on this site every manufacturer has had atleast one.
The chevy tahoe is usually pretty durable. The T-350 transmission isn't the best for pulling massive amounts of weight, but if you treat it right and put a decent transmission cooler on it, you should be alright. The 350 v8 has loads of torque, so power certanly isn't a deficit. I hope you have better luck with yours though!
I also wish that somebody would build a 2-door 4x4. I had a Dodge Ramcharger, and was a Dodge man all the way, but they lost me with the 4-door Durango. I also liked the 2-door Tahoe because it reminded me of the old full-sized, 2-door Blazer, but they are so rare as not to be found.
I ended up buying an Explorer Sport in large part because it was a 2-door and still was built with a truck frame.
Why, oh why, did Dodge, Ford, and Chevy quit building a full-sized 2-door 4x4!? I don't give a crap about getting kids out of the back seat, or strapping in a car seat!
To those of you who have transmission problems... Change your fluid and filter at the recommended intervals with a quality fluid. This will not cure the problem, but will prolong the life of your tranny. I too am a culprit of lack of transmission maintainance. It is too easy to run a vehicle and to shun the need for new fluid as it is a hassle to change yourself, but it will help greatly. I had a similar chevy truck with this tranny and the previous owner put in a new tranny, but I put 40000KMS on it with no maintainance. The new owner was hard on the truck (off road and on road) and still had no problems. He blew the rear end out from rough riding rather than having tranny troubles. These trucks are quite reliable, but are big vehicles and as such will wear out parts more quickly than a smaller vehicle. Personally I would buy a chev or gmc before all other because of price and quality. (not new, but used)
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