Chevrolet Avalanche Complaints

2,954 consumer complaints on file.

#769022October 29, 2002
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR, STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS, VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR
TRUCK WOULD KEEP TRYING TO START AND TURN OVER THE ENGINE WHEN KEY WAS IN MY HAND AND 5 FEET AWAY FROM CAB OF TRUCK. THIS HAPPENED 2 MORE TIMES OVER THE WEEKEND UNTIL I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL DEALER IN GLENDORA GLENDORA CHEVROLET, 1959 AUTO CENTRE DRIVE, GLENDORA CA, 909-394-9899. THE DEALER SPENT THE DAY CHECKING OVER THE COMPUTER AND STARTING SYSTEM AND COULD FIND NO FAULT. THE DEALER CONTACTED CHEVROLET TECH ASSIST DAVE JOHNSON AND HE TOLD THE DEALER TO DO NOTHING UNTIL IT FAILS. THE DEALER WAS BEING TOLD TO GIVE ME BACK THE TRUCK UNTIL IT HAPPENS AGAIN. I FELT THAT THE TRUCK WAS IN AN UNSAFE DRIVABLE CONDITION FOR ANY TRIPS ON THE HIGHWAY. I REFUSED TO TAKE THE TRUCK BACK AND TOLD THE DEALER TO KEEP THE TRUCK UNTIL THEY COULD FIND THE TROUBLE. 4 DAYS LATER THEY FOUND A DEFECTIVE IGNITION SWITCH FOUND REAR GLASS FRAME CRACKED AT TOP OF WINDOW. WENT TO DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY NEED TO KEEP TRUCK FOR A DAY TO REPLACE REAR GLASS. THEY SAID THEY NEEDED TO CALL A GLASS INSTALLER FOR A WINDOW THAT IS SHOWN ON TV ADS TO BE CHANGED OUT BY OWNER AT ANY TIME? THE DEALER WAS RICHARD HIBBARD. WHEN TRUCK WAS PURCHASED A BUMP WAS NOTICED AT THE DRIVER SIDE REAR BUMPER STEP ABOUT 2 FEET FROM CENTER OF TRUCK. THE DEALER WAS INFORMED. THEY SAID TO COME BACK TO REPAIR IT. WHEN WE WENT BACK THE SERVICE DEPT SAID THAT IT WAS A FLAW IN THE BUMPER AND THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. LATER WE TOOK THE TRUCK TO ANOTHER DEALER ,GLENDORA CHEVROLET, AND THEY SAID THE BUMPER WAS DAMAGED INTERNALLY. WE WENT BACK TO HIBBARD AND THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. ABOUT 7 MONTHS LATER THE BUMPER FAILED A LOW IMPACT (LESS THAN 5MPH) HIT BY ANOTHER TRUCK. WE TOOK THE TRUCK TO A BODY SHOP WE WORKED WITH OVER 15 YEARS AND THEY LOOKED AT THE BUMPER AND FOUND THAT THE DEFECT PRESENT AT TIME OF PURCHASE HAD CAUSED THE BUMPER TO BE WEAKENED AS NOT TO HANDLE THE LOW SPEED IMPACT A MEETING WITH HIBBARD CHEVROLET RESULTED IN NO ACTION . DT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#8021717October 28, 2002
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN IT RAINS WATER IS COMING FROM THE MID GATE OFF THE VEHICLE AND WETING UP THE INSIDE, AS A RESULT OF THE WAY IT IS DESIGN. HAD VEHICLE SERVICED 8-9 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP UNABLE TO FIX PROBLEM TS
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#8021401October 23, 2002
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH AND NO WARNING THE VEHICLE WILL SHUT OFF CAUSING CONSUMER TO PULL OVER AND IT WILL BE HARD TO GET THE VEHICLE BACK STARTED. THIS HAPPENED ON THREE OCCASIONS. DEALER NOTIFIED. MR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#8021265October 21, 2002
AIR BAGS
CONSUMER STATES: WHILE DRIVING AT THE SPEED OF 45MPH WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FEEL FREE TO ADD. TS
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#8019855September 30, 2002
STRUCTURE
CONSUMER STATES HIS MIDGATE IS LEAKING (WATER IS COMING IN). CONSUMER HAS TAKEN THIS TRUCK 4 TIMES FOR THE SAME THING. HE SAID THIS TIME WILL BE THE FIFTH TIME, AND IS ASKING CHEVROLET TO TAKE THE TRUCK BACK FOR POSSIBLE BUY BACK. NLM
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#767224September 16, 2002
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
