IllustrationREAR WINDOW FRAME PLASTIC IS CRACKING, THERE IS A 3/8 GAP THAT HAS FORM MAKING THE WINDOW UNSTABLE AND LEAKING BOTH AIR AND WATER. THE TRUCK IS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR
2002 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Avalanche 1500 years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 38.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Avalanche 1500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
60–25K
1225–50K
1650–75K
3475–100K
37100–150K
27150K+
132 reports with mileage · 22 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes. Review the 45 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Parking Brake. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
15 crash reports1 fire reports10 injury reports
What owners actually said
154 reports2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE REAR TAILGATE LATCH/LOCK ASSEMBLY. SHARP EDGES ON UNKNOWN HOOK /BARB DESIGN SNAGGING CLOTHING/RIPPING HOLES IN FABRIC AND ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS CAUSING LACERATIONS AND CUTS ON ABDOMINAL AREAS, THIS OCCURS WHEN I REACH OVER FROM THE END TO RETRIEVE PAYLOAD FROM THE CARGO BAY. *TR
2002 CHEVROLET K1500 AVALANCHE 4WD ACTIVATES ANTILOCK BRAKES WHILE COMPLETING A STOP AT LOW SPEEDS (LESS THAN 5MPH). THIS MALFUNCTION OCCURS EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN, OFTEN EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE ACTIVATION OF THE ABS SYSTEM HAS THE UNDESIRED EFFECT OF GREATLY LENGTHENING THE STOPPING DIST…
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2002 CHEVROLET K1500 AVALANCHE 4WD ACTIVATES ANTILOCK BRAKES WHILE COMPLETING A STOP AT LOW SPEEDS (LESS THAN 5MPH). THIS MALFUNCTION OCCURS EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN, OFTEN EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE ACTIVATION OF THE ABS SYSTEM HAS THE UNDESIRED EFFECT OF GREATLY LENGTHENING THE STOPPING DISTANCE IN AN UNCONTROLLED MANNER. IN EFFECT, THE VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER CONTROL WHEN APPROACHING A STOPPED VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC, INTERSECTION, PEDESTRIAN, PARKING, ETC. THIS IS A VERY HAZARDOUS MALFUNCTION OF THE ABS SYSTEM. THIS PARTICULAR TRUCK WAS RECALLED AND REPAIR WAS ATTEMPTED BY A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP A FEW YEARS AGO. THIS PREVIOUS DEALERSHIP REPAIR OF THE UNCONTROLLED ABS BRAKING WAS NOT SUFFICIENT AS THE ABS MALFUNCTION HAS RETURNED ON THIS VEHICLE. ON 4/1/09 THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP HAS REFUSED TO REPAIR MY CURRENT ABS MALFUNCTION CONDITION, STATING THAT "GM WILL ONLY DO THE REPAIR ONCE". THE DEALERSHIP REPAIR DID NOT WORK ON MY 2002 AVALANCHE, AND NOW I AM "STUCK" WITH A VEHICLE THAT IS A SAFETY HAZARD ON THE ROADS DUE TO UNCONTROLLED RELEASING OF BRAKE PRESSURE AT LOW SPEEDS. PLEASE GIVE ME DIRECTION OF WHAT ACTION I CAN TAKE. THANK YOU. *TR
02 CHEVY AVALANCHE ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE IS DEFECTIVE AND NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. GM HAS HAD DOCUMENTED PROBLEMS WITH THE ABS ON THE '02 AVALANCHE BUT SO FAR HAS ONLY ISSUED A RECALL FOR NORTHERN STATES, BLAMING THE PROBLEM ON ROAD SALT RATHER THAN THE OBVIOUS DESIGN OR MANUFACTURE DEFECT. ROAD SALT DIDN'T CAUSE THIS…
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02 CHEVY AVALANCHE ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE IS DEFECTIVE AND NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. GM HAS HAD DOCUMENTED PROBLEMS WITH THE ABS ON THE '02 AVALANCHE BUT SO FAR HAS ONLY ISSUED A RECALL FOR NORTHERN STATES, BLAMING THE PROBLEM ON ROAD SALT RATHER THAN THE OBVIOUS DESIGN OR MANUFACTURE DEFECT. ROAD SALT DIDN'T CAUSE THIS ABS FAILURE BECAUSE I LIVE IN FLORIDA. THE RECALL SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO THE WHOLE U.S. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NHTSA SHOULD ADDRESS WITH A MANDATORY RECALL FOR ALL '02 CHEVY AVALANCHES. GM REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM RATHER THAN A WARRANTY ISSUE. I DID A 360 ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE DUE TO THIS AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BEFORE IT KILLS SOMEONE. *TR
SON HIT A TREE HEAD ON TOTALED AVALANCHE FRONT END AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY WHY?????????? *TR
REAR WINDOW FRAME CRACKED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LOWER PORTION. *TR
FRONT DIFFERENTIAL MECHANISM THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 4WD OF THE VEHICLE HAS CHRONICALLY MALFUNCTIONED DESPITE 2 REPAIRS WHILE UNDER WARRANTY BY LINDSAY CHEVY IN WOODBRIDGE VA. THE MECHANISM STARTED TO SHOW SIGNS OF PROBLEMS AT 7000 MILES. NOW THE TRUCK HAS 85000 MILES AND THE MECHANISM HAS FAILED. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 GMC 1500 AVALANCHE. TWO YEARS AGO, THE ABS SENSOR WAS REPAIRED ON THE VEHICLE UNDER RECALL. CURRENTLY, THE ABS SENSOR IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND THE BRAKES DO NOT HOLD IN THE MIDDLE OF STOPPING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS DUE TO THE PREVIOUS RECALL REPAIR. …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 GMC 1500 AVALANCHE. TWO YEARS AGO, THE ABS SENSOR WAS REPAIRED ON THE VEHICLE UNDER RECALL. CURRENTLY, THE ABS SENSOR IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND THE BRAKES DO NOT HOLD IN THE MIDDLE OF STOPPING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS DUE TO THE PREVIOUS RECALL REPAIR. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,100.
2002 AVALANCHE SWAY BARS FRONT AND NO REAR S BREAKING AT BUSHINGS. LOOKS LIKE CORROSION AT THE BENDS? *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF $2,000. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 167,000.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1EA11001 · Brake Line Corrosion Failure
Opened Jan 5, 2011 · Closed Apr 8, 2015
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t
Additional source detail variants (2)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t