NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Electrical System complaints
11 reportsClear category filter205,000 miles · Jun 8, 2026
Electrical System
Odometer Fraud. The contact previously owned a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500. The contact stated the vehicle was sold to a private buyer with an odometer reading of 205,000 miles. Subsequently, the contact discovered the vehicle was listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace with a rolled-back odometer reading of 158,000 miles. Whe…
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Odometer Fraud. The contact previously owned a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500. The contact stated the vehicle was sold to a private buyer with an odometer reading of 205,000 miles. Subsequently, the contact discovered the vehicle was listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace with a rolled-back odometer reading of 158,000 miles. When the contact’s daughter inquired about the discrepancy, the seller confirmed the lower mileage. Upon further investigation, the contact found a second listing for the same vehicle displaying 178,000 miles. The contact messaged the seller and inquired about the accuracy of the odometer reading. The current status of the vehicle was unknown.
NHTSA ODI #11742785
150,000 miles · Oct 2, 2017
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. WHEN THE CONTACT TAPPED THE FUSE BOX LOCATED UNDER THE HOOD, THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED BACK ON AND ILLUMINATED NORMALLY. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTU…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. WHEN THE CONTACT TAPPED THE FUSE BOX LOCATED UNDER THE HOOD, THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED BACK ON AND ILLUMINATED NORMALLY. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER (BOB BROWN CHEVROLET IN ERVINGDALE, IA) WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.
NHTSA ODI #11031389
120,000 miles · Sep 1, 2016
Electrical SystemEngine
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT FAILED TO START. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY STARTED UP AFTER WAITING FOR A WHILE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE FUEL PUMP, BATTERY, AND STARTER WERE CHANGED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURR…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT FAILED TO START. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY STARTED UP AFTER WAITING FOR A WHILE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE FUEL PUMP, BATTERY, AND STARTER WERE CHANGED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THE STARTER WAS REPLACED AGAIN; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.
NHTSA ODI #10903161
160,000 miles · Jun 22, 2014
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting
I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT AND THE LOW BEAM LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING. I CHANGE THE FUSES, LOW BEAM LIGHTS, DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT RELAY, AND HEADLIGHT RELAY AND THE LOW BEAM LIGHT STILL DOESN'T WORK. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10605059
35,000 miles · Sep 11, 2011
Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Power Train
THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE SERVICE LAMP FREQUENTLY ILLUMINATES AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND STAYS ON UNTIL THE TRUCK IS RESTARTED, THEN THE LAMP WILL STAY OFF FOR DAYS , THEN COME BACK ON FOR NO REASON, WHEN THE TRUCK IS SCANNED NO CODES ARE RETURNED, THE TRUCK SEEMS TO DRIVE FINE, BUT THE PROBLEM IS VERY ANNOYING. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10424646
141,574 miles · Aug 26, 2011
Air BagsElectrical SystemService Brakes, ElectricCrash
RECENTLY MY 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE HAS BEGUN TO SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING WHICH CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO LOSE POWER. ANOTHER IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE, THE BRAKES BEGAN TO PRESS ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WHILE BRAKING. ON AUGUST 3, 2011 WHILE MY SON WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT, HE PRESSED THE BRAKES WHICH WENT TO TH…
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RECENTLY MY 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE HAS BEGUN TO SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING WHICH CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO LOSE POWER. ANOTHER IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE, THE BRAKES BEGAN TO PRESS ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WHILE BRAKING. ON AUGUST 3, 2011 WHILE MY SON WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT, HE PRESSED THE BRAKES WHICH WENT TO THE FLOOR AND REAR ENDED VEHICLE IN FRONT THAT WAS MAKING A TURN. THE FRONT BUMPER IS NOW DAMAGED ( T-BONED) AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I'M NOT VERY PLEASED THAT I NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICES ABOUT THE BRAKING SYSTEM. I CAN'T AFFORD TO MAKE MONTHLY PAYMENTS AND STILL HAVE TO PAY COSTLY MAINTENANCE FEES. I CAN NOT AFFORD TO JEOPARDIZE MY LIFE AND MY FAMILY, ESPECIALLY MY GRANDDAUGHTER. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THESE SAFETY ISSUES: BRAKING, CUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING AND NO DEPLOYED AIR BAGS. *TT
