How Reliable is the Chevrolet Avalanche?

Front 3/4 view of a Chevrolet Avalanche

Avalanche owners have made 690 complaints over 12 model years. It ranks 29th in reliability out of 40 eligible Chevrolet models.

Our reliability rank is based on our PainRank™ system. A higher number means you can expect more significant problems. The average Chevrolet score is 18.80 while the Avalanche comes in at 24.86.

The 3 Most Common Avalanche Problems

We've pulled together a list of the problems Avalanche owners.

  1. Cracked Dashboard

    Multiple GM vehicles from the 2007-2014 model years are developing dashboard cracks. One of the most common areas of concern is around the passenger airbag cover, leaving owners wondering about potential safety risks.

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  2. Passlock Security

    One of Chevrolet’s solutions for stopping thieves from driving away with a car is, coincidently, doing the same thing to the actual owner.

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  3. Takata Recalls

    A large number of Chevy vehicles have been recalled because they contain dangerous airbag inflators made by Takata. The shrapnel-hurling inflators have been recalled in over 37 million vehicles (and counting).

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What Avalanche Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

Worst Topics

Worst Years

Full Lists on CarComplaints.com

Avalanche Generations

The Avalanche has 2 generations, each with their own issues. Using the same PainRank™ system we've determined that you're better off avoiding the 1st generation (2002–2006).

  1. 2nd Generation Avalanche

    Years
    2007–2013
    Reliability
    56th out of 80
    PainRank™
    12.69
    Complaints
    373
    Continue Front 3/4 view of a Avalanche

  2. 1st Generation Avalanche

    Years
    2002–2006
    Reliability
    64th out of 80
    PainRank™
    19.22
    Complaints
    317
    Continue

Avalanche Key Numbers

  1. 690 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  2. 1,936 service bulletins

    Documenting the process of troubleshooting common problems.

  3. 21 recall campaigns

    Time-sensitive, free repairs for widespread safety problems.

Recent Avalanche News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. Tagged
    #lawsuit
    Posted on
    Source
    carcomplaints.com

    Toss another lawsuit onto the ever-growing pile of GM Vortec oil consumption cases.

    The Missouri based class-action is the latest in a series of suits saying the 5.3L Vortec engine churns through oil because of defects in the low-tension piston rings. The problem is compounded by GM's questionably designed oil life monitoring system which doesn't warn owners when oil levels get dangerously low.

    In fact the system doesn't monitor oil levels at all, just the quality of the oil itself. So while the engine may be dry and on the verge of collapse, rest assured that last quart of oil is still in tip-top shape. 👍🏼…

  2. Tagged
    #lawsuit
    Posted on
    Source
    carcomplaints.com

    GM owners tired of their dashboards looking like a faultline have taken the matter to the court.

    General Motors allegedly tells consumers the damage is merely cosmetic, but the plaintiffs claim in addition to safety hazards, the damaged dashboards and instrument panels cause a loss of value of the vehicles.

    GM wasn't going to issue a service campaign or recall, and the feds won't investigate issues they don't consider to be a safety defect. With so many of these vehicles having this problem, owners had no other choice but to file a lawsuit.

    https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2018/gm-cracked-dash-lawsuit.shtml

  3. Tagged
    #recall
    Posted on
    Source
    carcomplaints.com

    Earlier this year, General Motors (GM) announced a preliminary recall for 1.9 million vehicles with Takata airbag inflators.

    But then, a couple months later, they decided that recalling some of those vehicles wasn't necessary. Researchers have found a combination of age, moisture, and high temperatures can make the ammonium nitrate inside of Takata airbag inflators unstable, causing them to explode in a dangerous way.…

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