2004 Chevrolet Avalanche

LETTER FROM CONGRESSMAN CARNEY ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT RE HIS CONCERNS ABOUT RUSTED BRAKE LINES IN GM VEHICLES. *NJ THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED BRAKE FAILURE DUE TO A METAL BRAKE LINE THAT HAD RUPTURED AND WAS RUSTED. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. FORTUNATELY, THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A SLOW AND SAFE STOP. AN INSPECTION REVEALED ALL THE BRAKE LINES UNDER THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WERE SEVERELY RUSTED AND WERE LEAKING BRAKING FLUID. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE BRAKE LINES TO THE FRONT BRAKES, THE MASTER CYLINDER, ABS CONTROL MODULE AS WELL AS THE REAR BACKING PLATES AND RIGHT REAR CALIPER THAT WERE SEVERELY RUSTED. *JB

TL*CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH THE BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE TRYING TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE INTO THE GRASS TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE C-CLIP WAS MISSING WHICH DISCONNECTED THE BRAKE SHAFT FROM THE PEDAL. THE C-CLIP HAS BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT IS AWARE OF THE SAFETY RISK SINCE THE BRAKE FAILURE COULD HAVE CAUSED A CRASH. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 53,000. UPDATED 10/06/09. *LJ UPDATD 10/08/09

WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY VEHICLE WAS REVVING UP, IMMEDIATELY EXITED FREEWAY AND FOUND TRANSMISSION WAS GONE, VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO IN REVERSE, DID DRIVE IN NEUTRAL. VEHICLE HAS ONLY 30K MILES. TOOK VEHICLE TO TRANSMISSION MECHANIC STATED THE CHEVY AVALANCHE AND DENALI ARE KNOWN FOR THIS, AND FEELS THIS IS A FACTORY DEFECT. HIS VEHICLE TOO WENT OUT AT 20K MILES. MY COUSIN TRANSMISSION TOO WENT OUT AT 50K MILES, WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DEALER REPAIR MY VEHICLE. HOW MANY MORE VEHICLES DOES THE NHTSA NEED TO COMPLAIN ABOUT SO THE MATTER CAN BE CORRECTED BY THE DEALER(S) OR MANUFACTURE. *TR

THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL SOUNDS LIKE IT IS BOUNCING, RATTLING AND LOOSE. THIS HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AS AN INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT NEEDING TO BE REPACKED AND THE STEERING GEAR BOX NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS PROBLEM HAS EXISTED SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. IT HAS BEEN REPAIRED TWICE UNDER WARRANTY. NOW THAT THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED, GM REFUSES TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. GM CLAIMS THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. HOWEVER, I AM CONCERNED THAT IT WILL BECOME ONE SINCE THIS IS A STEERING PROBLEM. IT IS CLEARLY A DESIGN DEFECT SINCE MANY OTHER AVALANCHE OWNERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUES. *TR

NO INJURIES. AIRBAG SYSTEM FLASHING ON AND OFF ON DASHBOARD DISPLAY INTERMITTENTLY. NO PARTICULAR PATTERN IN DRIVING CONDITIONS. TOOK TO DEALER AND PAID TO HAVE IT FIXED HOWEVER AFTER ABOUT 5 MONTHS IT STARTED AGAIN. BROUGHT IT IN A SECOND TIME AND AGAIN AFTER ABOUT 5 MONTHS STARTED AGAIN. DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS BAD WIRE AND REPLACED BUT WAS ALSO TOLD AIRBAGS WOULD NOT WORK IF IN A COLLISION. *TR

MY 2004 AVALANCHE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER READ COMPLETELY INACCURATE. EXAMPLE=SHOWS ME GOING 120MPH AND 3000M RPM WITH MOTOR OFF. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE USED FROM A CHEVY DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT HAD WARRANTY REMAINING. WHEN THE PROBLEM BEGAN LAST YEAR I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT WARRANTED. I LACKED THE MONEY FOR THE REPLACEMENT AND HAVE BEEN DRIVING IT BROKEN. NOW I AM FINDING OUT THROUGH OTHER AVALANCHE OWNERS THAT IT HAS BEEN BEING FIXED BY DEALERS AT NO CHARGE AS THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY PROBLEMS. I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. I KNOW MY VEHICLE NOW HAS 110,000 MILES, BUT I CAN DOCUMENT BY LAW ENFORCEMENT NOTES ON A TICKET I RECEIVED LAST YEAR THAT I HAD THE PROBLEM ABOUT 30,000 MILES AGO. I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE REPAIRED AT NO EXPENSE TO ME. THEY TOLD ME WHEN I CALLED THAT THEIR PARTS DEPT HAD A LONG WAITING LIST FOR THE REPLACEMENT PANEL SO YOU KNOW ?CHEVROLET KNEW THEY HAD A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. THANK YOU. I HOPE TO HEAR BACK FROM YOU. ALSO AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME MY ABS/BRAKE LIGHT STARTED COMING ON AFTER I DRIVE A FEW MILES. I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS AS COMMON OF A PROBLEM OR RELATED TO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL PROBLEM OR NOT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD DISPLAY INACCURATE READINGS AND FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF A NAVIGATION SYSTEM THAT WOULD READ THE TRAVELED SPEED AT 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE'S SPEEDOMETER WOULD DISPLAY OVER 100 MPH. IN ADDITION, THE FUEL GAUGE FAILED AND THE OIL GAUGE WOULD DISPLAY THAT THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE VEHICLE. MOST OF THE GAUGES AND COMPONENTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BECAME INOPERABLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE TOO MANY MILES ON THE VEHICLE TO ASSIST AND IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE REPAIR COST WAS ESTIMATED AT OVER $1,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS LESS THAN 130,000.

I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE SPEEDOMETER SHOWING INACCURATE SPEED ON MY 2004 CHEVY AVALANCHE. THE PROBLEM STARTED WHILE I WAS SLOWING FROM 55MPH TO 45 MPH DO TO A REDUCE SPEED AREA, THE VEHICLE SLOWED BUT THE SPEEDOMETER SAID AT 55MPH. IT STAYED AT 55MPH EVEN WHEN I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND RESTARTED, WHEN I PUT THE VEHICLE IN GEAR AND STARTED MOVING AGAIN THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO MOVE UP TO 60MPH WHEN I WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 10MPH. I SPED UP A LITTLE MORE AND THE SPEEDOMETER CLIMBED MORE. I SLOWED DOWN TO A STOP AND THIS TIME THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED AT 60MPH WHILE I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP. I TURNED AROUND TO GO BACK HOME AS I COULD NOT LEGALLY JUDGE MY SPEED AND AS I PROCEED TO TRAVEL AT MY BEST ESTIMATE 50-55 MPH THE SPEEDOMETER CLIMBED UP PAST 120MPH. WHEN I PARKED THE VEHICLE AT HOME THE SPEEDOMETER SHOWED 65 MPH. I OPENED THE HOOD, DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND LET IT SIT UNCONNECTED FOR APPROXIMATELY HOUR AND THEN RECONNECTED THE BATTERY. THIS DID NOT HELP, THE SPEEDOMETER STILL SHOWED 65MPH. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL CHEVY DEALER AND ASKED THEM ABOUT THE PROBLEM I WAS HAVING, THEY TOLD ME THAT SINCE I HAVE OVER 40,000 MILES ON MY VEHICLE THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY 400 DOLLARS FOR A NEW CLUSTER. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IT SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I CAN NOT DRIVE MY VEHICLE FOR FEAR OF INADVERTENTLY SPEEDING AND THUS GETTING ONE OF THOSE NICE DRIVER AWARDS FOR SPEEDING. PLEASE HELP RESOLVE THIS MATTER. *TR