Owners of 2021 Chevrolet Tahoes report recurring "Service Safety Restraint System" warning lights that appear early in ownership—sometimes within a week of purchase—and cycle on repeatedly while driving, anywhere from every 2–5 minutes to every few miles. The warning often returns within a day or two after dealer repair, even after a 2022 recall attempt. The problem is linked to faulty seat connectors, short or damaged harnesses under the driver's seat, and broken wires; seat adjustment or passenger seating can trigger or worsen the alerts. When the warning is active, dealers confirm the airbags cannot be guaranteed to deploy in a crash. One owner experienced actual airbag non-deployment after significant frontal damage. Parts replacement costs have been quoted around $1,250, and parts availability has delayed repairs by weeks. A dealer-performed TSB did not resolve the issue in at least one case. Chevy corporate has offered only partial cost coverage in at least one instance, refusing recall coverage despite the safety implication.
Failure modes owners describe
Service Safety Restraint System (SRS) warning light—intermittent or constant
The 'Service Safety Restraint System' warning lamp illuminates repeatedly or stays on, triggering airbag readiness warnings. Owners report the light cycling on and off every few minutes to every few miles, sometimes triggered by passenger seating or seat adjustment. Dealers confirm that when this light is active, airbag deployment cannot be guaranteed in a crash.
When: Reported from new (within one week of purchase) to 98,520 miles; most commonly in first few months of ownership
Symptoms owners cite: Service Safety Restraint System warning message displays on infotainment center; Airbag readiness warning light illuminates; Warning recurs every 2–5 minutes or every few miles while driving; Warning triggered or worsened by passenger seating or seat adjustment; Digital speedometer may be obscured by repeated alerts
Codes mentioned: B14DC
Repairs/costs cited: Dealers identified faulty front driver-side seat interior airbag connector, short or damaged harness under seat, and broken wires as root causes. Owner in narrative #2 quoted approximately $1,250 for driver-side airbag module replacement; parts availability was cited as a delay in other cases. TSB performed in at least one case without resolving the issue.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: 2022 airbag system recall performed in at least one case (narrative #2), but the warning recurred the next day. No other recalls confirmed. One owner reported Chevy corporate offered 30% cost coverage. Manufacturer referred complainant to NHTSA hotline to add VIN to recall.
Airbag non-deployment after frontal crash
Owner reported that airbags did not deploy following significant frontal damage, with no prior warning that the airbag sensor was faulty. This represents the functional consequence of the SRS system failure.
When: At time of crash; no prior warning to owner
Symptoms owners cite: Airbags failed to deploy after significant frontal impact
Synthesized from 18 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer
allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.