I WAS CHANGING LANES TO PASS A TRUCK. AS I COMPLETED THE LANE CHANGE, THE BACK END CONTINUED TO SLIDE. I STARTED TO SWERVE LEFT AND RIGHT IN MY LANE. AS I PASSED THE TRUCK, MY VEHICLE CROSSED OVER THE RIGHT LANE AND HIT THE RIGHT THE GUARDRAIL. I BELIEVE I HIT THE RIGHT REAR OF MY VEHICLE TWICE ON THE GUARDRAIL. MY VEHICLE THEN TURNED APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES COUNTER-CLOCKWISE AND HEADED STRAIGHT INTO THE CONCRETE CENTER DIVIDER. MY VEHICLE BOUNCED OFF THE WALL AND ENDED UP MOSTLY IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE FACING THE TRAFFIC THAT WAS BEHIND ME. NO AIRBAG WAS DEPLOYED. THE VEHICLE IS CLASSIFIED AS TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY.*AK
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#766153August 24, 2002
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM
EXCESSIVE REAR BRAKE WEAR. FRONT BRAKES SHOW LITTLE TO NO WEAR. NEVER HAVE MY FRONT BRAKES WORN OUT BEFORE THE REAR. EVERYBODY I'VE TALKED TO AGREES WITH ME THAT THERE IS A REAL PROBLEM. IT APPEARS THET THE REAR BRAKES ARE THE MAJOR STOPPING POWER NOT THE FRONT.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#766065August 22, 2002
TIRES
PASSENGER TIRES WERE SUPPLIED WITH Z71 OFF-ROAD PACKAGE. I TOOK THESE TIRES OFF-ROAD, AND TORE A HOLE ONE. ALL4 TIRE DEALERS IN MONTROSE, CO INCLUDING THE GOODYEAR DEALER, SAID THAT THESE ARE PASSENGER TIRES, NOT OFF-ROAD TIRES, AND THAT THEY WILL BE DAMAGED BY TAKING THEM OFF-ROAD IN THE MOUNTAINS. CHEVY'S PHOTOS ON THEIR WEB PAGE SHOW THE AVALANCHE FORDING STREAMS, DRIVING OVER ROCKS, AND DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE OWNER'S MANUAL DISCUSSES DRIVING OVER ROCKS AND LOGS, "BOUNCING THE CAR" AND HAVING ONE OR MORE WHEELS OFF THE GROUND AS THINGS THAT MIGHT BE ENCOUNTERED IN "OFF-ROAD" DRIVING. STILL, THEY DELIVER THE NEARLY 3-TON TRUCK WITH PASSENGER TIRES, NOT LIGHT TRUCK TIRES. HAD I NOT PUNCTURED THE DIRE, BUT ONLY SEPARATED THE PLY, I COULD HAVE HAD A SERIOUS ACCIDENT DRIVING THE 400 MILES BACK TO MY HOME. THE OFF-ROAD PACKAGE INCLUDES SKID PLATES, HEAVY DUTY SHOCKS, A TOW PACKAGE, THE ALL-IMPORTANT Z71 DECAL, AND UPGRADED TIRES. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE UPGRADE IS NOT TO A STRONGER TIRE, JUST A TIRE THAT'S 1 INCH BIGGER. STILL, THE IMPLICATION IS THAT IT IS SUITABLE FOR THE OFF-ROAD USE DESCRIBED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL AND IN THEIR ADVERTISEMENTS. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT THESE TIRES ARE MORE SUSCEPTABLE TO DAMAGE WHEN USED OF-ROAD, AND SUBSEQUENT TO FAILURE LATER AT HIGH SPEED WHEN THE DRIVER RETURNS TO THE HIGHWAY THAN TIRES MORE APPROPRIATE TO THE TASK, SUCH AS A LIGHT TRUCK TIRE.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#8016881August 21, 2002
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
WHILE DRIVING AND APPLYING BRAKES CONSUMER LOST THE ABILITY TO CONTROL VEHICLE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF PROBLEM.*AK CONSUMER STATES WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP AT LOW SPEEDS WHILE MAKING A TURN, PARTIAL STEERING AND PARTIAL BRAKING IS LOST, GM TECH STATED THAT THIS WAS THE NATURE OF THE SYSTEM. *SLC
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#8016510August 16, 2002
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL, STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
WHILE MAKING A TURN AT A LOW SPEED VEHICLE ROLLED OVER, AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#765421August 9, 2002
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
