At approx 47000 mi traveling at 65mph a heavy thud in the engine compartment that sounded like the whole engine block had dropped out, was able to coast off road to a vacant lot. Transmission toast with damage to ring and pinion gears,never towed anything, city driving to work and home mostly.(47k) miles. Really? 3500$ repair. Next speedometer failure at about 53k miles, im either going 0mph or 120mph. Also have lost alot of backlighting on my dashboard instrumentation along with cd player. Seems the cd player cannot eject a non existent cd, just makes clicking noise and says check disc. Now at 59k miles im experiencing the popping front end sound when turning sharply in reverse, possibly suspension or a-arm related have not looked into yet.
Chevrolet Avalanche steering noise problems
12 of the 1,966 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Avalanche describe clunking or noise when steering, most of them for the 2004 model year.
- owner complaints
- 12
- worst model year
- 2004
- typical mileage
- 54,000
By model year
- 20052
- 20044
- 20033
- 20023
Often reported together
Wipers 1Harsh shifting 1Grinding brakes 1No deployment 1Airbag light 1
What owners say
2004 chevrolet avalanche intermediate steering shaft is bad. Makes a knocking noise like it's loose.
My 2004 avalanche started making knocking sounds when turning corners - took it to the dealer and $700 later and a new steering yoke the knock was squelched (not gone) and the speedometer coincidentally started moving like a second-hand on a watch (jerky) - took it to the dealer and they want $525 for a new cluster that they say is not common - looking on the web, I found this to be a very common problem with avalanches and the waiting list can be in the hundreds before me - if this is so common, why isn't there a recall and why does the dealer deny the number of occurrences?
The vehicle (2003) chevrolet avalanche has a very noticeable popping sound when steering at low speeds. The popping sound is still present despite having the local dealership attempting to repair it about five times. I've been informed by the dealership that the sound is in the steering box area and is a defect with it and that gm is investigating. I'm not sure if this is a safety issue, but if it concerns the steering box, I am concerning about an (possible)eventual steering failure.
Popping noise when turning coming from under cab at drivers feet and passengers feet. Transmission cross member bolt holes in frame have stretched horizontally and allow crossmember to shift side to side. Also front body mounts pop when turning causing stress on front mount bolts. ** chevrolet said this is normal and the only patch they have for the popping at the transmission mount is to put washers both sides and the same patch for the body mounts.** note pictures are available of the stretched out holes.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 20-35 MPH, the vehicle violently vibrated. Total control was lost of the vehicle causing the vehicle to veer into the other lane resulting in the vehicle hitting the side of a mountain. The air bags did not deploy. Prior to this incident, popping noises were heard while turning the steering wheel to the left and right going forward and in reverse. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where the dealership determined the passenger side tie rod was broken. There was damage done to the vehicle. There was not a police report filed.
Dt*: the contact stated while turning left the steering wheel makes a popping noise. This occurred on normal roads during normal steering without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealership for inspection. Upon inspection, the dealership replaced the front suspension, but the problem still exists. The manufacturer has not been notified.
Dt: contact stated while sitting at a stop sign and then when he pulled out there was no power steering. There was no noise, there was no indication that anything was wrong. He took vehicle to the dealer and the said that the power steering pump shaft sheared off inside of the pump. This happened about 8-12-05.
I own a 2002 chev. Avalanche, there are problems with the tailgate hinges, and locks, the starps( recall) have been replace. There is a problem with the steering box, makes a thumping noise that can be felt through the steering wheel. My complaint is that people that have same problems with less than 50k miles are having the steering, and locks/hinges repair for free, and I'm being told that because my vehicle has 80k miles I have to pay for these repairs, and if a recall is established they will re-emburse me. If it is dangerous at 50k miles why is not dangerous at 8ok miles.
Windsheld wipers will not respond to switch. I've been told by gm service managers that gm got a batch of bad motors. I've tried the 800‑222‑1020 number and was told tough out of warrenty. My steering column has a clicking vibreating noise and feel when turning. I'm told again by the service mgrs. That a number of gm products have the same problem but it is not a safety issue."it's a lubercation problum causing the noise and again tough. The wiper motor costs $325.00 and the steering column another $300.00. My car is 2 years old with 93000 mi. The spark plugs are suppost to last 100,000. Why is every thing else falling apart? I was told they would send me a loyal customer discount for a new gm no way. I'll buy a toyota tundra next time if I can't get some restitution from gm.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Chevrolet Avalanche steering noise
Which Chevrolet Avalanche years have clunking or noise when steering problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2004 (4 complaints), 2002 (3 complaints) and 2003 (3 complaints).
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