2003 Chevrolet Avalanche problems
Owners have filed 238 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 34% of complaints. Next are electrical system (18%) and air bags (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 238 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 11 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 7 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 65,000 miles 183 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 | 32 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 20 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 28 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 26 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 20 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 23 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 13 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 10 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 4 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Of the 183 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 65,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 106,000 miles (67 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 11 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 7 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 11 model years of the Chevrolet Avalanche with enough data (136 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
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.
Dt: the contact stated while traveling at 60 MPH he struck a median head on and the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was totaled. Three people sustained injuries. A police report was taken. The manufacturer has not been contacted.
Shortly after refueling the vehicle the consumer smelled a fuel odor. He stopped the vehicle and as he pulled the hood release he saw flames shooting up onto the windshield. A police officer nearby attempted to put the fire out using a fire extinguisher. A second police officer arrived and emptied his fire extinguisher before the fire was put out. The engine compartment was completely burned out. The vehicle was totaled. The cause of the fire is unknown. *nlm
I was removing the rubber mat in the bed of the 2003 avalanche truck to clean it. To remove the mat you must first remove the plastic transition plate at the front, just behind the rear seat. To remove this plate you must slide your finger under it to pop it up. As you slide your finger under it you will slice your fingers on the razor sharp plastic. I sliced my fingers to the bone, the cuts should have had stitches but I butterfly bandaged them.
When it rains the mid gate area becomes full of water. The water then enters the rear of the vehicle on the driver's side. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who retro-fitted the mid gate area. After the dealer serviced it the water came into both sides of the vehicle. Manufacturer offered no solution to this problem.
On approaching a stop sign the rear brakes failed. The line had rusted thru above the left rear spring. This is the second time a line has rusted thru. The first time I lost both brakes. I had it repaired by a chevrolet dealership. As you can see they did not replace all the problem lines. I had it done by oakwood service center in auburn, ny. At least now I believe I am safe.