2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE Complaints

SPEEDOMETER STOPS WORKING, STICKS OR READS TOO LOW OR TOO HIGH. VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER HAS MALFUNCTIONED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. MOST RECENTLY JULY 24, 2007. I WAS DRIVING DOWN A HIGHWAY AND IT JUMPED TO 75MPH -APPROX 20MPH FASTER THAN I WAS ACTUALLY DOING. UPON COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE NEEDLE SETTLED ON 21-22MPH MARK. THE NEEDLE DOESN'T MOVE SMOOTHLY EITHER. IT JITTERS AS IT MOVES AND JUMPS MORE AS IT IS FIXING TO COME TO A REST. AFTER TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF, THEN BACK ON - THE NEEDLE WILL FALL ABOUT 5MPH. I HAD TURN SHUT OFF / RESTART SEVERAL TIMES TO GET THE NEEDLE BACK TO 0MPH. TODAY, I DROVE TO WORK AND DIDN'T SEE A PROBLEM OUTSIDE OF A JITTERY NEEDLE. PREVIOUSLY THE SPEEDOMETER HAS STOPPED ALL TOGETHER WHILE DRIVER AND SETTLE ON 0 MPH OR WILL MAX AT 35MPH WHILE DRIVING. AT THESE INSTANCES I WOULD PULL OVER, TURN THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON TO NO AVAIL. HOWEVER, OPENING THE DOOR, WHICH I GUESS TURNS OFF THE ELECTRICITY TO THE VEHICLE (RADIOS GOES OFF WHEN DOOR IS OPENED), SEEMED TO RESET EVERYTHING. A FEW THINGS CONCERN ME ABOUT THIS. *I AM FIXING TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER, BUT I BELIEVE MY WARRANTY IS OUT AND THEY WILL NOT FIX IT WITHOUT HUGE $$$$. *I HAD PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2003 CAVALIER AND HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. LUCKILY, I CAUGHT IT VERY SOON AFTER, AND DURING WARRANTY, AND WAS ABLE TO HAVE IT FIXED FOR FREE. I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE DEALER WILL SAY BUT I'M NOT VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE WORKS INTERMITTENTLY IT WILL INDACATE THAT THE SPEED IS 65 MPH WHEN I AM ACTUAULY GOING 75 MPH. SOMETIMES IT WILL READ THE OPPOSIE OR NOT AT ALL. GENERAL MOTORS HAS INDICATED THAT THIS IS NOT A SAFETY PROBLEM. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. IT IS VERY DIFICULT TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY ONTO A RAMP WHEN YOU ARE NOT SURE HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING. *AK

I HAVE A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500, THE SPEEDOMETER HAS QUIT WORKING, AND THE TACHOMETER WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. PERIODICALLY THE SPEEDOMETER WILL MOVE, BUT NOT SHOW AN ACCURATE SPEED. CURRENTLY IT IS STUCK AT 0 MPH. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE. IS ANYTHING BEING DISCUSSED WITH GM TO RECTIFY THIS SITUATION, AS THEIR RESPONSE SO FAR IS TO TELL CONSUMERS ARE ON THEIR OWN WITH Y THE DEALER. *AK

WHEN REPLACING (FOR THE FIRST TIME) THE REAR BRAKES ON MY 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE AT 28,767 MILES, I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE REAR ROTORS HAD SEVERE CORROSION. THE ROTORS WERE PITTED SUCH THAT THEY WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. I ASKED ABOUT MY 3-YEAR BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WARRANTY BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING I DID TO CAUSE THE DEFECT. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT GM WOULD NOT WARRANTY THE ROTORS. I CONTACTED GM TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE CORROSION AND THEIR WARRANTY AS PUBLISHED IN THE SALES BROCHURE AND WARRANTY BOOKLET. PLUS, I HAVE OWNED GM PRODUCTS FOR 30 YEARS AND NEVER HAD ANY CORROSION; BRAKES OR OTHERWISE. THEY REPLIED THAT THERE WAS NO DEFECT IN THE PARTS; AND THAT'S IT. AS FAR AS THEY ARE CONCERNED, CASE CLOSED.

