IllustrationTHE STEERING GEAR BOXES ON MOST GM TRUCKS. THEY HAVE TO BE TAKEN TO DEALER FOR SERVICE EVERY 30,000 MI 150 DOLLAR CHARGE. IT MAKES YOU THINK THERE IS SOMETHING LOOSE IN THE FRONT END. HAD MINE REPLACES BUT AFTER 30,000 MI. IT'S BACK. *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
What owners actually said
144 reportsTHE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2004 AVALANCHE (CLUSTER) IS FAILING. IT READS 120 MPH WHEN IT IS IDLING AND SHOWS THE SAME WHEN IM DOING 60-65 MPH. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED (WITH 25,000) AND CURRENTLY IT HAS 108,000. THIS IS RIDICULOUS! ITS A COMMON PROBLEM THOUGHT THE STATE, WHY ISN'T IT BEING REPLACED FREE ! *TR
I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY DASH CLUSTER IT PINS ITSELF AT HIGH SPEED AND THE AMP GAUGE AND TEMP GAUGES STOP WORKING TOO I HAD THIS PROBLEM JUST AFTER BUYING IT AND IT HAD 125000KMS ON IT AND CHEVY SAID IT WAS OVER THE KMS TOO BE COVERED TO ME THEIR SHOULD NOT BE A TIME FRAME OR MILEAGE SET TOO HAVE THEM REPLACED ...PLEASE LET M…
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I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY DASH CLUSTER IT PINS ITSELF AT HIGH SPEED AND THE AMP GAUGE AND TEMP GAUGES STOP WORKING TOO I HAD THIS PROBLEM JUST AFTER BUYING IT AND IT HAD 125000KMS ON IT AND CHEVY SAID IT WAS OVER THE KMS TOO BE COVERED TO ME THEIR SHOULD NOT BE A TIME FRAME OR MILEAGE SET TOO HAVE THEM REPLACED ...PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THEIR IS ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE ...THANKS *TR
ADDING COOLING AND SEEING BLUE SMOKE COMING OUT WHEN STARTING VEHICLE I FIND OUT THAT I HAVE TWO CRACKED HEADS. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TAILGATE STRAPS WERE RUSTY AND BEGINNING TO FAIL. IN ADDITION, THE ABS SPEED SENSOR WAS SLOW AT STOPPING THE VEHICLE. THE ABS WOULD PULSE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD TAKE LONGER TO STOP. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOOSE AND VIBRATED WHEN DRIVING OVER A BU…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TAILGATE STRAPS WERE RUSTY AND BEGINNING TO FAIL. IN ADDITION, THE ABS SPEED SENSOR WAS SLOW AT STOPPING THE VEHICLE. THE ABS WOULD PULSE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD TAKE LONGER TO STOP. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOOSE AND VIBRATED WHEN DRIVING OVER A BUMP. THE SHAFT BUSHING IS ALSO FAILING IN THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURES; THEREFORE, THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000. UPDATED 3/5/09 *CN UPDATED 03/10/09. *JB
THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ON MY VEHICLE IS DISPLAYING THE INCORRECT INFORMATION FOR FUEL LEVEL AND OIL LEVEL. THIS IS OCCURRING AT STARTUP AND CONTINUES WHILE I DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND IS A CONSTANT PROBLEM. NOTHING HAS YET BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BUT FEEL THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD ASSUME FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF CORRE…
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THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ON MY VEHICLE IS DISPLAYING THE INCORRECT INFORMATION FOR FUEL LEVEL AND OIL LEVEL. THIS IS OCCURRING AT STARTUP AND CONTINUES WHILE I DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND IS A CONSTANT PROBLEM. NOTHING HAS YET BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BUT FEEL THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD ASSUME FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF CORRECTING THE MALFUNCTION. *TR
SPEEDOMETER HAS BECOME ERRATIC AT ZERO TO 120 MPH AT ANY GIVEN TIME OR ANY WHERE INBETWEEN TRUCK RUNNING OR SETTING STILL. WILL BE TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD AT FLOW OF TRAFFIC AND SPEEDOMETER WILL BE ZERO TO 120. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. GMC OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL. THIS IS A PROBLEM COMMON TO GMC CHEVY PRODUC…
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SPEEDOMETER HAS BECOME ERRATIC AT ZERO TO 120 MPH AT ANY GIVEN TIME OR ANY WHERE INBETWEEN TRUCK RUNNING OR SETTING STILL. WILL BE TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD AT FLOW OF TRAFFIC AND SPEEDOMETER WILL BE ZERO TO 120. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. GMC OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL. THIS IS A PROBLEM COMMON TO GMC CHEVY PRODUCTS SILVERADO TRUCK, IMPALAS, AND AVALANCHE VEHICLES 2003 TO 2005. *TR
DRIVER SIDE POWER WINDOW STOPPED WORKING, LOCKED IN CLOSED POSITION. NOTHING LEADING UP TO IT. HAPPENED IN OCT 2007 (1 MONTH OUT OF WARRANTY). FINALLY TOOK TO DEALER FOR REPAIR IN OCT '08. DEALER REPLACED MOTOR AND REGULATOR $588 COST. COMPLAINED TO CHEVY IN DEC '08, THEY SAID SMALL PLASTIC PART HAD FAILED BUT SINCE IT WAS …
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DRIVER SIDE POWER WINDOW STOPPED WORKING, LOCKED IN CLOSED POSITION. NOTHING LEADING UP TO IT. HAPPENED IN OCT 2007 (1 MONTH OUT OF WARRANTY). FINALLY TOOK TO DEALER FOR REPAIR IN OCT '08. DEALER REPLACED MOTOR AND REGULATOR $588 COST. COMPLAINED TO CHEVY IN DEC '08, THEY SAID SMALL PLASTIC PART HAD FAILED BUT SINCE IT WAS PAST WARRANTY AND I WAITED 2 MONTHS TO COMPLAIN, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY WOULD DO. THEY ALSO SAID IT WAS A KNOWN, INFREQUENT PROBLEM AND THEY WERE REDESIGNING THE MECHANISM. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYED INACCURATE READINGS. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYED INACCURATE READINGS. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,800 AND CURRENT MILEAGE IS 40,000. UPDATED 3/3/09 *CN UPDATED 03/04/09. *JB
THE 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
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.