IllustrationSPEEDOMETER CLUSTER STOPPED WORKING. SPEED SHOWS 120 MPH WHEN STOPPED OR DRIVING. CHEVY DEALERSHIP SUGGESTED I "FOLLOW SOMEONE", BUT REFUSED TO ADMIT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *JB
2004 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Avalanche 1500 years
Owner complaints for the 2004 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
20–25K
2325–50K
3550–75K
2375–100K
28100–150K
13150K+
124 reports with mileage · 20 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 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports0 fire reports6 injury reports
What owners actually said
144 reportsRPM GAUGE, SPEEDOMETER, AND TILTING SIDEVIEW MIRRORS (WHILE IN REVERSE) DOESN'T WORK ALL THE TIME. THE SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T READ ACCURATELY AND SOMETIMES THE NEEDLE DOESN'T EVEN REGISTER A SPEED. ONE EVENING THE SPEEDOMETER WAS REGISTERING 35 MPH AND I WAS DOING AT LEAST 55 MPH. THAT SAME EVENING I CAME TO A FOUR-WAY STOP AND AT …
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RPM GAUGE, SPEEDOMETER, AND TILTING SIDEVIEW MIRRORS (WHILE IN REVERSE) DOESN'T WORK ALL THE TIME. THE SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T READ ACCURATELY AND SOMETIMES THE NEEDLE DOESN'T EVEN REGISTER A SPEED. ONE EVENING THE SPEEDOMETER WAS REGISTERING 35 MPH AND I WAS DOING AT LEAST 55 MPH. THAT SAME EVENING I CAME TO A FOUR-WAY STOP AND AT ACCELERATION THE SPEEDOMETER DIDN'T WORK AT ALL THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP HOME. THE RPM GAUGE WAS THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WRONG WITH MY TRUCK AND THEN THE SIDEVIEW MIRRORS. SOMETIMES WHILE BACKING MY MIRRORS WON'T TILT DOWN. *JB
IN THE MORNING - BELOW SAY ABOUT 55 DEGREES WHEN I FIRST GET IN AND DRIVE, I HAVE TO TURN THE WHEELS TO THE LEFT TO EXIT MY DRIVEWAY. FOR THE FIRST MINUTE OR TWO, THE STEERING IS VERY STIFF, ALMOST LIKE MANUAL - THEN IT GOES NORMAL FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY.
THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE INDICATED A RISING SPEED WHILE, IN FACT, I WAS DECELERATING TO TRY TO MEET THE SPEED LIMIT (I THOUGHT). THE NEEDLE CONTINUED UNTIL IT WAS COMPLETELY OFF THE SCALE WHILE ACTUALLY DOING ABOUT 65 MPH. NOW, AT A STOP, IT REGISTERS ABOUT 45 MPH AND VARIES WITH ACTUAL SPEED. *JB
WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL IN THE ON POSITION AND WILL RUN CONSTANTLY REGARDLESS OF THE SWITCH POSITION AND WILL NOT SHUT OFF UNTIL THE VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE MUST BE OFF FOR A WHILE BEFORE THE WIPERS WILL STAY OFF. *NM
POWER PASSENGER WINDOW FAILED. CABLE FRAYS AND JAMS IN MECHANISM, WINDOW WILL NOT GO UP OR DOWN REQUIRING COSTLY REPLACEMENT OF THE MECHANISM. THIS SAME FAILURE OCCURRED ON MY PREVIOUS 2002 AVALANCHE AND MY SONS 2000 SILVERADO PICKUP. THE WINDOW WAS USED VERY INFREQUENTLY ON ALL THREE VEHICLES. *NM
I OWN A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE WITH 46655 MILES AND ON OR ABOUT OCTOBER 31, 2006 THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN ACTING ERRATIC. THE SPEEDOMETER REGISTERED PAST 120 MPH AND LOCKED WHILE DRIVING ON I 95 AT 70 MPH. I KNOW THE SPEED BECAUSE I WAS FOLLOWING A FAMILY MEMBER AND WAS TALKING ON THE CELL PHONE AT THE TIME. WHEN I ARRIVED AT …
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I OWN A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE WITH 46655 MILES AND ON OR ABOUT OCTOBER 31, 2006 THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN ACTING ERRATIC. THE SPEEDOMETER REGISTERED PAST 120 MPH AND LOCKED WHILE DRIVING ON I 95 AT 70 MPH. I KNOW THE SPEED BECAUSE I WAS FOLLOWING A FAMILY MEMBER AND WAS TALKING ON THE CELL PHONE AT THE TIME. WHEN I ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION THE SPEEDOMETER REMAINED LOCKED PAST 120 UNTIL I UNHOOKED AND RE-HOOKED THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE AT WHICH TIME IT RETURNED TO 0. SPEEDOMETER WORKED FOR ABOUT A MONTH THEN DID THE SAME THING, I SUBSEQUENTLY REPEATED THE BATTERY PROCEDURE UNTIL I TALKED TO MY LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER WHO WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT THE VEHICLE SAID THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE GAUGE CLUSTER AND THAT IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE BIG COUNTRY CHEVROLET IN HEMINGWAY, SC AND THEY RAN THE DIAGNOSTICS IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR $380. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET I FOUND THAT THIS A VERY PREVALENT COMPLAINT THAT CHEVROLET IS NOT ADDRESSING BUT IS CHARGING CONSUMERS $375-1000 TO CORRECT BUT IS NOT TAKING ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR INSTALLING A SUBSTANDARD SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER. I HAVE READ ALL ABOUT THE CLASS ACTION SUITS LAWYERS ARE ADVERTISING BUT I AM NOT INTERESTED IN MAKING MONEY FOR LAWYERS. I AM A RETIRED POLICE OFFICER AND PAID, WHAT I BELIEVED, IS A LOT OF MONEY FOR MY VEHICLE AND I'M NOT SURE WHO TO TURN TO OTHER THAN YOUR AGENCY. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS ANY ONGOING INVESTIGATION INTO THIS PROBLEM OR ANYTHING BEING DONE TO FORCE CHEVROLET INTO TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSE.*JB
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE SPARE TIRE RELEASE SYSTEM WAS DANGEROUS TO OPERATE, AS THE USERS BODY WAS PLACED INTO A POSITION THAT MAY CAUSE INJURY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. UPDATED 12/5/2006 - *NM
THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2004 CHEVY AVALANCHE DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. WHEN I AM GOING 25 MPH IT INDICATED 80 MPH. SOMETIMES WHEN I AM STOPPED THE SPEEDOMETER INDICATES 30 MPH. BASICALLY THE SPEEDO WORKS SOMETIMES, BUT I CANNOT RELY ON IT TO DRIVE SAFELY-AT ANY SPEED, BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW WHAT SPEED I AM ACTUALLY GOING. *NM
SPEEDOMETER FAILURE, DEALER WILL NOT REPLACE PART EVEN THOUGH IS CLEARLY A FACTORY PROBLEM ISSUE AS WELL AS A SAFETY ISSUE. *NM
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.