STARTING IN NOVEMBER OF 2006, THE SPEEDOMETER HAS NOT OPERATED CORRECTLY. WHEN SITTING AT A STOP, IT REGISTERS 30-50 MPH AND WHEN ACTUALLY DRIVING, IT GOES TO 120 AND STAYS THERE. DOES NOT COME BACK DOWN UNTIL VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE - OR IS IT CHEVROLET'S WAY OF EARNING EXTRA MONEY? THE DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE OVER $1500 TO FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE DUE TO MILEAGE WE ARE OUT OF WARRANTY. *JB

OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS I HAVE NOTICED THAT MY 2004 CHEVY AVALANCHE SPEEDOMETER SUDDENLY GOES OFF BY 10-80 MILES AN HOUR. THERE ARE NO EVENTS THAT "CAUSE" THIS TO OCCUR, IT APPEARS TO DO IT RANDOMLY. I NOTICE IT WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY APPEARS TO BE GOING FASTER OR SLOWER THAN THE SPEED INDICATED. I TRIED CONTACTING THE DEALER FOR REPAIR BUT THEY HAVE IGNORED MY ONLINE REPAIR APPOINTMENT SUBMITTAL. THE UPSETTING PART IS THAT MY WARRANTY JUST RAN OUT. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED. LUCKILY MY CELL PHONE HAS GPS AND WILL INDICATE GROUND SPEED. I CAN USE IT TO VERIFY THE VEHICLE SPEED. I AM LUCKY THAT I HAVE NOT GOTTEN A TICKET OR KILLED. I HAVE A PHOTO OF MY SPEEDOMETER NEARLY PEGGED OUT AT 115 MILES AN HOUR TO PROVE IT. I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN MY VEHICLE THAT FAST. I HEARD THAT OTHERS ARE HAVING PROBLEM WITH GM SUV SPEEDOMETERS. THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM. *JB

HERE'S ABOUT MY DISAPPOINTMENT WITH MY 2004 AVALANCHE WHICH I PURCHASED ON JULY 28, 2004 WITH 137 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. I PURCHASED THE VALUE GUARD GM PROTECTION PLAN. OF COURSE, THE VEHICLE WAS GREAT FOR THE FIRST 37,990 MILES. MY FIRST PROBLEM CAME ON 10/31/06, ONLY 2 YEARS 3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE DATE. MY TAILGATE HANDLE BROKE WHILE OPENING IT HANDLE REPLACEMENT WAS $568. TO MY SURPRISE AND APPARENTLY ALSO TO THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE DEALERSHIP THE EXISTING SPOILER HAD TO BE TORN OFF AND REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE TO ACCESS THE HANDLE. THAT WAS AN ADDITIONAL $186 PLUS LABOR. I QUESTION THE DESIGNERS OF THE TAILGATE ASSEMBLY. WHY WOULD ANYONE DESIGN PARTS THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE DESTROYED IN ORDER TO SERVICE ANOTHER PART? IN FACT, WHY WOULD ANY PART THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE USED FREQUENTLY BY A REGULAR TRUCKER BREAK SO EASILY? OF COURSE, NEITHER THE WARRANTY NOR THE GM PROTECTION PLAN COVERED THIS. THE NEXT PROBLEM OCCURRED ON 12/27/06 AT 41,901 MILES, MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULDN'T SHUTOFF. INTO THE DEALERSHIP WE WENT AND $334 LATER A WIPER BOARD WAS REPLACED. NO WARRANTY AGAIN COVERED THIS PROBLEM. I NO SOONER GOT HOME AND HAD TO RETURN ON 12/28/06 AT 41,944 MILES. NOW MY DASHBOARD LIGHT SERVICE 4 WHEEL DRIVE WAS ON. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD THE TRANSFER CASE ENCODER SHORTED OUT AND $779 LATER IT WAS FIXED. I MIGHT HAVE USED THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE 8-10 TIMES AT THE MOST. AT THAT TIME, I'D OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR 29 MONTHS, THAT'S PRETTY SAD!! TODAY WITH THE LATEST EPISODE, I TRIED TO LOWER MY FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW AND IT WOULDN'T WORK. THE OTHER 3 WINDOWS WORK FINE. I WAITED AND TRIED AGAIN LATER STILL NO LUCK. I HEAR A CLICKING SOUND BUT NO ACTION.THIS PROBABLY MEANS ANOTHER VISIT TO THE DEALER. *NM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE. THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD REGISTER ABNORMAL MILES PER HOUR. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 68,000. THE DEALER WAS AWARE THAT THE PROBLEM EXISTED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BE REPAIRED.*AK

I HAVE A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE Z66 AND IT HAS 45K MILES ON IT. THE SPEEDOMETER HAS STOPPED WORKING. IT EITHER STICKS IN ONE SPOT OR JITTERS BUT I CAN BE IN PARK AND IT SAYS I AM GOING 60 MPH. GM HAS NOT RECALLED THIS ALTHOUGH I FOUND A WEBSITE WWW.TOPIX.NET/FORUM/AUTOS/CHEVROLET-AVALANCHE/TJI11LGM9554MERNA AND THERE ARE 46 POSTS ON THIS WEBSITE OF PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE 04 AVALANCHE AND GM HAS NOT RECALLED IT YET. *JB