I drove to work & parked my 2007 avalanche in my employers truck garage as I do every day. I went into the office attended a job briefing & we put on our coveralls for work then we got ready to leave to go to the 1st jobsite but as soon as the 1st two coworkers walked out of the shop they turned around yelling that my truck was on fire. I didn't believe them at 1st because I had just parked like 15 minutes prior. Parked & not running. Well I looked and my whole engine compartment was full of flames. We used 4 fire extinguishers to put the fire out & the fire department arrived to finish. My vehicle was totalled & I only had liability insurance.
Chevrolet Avalanche fire or smoke problems
14 of the 1,966 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Avalanche describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 14
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical mileage
- 164,000
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20091
- 20083
- 20076
- 20031
- 20023
Often reported together
What owners say
My wife drove the truck to walmart to get a couple of items with her were my son in law and daughter. Once arriving there(approx. 3 mi) they noticed some smoke coming from under the hood. My son in law opened the hood to discover a fire, he then ran into walmart where an employee grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. After they got home I checked it out and the wiring harness that goes to the mass air flow sensor was completely melted. It was still in all th he factory tie downs and wasn't touching anything that could have chafed it or pinched the wires. The truck was on city street then in parking lot
Vehicle caught on fire, while parked in apartment parking lot, engine not running. Vehicle was parked for at least 30 minutes, before being notified that it was on fire.
Vehicle caught on fire and/or exploded while sitting in apartment parking lot. Vehicle was not running and had been sitting for at least 30 minutes to an 1hr. Was in bedroom, when notified by the fire dept. That the vehicle was on fire.
Takata inflators we were parked at a store when we were leaving we heard a big loud pop like an explosion or like someone hit us on the passenger side smoke came out of the hood on the passenger side , seat belts locked up very tight emergency lights went on and dash board announced 'service airbag' drove it home very carefully. The next day I had a friend come connect a diagnostic computer to see what's the problem it said airbag deployed that same day I called :[email protected] they called me back early the next morning they were able to tow it to chevrolette turlock auto mall to inspect it took them a week to even take a look at it finally my husband went in and now they are trying to say it's smthing completely different that the air bag is intact it even cracked the dash board on the side u can see the air bag compartment is lifted but it has to do with some seat belt sensor we are meeting tomorrow to see what they came up with but didn't sound good they were saying we had other problems like water leakage which we never had we have had the truck since 2011 never had a major problem with it we took good care of it and we want it fixed very disappointed in chevrolet they were willing to pay for car rental but wanted me to pay for insurance out if my pocket I've been borrowing my sisters car and I dnt think that was fair either
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet avalanche. The contact stated that while driving and towing an ultra light rv trailer at 65 MPH, the rear suspension seized. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the rear suspension. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the rear axle seals, rear bearings and gears needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred in less than 100 miles. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000. The VIN was not available.
I used my factory remote to unlock the truck the ignition sparked twice and then went on fire, for no reason it just started burning the entire steering column and all of what is around it burned up we used a pitcher of water to put the fire out, I contacted gm and was advised there was no recall for this. It can not be common for a car or truck to just ignite unlocking the doors we are grateful that I was not in the truck and just suffered burns to my hands trying to put the fire out if not my entire home would have been in flames.
Upon arrival at work and parking my chevrolet avalanche in the parking lot, I heard a couple of popping noises come from under the hood of the vehicle. I pulled the hood release lever and noticed flames emerging from the engine compartment. I called emergency services, but the vehicle was totally engulfed in flames before they could put the fire out. The vehicle was was a total loss.
The doors would not unlock after stopping & putting in park. I took it to the dealer & they replaced the actuator. It worked o.k. For a while & took it back & they replaced the actuator again. It continues to not unlock occasionally. I feel this could be a safety issue if the vehicle was involved in an accident or if vehicle were to catch on fire. I have looked on the internet regarding this problem and found several incidents on this topic but nothing from gm. I think gm should look into this problem and fix it before someone pays with their life. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Ipcw inprocarwear.com from california-USA. I purchased tail lights for my truck from this website, the lights started on fire and almost burned my truck down. I purchased a second set thinking the first where faulty and the second set also failed to work properly and have electrical arc marks inside. I am not the only complaint with this brand of lights on the internet. I noticed smoke and burning smell when I got home thank god I wasn't running to a grocery store and left kids in the truck when the first set of tail lights I purchased started on fire. How can this product be allowed when there are many complaints on the internet.
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
- Risk
- If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006 (Cadillac), 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), or 1‑800‑462‑8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.
Recall number 14V827000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.
- Risk
- It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 10V240000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 buick lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; my 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, saturn outlook; and my 2008 buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire.
- Risk
- This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080; cadillac at 1‑800‑982‑2339 or http://www.cadillac.com; chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 or http://www.saturn.com, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9436; or hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493; or through their website at http://www.gmownercenter.com .
Recall number 08V441000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Avalanche fire or smoke
Which Chevrolet Avalanche years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (6 complaints), 2002 (3 complaints) and 2008 (3 complaints).
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