390 of the
12,903 complaints filed about the Chevrolet Tahoe
are about the glass, mirrors and wipers —
3% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 1997.
390
Complaints
3%
Share of all complaints
0
Crashes
9
Fires
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers complaints by model year
Following a GM-initiated over-the-air (OTA) software update on May 18, 2026, my vehicle's windshield wipers became permanently inoperable — stuck in the "on" position with no ability to turn them off. This is not a gradual mechanical failure or wear-and-tear issue. The malfunction began immediately and directly as a result of a software update pushed by General Motors. Because the wipers cannot be controlled, I have been forced to remove the wiper fuse to make the vehicle driveable. This means I am currently operating a vehicle without functional windshield wipers — a federally mandated safety system. I want to be clear: this unsafe condition was caused entirely by a GM software update, not by any action or negligence on my part.
NHTSA complaint #11744525 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On Friday May 1, 2026 while parked at my home, the rear glass lift gate burst into multiple shards. I have taken a few photos of the outside as I found it. In my surprise, I failed to photograph the glass in the interior of the vehicle. I have owned this car since new, since near the end of July of 2025. I had unloaded some groceries from the back area, raising and lowering the large metal lift gate. The glass lift gate was NOT used. As a matter of recording, I have only lifted the glass once or twice since owning the vehicle. The main metal lift gate is the unit used most often. Apparently, this is a known issue with several reports online. What I found online seems similar in that no impact or accident occurred to cause the glass to shatter. What is odd, instead of a typical safety glass experience of a "spider web" type of fracture and the glass staying intact, this was "exploded" with the glass found in multiple shards both in the car and outside on the ground. When I called my local Chevrolet dealer, they denied knowledge of this as a problem within the fleet. Because this is a use issue and weather issue, I am having to personally pay for repair. The new window will cost almost $1000.00 to repair.
NHTSA complaint #11735517 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the contact became aware that the driver's side rearview mirror was pointing upwards or downwards, reducing the driver's ability to see the roadway. The driver's side rearview mirror had been making unintended movements while starting the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.
NHTSA complaint #11721351 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving in a rainstorm, rainwater leaked into the vehicle through the panoramic sunroof. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who removed debris from the sunroof drainage system, but water leaked into the vehicle persisted. The contact was later informed that the panoramic sunroof gaskets were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 50,000.
NHTSA complaint #11712728 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
For the third time, my windshield wipers quit working in the middle of a rain/snow storm. Have taken the vehicle into GM service under warranty twice, the first time they updated the software but that repair only lasted a few months. Second time they replaced the windshield sensor, that lasted a few months. Now today, driving home in the snow my wipers quit working altogether. The sprayer worked, the rear wiper on the same handle works, but nothing else I could do gets the wipers to work. This is a big safety concern as it has happened all while driving in I climate weather.
NHTSA complaint #11710992 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This is the date I first took the vehicle to a dealership. The Transmission has performed poorly and the wiper would not work at all and it was not a fuse problem. Transmission finally failed and had to be replaced (6/25) but car is in a dealership for the 3rd time for windshield wipers. They do not work so car is dangerous. You leave home with no rain and then there is rain and wipers sometimes worked, most of the times they did not. On 6/25 they would not address the issue as wipers worked in High speed (but only on high speed). 3 months later they did not work at all. It did not rain in LA so not concerned, but now it is. This is a serious system design flaw. The replaced complete wiper blade system, but The relays on the bottom of the fuse box control the wiper blades. I have the Z71 off-road package as I drive off-road and in snow conditions. This car was designed poorly as this is a 4x4 vehicle and moister should not effect the electrical system nor a safety device like the windshield wipers. This is a potential recall issue to properly fix the problem. Sadly the majority of vehicle owns just drive on the highway, but others have reported windshield wiper failures.
NHTSA complaint #11708615 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that in 2024 the front windshield was damaged, and the windshield was replaced. The Insurance Company was notified and requested that an aftermarket windshield be placed on the vehicle. In May of 2025 the contact noticed that the Chevrolet Assist Camera behind the rearview mirror had failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that since the windshield was not an OEM windshield replacement, the part caused the camera to fail. The camera was unable to be calibrated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
NHTSA complaint #11692071 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Wipers failed during heavy rain in heavy traffic on 7/3/25. Wipers randomly started working. The wipers failed again during a heavy rain on 8/13/25 again in moderate traffic. Wipers failed during heavy rain, was unable to see while driving on an Interstate. I was able to navigate to the shoulder of the highway but was very scary being on an interstate highway in heavy traffic. Dealership repair occurred on 8/14/25. No warnings of any kind prior to the failures.
NHTSA complaint #11685717 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The windshield washer fluid pump began smoking and has burnt electrical smell. Fuses for the washer pump did not blow to disconnect power from the pump. The pump continued to receive power after the key/pushbutton was turned off. This is is potential fire hazard while driving. Also a visibility hazard when the washer pump fails. This vehicle is a City of Cripple Creek, CO police vehicle. This failure has now happened on two of our Police Defenders (Tahoes).
NHTSA complaint #11675892 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The windshield washer pump began smoking and has burnt electrical smell. Fuses for the washer pump did not blow to disconnect power from the pump. The pump continued to receive power after the key/pushbutton was turned off. This is a potential fire hazard while driving. Also a visibility hazard when the washer pump fails. This vehicle is a City of Cripple Creek, CO police vehicle. This failure has now happened on two of our Police Defenders (Tahoe).
NHTSA complaint #11675897 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Front windshield wipers completely stop working while driving Vehicle is available for inspection Dealer could not reproduce or confirm Vehicle has been looked at by two different dealers, April 2025 and June 2025 Failure has occurred twice while driving in the rain, November 2024, approx 32k miles on vehicle June 8th 2024, approximately 37K miles on vehicle No warning lamps or messages
NHTSA complaint #11669341 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving in a rainstorm on a highway at 70mph, the windshield wipers quit working and would not restart. This has happened on multiple occasions and the dealer could not recreate the issue. Visibility was virtually zero, creating a very unsafe situation. The condition corrected itself after multiple ignition cycles and several minutes being pulled over on the side of the highway.
NHTSA complaint #11662220 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH in rainy weather, the windshield wipers became inoperable. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the windshield wipers became functional. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 65 MPH in a rainstorm, the windshield wipers became inoperable. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact activated the windshield washer fluid to clear the windshield; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
NHTSA complaint #11658140 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
First: wiper motor stopped working, so it would not spray washer fluid to clean front or rear windows. Multiple people have had the same issue, only way to fix was replace Second: rear heat stopped working, dealership said we were the 5th tahoe in the last 2 weeks with the same issue. The "lines needed blown out" was what they said the fix was.
NHTSA complaint #11631467 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving at night in the rain. The front windshield wipers paused in an upright position for 3-5 seconds and all exterior illumination/lighting went out. They all came back momentarily.
NHTSA complaint #11617843 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The windshield wipers stop working. This is the third time it has occurred in the last 8,000 miles. While driving they quit working and will start back after.20-25 minutes. I took it to the dealer and they did a software update however it has done this again. This is a major safety issue.
NHTSA complaint #11616086 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Transmission Failure/Windshield Wiper Failure- While traveling approximately 48mph, the vehicle completely locked up. Tires screeched, vehicle came to a grinding halt. Two of my children were in the vehicle (15yrs and 7yrs of age.) This was sudden and without warning! The vehicle almost rolled, and we were lucky that no vehicles were behind us or we would have been rearended. At that time, we pulled over and the vehicle was towed to the service department at the local dealership. Just days before, the windshield wipers completely failed while driving, in the middle of a downpour. I had to pull the vehicle over and wait for the rain to calm before returning home. Also, the entire display panel went blank while driving, as if the vehicle was turned off. I was unable to determine speed etc. There had been a cascade of odd malfunctions days prior to the major events, the clock stopped working, the compass stopped working. The service department informed me that there was a "Bad Valve Body." I was told by the service manager that he had "never heard" of a vehicle doing this. My children and I are terrified to get back in the vehicle, as we almost had what could have been a fatal accident. I am in contact with GM/Chevrolet on possible remedies. I should note again that there are several other defects with the vehicle, that all seem to surround microchip/electrical components. They all seemed to have failed at once, which leads me to believe there is a larger systemic problem with this vehicle, the processors, and components. Again, this was a sudden cascade of failures. I have video of the windshield wipers non-functional during the rain. I was able to take the video after I had stopped. This is exceptionally dangerous. This vehicle is available for inspection. There were NO warnings lamps or messages. NO insurance has been involved. To my knowledge the dealer has not re-created the failures, but I have video of the panel black out as well.
NHTSA complaint #11575789 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I've had my 2023 Tahoe for 15 months, purchased Dec. 2023 Issue #1. Dash message on start up " Restraint System Needs Service". I noticed small lights overhead (buttons for tail gate, sun roof, reading lamps) were off. I pressed some of them, and dash message went away, and lights came on. Everything worked fine. I've narrowed it down to the passenger side reading light. When dash warning comes on, I press reading light, and whalla! all works fine. This has happened about 6 times over the last year. Issue #2. After driving many hours (9 hr drive, then a 2hr drive, then 4hr hr drive on different days/nights) in rain with wipers in auto mode, using defrost on and off as needed. Suddenly, wipers stop working as well as headlights in auto mode! Scary. Pulled over and waited with engine off. Restarted and still nothing. I was able to use headlights in full ON mode. I turned the wiper switch all the way from top-pulse to the full-on 4-6 times really quick back and forth, and like magic, everything worked again! This has happened 3 times in the last 2 months (always during several hours of rainy weather driving). Dealer says they can't fix what they can't witness. I suppose my only recourse is to video tape it and then show dealership.
NHTSA complaint #11575077 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.