IllustrationTHE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2004 CHEVY AVALANCHE DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. WHEN I AM GOING 25 MPH IT INDICATED 80 MPH. SOMETIMES WHEN I AM STOPPED THE SPEEDOMETER INDICATES 30 MPH. BASICALLY THE SPEEDO WORKS SOMETIMES, BUT I CANNOT RELY ON IT TO DRIVE SAFELY-AT ANY SPEED, BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW WHAT SPEED I AM ACTUALLY GOING. *NM
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, DEALER WILL NOT REPLACE PART EVEN THOUGH IS CLEARLY A FACTORY PROBLEM ISSUE AS WELL AS A SAFETY ISSUE. *NM
2004 AVALANCHE SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONING WITH 36000 MILES. I HAVE DONE A SEARCH ON LINE AND HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB
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.