2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500 Complaints

WHILE DRIVING MY TRUCK IN A CURVE I NOTICE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT RESPONSIVE AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR. I REGAINED CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE I PLACE THE VEHICLE IN THE N DRIVE ATTEMPTING TO LET THE VEHICLE COAST TO A STOP. I DID A MAINTENANCE CHECK FOR LOW BRAKE FLUID, I FOUND THAT THE LEVEL WAS GOOD. THAT'S WHEN I WAS INFORMED THAT MY BRAKE LINE HAD BROKEN. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED BRAKE FLUID WAS SHOOTING OUT FROM THE BRAKE LINE. THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPEN TO ME THAT MY LIFE AND OTHERS HAS BEEN ENDANGERED. THE FIRST INCIDENCE WAS A FEW YEARS AGO I WENT THROUGH A RED LIGHT BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE, THE SECOND TIME WAS NOVEMBER 2013 AND NOW THIS TIME. ALTHOUGH I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED IN 2006 WITH ONLY 47,000 MILES ON IT FOR THIS TO OCCUR THREE TIMES IS TO OFTEN. I NOW HAVE 150000 MILES ON MY VEHICLE AND CANNOT AFFORD A NEW CAR OR NEW CAR PAYMENT. PLEASE LOOK INTO TO SO THAT I AND OTHER LIVES WILL NOT BE FURTHER ENDANGERED. RECALL AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE BRAKE LINES BREAKING SO THAT WE ARE SAFE. *TR

KEY IGNITION SWITCH IS LOOSE AND CAR WILL SHUT OFF WHILE OPERATING, KEY CAN BE PULLED OUT OF IGNITION WHILE RUNNING. IF VEHICLE SHUTS OFF WHILE OPERATING THEN YOU LOOSE CONTROL OF BRAKES, STEERING, AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS. GM IS DENYING THERE IS A PROBLEM. MY VEHICLE IS PROOF THAT THE PROBLEM EXISTS AND THE CHEVY AVALANCHE 2003 HAS A PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW COOLANT LEVEL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CYLINDER HEADS WERE FRACTURED AND ALLOWING COOLANT TO INADVERTENTLY ENTER THE ENGINE. AS A RESULT, THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 129,000. UPDATED 05/28/14 MA UPDATED 06/4/2014 *JS

IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT INFORMATION CONCERNING GM'S INTENTIONAL WITHHOLDING OF PROBLEMS WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH IN CERTAIN GM VEHICLES, I FEEL COMPELLED TO SHARE MY STORY. I DO SEE OTHER COMPLAINTS FILED HERE CONCERNING THE SAME ISSUE. IN OCTOBER 2003, I PURCHASED A NEW 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE VEHICLE HAD 5,500 DEMO MILES ON THE ODOMETER. I DROVE MANY MILES FOR WORK AND FOR TRANSPORTING HOCKEY KIDS TO PRACTICE, GAMES, TOURNAMENTS, ETC. IN DECEMBER 2006 I ALREADY HAD 80,000+ MILES ON THE VEHICLE AND THE SPEEDOMETER, GAS GAUGE (CAUSING ME TO RUN OUT OF GAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!), OIL GAUGE, BATTERY VOLTMETER, RPMS, WHICH ARE ALL COMPONENTS OF AN ELECTRICAL CLUSTER BEGAN FAILING. I CONTACTED MY GM DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT A 'SILENT RECALL' HAD BEEN ISSUED TO DEALERS STATING THAT IF A VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 3 YEARS AND UNDER 70,000 MILES WAS BROUGHT IN, THE DEALER SHOULD FIX THE ITEM AS A WARRANTY REPAIR. SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS 2 MOS OVER THE 3 YR AND OVER THE 70,000 MILES, I WAS DENIED A WARRANTY REPAIR AND QUOTED $700.00 TO FIX THE PART. SINCE THAT DATE, MY SON'S CHEVROLET VEHICLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM! AND, IN 2009 A FRIEND'S BRAND NEW DENALI WITH LESS THAN 10,000 MILES HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE NEVER FIXED THE PROBLEM DUE TO COST AND DISAGREEMENT WITH GM. I WROTE THE CORPORATE OFFICE AND GOT NOWHERE. I DON'T SEE HOW A SAFETY ISSUE LIKE THIS CAN BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO HAPPEN NOR HOW GM CAN KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT NOT TELL OWNERS OF THE VEHICLE AND/OR FUTURE POSSIBLE BUYERS OF THE VEHICLE. OH WAIT, YEA GM DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE CONSUMERS MIGHT TAKE THEIR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE! I SIMPLY WANTED TO GM TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY KNOWN ABOUT, BUT RATHER, GM SIMPLY KEEPS PUTTING THE SAME BAD COMPONENT IN FUTURE VEHICLES!! *TR

I BELIEVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE GM KEY/IGNITION SWITCH IS MORE COMMON THEN WHAT IS BEING REPORTED. THE AVALANCHE 2003 HAS HAD THE SAME LOOSE IGNITION SWITCH FOR YEARS. OUR KEY SYSTEM HAS TO BE JIGGLED AND FORCED TO THE START POSITION 80 PERCENT OF THE TIME. THE IGNITION SWITCH WILL ALSO MOVE THE OFF POSITION WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING AND THE KEY WILL FALL OUT.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH MY WIFE AND GRANDDAUGHTER WHEN ALL THE BRAKES ,I MEAN ALL THE BRAKES WENT, AND A SERVICE BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME.I MANAGED TO DRIFT TO A STOP, OTHERWISE WE WOULD HAVE HURT SOMEONE OR BEEN KILLED. NO WARNING. I HAD TO PAY 1900 FOR THE REPAIR WHICH WE CANNOT AFFORD SINCE I AM ON DISABILITY. IT STILL SCARES US. *TR

MY SPEEDOMETER AND SEVERAL GAUGES HAVE BEEN ACTING ERRATICALLY FOR MONTHS, AND NOW THE SPEEDOMETER BATTERY GAUGE, AND THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE HAVE STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY. IN RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM, I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A RECALL TO FIX THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I NEVER RECEIVED NOTICE OF THIS RECALL. I HAVE LIVED IN THE SAME LOCATION SINCE 2001, BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL. IF THERE WAS A RECALL AFFECTING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, I WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT IN. WHY DIDN'T CHEVROLET NOTIFY ALL OWNERS? *TR

RATTLE FORM THE A/C BELT TENSION-ER WHEN ACCELERATING. HAVE CHANGED MULTIPLE NEW TENSION-ERS AND THERE IS STILL THE RATTLE FROM THE BELT TENSIONER. I HAVE FOUND A TSB ON THE A/C COMPRESSOR THAT LEADS TO THE ISSUE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, HE DEPRESSED THE BRAKES AND THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR BOARD. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED AND FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000. *TR

2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. WHEN THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKE, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A CERTIFIED CHEVROLET DEALER, WHERE AN INSPECTION REVEALED, THE BRAKE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A BREAK IN ONE OF THE BRAKE LINES, AND ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES WERE SO DETERIORATED AND RUST ENCRUSTED, THAT ALL OF THE LINES HAD TO BE REPLACED.