All of a sudden while driving one day the service air bag light came on and stayed on. I was told that the air bag could deploy at any time and not work if we where in a crash. I called gm about the issue after looking on line and realizing my truck was not the only one experiencing this issue and was told they would not pay to fix it as there is no recall. The truck was never in an accident and has lower mileage then allowed. This is definitely and issue. It is supposedly a module under the front seat or wherever it is located, as some trucks it is different places. They should be required to pay for this issue.
2003 Chevrolet Avalanche airbags problems
14 complaints (7% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 78,000. 2 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 78,000
- crashes
- 2
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Side/window1
- Frontal: sensor/control module1
- Frontal1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Chevrolet Avalanche airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The service airbag light would come on intermittently. There would be a low thump thump sound emanating from the audio speakers. The lock door chimes stopped sounding.
The fix airbag warning light activated on drivers information panel. This warning means that the airbag will not deploy in an accident. Gm is fully aware that the 2003 airbag system has faulty wiring connectors on the driver's side foot panel but never recalled this vehicle to fix the problem. Instead, they published a tech bulletin explaining how to fix the faulty wiring. I contacted gm and they refused to repair the faulty airbag system wiring at their cost. Many consumers that own avalanche 2003 SUV ' s have complained about this safety problem but denied recovery from gm. Recall of all affected avalanche 2003 models should be mandated.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet avalanche. The contact was driving 30 MPH when the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic and the manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 107,000.
Air bag light keeps showing up every couple days then it disappears I believe gm is aware but will not fix.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet avalanche. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer because the air bag warning indicator was illuminated. After the vehicle was diagnosed, he was informed that the passenger side air bag was not working because the module was defective. There was also too much compression in the air bags, which caused the warning indicator to illuminate. The vehicle is no longer under warranty and the manufacturer would not assume responsibility for the repairs. They refuse to repair the vehicle for free and the contact believes it is due to a manufacturer defect; therefore, it should be repaired. The failure mileage was 78,000 and current mileage was 79,228. Updated 11/14/08 *cn updated 11/19/08.
Traveling at 55 MPH and rear-ended a towed vehicle without lights. Driver side airbag did not deploy.
The airbag warning light comes on intermittenly. Because this is related to one of the vehicles saftey features it seems like the tsb (050941001) for this issue should be a recall. Especially since the dealership refuses to fix this problem without a commitment from the owner to pay for a diagostic check and then fight them to pay.
This concerning my 2003 chevrolet avalanche with 47,987 miles. The "service airbag" stays on after ignition about 20% of the time. Additionally on trips of over 15 minutes it will come on during driving. Once the warning light comes on it stays on until the vehicle is turned off. Contacted the chevrolet assistance center and they explained that I would have to pay for a diagnostic work up before they would consider covering the costs on fixing the problem. They stated they were unaware of the problem, despite the owners of the vehicles being very aware of the problem. This is a serious problem with the safety features and should be addressed without question.
Dt: the contact stated while traveling at 60 MPH he struck a median head on and the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was totaled. Three people sustained injuries. A police report was taken. The manufacturer has not been contacted.
Questions about the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche airbags
Does the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the airbags of the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche, 7% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 78,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche airbags?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Chevrolet Avalanche have bad airbags?
The Chevrolet Avalanche model years with the most airbags complaints are 2007 (225 complaints), 2008 (132 complaints) and 2011 (55 complaints).
Other 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche problems
Brakes 81Electrical 42Transmission 14Acceleration 11Visibility 10Body 9Engine 8Steering 8Lights 7Suspension 7Tires 7Fuel system 5Seats 2Driver assistance 1Locks 1Seat belts 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history