2011 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE Complaints

AT @4000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALERSHIP FOUND THAT THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE ENGINE AND #1 SPARK PLUG WAS BAD. THEY REPLACED THE PLUG & OIL. AGAIN ABOUT ANOTHER 4000 MILE IT DID THE SAME THING. THEY REPLACED THE VALVE GUIDE SEALS, THAT STOPPED THE SPARK PLUG FROM GOING BAD, BUT I HAVE TO PUT A QUART OF OIL IN IT EVERY 3,000 MILES. A VEHICLE USING SYNTHETIC OIL SHOULD GO ABOUT 7,500 MILES OR MORE. THAT MEANS TWO QUARTS OIL BETWEEN CHANGES. THEY CLAIM WITH GENERAL MOTORS THAT IS ACCEPTABLE. I HAVE NEVER OWNED A NEW VEHICLE WHERE I HAD TO ADD OIL BEFORE AND DUE OIL CHANGE. THE SAME VEHICLE HAS SO MUCH WIND NOISE COMING IN AROUND THE DOORS OR WINDOWS IT IS HARD TO HEAR THE RADIO. MY COMPLAINT TO THE DEALER THEIR ANSWER WAS ? THERE ISN?T A BULLETIN ON THIS. THAT MEANS THEY DON?T KNOW WHAT TO DO, OR WON?T. AND DIDN?T DO A THING. *JS

THE DASHBOARD CRACKED FOR NO REASON IN TWO PLACES. ONE CRACK INVOLVES THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG COVER AND THE COVER IS COMING OFF DUE TO THE CRACK. I TOLD THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY HAD SEEN THIS BEFORE BUT WOULD NOT COVER IT. THE CRACK IS GETTING WORSE AND THE AIRBAG COVER IS LIFTING UP WHICH WILL COMPROMISE THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. THERE ARE MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ONLINE OF THE SAME ISSUE OF CRACKING OF THE DASHBOARD AND ALL ARE SAYING THE DEALERSHIP WILL DO NOTHING TO FIX THIS DEFECT. THIS VEHICLE HAS ALREADY HAD TO HAVE THE ENGINE REPLACED TWICE DUE TO DEFECTS, 3 TIMES IF YOU COUNT THE INITIAL REBUILDING OF THE ENGINE. *JS

THE DASHBOARD CRACKED AT THE CORNER OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG AND SPIDERED OUT INTO THE AIR VENT. I BROUGHT IT TO THE LOCAL CHEVY DEALER, AND BASICALLY TOLD ME TO GO AWAY IT WASN'T UNDER WARRANTY. I BOUGHT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY I GUESS THAT DOESN'T COVER ANYTHING. I KNOW OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME ISSUE. THIS IS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE CONSUMERS!!! *TR

AT TIMES WHILE SLOWING DOWN (CLOSE TO A STOP) THE TRUCK WILL LUNGE FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY PUSHES THE TRUCK FORWARD. THIS IS GENERALLY IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. IT BECOME VERY UNSAFE WHILE THE PROXIMITY OF OTHER CARS DURING THIS TIME IS VERY CLOSE AND COULD CAUSE INJURY. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. *TR

CHROME DOOR HANDLES FELL OFF.I READ THAT THIS HAS BECOME A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THE CHROME HANDLES. *TR

DASH HAS STARTED CRACKING EVERYWHERE. AROUND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG THERE ARE CRACKS IN THE HARD PLASTIC DASH, AFRAID IF THE AIRBAG WERE TO DEPLOY THAT IT WOULD SEND SMALL PIECES OF CRACKED HARD PLASTIC AS PROJECTILES. DASH IS ALSO CRACKED AROUND IN DASH SPEAKER, AND BEHIND INSTRUMENT PANEL.

THERE A DEEP GASH/CRACK IN THE DASHBOARD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE THAT STARTS AT THE UPPER LEFT CORNER OF PASSENGER AIRBAG! VERY CONCERNED AFTER I GOOGLED THIS PROBLEM AND CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE INSTANCES OF THIS ON GM VEHICLES 'ALL OVER THE INTERNET AND THE COMPLAINTS DATE BACK TO 2006. ALSO NOTING THAT MOST EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM ABOUT 24-48 MONTHS AFTER NEW VEHICLE OWNERSHIP, THIS IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURER PROBLEM AND A SAFETY PROBLEM! #1 IF THE AIRBAG DEPLOYS EITHER FROM NECESSITY OR RANDOMLY DUE TO THE STRUCTURE OF THE DASHBOARD BEING COMPROMISED, THE DASHBOARD COULD BREAK APART INTO SMALL SHARP PIECES THAT COULD BE LIKE "SHRAPNEL" AND CAUSE SEVERE INJURY OR WORSE! #2 SINCE THE STRUCTURE IS COMPROMISED, WHAT IS THE WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION THAT THERE ARE NO SAFETY FACTORS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IF THE AIRBAG DOES RANDOMLY DEPLOY WHILE DRIVING?! IN THIS INSTANCE, IT COULD ALSO RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH SHOULD A DRIVER BE STARTLED AT THE UNWARRANTED DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG AND SWERVE THE VEHICLE OR WORSE, MY DEALERSHIP, KUNI OF SACRAMENTO WAS ONLY WILLING TO REPAIR IF I PAID A PORTION OF THE COST, AND GM PAID A PORTION. THIS IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURER PROBLEM; THEREFORE, WHY SHOULD I PAY ANY PORTION OF THE REPAIR COST? I ALSO NOTICED THAT MOST THAT PAID FOR THEIR REPAIRS HAD RECURRENCE OF THE SAME PROBLEM WITHIN 24 MONTHS OR LESS!!!! #1 A CONSUMER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY REPAIRS FOR MANUFACTURER PROBLEMS AND, #2 IF THE DEALERSHIP AND OR GM IS UNWILLING TO PROVIDE THIS "AT NO COST TO CONSUMER SERVICE " AND THEY STATE THE VEHICLE IS SAFE, THEN A WRITTEN GUARANTEE THAT THIS AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THEN A WRITTEN STATEMENT MUST BE PROVIDED TO ALL OF US AS CONSUMERS OF GM PRODUCTS BY GENERAL MOTORS, INC! *TR

FIRST FEW MONTHS EXPERIENCED TRUCK LUNGING FORWARD WHILST ATTEMPTING TO STOP. EXPRESSED CONCERN WITH SERVICE DEPT. THEY STATED NATURE OF THE VEHICLE PERFORMANCE. MARCH 2013 CALLED GM SERVICE #[XXX] AFTER EXPERIENCING ON HIGHWAY @ 65 MPH THE VEHICLE ACCELERATING AS I APPLIED BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN RPM'S JUMPED TO 4500 AND ACCELERATED. 3/21/13 MILEAGE 24,565 WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP NO CODES WERE FOUND. WAS REFERRED BY GM TO TECH SPECIALIST 3/26/13 @ 866 790 5700 EXT. 32664 TOLD TO GET SECOND OPINION THEN COMPLETELY IGNORED BY GM FOR FOLLOW UPS. APRIL 1ST DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP FOUND CODE EVENT STORED IN TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE FROM MARCH 15TH BUT NO DIAGNOSTIC WAS PRESENT, THEY CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY. MID APRIL 2013 BRAKES BEGAN PULSATING ON COMPRESSION. MID APRIL FRUSTRATED AND VERY CONCERNED WITH SAFETY CALLED 800 LEMON LAW FOUND ON LINE AND KIMMEL & SILVERMAN ADVISED GM / GM RESPONDED DISCLAIMING ISSUES. @ 28,429 MILES 5/21/13 FRONT ROTORS REPLACED AND REAR ROTORS RESURFACED. TRANSMISSION DIPSTICK TUBE FRACTURE FIX: PIPE INSULATION & ZIP TIE. 8/20/13 BRAKES PULSATING AGAIN & SPONGY - VIBRATION NOTED BY SERVICE BUT NOT ADDRESSED.BROUGHT TO SPECIALIST; RIGHT REAR ROTOR GROOVED & LEFT REAR HAD CHATTER MARKS. 8/29/13 WENT TO AMCO THEY FOUND 4 CODES IN TRUCK ON GM SCANNER WHICH DEALERSHIP DENIED THERE WERE ANY. SEPT. 2013 RECEIVED BULLETIN " THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR MAY CAUSE ENGINE TO RUN ROUGH ". GETTING NO-WHERE WITH GM OR DEALERSHIP AND FEARING FOR SAFETY IN OCT. 2013 I OPTED TO TRADE THE VEHICLE AT A GREAT LOSS AS IT WAS MY ONLY TRANSPORTATION. MIND YOU THIS WAS MY 2ND AVALANCHE - THE 1ST ONE I'D HAD A FRONT END ACCIDENT; AIR BAG NEVER DEPLOYED, FORTUNATELY I WAS NOT INJURED AND DEEMED THE PERFORMANCE ISSUES TO BE DUE TO THE ACCIDENT AND TRADED INTO THIS NEW AVALANCHE. I HAVE DOCUMENTATION FOR ALL OF THIS AND HAVE LOST OVER $30,000 DUE TO GM NEGLIGENCE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WHEN SLOWING DOWN THE VEHICLE SURGES FORWARD EVEN WHEN BRAKE IS BEING APPLIED. IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO ENGINE SURGE AS IT DOES WITH SUDDEN GEAR CHANGE AS IF THE VEHICLE IS SPEEDING UP FROM A STAND STILL. THIS OCCURRED AS I WAS TURNING INTO A PARKING SPACE WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO VEER UNCONTROLLABLY TO THE RIGHT (WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN INTO PARKING SPACE) AND HIT A BRICK COLUMN. IT HAS ALSO HAPPENED WHEN COMING TO A STOP AND PERSONS WERE ABOUT TO WALK ACROSS ROAD SCARING THEM AND ME! THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE THESE SAME ISSUES. DEALERSHIP HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THOUGH THEY DID ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MY VEHICLE WAS THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. *TR

I WAS IN LINE AT A DRIVE THROUGH AT BURGER KING AND AS I PULLED UP TO THE CASHIERS WINDOW TO PAY FOR MY FOOD THE ENGINE STARTED TO ACCELERATE. I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD WHILE THE TRUCK WAS SHAKING AND LURCHING TRYING TO GO FORWARD. I CAN'T SAY FOR SURE HOW HIGH THE TACHOMETER WAS, BUT IT SEEMED TO ALMOST PEG FOR A FEW SECONDS WHILE THIS WAS GOING ON. FINALLY I JAMMED THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE RETURNED TO NORMAL IDLE. I SAY JAMMED BECAUSE IT TOOK GREAT STRENGTH TO GET IT OUT OF DRIVE. FOR ABOUT 10-15 SECONDS THIS TRUCK WAS TOTALLY OUT OF MY CONTROL. I DROVE AWAY AND PARKED FOR A FEW MINUTES TO GATHER MYSELF AS I WAS VISIBLY SHAKEN..I WAS THANKFUL THAT NO ONE WAS IN FRONT OF ME IN AT BURGER KING OR THAT I WAS NOT IN A PARKING LOT SOMEWHERE WHERE SOMEONE COULD HAVE BEEN INJURED OR KILLED. I HAD BROUGHT THIS VEHICLE IN MORE THAN ONCE TO THE DEALER (RK CHEVROLET) AND COMPLAINED ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY AND WAS ALWAYS TOLD THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. AFTER REPORTING THIS THEY DECIDED TO PUT A DEVICE TO MONITOR THE COMPUTER. I DROVE AROUND WITH THIS FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS AND NOTHING HAPPENED AND THEY SAID THE DATA COLLECTED WAS INCONCLUSIVE. SINCE THE TRUCK HAD JUST WENT OUT OF WARRANTY THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT DO ANYMORE. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. *TR