Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
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
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
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
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 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 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
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
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .