IllustrationMY SPEEDOMETER ISN'T WORKING PROPERLY. IT GETS STUCK WHILE I DRIVE AND I DON'T KNOW THE SPEED OF MY TRUCK WHEN I DRIVE AND I SEEN THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE TO CHEVROLET. *TR
2003 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Avalanche 1500 years
Owner complaints for the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 38.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Avalanche 1500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
70–25K
1525–50K
3650–75K
3775–100K
39100–150K
20150K+
154 reports with mileage · 28 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 84 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports3 fire reports2 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
84 reportsWWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV. *TR
JUST DRIVING MY TRUCK TO WORK AND THE SPEEDOMETER JUST QUIT WORKING NOW WHEN DRIVING YOU NEVER KNOW HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING IT MIGHT STOP AT 50MPH AND THE NEXT TIME YOU DRIVE IT WILL START FROM THERE I HAVE NOT YET HAD THIS SERVICED AS I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, AND APPARENTLY IT IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH CHEVY'S BU…
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JUST DRIVING MY TRUCK TO WORK AND THE SPEEDOMETER JUST QUIT WORKING NOW WHEN DRIVING YOU NEVER KNOW HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING IT MIGHT STOP AT 50MPH AND THE NEXT TIME YOU DRIVE IT WILL START FROM THERE I HAVE NOT YET HAD THIS SERVICED AS I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, AND APPARENTLY IT IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH CHEVY'S BUT THEY WILL NOT STAND BEHIND IT. I HAVE EVEN GOTTEN A SPEEDING TICKET OVER THIS . *TR
AT APPROXIMATELY 91K MILES THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO INTERMITTENTLY FAIL, THEN AT APPROX. 96K MILES, THE TACHOMETER BEGAN HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. I'VE NOTICED ON MULTIPLE BULLETINS WHERE HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE AND WE'RE ALL CURIOUS TO KNOW WHY GM HAS NOT BEEN INSTRUCTED TO ISSUE A RECALL. GM …
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AT APPROXIMATELY 91K MILES THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO INTERMITTENTLY FAIL, THEN AT APPROX. 96K MILES, THE TACHOMETER BEGAN HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. I'VE NOTICED ON MULTIPLE BULLETINS WHERE HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE AND WE'RE ALL CURIOUS TO KNOW WHY GM HAS NOT BEEN INSTRUCTED TO ISSUE A RECALL. GM HAS STATED (VIA CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS) THAT KNOWING YOUR SPEED IS NOT A SAFETY CONCERN. I POSE THE QUESTION THEN, WHY DO WE HAVE SPEED LIMITS? OF COURSE YOUR SPEED IS A VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY CONCERN OR IT WOULDN'T BE REGULATED. THEY NEED TO REPLACE THESE DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS THEY'VE PUT ON THE ROAD & REIMBURSE THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY PAID TO HAVE THE REPAIRS COMPLETED. PUTTING A MILEAGE LIMIT ON THIS ISSUE IS ABSURD CONSIDERING THAT MOST PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE EITHER GOT THE LETTER FROM GM AFTER THE 70K MILE MARK OR DON'T EXPERIENCE THE DEFECT UNTIL AFTERWARDS. SINCE WHEN DOES SAFETY HAVE A MILEAGE LIMIT? *TR
I HAVE 79,000 MILES ON MY 03 AVALANCHE AND ABOUT A MONTH AGO THE SPEEDOMETER STARTED FAILING AT AROUND 78,000 MILES. RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ONLINE AND FOUND THERE WAS A FIX FOR THIS DEFECT UP TO 70,000 MILES OR 7 YEARS. WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT MYSELF! WHY!! THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE A MILEAGE OR YE…
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I HAVE 79,000 MILES ON MY 03 AVALANCHE AND ABOUT A MONTH AGO THE SPEEDOMETER STARTED FAILING AT AROUND 78,000 MILES. RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ONLINE AND FOUND THERE WAS A FIX FOR THIS DEFECT UP TO 70,000 MILES OR 7 YEARS. WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT MYSELF! WHY!! THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE A MILEAGE OR YEAR STIPULATION ON IT!! IF YOU READ ALL THE COMPLAINTS, THIS HAPPENS OVER THE 70,000 OR 7 YEARS STIPULATION WITH MANY OTHER OWNERS!!! I'VE OWNED MANY TRUCKS AND NEVER HAD A SPEEDO OR CLUSTER PROBLEM!! THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED WITH NO MILEAGE OR YEAR RESTRAINTS ON IT!! VERY DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS OUT THERE ABOUT THIS!! THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE DEFECT THAT THE CONSUMER SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR!! *TR
SPEEDOMETER FAILURE ON 03 CHEVY AVALANCHE. APPARENTLY THERE WAS A LAWSUIT AGAINST GM BECAUSE THEY USED INFERIOR PARTS WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THAT ARE PRONE TO FAIL. THEY HAVE SINCE SETTLED THE SUIT IN LATE 2007 AND AGREED TO FIX ALL VEHICLES WITH LESS THAN 70K MILES. HOWEVER, WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US WITH MORE THAN 70…
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SPEEDOMETER FAILURE ON 03 CHEVY AVALANCHE. APPARENTLY THERE WAS A LAWSUIT AGAINST GM BECAUSE THEY USED INFERIOR PARTS WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THAT ARE PRONE TO FAIL. THEY HAVE SINCE SETTLED THE SUIT IN LATE 2007 AND AGREED TO FIX ALL VEHICLES WITH LESS THAN 70K MILES. HOWEVER, WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US WITH MORE THAN 70K MILES THAT ARE DRIVING WITHOUT A SPEEDOMETER BECAUSE GM IS CHARGING $500 TO REPAIR THE MOST IMPORTANT INSTRUMENT IN THE CAR, THE ONE THAT SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE ACCORDING TO THE LAWSUIT...... I'VE EVEN GONE SO FAR AS TO TRY TO FIND THE PARTS FOR THE SPEEDOMETER, BUT THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE. YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AS A UNIT. IF THAT IS NOT ENOUGH, I CAN PURCHASE THE CLUSTER FOR $275 AND INSTALL IT MYSELF, BUT THE UNIT HAS TO BE PROGRAMMED TO THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO WORK. THIS PROGRAMMING WILL COST $150.00 BY THE DEALERSHIP. SO BASICALLY, GM HAS EVERYONE IN MY SITUATION HOSTAGE FOR NEGLIGENCE ON THEIR PART. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE I GET A SPEEDING TICKET OR WORSE, HURT SOMEBODY IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT BECAUSE I AM NOT AWARE OF MY SPEED OF TRAVEL. *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2003 AVALANCHE STICKS AT RANDOM POINTS AND THEN INDICATES AN INCORRECT SPEED WHICH IS VERY UNSAFE. FOR EXAMPLE IT WILL STICK AT 45 MPH AND THEN INCREASE FROM THERE AS THE VEHICLE SPED IS INCREASED. OR IT MAY SLIP TO SOME OTHER INDICATED SPEED FROM ONE MOMENT TO THE NEXT. VERY UNSAFE. I CHECKED THE INTER…
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THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2003 AVALANCHE STICKS AT RANDOM POINTS AND THEN INDICATES AN INCORRECT SPEED WHICH IS VERY UNSAFE. FOR EXAMPLE IT WILL STICK AT 45 MPH AND THEN INCREASE FROM THERE AS THE VEHICLE SPED IS INCREASED. OR IT MAY SLIP TO SOME OTHER INDICATED SPEED FROM ONE MOMENT TO THE NEXT. VERY UNSAFE. I CHECKED THE INTERNET AND THIS PROBLEM IS BEING TALKED ABOUT BY MANY, MANY CONSUMERS. I BELIEVE THAT YOU SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL TO REQUIRE GM (CHEVROLET) TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU. *TR
SHORTLY AFTER 75, 000 MILES THE SPEEDOMETER IN MY 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE STARTED TO REGISTER INCORRECT READINGS. AT A IDLE IT WOULD REGISTER THAT I WAS GOING 60 MPH. AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH IT WOULD REGISTER THAT I WAS GOING 0 MPH. THERE WAS NO RHYME OR REASON. *TR
2003 AVALANCHE SPEEDOMETER FLUCTUATES. *TR
SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT READ ZERO WHILE VEHICLE IS STOPPED. IT READS APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
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