2015 Chevrolet Tahoe Brakes
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The brakes have stopped working properly. I have to use my entire force and press the brakes so hard to stop.
Service Trailer Brake system message is appearing.
The vacuum pump has failed once again and it was repaired via a recall in 2019.
Brakes shutter in reverse. Sometimes don’t work when backing out. Almost as if brakes go limp or no connection
When trying to brake the Tahoe seems to not want to stop. The Tahoe comes to a rolling stop or like it is in sand trying to stop. It eventually stops but not when you want it to. Happens more at low speeds then high speeds.. no lights have indicated a problem. And doesn’t do it all the time but you as a driver can’t trust the brakes! I have had my mechanic look at it he can’t find a problem because when he drives it the Tahoe won’t do it for him. Hasn’t been in an accident yet
While driving at low speeds, I am experiencing difficulty with braking. The brake becomes very hard to press down and it takes me longer to stop. I researched this and came across a recall for a vacuum pump issue. I believe this is exactly what is wrong with my vehicle. However, when I input my VIN into the recall website, it says my vehicle is not included in the recall. How can I get this issue covered without having to pay out of pocket (we were quoted over $700). I fear that I may cause an accident if I am unable to stop.
When I am going slow backing up, it feels like I have no breaks. Also, if I am pulling into a parking place real slow, it feels like I have no breaks and the truck continues to roll.
While driving the breaks failed to work. Then when I started pumping the brakes again it took longer than normal to respond and I had to press really hard. I was only going a few miles per hour in a parking lot. Now 5 days later it's happening all the time. It's also making a click noise when I press the pedal.
Vacuum pump related to the braking system is failing. This has been a repaired recall. The Vac umm pump is failing again. It is my understanding this is a common issue with Chevrolet and GMC and is causing accidents.
There’s a recall for this exact issue, but my vin doesn’t fall under it. But the issue is the brakes suddenly felt different while they maneuvering into a parking spot or slowing for a pedestrian. Happens a lot at very low speeds.
My taheo keeps giving a warning of Trailer Break System. That started going off out of no where the first time it start I was almost to where I was going so just turned vehicle off. It stated beeping and giving me the same warning have had my breaks changed thought it would fix the problem. It continues to beep every couple seconds and continues to say Trailer Break System. Then read the reason this continues to happen is Wire Harness is defective. It is a safety risk because it is very distracting with the alert chime for the driver
I’m pretty sure it’s the vacuum for the breaks because when I park if I put my foot on the brake multiple times it gets stiff solid. But once I put the rpm’s up the brakes get better. I almost hit a parked car because of this because I couldn’t stop
When the vehicle idles for long periods of time in Park or Drive (standing traffic or sub-5mph traffic) the brakes provide no stopping power. Upong shifting into N, and speeding up idle over 2000 rpm for at least 20 seconds, the "braking/stopping power" goes back to normal. Not being a mechanic, but car familiar, it's as if the solenoid at long idles does not provide adequate assist power to effectively stop the vehicle. This has caused problems in long traffic lines on 95 south of DC heading to Richmond when traffic begins moving and suddenly slows there is no braking power unless shifting into idle and rev. It also commonly occurs in snowy traffic when things are moving slow. It also occurs in summer idle situations in parking lots if the car is left running and then attempting to pull away there is no braking power. Frontal collisions are a risk, and generally low speed runs ins. Ive had this checked by Chevy dealer/service shops twice and they claim it is not reproducable. There are no warning lights and all recalls have been serviced. This issue occurs at numerous times since owning the vehicle.
Difficult to brake at low speeds.
Loss of braking effort. Also described as a hard pedal, requiring increased effort to slow the vehicle.
"Service Trailer Brake System" warning illuminates on dash repeatedly while truck is running. This warning is extremely distracting to the driver, as it does not cease. It indicates an issue with the trailer brake system, which makes it unsafe to tow anything.
My truck is getting "Service Trailer Brake System". The warning continues to pop up causing a safety hazard.
“Trailer Break System” warning keeps popping and makes it very difficult to drive safely!
While driving down the road at random occasions the “service trailer brake system” warning will alert us by dinging multiple time. This continues to happen more and more frequently. It will ding and alert us over and over again. The longest it has occurred was for about an hour straight. I took a couple videos/videos of this happening. After doing some research online every article I found stated that it is a wiring harness issue. It was recommended that we report this to NHTSA. I should add that we are not and have not every pulled a trailer.
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle, the brake pedal was difficult to depress and failed to respond. To avoid crashing into the vehicle parked in front of her she crashed into the curb. There were no injuries. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed that the vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,770.
Brake pedal becomes very difficult to press and has nearly caused an accident on numerous occasions. Recall has been issued for other year models of Tahoes as well, but not 2015 yet.
I have had my vehicle repaired and reprogrammed in May 2020 for the recall of increased brake effort and then in august of 2021 the brake booster repaired. It is Jan 2022 and I’m still having difficulty with my brakes almost rear ending or backing into vehicles when parking. This is unsafe. This is a known issue and needs to be resolved. It has been taking me so much effort to stop or it feels as the brakes are slipping not catching.
Service brake assist continues to come on. Brake is hard to push.
I'm having problems with my brake system. When I'm backing up it will slide like it don't want to stop fully. If I'm at a light and press the brakes frequently it don't want to stop and feels like it slides before coming to a complete stop. On hills it feels like it's harder to keep the SUV stopped without rolling.
The trailer brake system alert is going off twice in a row every 45 seconds to one minute. The chiming is highly distracting while driving and seems to be a wiring issue.
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Quick Summary
The 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe has 141 Brakes complaints on file. 12 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.