Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Service brakes51
- Electrical system42
- Service brakes, hydraulic27
- Power train14
- Air bags14
- Vehicle speed control11
- Visibility10
- Structure9
- Steering8
- Suspension7
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 7 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 73 2003 Avalanche vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 50 people died inside them, and 25 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche failed the safety check 1.85% of the time — 12% less often than the average 2003 passenger car (2.11%). Median odometer at inspection: 172,104 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In New Zealand
1 2003 cars are on the New Zealand register; 100% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls in Canada
6 Transport Canada recalls for the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche.
| 2011074 21 Feb 2011 | Heater And Defroster On certain vehicles, the interface between the electrical terminals of the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) blower relay resistor module and th… |
| 2005119 25 Apr 2005 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, the 2nd row centre occupant seat belt routing may make it difficult to position the lap portion of the safety belt low around the hips of o… |
| 2004102 18 Mar 2004 | Other On certain vehicles, the galvanized-braided-steel tailgate support cables used to support the tailgate in the full open (horizontal) position can corrode over t… |
| 2004037 29 Jan 2004 | Brakes On certain vehicles, the relief valve o-ring seal within the brake hydro-boost module could fail. If this happens during braking applications, the driver may b… |
| 2003063 17 Mar 2003 | Label On certain vehicles, the following statements were omitted from the SIR caution label: "Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front" for the vehicles withou… |
| 2003019 28 Jan 2003 | Fuel System On certain 2500 series vehicles, a tear could develop in the mid-frame cross member at its attachment to the left frame rail during a 30 degree left angle front… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN CREW CAB PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE 2ND ROW CENTER OCCUPANT SEAT BELT ROUTING MAY MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO POSITION THE LAP PORTION OF THE SAFETY BELT LOW AROUND THE HIPS OF OCCUPANTS, ESPECIALLY SMALLER OCCUPANTS, SEATED IN THIS POSITION. APPROPRIATE USE OF A CHILD SEAT OR BOOSTER SEAT, AS RECOMMENDED FOR SMALL CHILDREN, DOES IMPROVE THE FIT CONDITION FOR THIS USER GROUP. IN ADDITION TO INSTRUCTIONS ON PROPER INFANT AND YOUNG CHILD RESTRAINT (WITH CHILD SEATS OR BOOSTERS), SPECIAL VERBIAGE FOR RESTRAINING OLDER CHILD IS INCLUDED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL. ALSO, THE SUGGESTED SEAT BELT FIT/ROUTING FOR ADULTS, IRRESPECTIVE OF SEATING POSITION, IS DESCRIBED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL TEXT.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE GALVANIZED STEEL TAILGATE SUPPORT CABLES THAT RETAIN THE TAILGATE IN THE FULL OPEN (HORIZONTAL) POSITION MAY CORRODE, WEAKEN, AND EVENTUALLY FRACTURE. IF BOTH CABLES FRACTURED, THE TAILGATE WOULD SUDDENLY DROP AND STRIKE THE TOP SURFACE OF THE REAR BUMPER.
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND PASSENGER VANS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 135, ?PASSENGER CAR BRAKE SYSTEMS.? SOME OF THESE VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH AN OUT-OF-SPECIFICATION BRAKE HYDRO-BOOST HOUSING RELIEF VALVE BORE.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, VEHICLES, DURING A 30 DEGREE LEFT ANGLE FRONTAL IMPACT OF SUFFICIENT SEVERITY, A TEAR COULD DEVELOP IN THE MID-FRAME CROSS MEMBER AT ITS ATTACHMENT TO THE LEFT FRAME RAIL. IF THE MID-FRAME CROSS MEMBER TEARS DURING FRONTAL IMPACT AND PRODUCES A SHARP EDGE, CONTACT OF THE SHARP EDGE WITH THE FUEL TANK COULD RESULT IN A PUNCTURE OF THE FUEL TANK AND POSSIBLE FUEL LEAKAGE.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Chevrolet told its dealers about the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 634999 | DIAGNOSIS OF CRACKED OR BROKEN TRANSMISSION CASE. *TT 2006 AND PRIOR CARS AND LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS. *TT |
| 634821 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE MANUAL LOCK LEVER COMES LOOSE FROM THE DOOR TRIM PANEL. *TT |
| 10115143 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about gasoline powered cars, mid-size trucks, light duty trucks, and heavy duty trucks with premature catalytic converter failures. It is recommended to inspect for a poor crimp on the grounds ring terminal at the engine block for the bank with the concern and repair the wire. |
| 10114474 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about connectivity concerns when connecting an Apple device via USB cord. Technician should insure the customer is using an original equipment manufacturer Apple USB cable. |
| 10114470 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicle that may have an OnStar system that has progression tones when pressing the blue or red button. Technician will need to call General Motors Technical Assistance Center with the scan tool data from the OnStar system. |
| 10114431 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have an issue when using Bluetooth voice recognition with an iPhone. Technician should work with the customer to insure the phone contacts to not have any Emojis loaded to any contact. |
