It started with the airbag light, but nobody will own up to fixing it, as we moved from pa to fl. Then the brake lines went, all of them, now with the airbag issue the pcm is sending all kinds of stupid codes like the airbag issue is affecting the whole electrical system in the truck. *Tr
Engine & cooling
2003 Chevrolet Avalanche Engine problems
Owners have filed 15 complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 4% of all its complaints, most recently on January 27, 2015. They describe 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
- Complaints
- 15
- Recalls
- 0
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Engine complaints
Engine light and reduce engine power and start loosing speed. After turned off for a few minutes work fine. This year in an hour ride have to stop at least 20 times. Computer codes stated need to change throttle body. Last week I change it and again the same problem. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet avalanche 1500. The contact stated that the low coolant level warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cylinder heads were fractured and allowing coolant to inadvertently enter the engine. As a result, the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000 and the current mileage was 129,000. Updated 05/28/14 ma updated 06/4/2014 *js
For the last year or so my 2003 chevy avalanche has had an intermittent problem of throttling down when I hit about 60 mph. The error words pop up of "reduced engine power" and I have to pull over (after negotiating highway traffic to get to shoulder with no power) and turn engine off and let it sit for a few minutes before starting it. Sometimes it does it multiple times in the first hour of driving. Seems to do it more when the weather is colder than when hot. *Tr
Rattle form the a/c belt tension-er when accelerating. Have changed multiple new tension-ers and there is still the rattle from the belt tensioner. I have found a tsb on the a/c compressor that leads to the issue. *Tr
Driving at speeds of 60 the truck will just shut down. The truck engine light comes on and it reads reduce engine power. I have no gas, no brake, very little steering. Chevy dealer says it's the truck going into limp mode. Is limp mode a real thing? I googled it..But couldn't find anything on it. I tried to look up recalls on 2003 chevy avalanches but couldn't find any of those either. There have got to be more people out there experiencing this problem. Help!!!! I have 2 small children and don't want them hurt in the vehicle. *Tr
First of all my vehicle is a 2003 chevy. Avalanche, well maintained and only has 62,000 miles. To get started, I was driving down the street when I heard this banging noise, so I pulled into the nearest gmc dealership. They checked the engine out and found out there was absolutely no fluid going into the engine. We were told we needed a new engine so I authorized them to put a new one in. The service manager and a couple of tech's looked at the engine and agreed it was a defect. I contacted gmc...
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immediately because the dealership told me they have a goodwill policy and they felt they should pay something towards the engine. Customer service insisted that I put the engine put back in and have it owed to a chevy dealer. I asked them what the difference was between gmc and a chevy dealer and they could not respond to me. I did not have the vehicle removed because of the cost all I was asking was for them to have a rep. Go to the dealership and look at the engine but they said no. By this time I was very frustrated and angry. I called gmc executive office and spoke to another girl and she assured me she would help me. Well low and behold she said "i didn't bring my vehicle to a chevy dealer therefore they will not help me out financially. . All I want is some financial help from gmc as $6,000.00 Is alot of money and I am on a fixed income, ss only. I had to pay the bill of $6,000 plus $125.00 For a rental on various charges because I didn't have the cash. It would be greatly appreciated if you could advise me on how to proceed. I sent a certified letter to the president of gmc and he won't even pick up the letter from the post office. I wrote a letter to the detroit press and have heard nothing also. The dealership that repaired my truck also covers the warranties and repairs chevorlet vehicle. So why should I have to tow my vehicle out of there? *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 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...
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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
My fiance and I bought a 2003 chevy impala in nov of 2006 with only 40,000 miles. In july of 2007, the car was started and shut off by itself a few minutes later. It would then not start. We first had it towed to a local shop that informed us that the upper intake manifold had cracked. It leaked antifreeze into the cylinders, the spark plugs and other parts of the engine and the cost for repair would be 1400.00. We had the car towed to a 2nd shop for a 2nd opinion. They told us that the antifreeze that leaked had...
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totally locked up the engine and we needed a whole new one. That was going to cost us at least 2,000 for a used one. We than decided that a 4 year old car with 60k miles on it should not be in need of a new engine so we again had it towed to a chevrolet dealer repair shop. They told us the same thing. The car was officially in need of a whole new engine. We contacted chevrolet's customer care dept and they are so far unwilling to help. We've only had the car 8-9 months and are continuing to make payments on the loan. Per the dealer, the used engine will cost us 3000.00 And a new one will cost is 5050.00. *Jb
I have a 2003 chevy avalanche z71 with 59000 miles. I noticed my vehicle being very sluggish the day before. When I left for work, I could barely get up to 50 mph, in order for me to stay at 50 mph I would have to reach 3000 rpm. After I turned down a side road, I could only get up to 20 mph at 3000 rpm. I pulled over and called for help. I took it to a chevy dealership. They found the intake gasket was bad which caused the converters to fail and clog up the y pipe. It's hard to believe this happened with only...
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59000 miles. I take great care of my avalanche. I've read on forums where there is a lot of people that is having the same problem with the same type of truck and year. The dealership replaced the gasket, both converters, y-pipe and the o2 sensors. *Jb
Pick a problem. Pin from transmission gears were too short from the manufacturer, causing the transmission to not shift properly. This repair was done at 8000 miles. 4 Quarts. Low on oil within month of changing. No leaks and no explanation from the dealer as to where the oil went. A/c functioned improperly after truck surged at traffic light. Still no explanation. Remote entry works when it wants to. Interior lights pulse when truck idiling. Heater motor functions according to speed of vehicle, slow when braking...
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and speeds up when accelerating. Drivers power window stopped functioning and started working the evening before taking it to the dealership for repair. Popping noise from exhaust just after starting and shutting off. From inside the vehicle while running I continuously hear cooling fluids flowing. Sometimes the horn does not function while the vehicle is turned off. Braking has always been a problem from day one. Always feels as there isn't enough brake pressure to stop in a normal distance. Along with the remote entry not working the personal presets for driver 1 most of the time do not operate with the remote entry. I have to select driver 1 from the interior to engage settings. Bed plastics are fading. Buttons for radio on the steering wheel and radio are flaking. *Ak
Engine uses 1 qt per 2k miles of engine oil, according to dealer this is acceptable, but if not noticed or checked it could lead to engine failure. I would have not bought the truck if it said "engine burns oil". *Nm
The muffler on my 2003 chevrolet silverado needs its second muffler in as many years. It appears the baffle is becoming loose due to insufficient welds within the muffler. This is causing a vibration a various rpm/speeds.*Ak
On december 12, 2003 vehicle stalled in the middle of an intersection, resulting in a crash that could have been fatal. Consumer stated, this vehicle had been seven to eight times at dealer with engine and transmission problems. Dealer could not duplicate or correct the problem.*Ak
Shortly after refueling the vehicle the consumer smelled a fuel odor. He stopped the vehicle and as he pulled the hood release he saw flames shooting up onto the windshield. A police officer nearby attempted to put the fire out using a fire extinguisher. A second police officer arrived and emptied his fire extinguisher before the fire was put out. The engine compartment was completely burned out. The vehicle was totaled. The cause of the fire is unknown. *Nlm
Chevrolet Avalanche engine complaints by year
Avalanche engine problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data