NHTSA ODI #10421669
Mileage unknown · Mar 7, 2011
Electrical System
THE DASH LIGHT STAYS ON CONSTANTLY SHOWING THE SECURITY LIGHT, GAS LIGHT AND BATTERY LIGHT FLASHING. WHEN YOU SHUT THE TRUCK OFF IT STILL SHOWS THE YELLOW SECURITY LIGHT AND IT NEVER GOES OFF AND IF YOU LEAVE IT SITTING FOR 1 OR 2 DAYS WITHOUT DRIVING IT MAKES THE BATTERY GO DEAD. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10386762
82,000 miles · Apr 18, 2010
Electrical SystemExterior LightingService Brakes, Electric
DASH LIGHT DON'T WORK. DIMMER SWITCH VERY HOT TO THE TOUCH. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10326201
105,000 miles · Apr 15, 2010
Electrical System
MY 2002 CHEVY AVALANCHE 1500,2WD HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THE TRUCK STALLED AND THEN SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I REPLACED THE CRANK POSITIONING SENSOR AND IT WORKS WELL NOW...BUT IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN IT SHUT OFF,I ALMOST CAUSED A HUGE ACCIDENT. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10325852
111,000 miles · Jan 26, 2009
Electrical System
2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. IGNITION SWITCH IS SHORTING OUT, HAVE TO JIGGLE KEY TO START. WHEN DRIVING TUCK LOOSES POWER AND SHUTS OFF LOOSING ALL POWER STEERING AND ALL POWER BRAKES. HAD TO MUSCLE TRUCK TO SHOULDER OF ROADWAY AND RESTART. DOES THIS INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10256309
NHTSA investigations
1EA11001 · Brake Line Corrosion Failure
Opened Jan 5, 2011 · Closed Apr 8, 2015
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t
Additional source detail variants (2)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.The subject vehicles represent the first five MY's of GM's GMT800 platform production, of which approximately 2,038,504 vehicles were sold in salt states (the subject vehicles).The GMT800 platform includes the following vehicles:1999-2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 series pick-up trucks; 2000-2006 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon sport utility vehicles; and 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche sport-utility vehicles.General Motors produced a total of approximately 10,427,062 GMT800 vehicles for sales in the United States, including almost 5 million that were sold in salt states.Although there are over 60 different brake pipe routing configuration used in GMT800 vehicles, with the exception of the rear crossover pipes in MY 200x-2007 vehicles that changed from rear disc to drum brakes, all of the vehicles use brake pipes from the same supplier with a common double-wall, brazed steel pipe design with a combination of hot dip Zinc-Aluminum corrosion protection coating and Aluminum paint outer layer known in the industry as AlGal (ASTM-B750). ODI analysis of field data regarding GMT800 vehicles identified a total of 3,645 complaints of brake pipe corrosion failures, including 107 alleging crashes, and 40 injuries.Though only 20% of total GMT800 production, due to age and region the subject vehicles account for a disproportionate share of the failure experience; with 2,702 of the complaints (75%), 88 of the crashes (82%) and 20 of the injuries (50%) reported in those vehicles.Analysis of the complaints showed strong correlations to vehicle age and region.For vehicles with less than 8 years of service, the complaint rates were minimal for all regions.In the salt states the failure rates begin to climb as the vehicles advance in age, particularly in the Northeast corner of the United States.The complaint rates in the salt states go from less than 0.1 incident per thousand vehicles (IPTV) at 7 years in service to over 1.0 IPTV after the 12th year of service for the subject pickup trucks and utility vehicles.Most of the failures reported to ODI occurred in vehicles with more than 10 years in service.ODI?s investigation did not identify any specific defect conditions that were causing or contributing to the brake pipe failures.Nor did the analysis isolate the problem to any subject vehicle sub-populations when analyzed by vehicle type or production range.The investigation found that vehicles experiencing brake pipe corrosion failures were likely to have general patterns of excessive corrosion on the majority of the brake pipe assembly and appear to be occurring due to expected wear out for the brake pipe coating material used in the subject vehicles and the environmental conditions in severe corrosion states.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor t
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