2003 Tahoe Fuel pump failure

Well it quit on the wife while going 65 down the highway. And as you may have guessed - no power steering or brakes when the engine quits. She was NOT happy when my cel phone rang. But back to the main point - does Chevy/GM have ANY clue why these pumps are such JUNK? Seems like replacing it would be a safety recall issue, as my wife can attest, however Chevy Customer disService has no plans to address my problem any further than telling me "fuel pump failure is a maintenance issue, we cannot help you with your $750 estimate, so sorry, sucks to be you."

Guess this kinda wraps up my plans to upgrade to an '07 - junk is junk no matter what the year of issue.

Furious!

Richard

so youre gonna get like a Sequoia or something?




I mean, my dad feels the same way- he really likes Toyotas because theyre really reliable, but you're really gonna sacrafice reliability for looks. Just depends what you value more. I'd have to guess reliability lol.

I really do not know what I will get for the wife to drive. I used to like chevys - to date I have owned: 1972 Vega, 1976 C10, 1985 Astro, 1998 S10, 2000 Cavalier, 1978 C20, 2003 Tahoe. Of these, both the Cavalier and the Tahoe have tank-mounted pumps. Both failed, one at 50K and the other at 70K. Cavalier was over $600 repair, and Chevy stealership wanted $750 for the Tahoe. My 1978 C20 (still own it - it's the backup vehicle for the Tahoe - isn't that hilarious!) has an engine-mounted mechanical pump that costs $18 and takes 5 minutes to replace. Sounds like we have come a long way in 30 years... CHEVY TANK MOUNTED PUMPS ARE JUNK. PERIOD. Poor design, costly repair, all in the name of making money for a company going bankrupt because of - you guessed it - poor design and bad maintenance reputation (among other things).

I had a honda once. Put 140,000 on that CRX and never did squat. Not even a clutch. Got good money on resale too.

Still fumin - but saved over $300 by taking it to someone else to replace.

My family has bought nothing but Chevy's since 1928.  I have bought my last one (or any GM) and it is due to the fuel pump issue.  1990 Silverado @ 92,000 (stranded), 1992 @ 102,000,  1994 cadillac--4 fuel pumps by 50,000 (stranded 2 times), 1997 Suburban--fuel pump @less than 100,000 and again in less than a year (stranded both times), 1999 Suburban at 104,000 (stranded) and 2001 GMC pickup at 78,000!
I drive a 2003 Ford pickup at work and have had no issues at 122,000 and my wife has been driving Lincolns since 1998 and no problems.  Since the first pump on the 1990, I have religiously changed fuel filters every 15,000 miles and try to fill the tank as soon as it reaches half full.  Chevy has admitted there is a problem with the wiring harness and still they will not fix it. 
Sorry GM, it's been nice knowing you!

I just replaced the fuel pump in my sisters 03 suburban, I got the pump at cost ($250 but I have connections but it will probably cost you at the auto parts store about $400)
They are very easy to replace, takes about 2 hrs and 1 special tool to remove the fuel like connector to the pump. It's a piece of plastic to expand the quick connect and is readily available at any descent auto parts store. The only other tools needed is a socket to remove the band straps holding the tank up and a screw driver to remove the hose clamps for the fuel filter and vent line.
You will need to drain the tank if it has more then about 2-3 gallons in it. Jack the truck up and put jack stands in the front and rear to get room to work under the truck.
Drop the tank from the rear to gain access to the fuel lines disconnect then and the wire harness and pull the tank out, use a long screw driver to twist the lock ring off holding the pump in.
Remove the tank and gasket, clean the sealing area, look in the tank for any debris or water, install the new pump and gasket repeat the removal process.
Be careful with spilled fuel.
If you do have to drain the tank , you will need to remove the filler hose at the tank as there are anti-siphon dams that will prevent you getting anything down the filler neck.
I used about 20 feet of clear polly hose from home depot and 3 5 gallon gas cans.
 



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FYI the 2007 Tahoe does not have a seperate fuel filter its built into the fuel pump
edited the fuel amout from 4-5 to 2-3 gallons


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Many vehicle manufactures have fuel pump problems, if you run the fuel below 1/4 tank
the motor for the fuel pump gets hot.  A good friend of mine bought a 07 Sequoia, and
after 5 months got rid of it.  His fuel pump quit, and on the highway it shuddered, dealers
could not get rid of the shudder.  We had a 2000 Sub and never had fuel pump problems,
my daughter had a 03 Tahoe, and her fuel pump quit once.  My daughter never filled up
with gas until it was almost empty, on the 2000 Sub we never went below 1/4 tank.
 
I do know the new generation of Sub/Tahoes have better fuel pumps now.  We have
a 07 Tahoe, and a 07 Suburban and both have been completely trouble free, and the
07 Tahoe is now 2 years old with 26k miles.  And yes my daughter still runs the tank
empty before filling up.