2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE Complaints

2002 AVALANCHE EMERGENCY BRAKE ISN'T WORKING AND THE REAR END WENT OUT IN IT YESTERDAY 8/10/07 AT 92,000 MILES. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH DOWNHILL, THE CONTACT HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. HE ATTEMPTED TO STOP, BUT THE BRAKES FAILED. THE VEHICLE STOPPED WHEN THE RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE AS NOTED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN # 05V379000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK). THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SHOP AND HAS BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 70,224.

TRUCK SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING. WHEN THIS HAPPENS I LOSE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. WILL OCCUR AT ALL SPEEDS INCLUDING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. VERY SCAREY SITUATION THAT COULD CAUSE A LARGE ACCIDENT IN RUSH HOUR. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ON THE INTERNET, I HAVE FOUND THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE MAKE AND MODEL TRUCK I HAVE. THE PROBLEM IS THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED AT CHEVROLET'S EXPENSE!

2002 CHEV AVALANCHE, INTERMITTENT ACTIVATION OF ABS AT SPEEDS TYPICALLY BELOW 10MPH. ON 2 OCCASIONS RESULTED IN BRAKES NOT STOPPING THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY, REQUIRED BRAKE PEDAL TO BE PRESSED WITH FULL BODY WEIGHT TO BRING VEHICLE TO A STOP. BRAKES SEEM TO WORK NORMALLY WHEN STOPPING AT FROM SPEEDS GREATER THAN 10MPH. *TR

CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 2500-YEAR 2002:ENGINE CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING-CRANK POSITION SENSOR DEFECT (CPS). THIS SEEMED TO HAPPEN ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY AFTER THE TRUCK HAS BEEN SITTING FOR AT LEAST A FEW HOURS. IT STARTED UP INSTANTLY AND NORMALLY, THEN, AS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD BETWEEN 2 AND 5 MINUTES AFTER STARTUP THE BATTERY LIGHT POPPED ON AND THE ENGINE WAS DEAD. THIS PHENOMENON WAS NOT TOTALLY REPEATABLE - SOMETIMES IT WILL GO FOR A MONTH AND NOT HAPPEN, SOMETIMES IT WILL HAPPEN 3 TIMES A DAY FOR A WEEK. IT HAPPENED TWICE THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY AND NOT ALL YESTERDAY. *AK

ENGINE STALLED FREQUENTLY AT ANY SPEED WITHOUT NOTICED. ALL POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES FAIL WHEN ENGINE STALLS, CREATING A VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS EMERGENCY SITUATION. DETERMINED TO BE FAILED CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR, ORIGINAL SENSOR HAS NOW BEEN REPLACED BY MODIFIED NEW SENSOR WHICH WAS PUT IN SERVICE IN MID MODEL YEAR 2002. ASK GM AS TO WHY RECALL WAS NOT PUT IN TO PLACE TO REPLACE ALL PREVIOUS KNOWN DEFECTIVE CRANK SHAFT POSITION. WHY WAS THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR MODIFIED AND REPLACED IN MID YEAR 2002, IF THERE WAS SUCH A LOW INCIDENCE OF FAILURE. I JUST EXPERIENCED A $2,500 REPAIR BILL DUE TO GM RELUCTANCE TO FIX A "KNOWN" POTENTIALLY FATAL FLAWED PART. THANK GOD MY WIFE DOESN'T DRIVE MY TRUCK, SHE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO STEER OR BRAKE THE TRUCK TO A STOP. *JB

2002 CHEVY AVALANCHE'S MOST COMMON CONSUMER COMPLAINT IS "WATER LEAKING" INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE SUV. FRONT FLOORS ARE COMPLETELY SOAKED WITH STANDING WATER. DEALERSHIP HAS TRIED VARIED METHOD'S TO FIX. THE REASON FOR COMPLAINT< AND PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS: NOT ONLY ARE THESE REPORTED PROBLEMS INCONVENIENT (ONE CHEVY AVALANCHE OWNER REPORTED ONE INCH OF WATER IN THE FLOOR OF HIS CAB AFTER AN 8 HOUR DRIVE!), BUT THEY COULD ALSO BE DANGEROUS. ON PAGE 8-1117, VOLUME 4 OF THE GM AUTHORIZED SERVICE MANUAL FROM HELM INC. STATES: "CAUTION: IF ANY WATER ENTERS THE VEHICLE'S INTERIOR UP TO THE LEVEL OF THE CARPET OR HIGHER AND SOAKS THE CARPET, THE SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE (SDM) AND THE SDM HARNESS CONNECTOR MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE SDM COULD BE ACTIVATED WHEN POWERED, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG(S) AND RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY." THIS FACT IS NOT GIVEN TO OWNERS, AND IN REALITY THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM HAS BEEN COMPROMISED BY THE WATER LEAKS. THIS ONE WEBSITE HAS OVER 160 SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO MAKE GM ACCOUNTABLE, FIND AND FIX THE PROBLEMS ASAP, BEFORE THERE IS A FATALITY. THANK YOU. *JB

TL* - THE CONTACT CALLED STATING THAT HE TOOK 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500 TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 09/29/05 FOR WHEEL INSPECTION, AT THE TIME THE VEHICLE'S ODOMETER READ 59,289 MILES. AN INSPECTION WAS DONE WITH INVOICE STATING WHEEL SENSOR AND INC. CLEANING WAS DONE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE FELT THAT THEY DIDN'T APPLY ZINC/X TO THE SENSOR DURING INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE MALFUNCTIONED ON 11/13/06 WHILE HE WAS PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY AND THE VEHICLE DIDN'T STOP ONCE THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE DAMAGED THE GARAGE DOOR. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO DEALERSHIP ON THE NEXT DAY, AND WAS SHOWN THAT THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR WAS NOT IN ITS PROPER PLACE AND IT WAS RUSTED. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD THE CONTACT THAT THE REAR WHEEL BRAKE DUST COVERS WERE RUSTED AND THEY NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED BEFORE THEY WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. ALSO, HE WAS HAVING BRAKE PROBLEMS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS HE HAD TO USE EMERGENCY BRAKES TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE DID HIS OWN RESEARCH ON HIS VEHICLE AND FOUND A RECALL 05V379000 FOR 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE FOR THE SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC: ANTI-LOCK. THE CONTACT INFORMED THE DEALERSHIP OF THIS RECALL, AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE RECALL UNTIL HE REPLACED THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR. *AK THE DEALER WOULD NOT FIX THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR ISSUE, IF THE CONSUMER DIDN'T HAVE THE REAR BRAKE BACKING PLATE REPLACED AT HIS EXPENSE. UPDATED 01/29/07. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE OIL INSIDE THE DRIVER SIDE EXTERIOR HEATED MIRROR SEEPED OUT CAUSING A BLUR. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE MIRROR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. AFTER PULLING OVER THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THE VEHICLE WAS PUT IN IDLE AND THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENGINE BUT IT WOULD NOT START. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNALS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD BY A FRIEND THAT THEY EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR VEHICLE WHICH WAS THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL. THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BECAUSE THE CAMSHAFT SENSOR IN THE IGNITION MALFUNCTIONED. NEITHER THE SERVICE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED.