2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500 Complaints

MY SPEEDOMETER ISN'T WORKING PROPERLY. IT GETS STUCK WHILE I DRIVE AND I DON'T KNOW THE SPEED OF MY TRUCK WHEN I DRIVE AND I SEEN THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE TO CHEVROLET. *TR

(2003 CHEVY AVALANCHE 1500 ~ 67,000 MILES) 1. THIS WAS A SPONTANEOUS FAILURE - THAT IS TO SAY, THERE WAS NO EVENT LEADING UP TO IT. 2. THERE IS A SPRING-CLIP THAT RETAINS THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SHOE. THIS SPRING-CLIP (ON THE DRIVER-SIDE, REAR WHEEL) CAME APART, ALLOWING THE E-BRAKE SHOE TO COME LOOSE. THIS HAD 2 RESULTS: 1) THE E-BRAKE SHOE FELL OUT OF POSITION, WEDGED ITSELF SOMEWHERE INSIDE OF THE DRUM, AND THEN THE BRAKE-SHOE & DRUM GROUND AGAINST EACH OTHER UNTIL THEY WERE BOTH EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED AND/OR DESTROYED, 2) THE ENTIRE EMERGENCY-BRAKE SYSTEM WAS RENDERED COMPLETELY USELESS. 3. THE DAMAGE FROM THE FAILURE CAN BE REPAIRED BY REPLACING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SHOE, BRAKE ROTOR AND SPRING-CLIP. (I WILL PRO-ACTIVELY REPLACE THE SPRING-CLIP ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WHICH HAS NOT YET FAILED). THE OLD PARTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE. I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS SPRING-CLIP HAS BEEN REDESIGNED OR NOT. *TR

JUST DRIVING MY TRUCK TO WORK AND THE SPEEDOMETER JUST QUIT WORKING NOW WHEN DRIVING YOU NEVER KNOW HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING IT MIGHT STOP AT 50MPH AND THE NEXT TIME YOU DRIVE IT WILL START FROM THERE I HAVE NOT YET HAD THIS SERVICED AS I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, AND APPARENTLY IT IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH CHEVY'S BUT THEY WILL NOT STAND BEHIND IT. I HAVE EVEN GOTTEN A SPEEDING TICKET OVER THIS . *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 91K MILES THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO INTERMITTENTLY FAIL, THEN AT APPROX. 96K MILES, THE TACHOMETER BEGAN HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. I'VE NOTICED ON MULTIPLE BULLETINS WHERE HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE AND WE'RE ALL CURIOUS TO KNOW WHY GM HAS NOT BEEN INSTRUCTED TO ISSUE A RECALL. GM HAS STATED (VIA CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS) THAT KNOWING YOUR SPEED IS NOT A SAFETY CONCERN. I POSE THE QUESTION THEN, WHY DO WE HAVE SPEED LIMITS? OF COURSE YOUR SPEED IS A VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY CONCERN OR IT WOULDN'T BE REGULATED. THEY NEED TO REPLACE THESE DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS THEY'VE PUT ON THE ROAD & REIMBURSE THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY PAID TO HAVE THE REPAIRS COMPLETED. PUTTING A MILEAGE LIMIT ON THIS ISSUE IS ABSURD CONSIDERING THAT MOST PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE EITHER GOT THE LETTER FROM GM AFTER THE 70K MILE MARK OR DON'T EXPERIENCE THE DEFECT UNTIL AFTERWARDS. SINCE WHEN DOES SAFETY HAVE A MILEAGE LIMIT? *TR

I HAVE 79,000 MILES ON MY 03 AVALANCHE AND ABOUT A MONTH AGO THE SPEEDOMETER STARTED FAILING AT AROUND 78,000 MILES. RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ONLINE AND FOUND THERE WAS A FIX FOR THIS DEFECT UP TO 70,000 MILES OR 7 YEARS. WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT MYSELF! WHY!! THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE A MILEAGE OR YEAR STIPULATION ON IT!! IF YOU READ ALL THE COMPLAINTS, THIS HAPPENS OVER THE 70,000 OR 7 YEARS STIPULATION WITH MANY OTHER OWNERS!!! I'VE OWNED MANY TRUCKS AND NEVER HAD A SPEEDO OR CLUSTER PROBLEM!! THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED WITH NO MILEAGE OR YEAR RESTRAINTS ON IT!! VERY DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS OUT THERE ABOUT THIS!! THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE DEFECT THAT THE CONSUMER SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR!! *TR

SPEEDOMETER FAILURE ON 03 CHEVY AVALANCHE. APPARENTLY THERE WAS A LAWSUIT AGAINST GM BECAUSE THEY USED INFERIOR PARTS WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THAT ARE PRONE TO FAIL. THEY HAVE SINCE SETTLED THE SUIT IN LATE 2007 AND AGREED TO FIX ALL VEHICLES WITH LESS THAN 70K MILES. HOWEVER, WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US WITH MORE THAN 70K MILES THAT ARE DRIVING WITHOUT A SPEEDOMETER BECAUSE GM IS CHARGING $500 TO REPAIR THE MOST IMPORTANT INSTRUMENT IN THE CAR, THE ONE THAT SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE ACCORDING TO THE LAWSUIT...... I'VE EVEN GONE SO FAR AS TO TRY TO FIND THE PARTS FOR THE SPEEDOMETER, BUT THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE. YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AS A UNIT. IF THAT IS NOT ENOUGH, I CAN PURCHASE THE CLUSTER FOR $275 AND INSTALL IT MYSELF, BUT THE UNIT HAS TO BE PROGRAMMED TO THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO WORK. THIS PROGRAMMING WILL COST $150.00 BY THE DEALERSHIP. SO BASICALLY, GM HAS EVERYONE IN MY SITUATION HOSTAGE FOR NEGLIGENCE ON THEIR PART. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE I GET A SPEEDING TICKET OR WORSE, HURT SOMEBODY IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT BECAUSE I AM NOT AWARE OF MY SPEED OF TRAVEL. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2003 AVALANCHE STICKS AT RANDOM POINTS AND THEN INDICATES AN INCORRECT SPEED WHICH IS VERY UNSAFE. FOR EXAMPLE IT WILL STICK AT 45 MPH AND THEN INCREASE FROM THERE AS THE VEHICLE SPED IS INCREASED. OR IT MAY SLIP TO SOME OTHER INDICATED SPEED FROM ONE MOMENT TO THE NEXT. VERY UNSAFE. I CHECKED THE INTERNET AND THIS PROBLEM IS BEING TALKED ABOUT BY MANY, MANY CONSUMERS. I BELIEVE THAT YOU SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL TO REQUIRE GM (CHEVROLET) TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU. *TR

SHORTLY AFTER 75, 000 MILES THE SPEEDOMETER IN MY 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE STARTED TO REGISTER INCORRECT READINGS. AT A IDLE IT WOULD REGISTER THAT I WAS GOING 60 MPH. AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH IT WOULD REGISTER THAT I WAS GOING 0 MPH. THERE WAS NO RHYME OR REASON. *TR

IN THE MORNINGS I TURN ON THE TRUCK AND IT STALLS,AND THE IDLE BOUNCES UP AND DOWN LIKE IT IS GOING TO TURN OFF. *TR

SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT READ ZERO WHILE VEHICLE IS STOPPED. IT READS APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH. *TR