The 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe is a SUV that came with a choice of 4.8L 8-cyl and 5.3L 8-cyl engines. At 21 years old, many are reaching the point where repairs cost more than the car is worth. Running or not, we'll make you an offer and tow it away for free.
| Body style | Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD, Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD |
|---|---|
| Engines | 4.8L 8-cyl, 5.3L 8-cyl |
| Transmissions | Automatic 4-spd |
| Drive | Rear-Wheel Drive, 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive |
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
| Fuel economy | 13–14 city / 17–19 highway / 14–16 combined MPG |
| EPA annual fuel cost | $4,200–$4,800 a year (EPA estimate at current fuel prices, 15,000 miles) |
| Tailpipe CO₂ | 555–635 grams per mile |
| Versions tested by EPA | 8 configurations: Tahoe 1500 2WD, Tahoe 1500 4WD, Tahoe 1500 AWD |
| Age | 21 years |
Specs, fuel cost and emissions from the EPA's fueleconomy.gov data. Your car's exact equipment may differ.
NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls covering the 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe. Open recalls don't stop you from selling or junking the car, but check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which apply to yours.
Monroe Truck Equipment (Monroe) is recalling certain model year 2006, 2008 and 2009 Chevrolet C7500 vehicles, 2005-2006 Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles, and 2009 Ford F-350, and F-450 vehicles, equipped with Sure Power-brand battery equalizers or DC-DC converters containing a particular epoxy sealing, aka 'potting', compound. The specific…
Risk: Once electrically conductive, the material is capable of melting and burning, increasing the risk of a fire.
Certain vehicles originally built with cloth seats that were equipped with an automatic air bag passenger sensing system and later reupholstered with aftermarket leather seat cover kits are involved. Testing has indicated that the aftermarket leather seat covers can cause the passenger sensing system to malfunction.
Risk: If the passenger sensing system malfunctions, the front air bag on the passenger side may be disabled when it should be enabled, or enabled when it should be disabled. In either case, in the event of a crash that requires air bag deployment
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…
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 an
On certain sport utility vehicles, the brake pedal pushrod retainer may be missing. If the retainer is missing, the brake booster pushrod could disengage from the brake pedal.
Risk: This could result in a loss of brakes which could result in a crash.
Certain sport utility vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 102, "transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock and transmission braking effect." under certain vehicle starting conditions, the shift lever position indicator located in…
Risk: The vehicle may move in an unintended direction resulting in possible injury to others outside of the vehicle.
Owners have filed 293 complaints about the 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe with NHTSA. 9 reports involved a crash and 14 reports involved a fire. Owners reported 12 injuries.
Complaints are reports from owners and aren't verified by NHTSA. One complaint can list several components. Mileage is the median odometer reading owners reported for that component.
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe, by version tested.
| Version | Overall | Frontal crash | Side crash | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Dr W/Esc | Not rated | — | — | ★★★☆☆ | 22.8% |
| 4-Dr | Not rated | — | — | ★★★☆☆ | 26.3% |
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP). Ratings from different model years or rating systems aren't directly comparable.
Manufacturers have filed 774 technical service bulletins and communications with NHTSA covering the 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe. These are repair instructions for known issues, not recalls.
This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins).
It depends on its condition, whether major parts like the engine, transmission and catalytic converter are still there, and current scrap and parts prices where you live. As a heavier vehicle, its scrap weight adds to the offer. Enter your ZIP code above for a free offer on your specific car.
Yes. We buy 2005 Tahoes that don't start, were in an accident, failed inspection or have a blown engine or transmission. Towing is always free.
Yes. Open recalls don't prevent a junk sale. NHTSA lists 5 recalls for the 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe; you can check whether any are still open on yours with the VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Usually the title and a photo ID. Rules differ by state, including what to do with your plates and whether to file a notice of sale. Check our state-by-state car title guides for the official forms.
Data retrieved October 2026.
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