2004 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500

ONSTAR SYSTEM DOES NOT HAVE BACKUP BATTERY RENDERING STOLEN VEHICLE RECOVERY INOPERATIVE IF THE VEHICLE BATTERY IS DISCONNECTED. ACCIDENT ASSISTANCE IS ALSO UNAVAILABLE IF THE BATTERY IS DESTROYED/DISCONNECTED IN A COLLISION BECAUSE THERE IS NO BATTERY BACKUP. THIS IS MADE EVEN MORE LIKELY BY THE VEHICLE BATTERY BEING SITUATED AT THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE THROUGH ONSTAR WOULD ALSO NOT BE AVAILABLE IN THE CASE OF A BATTERY FAILURE BECAUSE THERE IS NO BATTERY BACKUP TO POWER THE ONSTAR SYSTEM. *TR

WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC ON THE FREEWAY, THE TRUCK WENT INTO 4 WHEEL DRIVE LOW BY ITSELF, NEARLY CAUSING ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 55 MPH. I HAD TO IMMEDIATELY PULL OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BECAUSE THE TRUCK WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 4WD. THE VEHICLE MANUAL STATES THAT THE TRUCK CANNOT BE SHIFTED INTO 4WD UNLESS IT IS IN NEUTRAL AND ROLLING AT LESS THAN 3 MPH OR MAJOR DAMAGE WILL OCCUR. IT ALSO STATES THAT THERE ARE SAFETY FEATURES THAT PREVENT THE 4WD FROM ENGAGING AT ANY OTHER TIME. OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE 4WD ON MY VEHICLE AND THE SAFETY FEATURE FAILED. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP AT THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES FOR A TOTAL OF TEN DAYS AND ALL OF THE PROBLEMS ARE STILL NOT REPAIRED. I WILL BE RETURNING THE TRUCK THERE AGAIN TOMORROW. THEY CLAIM TO HAVE THOROUGHLY GONE OVER ALL OF THE PROBLEMS AND HAVE REPAIRED EVERYTHING, BUT THE 4WD SYSTEM IS STILL NOT FUNCTIONAL. SO FAR, I HAVE BEEN CHARGED OVER $600. WHEN I ASKED IF THIS WOULD EVER HAPPEN AGAIN, THE DEALERSHIP ASSURED ME THAT IT COULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE THE PART THAT FAILED HAD BEEN UPGRADED. THIS TELLS ME THAT GM KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS PART AND SHOULD HAVE RECALLED IT. A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED FOR THESE VEHICLES. ALL OF THE DAMAGED PARTS ON MY TRUCK SHOULD BE REPLACED OR REPAIRED FREE OF CHARGE AND MY MONEY SHOULD BE REFUNDED. AFTER ALL REPAIRS ARE COMPLETED, I SHOULD BE GIVEN A WARRANTY FOR THE DRIVE TRAIN OF THE VEHICLE. ALL OF THE PARTS REPAIRED SO FAR HAVE NOT BEEN COMPLETELY REBUILT AND I FEEL THAT THE TRUCK WILL GIVE ME NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH THE DRIVE TRAIN IN THE FUTURE. IT'S RIDICULOUS THAT THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED; I COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE AND HAD A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *TR

MY SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER ON MY 2004 AVALANCHE IS VERY ERRATIC, TO SAY THE LEAST. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THE SPEEDOMETER INDICATED HIGHER OR LOWER SPEEDS THAN WHAT I WAS ACTUALLY GOING. THE FIRST TIME I NOTICED IT WAS ON A RAINY DAY WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER INDICATED 65MPH, BUT AFER LATER COMPARING THE TACH TO THE SPEEDOMETER, I ESTIMATE I WAS ACTUALLY GOING ABOUT 80MPH. SOME TIMES IT INDICATES 0 MPH AND SOME TIMES IT GETS BURIED OVER 120MPH. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY FACTOR AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED BY THE MANUFACTURER BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. *TR