IllustrationTHE SPEEDOMETER IN MY 2004 CHEVY AVALANCHE STARTING STICKING - AND NOW READS ANY WERE FROM 45 - 65 WHEN I AM AT A STOP AND OVER 120 AT TIMES, VERY SPORADIC OPERATION OF SPEEDOMETER CAN NOT DETERMINE TRUE SPEED OF TRAVEL. *TR
2004 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Avalanche 1500 years
Owner complaints for the 2004 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
20–25K
2325–50K
3550–75K
2375–100K
28100–150K
13150K+
124 reports with mileage · 20 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 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports0 fire reports6 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
53 reportsSPEEDOMETER FAILURE IN CHEVY AVALANCHE. IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND IS WIDELY DISCUSSED ON THE INTERNET, YET NO RECALL. 2004 CHEVY AVALANCHE Z71. *TR
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ON MY 2004 CHEVY AVALANCHE HAS STOPPED WORKING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER HAD STOPPED WORKING ON MY 04 AVALANCHE. NOT REALIZING THIS AND TRAVELING AT NIGHT WITH NO TRAFFIC I HAD GOTTEN PULLED OVER FOR SPEEDING. ONCE I HAD STOPPED AND NOTICED THE GAGE WAS STUCK AT 60MPH I SHOWED IT TO THE OFFICER AND HE LET ME GO. I REALIZE THERE IS A RECALL OUT FOR THIS IF THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 70K…
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THE SPEEDOMETER HAD STOPPED WORKING ON MY 04 AVALANCHE. NOT REALIZING THIS AND TRAVELING AT NIGHT WITH NO TRAFFIC I HAD GOTTEN PULLED OVER FOR SPEEDING. ONCE I HAD STOPPED AND NOTICED THE GAGE WAS STUCK AT 60MPH I SHOWED IT TO THE OFFICER AND HE LET ME GO. I REALIZE THERE IS A RECALL OUT FOR THIS IF THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 70K MILES BUT I AM OVER THAT BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF DRIVING I DO FOR MY JOB. THIS COULD BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE COVERED FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME, OR ALL CLUSTERS SHOULD BE CHANGED BECAUSE THEY WILL FAIL AT ONE POINT. *TR
I OWN A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE. MY SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER RECENTLY STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER. I HAVE CALLED THE CHEVROLET PLACE AND THEY ARE SAYING IT WILL BE VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX. THEN ONE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS. BUT IT WAS FOR 7 YEARS OR 70 THOUSAND MILES. I JUST BOUGHT THE TRUCK AND IT WAS OVER THE MILEAGE…
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I OWN A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE. MY SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER RECENTLY STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER. I HAVE CALLED THE CHEVROLET PLACE AND THEY ARE SAYING IT WILL BE VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX. THEN ONE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS. BUT IT WAS FOR 7 YEARS OR 70 THOUSAND MILES. I JUST BOUGHT THE TRUCK AND IT WAS OVER THE MILEAGE WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. WHAT CAN I DO TO GET THIS FIXED, WITH OUT BREAKING MY BANK.??? PLEASE HELP ME OUT ON THIS...... *TR
SPEEDOMETER HAS BEEN ACTING ERRATICALLY. *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500 2WD WORKS ERRATICALLY. WHEN DRIVING, IT FAILS TO WORK ACCURATELY ON AND OFF. THIS CAN LEAD TO EXCESSIVE SPEEDS. GENERAL MOTORS SEEMS TO IGNORE THE HUNDREDS OF THESE COMPLAINTS AND HAS NOT ISSUED ANY ACCURATE REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS OR A RECALL. *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 04 CHEVY AVALANCHE STOPPED WORKING. IT IS PEGGED OUT AT 120 MPH. *TR
SPEEDOMETER HAS QUIT WORKING, I HAVE RECENTLY FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANY DIFFERENT GM VEHICLES AND THEY ARE COVERING IT UNDER A RECALL AND MY VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED, YET I HAVE THE SAME ISSUE? *TR
1 SPEEDOMETER BECAME ERRATIC AND NOW THERE IS NO MOVEMENT OF THE SPEEDOMETER AT ALL. UNABLE TO DETERMINE SPEED. DEALER INFORMED ME THIS HAS OCCURRED OFTEN ON 2003-2004 GM TRUCKS AND SUV'S. *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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.