IllustrationENGINE DIES, DOOR LOCKS START OPENING AND CLOSING, ALL DASH LIGHTS GO OFF, RADIO GOES OFF,CAR STARTS ON OWN 3 TO 6 SECONDS, DID THIS AT 60 MPH AND AT 15 MPH.
2009 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 do not stand out strongly from 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
Limited mileage data: 14 of 20 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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.
- Air Bags. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
Power Train complaints
3 reportsI WAS DRIVING TO A CHURCH FUNCTION WITH MY WIFE AND ABOUT 30MPH UNDER ACCELERATION, MY TRUCK STARTED LUGGING LIKE IT WAS IN 6TH GEAR. IT STARTED SHAKING THEN THE TACHOMETER WAS FLUCTUATING UP AND DOWN ABOUT 500 RPM'S. I CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND LOOKED GOOD. I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT BUSINESS TRIP TOMORROW MORNING AND NO…
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I WAS DRIVING TO A CHURCH FUNCTION WITH MY WIFE AND ABOUT 30MPH UNDER ACCELERATION, MY TRUCK STARTED LUGGING LIKE IT WAS IN 6TH GEAR. IT STARTED SHAKING THEN THE TACHOMETER WAS FLUCTUATING UP AND DOWN ABOUT 500 RPM'S. I CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND LOOKED GOOD. I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT BUSINESS TRIP TOMORROW MORNING AND NOW I AM STUCK. I TOOK IT FOR ANOTHER DRIVE TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AT A HIGHER SPEED AND IT DOES. I PUT THE CRUISE ON ABOUT 60MPH AND THE TRUCK WAS BUCKING AND THE RPM'S WERE GOING CRAZY. I DRIVE MOSTLY HIGHWAY MILES. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE SERVICE I HAVE HAD WITH THIS TRUCK SO FAR WITH ANOTHER ISSUE AND NOW I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS. *TR
09 CHEVY AVALANCHE THE DRIVE SHAFT OR BALL JOINT WAS UNDERSIZED BY 5/1000 TO MAKE THE 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION SHIFT CORRECTLY/THUS CAUSING SLACK WHICH MAKES NOISES FROM A JAR TO SOUNDING LIKE YOU WERE HIT IN THE REAR. 3 TIMES TO DEALER--3/30/10 AT3,788 MI, 10/28/10 W/8,185 MI TO3/3/11 W/14,000 MI. THEY TELL ME NOW ITS NO FIX, BU…
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09 CHEVY AVALANCHE THE DRIVE SHAFT OR BALL JOINT WAS UNDERSIZED BY 5/1000 TO MAKE THE 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION SHIFT CORRECTLY/THUS CAUSING SLACK WHICH MAKES NOISES FROM A JAR TO SOUNDING LIKE YOU WERE HIT IN THE REAR. 3 TIMES TO DEALER--3/30/10 AT3,788 MI, 10/28/10 W/8,185 MI TO3/3/11 W/14,000 MI. THEY TELL ME NOW ITS NO FIX, BUT HAS 100,00 MI WARRANTY. IT IS GETTING WORSE AND COULD FINALLY TWIST AND BREAK WHICH MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT W/ BODILY HARM,IT IS GETTING MUCH WORSE AND AFFECTS LATE 08 MODELS THRU 2011. A CERTIFIED LETTER SENT ON 11/22/10 AND RECEIVED 11/29/10 TPSCOTTLAWSON..DIRECTOR OF CUSTOMER AND RELATIONSHIP SERVICES, AS OF 3/11/11 NEVER REPLIED TO MY E-MAIL OR PHONE. A $48,000 VEHICLE THAT SEEMS LIKE A 1,000 DOLLAR. THEIR HAS TO BE THOUSANDS OF THESE ON THE ROAD. *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.