2005 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500 Complaints

"SERVICE 4WD" STARTED TO BE DISPLAYED ERRATICALLY IN THE DIC. 4WD SYSTEM STARTED TO FUNCTION ERRATICALLY 4WD CONTROL SWITCH WITNESS LIGHTS LIGHT ERRATICALLY OR DO NOT LIGHT AT ALL. 4WD LOW RANGE ENGAGED BY ITSELF UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING - THIS WAS A SERIOUS ACCIDENT HAZARD, FORTUNATELY IT OCCURRED AT LOW SPEED AND AT A PLACE WHERE THE VEHICLE COULD BE STOPPED SAFELY. GENERAL MOTORS HAS ISSUED TSB 05-04-21-003C (APRIL 15, 2008) FOR THIS CONDITION HOWEVER OWNERS WERE NOT NOTIFIED ABOUT IT OR THE POTENTIAL ASSOCIATED ACCIDENT RISK. RESEARCH ON THE WEB AT VEHICLE OWNER CLUBS SHOWS THIS CONDITION TO BE A VERY FREQUENT PROBLEM FOR GM VEHICLES USING THE THIS TYPE OF 4 WHEEL DRIVE. FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE SAME SITES SUGGESTS THAT THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM WAS A CHALLENGE TO GM AND IT WAS A "HIT-AND-MISS" APPROACH WITH MULTIPLE TRIPS TO THE DEALER TO GET IT RESOLVED. THIS MALFUNCTION COULD BE CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF IT HAPPENS AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC OR ON A SLIPPERY STEEP MOUNTAIN ROAD ( JUST TO GIVE A FEW EXAMPLES). *TR

VEHICLE MADE KNOCKING NOISE IN THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE. TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THAT THEY HAD TO GREASE THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. PROBLEM APPEARED TO BE GONE, BUT RE-APPEARED MONTHS LATER. HAVE LIVED WITH THIS KNOCKING NOISE NOW FOR (4) YEARS. CALLED DEALER AND ASKED IF THEY COULD FIX THIS PROBLEM AGAIN FOR ME (VEHICLE NOW NOT UNDER WARRANTY). WAS TOLD THEY NEVER PERFORMED THIS REPAIR FOR ME ON MY VEHICLE, BUT IF I WANTED THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT GREASED THEY WOULD CHARGE ME $135.00 DOLLARS. HAD ENTIRE FRONT END OF VEHICLE GREASED BY LOCAL AUTO STORE WITH PROBLEM NOT BEING SOLVED. NOISE IS VERY DISTURBING AND CAUSES CONCERN FOR FUTURE ISSUES. *TR

CAR STARTED JERKING AS IF IT WAS GOING TO CUT OFF THEN ONCE I GOT ON THE HIGHWAY IT WOULD NOT GO OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR. TOOK CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND LATER FOUND OUT THAT TRANSMISSION WAS GONE. *TR

SPEEDOMETER NOT WORKING PROPERLY. USUALLY STUCK ANYWHERE FROM 65 - OVER 120 MPH, WHETHER PARKED OR MOVING AT A LOWER SPEED. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED IT HAD RESET ITSELF AND DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN FOR A WHILE. NOW CONSTANTLY INCORRECT. ALSO, SOME OTHER LIGHTS ARE OUT ON INSTRUMENT PANEL AND STEERING WHEEL. TOO EXPENSIVE TO FIX. *TR

AT ABOUT 65K MILES, SPEEDOMETER STOPPED REGISTERING ACCURATELY. NOW ABOUT 75K ON THE VEHICLE IF ODOMETER ACCURATE. WHEN STOPPED SPEEDOMETER READS ANYWHERE FROM 60 TO 100MPH AND WHEN DRIVING READS ANYWHERE FROM 90 TO OFF THE SCALE (6 O'CLOCK POSITION ON THE SPEEDOMETER WHERE NO SPEED IS LISTED). IN SHORT, WILDLY INACCURATE. RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM AND IT APPEARS CHEVY IS REPLACING THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FOR THIS PROBLEM ON UP TO 2004 VEHICLES BUT NOT 2005 ALTHOUGH IT APPEARS THE PROBLEM IS RAMPANT AMONG AVALANCHE OWNERS. REQUEST NHTSA IMPLEMENT A RECALL ON THIS WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. *TR

SPEEDOMETER CONTINUALLY GOES HAYWIRE; IT APPEARS YOU ARE DRIVING 50+ MPH WHEN YOU ARE IN PARK; WHEN YOU ACTUALLY DO START MOVING YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING; MAX OUT AT 120 MPH WHEN YOU ARE FLOWING WITH TRAFFIC IN A 70 MPH ZONE. OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY; I HAVE NOT HAD AN ASSESSMENT OF THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THIS REPAIR DONE YET. *TR

SPEEDOMETER IS FAILING TO WORK CORRECTLY. MOST OF THE TIME IT IS STUCK AT 120 MPH. OR DOESN'T WORK AT ALL. *TR

I HAVE HAD MY SENSOR LIGHT AND THE WARNING LIGHT THAT SAYS "SERVICE AIRBAGS" COME ON AND IT WON'T GO OFF. I HAVE BEEN ON A FEW AUTO FORUMS ABOUT THIS AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THE DEALERS CAN'T SEEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS AND PEOPLE ARE SPENDING HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO GET IT FIXED, BUT IT DOESN'T. *TR

SPEEDOMETER HAS GONE "WILD". FOR EXAMPLE AT 35 MPH IT WILL READ ANYWHERE FROM 60 TO 140 MPH AND WHEN ENGINE IS TURNED OFF MAY ONLY DROP TO 30 MPH. HAPPENING AS A DAILY EVENT FOR THE PAST WEEK ON MY 2005 AVALANCHE WHICH HAS 47000 MILES ON ODOMETER. CHECKING WITH DEALER SERVICE MANAGER TOMORROW BUT UNDERSTAND FROM MANY OTHER OWNERS THAT GM COVERAGE FOR THIS PROBLEM ONLY COVERS THE 2002 TO 2004 MODEL YEARS EVEN THOUGH MY AVALANCHE HAS THE SAME CLUSTER AND STEP MOTOR THAT CONTROLS THE SPEEDOMETER WHICH I AM FINDING IS BEING REPORTED BY OWNERS IN LARGE NUMBERS AS DEFECTIVE. GM NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH THEIR LOYAL CHEVROLET OWNERS IF THEY WISH TO MAINTAIN THEIR RETURN BUSINESS. *TR

2005 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE AT APPROX. 40,000 MILES THE SPEEDOMETER HAS GONE CRAZY NEVER GIVING THE CORRECT SPEED. SEVERAL OTHERS WITH THIS PROBLEM AND RECALL HAS BEEN CALL FOR 2002 -2004 MODELS THAT USE THE SAME CLUSTER AND STEP MOTOR THAT CONTROLS THE SPEEDOMETER. CONTACTED THE DEALER TO FIX PROBLEM BUT THEY WANTED 600+ TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR