NHTSA recalls & complaints · 2002–2013

Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 recalls, complaints and VIN decoding

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns and 897 owner complaints for the Chevrolet Avalanche 1500, covering model years 2002 to 2013. The 2003 model year drew the most complaints (182), and Electrical System is the component owners name most often.

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint flat files, updated September 25, 2026.

Decode your Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 VIN

See the model year, plant and build details of one vehicle, then the recalls for its exact year.

5 recall campaigns on file
897 owner complaints (unverified reports to NHTSA)
12 model years with data (2002–2013)

most complaints: 2003 (182 for that model year)
top component: Electrical System (226 complaints)
latest recall 13V001000 (reported Jan 2, 2013)

40 complaints reporting a crash (4.5%)
13 complaints reporting a fire (1.4%)
30 complaints reporting an injury (3.3%)
1 complaint reporting a death (0.1%)

Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 complaints by model year

12 model years · NHTSA complaints

The 2003 model year has the most complaints: 182 of 897, or 20.3%. Next come 2002 (154) and 2004 (144). The fewest are for 2010, with 6 complaints.

Owner complaints per model yearHighest yearOther years

Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death

Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death
Model year	Complaints	Reporting a crash	Reporting a fire	Reporting an injury	Reporting a death
2002	154	15	1	10	1
2003	182	5	3	2	0
2004	144	7	0	6	0
2005	129	1	4	1	0
2006	39	4	2	2	0
2007	113	5	3	7	0
2008	37	1	0	2	0
2009	20	0	0	0	0
2010	6	0	0	0	0
2011	28	1	0	0	0
2012	16	0	0	0	0
2013	29	1	0	0	0
All model years	897	40	13	30	1

Crash, fire, injury and death columns count complaints that report at least one of them, not people.

Most-reported Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 components

top 15 · NHTSA categories

Electrical System is the component named most often, in 226 complaints (25.2% of all 897), followed by Air Bags (147) and Service Brakes (127).

Components named most often in Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 complaints (top 15)

Components named most often in Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 complaints (top 15)
Component	Complaints	Share of complaints
Electrical System	226	25.2%
Air Bags	147	16.4%
Service Brakes	127	14.2%
Unknown or Other	93	10.4%
Structure	71	7.9%
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	69	7.7%
Power Train	62	6.9%
Steering	43	4.8%
Vehicle Speed Control	30	3.3%
Engine	27	3.0%
Tires	26	2.9%
Fuel/Propulsion System	21	2.3%
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)	19	2.1%
Visibility	19	2.1%
Fuel System, Gasoline	18	2.0%

One complaint can name several components, so the shares add up to more than 100%. Component names are NHTSA’s top-level categories.

What NHTSA owner complaints mean

These figures count complaints that vehicle owners and other members of the public have submitted to NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. NHTSA uses complaints, together with other data, to spot safety issues that may warrant an investigation and to check whether existing recalls go far enough.

They are reports, not findings. Each complaint is the submitter's own account. Its presence in the database does not mean NHTSA has confirmed a defect.
Counts are not defect rates. The data doesn't say how many vehicles were sold, so a raw count can't tell you what share of vehicles had a problem.
Popular models collect more complaints. A model sold in large numbers will usually gather more complaints than a rare one, simply because more people own it.
One complaint can name several components. Totals by component can therefore add up to more than the number of complaints.
Coverage starts in 1995. NHTSA's complaint file contains complaints received since January 1, 1995.

Use complaint patterns as a prompt for questions: whether a recall covers the issue, whether the vehicle you are considering has had the fix, and what a mechanic finds on inspection. For confirmed safety defects, see the recall list for this model.

Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 recalls

5 campaigns · newest first

Every vehicle recall campaign NHTSA lists under the model name Avalanche 1500, newest first. The 5 campaigns cover model years 2005 to 2013. The 2011 model year appears in the most campaigns (2).

5 recall campaigns

Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 recall campaigns covering each model year
Decade	Years ending in 0	Years ending in 1	Years ending in 2	Years ending in 3	Years ending in 4	Years ending in 5	Years ending in 6	Years ending in 7	Years ending in 8	Years ending in 9
2000s						2005: 1 campaign	2006: 1 campaign	2007: 1 campaign	2008: no campaigns	2009: no campaigns
2010s	2010: no campaigns	2011: 2 campaigns	2012: no campaigns	2013: 1 campaign

Highlighted: the model year with the most campaigns.

NHTSA campaign 13V001000
Reported Jan 2, 2013
Power Train › Automatic Transmission; Steering › Column Locking › Anti-Theft Device
Model year 2013
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Express, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, and Tahoe; and GMC Savana, Sierra HD, Sierra LD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles, manufactured between November 7, 2012, through December 18, 2012, for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect", and FMVSS No. 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention." The vehicles may have been built with a fractured park lock cable or a malformed steering column lock actuator gear in the lock module assembly.
Consequence:
As a result, the vehicle may shift from Park with the ignition key removed or the ignition key in the OFF position. The vehicle may also shift out of Park without application of the brake pedal while the key is off. Either of these scenarios may cause the vehicle to roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible vehicle crash and/or injury.
Remedy:
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the affected vehicles and replace the steering column as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 21, 2013. Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463.
Filed by General Motors, LLC
NHTSA campaign 11V007000
Reported Jan 6, 2011
Suspension › Rear › Axle › Spindle
Model year 2011
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2011 Cadillac Escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; Chevrolet Avalanche, Colorado, express, silverado, suburban, tahoe; and GMC Canyon, sierra, savana, yukon and yukon XL vehicles. The rear axle cross pins were not properly heat treated and could fracture and become displaced within the rear axle. Should the pin shift out of position, it could create an interference condition and cause the rear axle to lock.
Consequence:
The driver may not be able to maintain directional control of the vehicle and a crash could occur without warning.
Remedy:
Dealers will install a new rear axle cross pin free of charge. The safety recall began on January 11, 2011. Owners may contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463 and at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Filed by General Motors, LLC
NHTSA campaign 10V643000
Reported Dec 17, 2010
Suspension › Rear › Axle › Spindle
Model year 2011
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, silverado LD and GMC Sierra LD vehicles. The rear axle cross pins were not properly heat treated and could fracture and become displaced within the rear axle. Should the pin shift out of position, it could create an interference condition and cause the rear axle to lock.
Consequence:
The driver may not be able to maintain directional control of the vehicle and a crash could occur without warning.
Remedy:
Dealers will install a new rear axle cross pin free of charge. The safety recall began on January 11, 2011. Owners may contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463 and at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Filed by General Motors, LLC
NHTSA campaign 06V307000
Reported Aug 11, 2006
Wheels › Rim
Model year 2007
Certain sport utility vehicles and trucks fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110, "tire selection and rims." These vehicles have an incomplete tire rim designation on the certification/tire label located on the driver's door edge. In addition, the label may also be missing the tire load rating on the label. Although this information is not required by the standard, if a tire of a lesser load rating is installed, the tire may not be able to sustain the loads encountered during use.
Consequence:
If a customer replaces a wheel and only relies on the rim size designation that is indicated on the label, a wheel that is of a different rim contour designation may be installed. It may be difficult or impossible to mount the tire on a wheel with the wrong contour. If the tire is mounted on the wheel with the wrong contour, the wheel and tire may not perform as intended, which could increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
A label that will correct the label originally installed will be mailed to consumers along with installation instructions. The customer will have the option for dealers to install the label. The recall begaon on November 7, 2006. Owners should contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2239, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, and GMC trucks at 1-866-996-9463.
Filed by General Motors, LLC
NHTSA campaign 06V289000
Reported Aug 3, 2006
Engine and Engine Cooling
Model years 2005–2006
On certain trucks equipped with an 8.1L V8 (rpo L8-VIN g) engine have a condition in which the engine fuel rail pulse damper retainer clip may fracture resulting in inadequate retention of the damper.
Consequence:
If the damper comes loose, a fuel leak may result. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Remedy:
Dealers will replace the engine fuel rail pulse damper retainer clip free of charge. The recall began on August 31, 2006. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and GMC trucks at 1-866-996-9463.
Filed by General Motors, LLC

Recall text is shown as NHTSA publishes it; older campaigns, which NHTSA stores in capital letters, are shown in sentence case. NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline, 1-888-327-4236, also answers recall questions.

How to read this recall list

This list shows every safety recall campaign NHTSA has on file for this make, model and model year. It is not specific to one vehicle: a recall often covers only vehicles built in a certain date range or with a certain part, and many of the vehicles it covers will already have been repaired.

What each recall field means

What each recall field means
Field	What it tells you
Campaign number	NHTSA's unique ID for the recall, such as 20V771000. Quote it to a dealer or when searching NHTSA's site.
Component	The system or part involved, for example air bags, brakes or electrical software.
Summary	What the defect or non-compliance is and which vehicles are covered.
Consequence	The safety risk if the problem isn't fixed.
Remedy	What the manufacturer will do, such as a repair, replacement or software update, and whether it is free.

Some recalls carry an NHTSA consumer advisory, “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside”. Follow it until the repair is done.
A single campaign often covers several models or model years, so the same campaign number can appear in more than one list.
Recalls are shown as NHTSA publishes them. Very recent campaigns may take time to appear.

Does your vehicle have an open recall? Only a VIN check can tell you. Enter the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or on the manufacturer's website. Our VIN recall check guide explains what each option covers.

Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 questions

5 questions

How many recalls does the Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 have?

NHTSA lists 5 vehicle recall campaigns for the Chevrolet Avalanche 1500, covering model years 2002 to 2013. The most recent, 13V001000, was reported on January 2, 2013 and is filed under “Power train”. The 2011 model year is covered by the most campaigns (2).

Which Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 model year has the most complaints?

The 2003 model year, with 182 of the 897 complaints in NHTSA’s file (20.3%). The next are 2002 (154) and 2004 (144). Complaint counts also reflect how many vehicles of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road, so they are not a reliability ranking.

What is the most common Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 complaint?

Electrical System is the component named most often: 226 complaints, or 25.2% of all 897. Air Bags (147) and Service Brakes (127) follow. Complaints are unverified reports from owners, not confirmed defects, and one complaint can name several components.

Does every recall on this page apply to my Chevrolet Avalanche 1500?

Not necessarily. Each campaign lists specific model years, and many cover only vehicles built in a certain period or fitted with a certain part; repairs already carried out aren’t shown. To see whether a recall is open on your vehicle, enter its VIN at NHTSA’s recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or ask a Chevrolet dealer.

How many Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 complaints report a crash, fire, injury or death?

Of the 897 complaints, 40 report a crash, 13 a fire, 30 at least one injury and 1 at least one death. These figures count complaints, not people, and each complaint is the submitter’s own unverified account.

8 models · most complaints first

The Chevrolet models with the most NHTSA complaints, and the Chevrolet VIN decoder with every Chevrolet model page, WMI code and VIN note.

Chevrolet Malibu 1997–2025 · 53 recalls · 19,326 complaints
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 1995–2026 · 54 recalls · 17,953 complaints
Chevrolet Impala 1995–2020 · 31 recalls · 10,395 complaints
Chevrolet Tahoe 1995–2026 · 80 recalls · 9,976 complaints
Chevrolet Equinox 2005–2026 · 32 recalls · 9,132 complaints
Chevrolet Silverado 1995–2017 · 46 recalls · 8,387 complaints
Chevrolet Cobalt 1996–2017 · 10 recalls · 7,681 complaints
Chevrolet Trailblazer 1999–2026 · 29 recalls · 7,141 complaints

All Chevrolet models and WMI codes Look up recalls by year

Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files, updated September 25, 2026. Recall campaigns are vehicle (V) campaigns listed for this model name; complaints are counted once per NHTSA ODI number and model year.