The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS and oil warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the speedometer, the 4-wheel drive function, parking brake, and headlights failed to operate as needed. The instrument panel light failed to illuminate, the gear shifter did not display the selected gear, the sub-frame was corroded, and the wheel hub bearing assembly was fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.
Chevrolet Avalanche headlights problems
13 of the 1,966 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Avalanche describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 13
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical mileage
- 64,900
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
- 20101
- 20082
- 20061
- 20052
- 20041
- 20033
- 20023
Often reported together
What owners say
The top cap of the dash crack behind the instrument cluster and over by the passenger airbag and then the front part cracked near the light sensor for the headlights to come on
I have had 5 avalanches 3 07s 2 08s all have dash cracking issues the breaking dashes crack cause glare in drivers eyes noises that can take focus off the road every one I've owned it's happened gm used a proprolyene dash that gets brittle when introduced to heat. This is known by gm as a defect but u guys have not enforced them to fix it's a extremely expensive fix labor is high and I'm 5 for 5 on cracking dashes. 3 have cracked so bad that when the sun hit them they throw glare toward my eyes. It needs to be addressed this is crappy. Just like gm and the crappy cadillac srx headlights they know it's a defect then fix it
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet avalanche. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the instrument panel failed. In addition, the driver side headlight failed. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the instrument panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Commuting to work approximately 3 miles away from home, traveling in the dark at 7 am, I flipped my high beam headlights on and suddenly all electrical function went out of the automobile (no headlights or electrical instrumentation). This lasted for approximately 1 to 2 seconds and suddenly and all electrical functions was restored. Things after that seemed ok, but about 6 miles down the road the engine "service stabilizer control light appears" . I traveled another 11 miles to plainville, and when I arrived the "stabilizer control light went out. I took the vehicle to a mechanic them to evaluate it. After several hours and two diagnostic tests all electrical function reflect normal. The problem could not be isolated or duplicated. I contact general motors yesterday, to report the serious safety defect and how critical this is and I could have been injured or killed at that speed driving in the dark. I also asked them if they have had similar reportings of this occurrence and received a mixed response. There response was bureaucratic, take it to a chevrolet dealership. I said no. I am not paying another $150.00 tell me we cannot find a problem. I kept stressing there is a problem "vehicles suddenly do not just dropped off all electrical power and function and magically just come back on". This is not normal for any vehicle to happen. I also informed them as a courtesy I would speak to them (general motors) first before I contact this agency. I also tried to emphasize to them, people should have a direct line of communication to the corporation to report safety and life threatening issues directly. The nature of the response is basically we don't do anything unless we receive information from gm service departments.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet avalanche. The contact stated that the headlights failed to operate properly. The contact personally diagnosed the vehicle and found that the automatic headlight control switch had failed. The vehicle was repaired by the contact. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 24,862. Updated 12/26/13*lj the consumer stated what he saw inside the switch, was old burnt clear plastic melted down, half of the switch was working and the other half was malfunctioning. The defective switch was draining the battery. Updated 12/31/13
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet avalanche. The contact stated that the high beam headlights could not be activated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was notified and advised the contact that there were no recalls for the vehicle. The failure mileage was 150,000. Updated 03/15/13*lj the consumer stated the emergency and hazard lights were inoperative. The repair shop stated the multi-function switch connector was the problem. Updated 03/20/13
Dt*: the contact stated while driving around a curve the vehicle slid off the road and through gravel into a metal telephone pole and a tree. Upon impact, both frontal airbags and the side curtain airbags failed to deploy. The contact sustained neck and shoulder injuries along with bruises and pain. The passenger sustained minor injuries. Both occupants were wearing seat belts. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop which determined the vehicle was a total loss by visual inspection. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle has not been inspected by a service dealer or the insurance company. This was the second failure of the air bags. The contact hit a deer at 65 MPH at an earlier date, and all the air bags failed to deploy. The driver was wearing a seat belt and sustained no injuries during the accident. The vehicle received damage to the grill, headlights and front bumper. The vehicle was repaired by a dealer and returned to service. There were no warning indicator prior to the air bag failure in either accident. *ak updated 01/25/06.
2005 chevrolet avalanche headlight was loose and fell out while washing the vehicle. When driving the drive train makes a clanking noise. ***no answer required*** *ts after a thunderstorm, the next morning, the consumer found that water had saturated in the tailgate area.
Dt: the rear window was reflective as if it was a mirror. When headlights were on the back window, it reflected forward into the consumer's view. This happened not only when backing out but also when driving. The window surface was very reflective. This was evident in day or night. Had not contacted dealer/ manufacturer. *ak
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Chevrolet Avalanche headlights
Which Chevrolet Avalanche years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (3 complaints), 2003 (3 complaints) and 2005 (2 complaints).
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