Illustration2003 CHEVY AVALANCHE CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM DEFECTIVE WIRES BEHIND RADIO PANEL THAT SHORTED. BURNED ALL THE WIRING AND SMOKED THE VEHICLE. *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
What owners actually said
182 reportsWEAK BRAKES, LONG STOPPING DISTANCE, NO WEAR ON FRONT PADS, FRONT PADS STUCK, TAKEN TO DEALER 3 TIMES AND THEY SAY NOTHING IS WRONG, I BELIEVE I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STOP IN TIME UNDER EMERGENCY CONDITIONS. THE BACK BRAKES HAVE BEEN CHANGED 3 TIMES (WORE TO WEAR INDICATOR) AND THE FRONTS PADS AND ROTORS LOOK NEW (GLAZED OVER NO…
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WEAK BRAKES, LONG STOPPING DISTANCE, NO WEAR ON FRONT PADS, FRONT PADS STUCK, TAKEN TO DEALER 3 TIMES AND THEY SAY NOTHING IS WRONG, I BELIEVE I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STOP IN TIME UNDER EMERGENCY CONDITIONS. THE BACK BRAKES HAVE BEEN CHANGED 3 TIMES (WORE TO WEAR INDICATOR) AND THE FRONTS PADS AND ROTORS LOOK NEW (GLAZED OVER NO FRICTION) THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE BUYING TRUCK BRAND NEW IN 2003. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER SEEMED TO BE DEFECTIVE. THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED PERIODICALLY WHICH CAUSED THE CRUISE CONTROL TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED BUT THE DEALER, WHEN CALLED, STATED THAT THE CONTACT WOULD BE …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER SEEMED TO BE DEFECTIVE. THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED PERIODICALLY WHICH CAUSED THE CRUISE CONTROL TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED BUT THE DEALER, WHEN CALLED, STATED THAT THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY REPAIR EXPENSES. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 130,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 155,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WITH THE BRAKES DEPRESSED WHEN THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ACTIVATED. THE BRAKES BECAME EXTREMELY SPONGY WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE BRAKES FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WITH THE BRAKES DEPRESSED WHEN THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ACTIVATED. THE BRAKES BECAME EXTREMELY SPONGY WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE BRAKES FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 51,000.
INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) MY 2003 CHEVY AVALANCHE Z-66 HAS JUST NOW DEVELOPED SPEEDOMETER PROBLEMS AND I AM SORRY IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND CONCERN BUT GENERAL MOTORS HAS BRUSHED IT OFF AS NO CASE CLOSED. MY SPEEDOMETER STARTED ACTING WEIRD,IT ONLY WORKS FOR SHOR…
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INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) MY 2003 CHEVY AVALANCHE Z-66 HAS JUST NOW DEVELOPED SPEEDOMETER PROBLEMS AND I AM SORRY IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND CONCERN BUT GENERAL MOTORS HAS BRUSHED IT OFF AS NO CASE CLOSED. MY SPEEDOMETER STARTED ACTING WEIRD,IT ONLY WORKS FOR SHORT DISTANCE DRIVING THEN EITHER SHOWS LAST SPEED OBTAINED OR ZERO. MY EXAMPLE FOR GM IS THIS: NO OTHER GM VEHICLE I PURCHASE EVER HAD THIS PROBLEM AND EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY NOT THINK OF IT AS A SAFETY ISSUE PERHAPS YOU MIGHT RETHINK THIS THOUGHT BY GETTING INTO A VEHICLE WHERE THE SPEEDOMETER SPORADICALLY WORKS THEN STOPS WORKING ALL TOGETHER WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING. PERHAPS GM CAN TELL ME HOW THEY WOULD/COULD TELL THE SPEED THEY ARE GOING WHEN THIS HAPPENS 0 READING SO THAT I CAN TELL THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL WHO PULLED ME OVER FOR SPEEDING OR DRIVING UNDER THE LIMIT THAT I TRIED TO JUDGE MY SPEED BUT MY GM SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING AND GM SAID IT WASN'T A SAFETY ISSUE. IT'S A DEFECT AND GM HAS A LIMIT OF 70,000-80,000 MILES OR 7 YEARS WHICH EVER OCCURS FIRST...THIS IS A COP OUT. I EVEN WROTE AND ADDRESSED AN EMAIL TO [XXX]TO NO AVAIL. I WOULD LIKE TO COPY AND PASTE MY LETTER SO THAT YOU WILL SEE THAT I AM SEEKING A FREE REPAIR/ REPLACEMENT INCLUDING FREE LABOR FOR A NEW IPC. IT IS A DEFECT THEY ADMIT AND IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND CONCERN THAT AFFECTS MANY VEHICLES BESIDES MINE NO MATTER HOW MANY MILES THE VEHICLE HAS ON IT. GOD..THIS IS AN AMERICAN CAR COMPANY, HAVE THEY NOT LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT LOYALTY? *TR
SPEEDOMETERGAUGE STOOP WORKING ALONG WITH THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE TAILGATE CAUSED A ONE [XXX] TO RUPTURE THE TENDANTS IN HIS LEFT KNEE DUE TO THE MALFUNCTIONING OF THE CABLE STRAPS THAT HOLD THE TAILGATE. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”
SPEEDOMETER ON 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE NOT WORKING, STUCK AT 120MPH. I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE. OTHER CLUSTER GAUGES -- TACHOMETER AND FUEL GAUGE -- HAVE ALSO FAILED. COMPLETE CLUSTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. GM WILL NOT CORRECT PROBLEM BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. THERE WAS A TSB ISSUED BY GM TO REPAIR THE CLUSTER. H…
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SPEEDOMETER ON 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE NOT WORKING, STUCK AT 120MPH. I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE. OTHER CLUSTER GAUGES -- TACHOMETER AND FUEL GAUGE -- HAVE ALSO FAILED. COMPLETE CLUSTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. GM WILL NOT CORRECT PROBLEM BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. THERE WAS A TSB ISSUED BY GM TO REPAIR THE CLUSTER. HOWEVER, THE TSB ONLY REQUIRES GM TO REPAIR VEHICLES (AT THEIR EXPENSE) WITH LESS THAN 70K MILES. MY VEHICLE HAS OVER 110 MILES. IS THIS PROBLEM ANY LESS OF A SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME THAN IT IS FOR THOSE WITH LESS THAN 70K MILES? GM IS CHARGING $500 TO REPAIR THE MOST IMPORTANT INSTRUMENT IN THE CAR. SPEEDOMETER FAILURE IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE CORRECTED. THE VEHICLE?S MILEAGE SHOULD NOT BE A DETERMINING FACTOR AS TO WHETHER GM OR THE OWNER HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. A SPEEDOMETER SHOULD LAST FOR THE EXPECTED LIFE OF THE VEHICLE, NOT JUST 70K MILES. *TR
WHEN DRIVING MY CHEVROLET 2003 AVALANCHE MY SPEEDOMETER WOULD STICK AND EVENTUALLY FALL TO ZERO. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION I HAVE FOUND THAT A MAJORITY OF THIS MODEL FROM 2003 -2004 HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *TR
SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING. *TR
SPEEDOMETER STUCK AT 52 WHILE STOPPED. WILL NOT ACCURATELY MEASURE RATE OF SPEED. SPEEDOMETER ZERO'S AT 52. ODOMETER APPEARS TO FUNCTION CORRECTLY. NO APPARENT CAUSE OTHER THAN DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT. CAR MAKE: CHEVROLET YEAR: 2003. MODEL: AVALANCHE 1500 4 DOOR. MILEAGE 102,000. *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