IllustrationTHIS IS THE SECOND TRANSMISSION, THE CLIP THAT HOLDS THE TRANSMISSION LINE TO THE RADIATOR BREAKS ALLOWING THE LINE TO COME OFF RESULTING IN ALL TRANSMISSION FLUID BEING LOST AND RESULTING IN DESTROYING TRANSMISSION
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
Power Train complaints
4 reportsI WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 TO 20 MPH DOWN A HILL THAT WAS CURVY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY TRUCK COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HILL AND ALMOST WENT INTO A DITCH BECAUSE THE TRUCK JUST SHUT OFF WHILE IN DRIVE AND LUCKILY I WAS QUICK ENOUGH TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL SO I COULD STEER IT AWAY FROM THE DITCH AND I TURNED …
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I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 TO 20 MPH DOWN A HILL THAT WAS CURVY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY TRUCK COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HILL AND ALMOST WENT INTO A DITCH BECAUSE THE TRUCK JUST SHUT OFF WHILE IN DRIVE AND LUCKILY I WAS QUICK ENOUGH TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL SO I COULD STEER IT AWAY FROM THE DITCH AND I TURNED THE IGNITION OVER AND LUCKILY IT TURNED ON WHILE IN NEUTRAL OTHERWISE I WOULD OF CRASHED INTO THE DITCH. THEN IT SHUT OFF AGAIN ABOUT 30 SECONDS AFTER AND LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AGAIN SO I COULD STEER AND COAST DOWN THE HILL BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T START UP THE SECOND TIME WHEN IT ALL SHUT OFF. I WAS STRANDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL NEAR A LIGHT SO I TRIED TO START IT AGAIN AND IT WOULD KEEP TRYING TO TURN OVER BUT WOULDN'T START AGAIN. I WAS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND HAD TO CALL AAA TO TOW MY AVALANCHE TO MY HOUSE. THIS COULD OF KILLED ME IF I WASN'T QUICK ENOUGH TO FIGURE OUT TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL TO BE ABLE TO STEER. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON WHATEVER MADE THIS HAPPEN AND I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT BECAUSE IT HAPPENED LATE LAST NIGHT AND I WAS LOOKING FOR RECALLS AND IT DOESN'T SHOW ANYTHING ON THIS. *TR
TRANSMISSION BEGAN MAKING A LOW WHIRLING NOISE AND NOW SLIPS AND CHUGS. NO TOWING OR 4-WHEELING BEATINGS. I HAVE TAKEN VERY GOOD CARE OF THIS VEHICLE. I LOVE MY AVALANCHE BUT NOW THE REAR WHEEL BEARING ARE GOING AS WELL!!! *TR
SINCE PURCHASING THIS TRUCK ON 02/01/2007, THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, ENGINE, AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM THAT HAVE NOT GOTTEN RESOLVED, HOWEVER THEY DO SEEM TO GET WORSE. THE WORST OF THESE PROBLEMS HAS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON THE NORTHEAST EXTENSION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PA…
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SINCE PURCHASING THIS TRUCK ON 02/01/2007, THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, ENGINE, AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM THAT HAVE NOT GOTTEN RESOLVED, HOWEVER THEY DO SEEM TO GET WORSE. THE WORST OF THESE PROBLEMS HAS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON THE NORTHEAST EXTENSION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE LEFT LANE THE ENGINE "SHUT OFF". I WAS DOING APPROX. 60-65 MPH WHEN THIS OCCURRED DURING THE AM RUSH HOUR. AFTER LOSING ENGINE POWER I SOMEHOW MADE IT SAFELY TO THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER AND LET THE TRUCK "COAST" TO A STOP. THE POWER STEERING WAS NOT WORKING, NOR WERE THE POWER BRAKES. AFTER FINALLY STOPPING, THE TRUCK DID RESTART AND I SLOWLY CONTINUED ON MY WAY TO WORK. THE TRUCK WAS TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP, AND FOR ALMOST (2) WEEKS THE TRUCK SAT THERE WHILE THEY TRIED TO FIGURE THIS OUT. AFTER GETTING THE TRUCK BACK, THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED, AND IT WENT BACK TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP. SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN OK, EXCEPT I HAVE LOST DASHBOARD LIGHTS, RADIO LIGHTS, AND ALSO THE CRUISE CONTROL INDICATOR LIGHT, THEY CLAIM OTHER PROBLEMS, HOWEVER THESE ISSUES WERE NEVER A PROBLEM BEFORE THEY WORKED ON THE TRUCK. NOW I HAVE AIR-BAG LIGHTS FLASH AT ME WHILE DRIVING, AND THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING, THIS WAS THE FIRST PROBLEM WITH THE TRUCK THAT I REPORTED ON 03/14/2007 TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT I PURCHASED THIS TRUCK FROM. I HAVE ALREADY PAID OVER $1500.00 I REPAIR COSTS, ONLY TO HAVE THEM TELL ME IT WILL COST APPROX. ANOTHER $800.00-$1000.00 TO CORRECT THE AIR-BAG, AND TRANSMISSION ISSUES. THESE SHOULD BE COVERED BY MY WARRANTY, EXCEPT THE DEALERSHIP INSISTS I PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. I HAVE PAID ENOUGH, AND I AM AT MY WIT'S END WITH THIS TRUCK, AND THE DEALERSHIP. I FEEL THAT I CAN NO LONGER "SAFELY" DRIVE MY FAMILY AROUND IN THIS TRUCK, AND I STILL HAVE MANY YEARS OF PAYMENTS LEFT. ( I HAVE NEVER BEEN LATE ON A PAYMENT) PLEASE HELP ME, I FEEL AS THOUGH I HAVE BEEN SOLD A "MONEY PIT". *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