THE ENGINE APPEARS TO BE CONSUMING OIL. AT THIS POINT, ENGINE LOSES ROUGHLY 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY 2,000 MILES. GM HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN TO DEALERS STATING THAT THIS IS WITHIN ACCEPTABLE LIMITS. THIS IS SOMEWHAT UNSETTLING AS ENGINE COULD LOSE TOO MUCH OIL WHICH WOULD OF COURSE LEAD TO SEVERE DAMAGE. DEALER IS CURRENTLY RUNNING A CONSUMPTION TEST.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#8013453July 8, 2002
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
WHILE DRIVING AT 70MPH FUEL PUMP WENT OUT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL OUT.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#8013246July 3, 2002
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
WHEN ATTEMPTING TO REFUEL THE TRUCK, THE METAL RING WITH THE RUBBER HOSE BEHIND RING IS FAULTY IN DIAMETER WHICH DOES NOT ALLOW PROPER FUEL FLOW. NO MATTER WHAT GAS STATION THIS ALWAYS OCCURS. OWNER HAS TO USE A WRENCH OR OTHER PEOPLE TO ASSIST WITH FUELING. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*JB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#8012889June 28, 2002
TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE
SPARE TIRE IN THE VEHICLE IS A DIFFERENT SIZE THEN THE ONE ON VEHICLE. TIRE ON VEHICLE IS 17 INCHES AND SPARE TIRE IS 16 INCHES. CONTACTED DEALER WHO IS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK CONSUMER ADDS OWNERS MANUAL STATES THAT MIXING TIRES COULD CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE DRIVING. MANUFACTURER IS AWARE. *TT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#762663June 4, 2002
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
WHILE TRANSPORTING TWO KAYAKS, AT 107 LBS., THE ROOF RACK PULLED LOOSE FROM THE ROOF. DEALERS OWNERS MANUAL SAYS THE ROOF RACK IS GOOD FOR 200 LBS. DEALER REPLACED RACK, BUT WOULD NOT REPAIR DAMAGE TO VEHICLE DOOR WHEN FAILURE OCCURRED.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#762406May 29, 2002
AIR BAGS
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#8009624May 10, 2002
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH
WHILE DRIVING, TAILGATE POPPED OPEN, CAUSING CONSUMER TO PULL OVER TO CLOSE IT.*AK *YD
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#761706May 8, 2002
SUSPENSION:REAR
THE VEHICLE'S SUSPENSION IS NOT ADEQUATE FOR PULLING A BOAT & TRAILER WEIGHING NO MORE THAN 3500 LBS WITH A TONGUE WEIGHT OF NO MORE THAN 300 LBS. ALTHOUGH ALL INFO GIVEN BY CHEVROLET SAYS THE VEHICLE WILL PULL 7,100 LBS WITH A TONGUE WEIGHT OF 1,065 LBS. MAX. WHILE PULLING ANY BOAT & TRAILER (WE HOOKED UP SEVERAL TRAILERS) THAT FALL UNDER THESE MAX. WEIGHTS, THE VEHICLE VIOLENTLY VIBRATES AT ANY SPEED. DEALERSHIP HOOKED SAME BOAT & TRAILER UP TO COMPARABLE AVALANCHE WITH SAME RESULTS. DEALERSHIP ADMITS THE PROBLEM IS IN THE SUSPENSION, BUT CHEVROLET CLAIMS THIS IS NOT A DEFECT.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#8008024April 19, 2002
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL IS BLOWING OUT OIL CAUSING OTHER PARTS OF THE VEHICLE TO BURN, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM.*AK. CONSUMER STATES THE GEAR OIL BLOWS ON LEFT FRONT BRAKE AND ALL THE RUBBER HOSE WIRES, LINES TIRES AND RUNNING BOARD MAKING THE LEFT BRAKE FAIL WHEN WET.*JB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#8007456April 11, 2002
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
DUE TO VIBRATION, BRAKE LINE BROKE. *AK RIGHT REAR BRAKE LINE BROKE IN HALF WHILE DRIVING. *KJ
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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