What year would you avoid in a Tahoe or Yukon?

[StuckinMN]

I am in MN and will buy my next pre-2015 Tahoe / Yukon / Esc in California. There seems to be a lot of lower mileage ones available and prices are lower as gas prices are so high there. Just be sure to triple check the mileage for roll backs.

 

[Hodgeee]

2012 to 2014 3rd gen. Just make sure you buy a tuner to disable DOD. Make sure to change filter and oil in tranny every 60 thousand miles, plus flush. After 2011, they put a redirectional cap on the oil return line to prevent oil from squirting back up into the pistons and causing excessive oil burning issues. So you can just turn off the displacement on demand. Also the valvecover pcv valve was redesigned witch also led to reduced engine oil consumption. The 2007 to 2011 models were plagued with this. Also ensure that the vehicle came with the transmission cooler. These did not suffer from burning up of the torque converters due to excessive heat, which would ruin the transmission. Make sure the tranny fluid was changed on time if high mileage units. 2009 and up came with the 6 speed. The 2000 to 2006 wee good without DOD and had the least amount of problems, but were not as refined vehicles. Plus low mileage units are very hard to find. Super easy to work on and diagnose.

 

[calsdad]

Suggest taking to an independent shop and maybe have someone check all the grounds…GM notorious for botching the ground system and it causes all sorts of bad and hard to diagnose stuff…

My father watches one of those mechanic Youtube channels ( I think it's South Main Auto), and keeps bringing up the same episode with me (he's like 85 now) - where the mechanic gets in this Chevy pickup - of relatively recent vintage - that the customer had into the dealer multiple times for all sorts of electrical issues. If I remember correctly from his description - the guy had spent thousands of dollars at the dealer trying to track down the issue(s).

So South Main Auto takes a look at the truck - and finds that the ground strap between the frame and the body is like almost completely rotted off - on a truck that's only a few years old. Replaces it - and the problems are all solved.

Might be worth taking a look at.................

 

[gmgirl77]

How far are you from South Main Auto. He can find your electrical issue

You mean like any South Main.. lol

 

[gmgirl77]

2012 to 2014 3rd gen. Just make sure you buy a tuner to disable DOD. Make sure to change filter and oil in tranny every 60 thousand miles, plus flush. After 2011, they put a redirectional cap on the oil return line to prevent oil from squirting back up into the pistons and causing excessive oil burning issues. So you can just turn off the displacement on demand. Also the valvecover pcv valve was redesigned witch also led to reduced engine oil consumption. The 2007 to 2011 models were plagued with this. Also ensure that the vehicle came with the transmission cooler. These did not suffer from burning up of the torque converters due to excessive heat, which would ruin the transmission. Make sure the tranny fluid was changed on time if high mileage units. 2009 and up came with the 6 speed. The 2000 to 2006 wee good without DOD and had the least amount of problems, but were not as refined vehicles. Plus low mileage units are very hard to find. Super easy to work on and diagnose.

Thank you, this is incredibly helpful

 

[Hodgeee]

If you have more questions feel free to PM me, and I can go over shortcommings of the older or newer models, what to look out for, and how much to expect to pay to fix these items unless you do your own work. Plus all of this information is easy to find on YouTube. Ive also owned three generations of Tahoes.

 

[K2 Kaiju]

07-10 (1st and worst AFM issues), 15-17 (AC condenser and buffeting), 21+ (everything due to supply chain). Always avoid first couple years of new design. The best models in the past couple decades are the last year of a generation when they finally figure everything out and make options standard (06, 14, 20)...

 

[Hodgeee]

Agree, absolutely.

 

[sealandsky]

I have no choice but to trade my 16 Yukon in at this point. Between the no click no start, and the continuous electrical drain that we are unable to find. I cant keep paying this much for something that sometimes starts, especially with winter coming.
I thought this would be easy and I would buy a new Tahoe RST but Im not loving the lack of amenities in it. The dealer showed me a 19, but looks like they also have some serious electrical issues as well.

Does anyone have a year that they can recommend that seemed ok?

Thanks

Regarding your issue with continuous electrical drain, I had the same issue on my 2019 Yukon. In my case it turned out to be one of the passive entry door handle buttons "sticking" in intermittently (more often in cold weather). When the button was stuck, it would drain the battery dead between 24 and 48 hours. I had the dealer replace the door handle assembly and the problem is solved!

 

[koachdaddy]

Regarding your issue with continuous electrical drain, I had the same issue on my 2019 Yukon. In my case it turned out to be one of the passive entry door handle buttons "sticking" in intermittently (more often in cold weather). When the button was stuck, it would drain the battery dead between 24 and 48 hours. I had the dealer replace the door handle assembly and the problem is solved!

No sarcasm intended, but this response leads to a lot of unanswered questions- what you do to figure out this issue?

 

[sealandsky]

No sarcasm intended, but this response leads to a lot of unanswered questions- what you do to figure out this issue?

In my case the issue started out on a cold day, a couple days after going through a car wash. I pressed the button on the left rear passenger door to open it and place my work back pack inside. This button is the most often used for this reason. In this particular case I felt the button sort of "stick" in and not pop out normally. After driving around that day I parked overnight (outside) and the next morning I had an almost completely dead battery (only got a click when I pushed start). I didn't put two and two together right away, but after the button eventually working again, warmer weather being better and cold weather being bad I figured it out. The dealership eventually believed me and replaced it under warranty. The button is essentially a momentary push switch and any mechanical switch can stick at some point.

 

[Brian71]

I replaced an 06 Z71 Tahoe (great truck) for a 17 CPO Tahoe. The only major issue was the rear A/C lines were leaking. The dealer replaced them at my cost but replaced the rear evaporator under warranty.
It's been pretty dependable. We've driven from Ontario to Florida twice and we're driving to Arizona in December.
I change the oil frequently because of the possible lifter issue.
The only thing I'm not crazy about is the adaptive cruise control. It has a mind of it's own and there's no way to over ride it.
I do spray it with undercoating (Krown) every year.

 

[DBacon]

The "ignition off drain" issue is so ridiculous, none of the industrial electronics those vehicles are made on would lose memory if left off for an extended period of time. The welding control I supplied to all of the GM Truck assembly plants could be left off power for four years, without battery backup and would not lose any programming or stored values, and that was in 1987!
So until they learn how to do this, you can put a battery maintainer under the hood for $24 and plug it in if you will not be using the vehicle for a few days.
Eric O of South Main Auto in NY can track the drain down. One I recently read about was due to a 3g telephone circuit that would search for a 3g tower every few minutes (They have been replaced by newer systems) and wasting electricity continuously. The fuse was pulled on that one because even GM couldn't fix it.

 

[johnwright53]

I bought a good clean ‘06 Tahoe.
I live in the deep south.
Love it.