2003 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 problems
NHTSA has received 213 complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500, and 40% of them involve electrical system. Next are brakes (26%) and air bags (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 213 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 40% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 90,000 miles 175 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 6 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 6 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 29 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 33 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 31 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 23 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 15 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 13 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 8 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 8 |
What the data shows
Of the 175 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 90,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 85,000 miles (72 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 4 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 10 model years of the Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 with enough data (88 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Speedometergauge stoop working along with the oil pressure gauge tailgate caused a one [xxx] to rupture the tendants in his left knee due to the malfunctioning of the cable straps that hold the tailgate. ”
I was driving west on peters rd in middlefield when I hit a patch of black ice putting the truck into a skid which put me in the ditch I hit a mailbox and a culvert (drain pipe) head on tearing up the whole front end of the avalanche it hit right on the sensors but the air bags never deployed.
The plastic cladding on my 2003 chevrolet avalanche turned from its original black to a chalky color with streaking. This was not covered under the warranty, according to the dealership. The truck was exposed to normal environmental conditions in alabama and tennessee.
I have complained before, want to know why this has not been recalled. Light came on for no reason. Wasn't in any kind of an accident. It is defective and no one will help get it fixed. There already is TSB from 2006. We moved from pennsylvania to florida and after a couple of months it came on and stayed on.