2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500 Complaints

WHILE DRIVING IN NORMAL TRAFFIC MY SON BRAKE THE VEHICLE AND THE PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR. HE PULLED IT HOME AND INTO OUR DRIVEWAY AND BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING ALL OVER THE DRIVE. TURNS OUT THE RIGHT REAR BRAKE LINE BURST. *TR

I WAS COMING DOWN THE HILL AND SAW 2 VEHILES STOPPED ONE WAS GOING TO TURN ONCE TRAFFIC WAS CLEAR. AND I STARTED SLOWING DOWN ALMOST TO A STOP ON A HILL AND I GOT ABOUT 2 CAR LENGHTS AWAY STILL STEPPING ON MY BRAKES AND ALL THE SUDDEN MY BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON. A WARNING CAME UP AND SAID SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM WHEN I SLAMBED INTO THE REAR END OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WHO INTERN HIT THE CAR INFRONT OF THEM. I HAD JUST REPLACED MY BREAKS AND ROTERS 45 DAYS BEFORE THIS. I BLEW THE BRAKELINE ON THE FRONT. JULY 2012 I BLEW A BRAKELINE. NOONE WAS INJURED THAT TIME AND ALSO BLEW A BRAKE LINE AUGUST 2013. SO FOR THE 3 TIME BLOWING A BRAKELINE THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG. I LIVED IN THE NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL MOVING TO WEST VIRGINIA IN 2012 AND THIS HAS HAPPEN EVERY YEAR SINCE I MOVED NORTH. *TR

3 OF 4 TIRES, COOPER DISCOVERER LSX P265 / 70R17, FAILED WITHIN 8 MONTHS OF EACH OTHER DUE TO STEEL BELTS SEPARATING AT APPROXIMATELY 19 - 20,000 MILES. IN THE LAST INSTANCE I EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT WHILE DRIVING. ALL 4 TIRES WERE PURCHASED NEW AND IN GOOD CONDITION WHEN THE INCIDENTS OCCURRED. THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME D.O.T #: UP1YCL71010. *TR

LOSS OF BRAKES OCCURRED WHEN APPLYING BRAKE PEDDLE. INSPECTION BY LOCAL MECHANIC SHOWED BOTH FRONT BRAKE LINES HAD RUSTED THROUGH. FURTHER MECHANIC INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE REMAINING REAR LINES WERE ALSO CORRODED TO THE POINT WHERE FAILURE WAS IMMINENT. LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT INDICATED COST OF REPAIR WOULD BE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND THAT THERE WERE NO OEM PRE-SHAPED LINES PRODUCED BY ANY MANUFACTURER FOR SUCH REPAIRS. HENCE, THIS WOULD REQUIRE CUSTOM BRAKE LINE BENDING AND SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED REPAIR COSTS. SECOND OCCURRENCE RESULTED IN A COMPLETE LOST OF ALL BRAKING ABILITY. THIS VEHICLE IS OFTEN USED TO HAUL HORSES WITH A HORSE TRAILER. WE ARE EXTREMELY LUCKY WE WERE NOT HAULING HORSES AT THE TIME OF THE BRAKE LINES RUPTURED AND FAILED. RESEARCH ON VARIOUS CHEVY AND AVALANCHE INTERNET SITES / BOARDS AS OF THIS DATE SHOWS THIS HAS BECOME AN INCREASINGLY COMMON PROBLEM FOR CHEVY TRUCKS OF THIS VINTAGE. THE TRUE INCIDENCE OF THIS PROBLEM IS LIKELY HIDDEN BY FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE FORCED TO SEEK REPAIR ALTERNATIVES OTHER THAN AT CHEVY DEALERS AS THE DEALER QUOTED REPAIR COSTS ARE OUTRAGEOUS. IT IS INCREDIBLE THAT WITH ALL THE PRESS ABOUT RECENT RECALLS ON LARGE NUMBERS OF CHEVY VEHICLES, AND THE GOVERNMENT AND TAXPAYER MONEY THAT WENT INTO BAILING OUT CHEVY, THAT SOMETHING AS SERIOUS AS INCREASINGLY FREQUENT CHEVY TRUCK BRAKE FAILURES, WHICH COULD PUT PEOPLE'S LIVES AT RISK, HAVE BEEN IGNORED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 TO 20 MPH DOWN A HILL THAT WAS CURVY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY TRUCK COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HILL AND ALMOST WENT INTO A DITCH BECAUSE THE TRUCK JUST SHUT OFF WHILE IN DRIVE AND LUCKILY I WAS QUICK ENOUGH TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL SO I COULD STEER IT AWAY FROM THE DITCH AND I TURNED THE IGNITION OVER AND LUCKILY IT TURNED ON WHILE IN NEUTRAL OTHERWISE I WOULD OF CRASHED INTO THE DITCH. THEN IT SHUT OFF AGAIN ABOUT 30 SECONDS AFTER AND LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AGAIN SO I COULD STEER AND COAST DOWN THE HILL BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T START UP THE SECOND TIME WHEN IT ALL SHUT OFF. I WAS STRANDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL NEAR A LIGHT SO I TRIED TO START IT AGAIN AND IT WOULD KEEP TRYING TO TURN OVER BUT WOULDN'T START AGAIN. I WAS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND HAD TO CALL AAA TO TOW MY AVALANCHE TO MY HOUSE. THIS COULD OF KILLED ME IF I WASN'T QUICK ENOUGH TO FIGURE OUT TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL TO BE ABLE TO STEER. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON WHATEVER MADE THIS HAPPEN AND I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT BECAUSE IT HAPPENED LATE LAST NIGHT AND I WAS LOOKING FOR RECALLS AND IT DOESN'T SHOW ANYTHING ON THIS. *TR

ENGINE LIGHT AND REDUCE ENGINE POWER AND START LOOSING SPEED. AFTER TURNED OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES WORK FINE. THIS YEAR IN AN HOUR RIDE HAVE TO STOP AT LEAST 20 TIMES. COMPUTER CODES STATED NEED TO CHANGE THROTTLE BODY. LAST WEEK I CHANGE IT AND AGAIN THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

"SERVICE AIRBAG SYSTEM" DISPLAY ON VEHICLE INFORMATION READOUT FIRST APPEARED AROUND TEN YEARS AGO. BROUGHT TO DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND REPAIR (CODE B0026) BUT HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT THIS SAFETY SYSTEM DEFECT. VEHICLE IS WAY OUT OF WARRANTY AND ATTEMPTING TO REPAIR ITEMS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO BE FIXED UNDER WARRANTY DOES NOT SEEM FINANCIALLY SOUND. AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT AND "SERVICE AIRBAG SYSTEM" DISPLAY HAVE BEEN CONSTANTLY ON SINCE 2008. *TR

I WAS DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON OLD US 23 IN BRIGHTON, MI AND STEPPED ON THE BRAKE. THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND BARELY GOT THE TRUCK STOPPED. ONE OF THE BRAKE LINES HAD RUPTURED. POLARCHIOS AUTO REPAIR (BRIGHTON, MI) IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS A RUPTURED BRAKE LINE DUE TO CORROSION. I HAD NEVER HEARD OF BRAKE LINES CORRODING AND WHILE NOT HAPPY ABOUT THE APPROX. $350 REPAIR DID NOT THINK TOO MUCH OF THE INCIDENT THINKING THIS WAS NOT A COMMON PROBLEM. POLARCHIOS TOLD ME THIS WAS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM AND HAD REPAIRED SEVERAL OTHER TRUCKS FOR THIS PROBLEM. I SAW THAT THIS AGENCY WAS INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM AND WAS ENCOURAGING GM TO RECALL AND REPAIR THESE VEHICLES AND WANTED TO PROVIDE MY EXPERIENCE. I WOULD THINK A RECALL IS IN ORDER AS I ONLY HAD ONE LINE FAIL, THERE ARE 3 MORE......WHEN WILL THOSE FAIL? AS SERIOUS AS THE GM IGNITION KEY ISSUES ARE, I WOULD THINK THE ABILITY TO STOP WOULD BE AT LEAST AS IMPORTANT. PLEASE CALL ME AT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS - THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD WORK THAT YOU DO! *TR

SHIFTED FROM PARK TO DRIVE. BRAKE WENT TO THE FLOOR, AND BRAKE FLUID GUSHED FROM BRAKE LINE UNDER DRIVER'S SEAT. ALSO LEAKED ON DRIVER'S REAR PASSENGER SIDE. TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING POWER. *JS

BRAKES WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND WAS GETTING NO BRAKING AT ALL UNLESS EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS APPLIED...LUCKILY WAS AT A STOP IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND NOT TRYING TO STOP ON AT AM INTERSECTION OR ON THE HIGHWAY...WAS ABLE TO LIMP HOME USING EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP...AREN'T THESE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A SPLIT SYSTEM SO YOU CANNOT LOSE ALL BRAKES AT ONCE...PADS ARE NOT WORN LOW...AND FLUID IS SPRAYING FROM BRAKE LINE DIRECTLY UNDER DRIVERS SIDE DOOR... *JS