IllustrationRATTLE 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
2003 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Avalanche 1500 years
Owner complaints for the 2003 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
70–25K
1525–50K
3650–75K
3775–100K
39100–150K
20150K+
154 reports with mileage · 28 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 84 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports3 fire reports2 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
84 reportsI WAS DRIVING MY TRUCK AND THE SPEEDOMETER WAS READING 60 AND WHEN I LOOK DOWN AGAIN IT WAS READING 120. I STOP AND STARTED AGAIN THEN I REALIZE THAT IT WAS NOT READING NOW. MY FUEL, RPM, OIL PRESSURE GAUGES STOP ALSO. I HAD A MECHANIC LOOK AT IT AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE CLUSTER. I RESEARCH AND I NOTICE THAT ALL THESE VEHICLE IS…
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I WAS DRIVING MY TRUCK AND THE SPEEDOMETER WAS READING 60 AND WHEN I LOOK DOWN AGAIN IT WAS READING 120. I STOP AND STARTED AGAIN THEN I REALIZE THAT IT WAS NOT READING NOW. MY FUEL, RPM, OIL PRESSURE GAUGES STOP ALSO. I HAD A MECHANIC LOOK AT IT AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE CLUSTER. I RESEARCH AND I NOTICE THAT ALL THESE VEHICLE IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. I THINK THAT CHEVY SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DEFECTIVE ITEM. I BROUGHT THIS TRUCK NEW AND I DIDN'T THINK THAT I WOULD BE HAVING ANY PROBLEMS LIKE THIS. I REPLACED THE PART BUT GUESS WHAT, ITS DOING THE SAME THING AFTER SIX MONTHS. NOW THE DOOR CHIME WILL NOT STOP WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSE AND WHILE IM DRIVING SO I DON'T DRIVE IT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED TO PROVIDE ACCURATE SPEED READINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO CONFIRMED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED TO PROVIDE ACCURATE SPEED READINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO CONFIRMED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 108,965.
DURING TRIP FROM NC->TX->FL->TX I WAS STOPPED FOR SPEEDING (75 IN 60 ON I-10 IN LA) -- I DO *NOT* KNOWINGLY SPEED. I BEGAN WATCHING MY SPEED TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAPPENED. THE PROBLEM REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES ON THIS TRIP, AND I WAS ABLE TO RECORD A NUMBER OF PHOTOS OF THE PRECISE PROBLEM. AFTER DRIVING FOR MORE THAN A…
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DURING TRIP FROM NC->TX->FL->TX I WAS STOPPED FOR SPEEDING (75 IN 60 ON I-10 IN LA) -- I DO *NOT* KNOWINGLY SPEED. I BEGAN WATCHING MY SPEED TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAPPENED. THE PROBLEM REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES ON THIS TRIP, AND I WAS ABLE TO RECORD A NUMBER OF PHOTOS OF THE PRECISE PROBLEM. AFTER DRIVING FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE OF HOURS (PROBABLY WHY I NEVER NOTICED THIS BEFORE), THE SPEEDOMETER WILL BEGIN A VERY SLOW DRIFT DOWNWARD. SINCE I HAD BEEN ON 70MPH ROADS FOR QUITE SOME TIME, I APPARENTLY ADJUSTED MY SPEED CONTROL UP TO MAINTAIN WHAT I THOUGHT WAS 70. THEN, WHEN I REACHED IBERVILLE PARISH IN LA, I NOTICED THE SPEED LIMIT WAS NOW 60; BUT WHEN I LOOKED DOWN, THE SPEEDOMETER WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO 60 THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE ANYTHING WAS WRONG UNTIL A TROOPER FLAGGED ME DOWN. IN NO POSITION TO ARGUE, I WAS PUZZLED -- UNTIL I REACHED TX WHEN I NOTICED THE SPEEDOMETER DROPPING EVER SO SLOWLY. I HAD NO REAL IDEA OF MY SPEED, SO I JUST STAYED WITH TRAFFIC. A FEW DAYS LATER, ON THE TX->FL LEG, THE PROBLEM RESUMED AFTER A FEW HOURS. THIS TIME, I GOT THE IDEA TO START THE GPS ON MY BLACKBERRY PHONE. SURPRISE! MY REAL SPEED WAS DEFINITELY FASTER THAN INDICATED. SO I BEGAN TAKING PICTURES OF THE SPEEDOMETER AND PHONE. I HAVE A SERIES OF PHOTOS PROVING THE FAILURE. WHAT IS ALSO INTERESTING IS THAT STOPPING AND TURNING OFF THE ENGINE FOR A MOMENT, THE SPEEDOMETER STARTED WORKING AGAIN FOR A WHILE. ############### OVER A YEAR AGO, I HAD A ONE-TIME ISSUE WITH THE SPEEDOMETER. IT INDICATED MUCH FASTER THAN I WAS GOING -- MAYBE 50 WHILE STOPPED. WHEN RESTARTING THE ENGINE, I NOTICED THE NEEDLE "STEPPING" BACKWARDS FOR LESS THAN A SECOND. OUT OF CURIOSITY, I STOPPED AND STARTED THE ENGINE ABOUT 8 TIMES -- EACH TIME THE NEEDLE STEPPED BACKWARDS A FEW MPH, UNTIL IT EVENTUALLY FULLY RETRACTED BACK TO 0 AND WORKED FINE UNTIL THIS LONG TRIP. *TR
I PURCHASED A USED AS-IS 2003 CHEVY AVALANCHE 1500 AND I DIDN'T NOTICE UNTIL A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WASN'T WORKING. I DON'T WHEN IT FAILED. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND GAUGES FAILED TO OPERATE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND GAUGES FAILED TO OPERATE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000... UPDATED 08-07-12 *BF
SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING. *TR
THE TEMPERATURE IS NOT FUNCTIONING. THE GAUGE DID A 360 ROTATION AND STUCK IN THE FINAL POSITION. I HAVE SEEN SOME WEB POSTING WHICH SAY PEOPLE HAVE RECEIVED A RECALL AND MY MAKE/YEAR ARE LISTED, BUT I DO NOT SEE THE RECALL LISTED ON YOUR SITE. IS THIS A RECALL ITEM? *TR
SPEEDOMETER FAILED ON MY SONS 2003 CHEVY AVALANCHE. READ WHERE THIS IS A PREVALENT PROBLEM. WHY IN THE WORLD HAS THIS NOT BEEN THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL. I AM REPORTING THIS TO CONGRESS. *TR
I OWN A 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, MY SPEEDOMETER IS STUCK AT 50 MPH, I CANNOT ACCURATELY GAUGE MY SPEED, I ALSO HAVE A SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT THAT WILL NOT GO OFF. THESE ARE SOME SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. *TR
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