| 10114408 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that are travelling from Canada to the United States. While in the United States they are unable to receive Turn-by-Turn directions. Due to the existing cellular provider not having roaming agreements in areas outside of Canada to support transmitting of the packet data required for Turn-By-Turn feature to operate. The customer has 3 options while traveling through the United Sates. First if the vehicle is equipped with a navigation radio they can request a "Destination Download" to the vehicle. Se |
| 10114352 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized, tested and designed for the vehicle in question and its applications. Technician should not use the information that is provided by the antilock braking system tire size selection. |
| 10114343 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician the steps needed to diagnose and repair the vehicles that may have unwanted or phantom phone calls. Technician will need to determine what type of call the customer is having that is unwanted. The vehicle may receive an incoming call just like any other phone. Typically the customer will hear the phone ringing in the vehicle. This scenario also includes incoming Bluetooth calls. One type of unwanted call can be made if the key pad is faulty the OnStar system will try to make a blue button call for shorted voltage |
| 10114342 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicle that may have an OnStar system that has progression tones when pressing the blue or red button. Technician will need to call General Motors Technical Assistance Center with the scan tool data from the OnStar system. |
| 10114299 | This informational bulletin provides a quick guide to updating which model vehicle after replacing the IPC. |
| 10113892 | This Preliminary Information communication advises the technician that if OnStar is unable to configure the vehicle after the OnStar 15-08-44-001 upgrade and Onstar receives a 118 error code when attempting to configure the vehicle. Dealers should receive a sheet with the kit that provides steps to assist with handling this error. Dealer will follow one of the listed steps to resolve the issue. If there are still configuration issues, please contact the OnStar Technical Assistance Centre for assistance. |
| 10113843 | This warranty administration bulletin provides information on the Clarification of Use for Dealer Empowerment Labor Operations and Customer Enthusiasm |
| 10113837 | This informational bulletin provides a list off all the issues revolving around new vehicles for a one stop place to find growing concerns around them. |
| 10113787 | This informational bulletin provides information to advise dealers about seat belt buckles not operating and/or seat belt warning light illumination, as well as difficulty latching and unlatching the buckle or the buckle release button sticking. |
| 10113722 | This informational bulletin provides information on communication with OnStar module after Canadian cellular upgrade. |
| 10113720 | This informational bulletin provides information on a GM of Canada OnStar cellular communication upgrade. |
| 10113664 | This informational bulletin provides technicians with information regarding automatic transmission oil cooler flow test essential tool J-45096 TransFlow. |
| 10113662 | This informational bulletin provides dealership personnel with information on flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) and the usage of E85 fuel in GM vehicles. |
| 10113654 | This informational bulletin provides information on a GM of Canada OnStar cellular communication upgrade. |
| 10113652 | This informational bulletin provides information on a GM of Canada OnStar cellular communication upgrade. |
| 10113483 | This warranty administration bulletin provide policy information new tire warranty program and global warranty management submission information. |
| 10112697 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have a Service Engine Soon Malfunction Indicator Lamp on, engine misfire, and/or engine noise. Technician may find Diagnostic Trouble Codes P0300-P0308. If published Service Information diagnostics does not isolate the cause of this concern technician should check for a worn camshaft lobe and/or lifter roller, a sticking valve, valve leakage, a broken valve spring, and a collapsed active fuel management lifter. |
| 10112681 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have a planetary gear whine noise in first and second gear. Technician should compare the noise to a like vehicle. Technician will need to check the build date of the transmission, if it was built after 09/01/2003 and it is determined that a vehicle has an abnormal amount of noise, perform the rear unit end play check. Technician will replace the output planetary gear set if end play is out of specification. The transmission assembly will need to be replaced if the end play is with in spec |
| 10112655 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized, tested and designed for the vehicle in question and its applications. Technician should not use the information that is provided by the antilock braking system tire size selection. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Brake line corrosion failure
PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
HYDRAULIC PUMP FAILRES
TAILGATE CABLE BREAKAGE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation