2004 Chevrolet Avalanche

MY HUSBAND, 3 YEAR OLD, ANY MYSELF WERE DRIVING BACK FROM A DOCTOR APPOINTMENT WHEN WE HAD TO MAKE A SUDDEN STOP BECAUSE OF A DRIVER 2 CARS AHEAD OF US THAT QUICKLY APPLIED BRAKES TO MAKE A QUICK RIGHT HAND TURN. THE DRIVER IN FRONT OF US IN TURN HAD TO APPLY HIS BREAKS ON AND WHEN MY HUSBAND APPLIED THE BRAKES ON OUR 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE THERE WERE NO BRAKES!! OUR 3 YEAR OLD WAS ASLEEP IN THE BACKSEAT!! WE HIT HIM OF COURSE BECAUSE WE COULD NOT STOP (GOING DOWNHILL ON A BUSY HIGHWAY) WE ENDED UP HAVING TO COAST UP THE HILL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE BECAUSE THERE WAS NOWHERE SAFE FOR US TO PULL OFF . THERE WERE ALMOST SEVERAL OTHER ACCIDENTS DUE TO IT BEING A BLIND SPOT FOR DRIVERS COMING OVER THE HILL BOTH WAYS AND WE WERE STUCK THERE BECAUSE WE HAD NO WAY TO STOP OURSELVES AGAIN. SO AFTER ALL THAT WE ENDED UP NEEDING OUR TRUCK TOWED AND THE BRAKE LINES ARE CORRODED AND HAD BUSTED!! SO NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE A TOW BILL NOW WE ARE RESPONSBILE FOR REPLACING THEM! THE ESTIMATE IS $800!!! THANKS GM! WE WILL BE SELLING THIS ONE SOON! GM WON'T DO A RECALL ON THESE AFTER ALL THE COMPLAINTS AND ACCIDENTS ABOUT THE BRAKE LINES ON HERE? SERIOUSLY? WE HAD NO CLUE ABOUT ANY OF THIS UNTIL TODAY! THE MECHANIC THAT IS FIXING OURS TODAY TOLD US HE HAS 2 MORE THAT HAVE THE EXACT SAME ISSUE AND HAVE TO BE REPLACED ON THEIRS TOO! I GUESS IT TAKES PEOPLE DYING OR GETTING SERIOUSLY INJURED BEFORE THE CAR MANUFACTURES HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. AND WHAT MAKES IT EVEN WORSE IS THAT THE WHOLE BRAKE LINE REPLACEMENT IS AVAILABLE (FOR US TO PURCHASE) AND IT'S ONLY ABOUT $160!! NICE TO KNOW THE SAFETY OF OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND OTHER MOTORISTS AREN'T WORTH IT TO THEM. JUST 2 MILES EARLIER WE DROVE THOUGH A SCHOOL ZONE!!!!! AS THE KIDS WERE LEAVING FOR THE DAY! THANK GOD THEY LASTED THAT 2 EXTRA MILES AND NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED.

MY 2004 MODEL AT 70 MPH THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL ACT LIKE A BASKETBALL AFTER HITTING A HOLE, I CROSS THE LANE INTO THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC, OR THE LEFT LANE ON AN INTERSTATE ETC. THERE IS NO CONTROL UNTIL I SLOW DOWN. THE DEALER SHIP HERE SAYS THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT BEFORE. SO I ASK - WHAT DID THEY DO TO MY 2000 MODEL WHEN IT DID THE SAME THING 4 YEARS AGO ? *TR

HERE'S ABOUT MY DISAPPOINTMENT WITH MY 2004 AVALANCHE WHICH I PURCHASED ON JULY 28, 2004 WITH 137 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. I PURCHASED THE VALUE GUARD GM PROTECTION PLAN. OF COURSE, THE VEHICLE WAS GREAT FOR THE FIRST 37,990 MILES. MY FIRST PROBLEM CAME ON 10/31/06, ONLY 2 YEARS 3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE DATE. MY TAILGATE HANDLE BROKE WHILE OPENING IT HANDLE REPLACEMENT WAS $568. TO MY SURPRISE AND APPARENTLY ALSO TO THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE DEALERSHIP THE EXISTING SPOILER HAD TO BE TORN OFF AND REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE TO ACCESS THE HANDLE. THAT WAS AN ADDITIONAL $186 PLUS LABOR. I QUESTION THE DESIGNERS OF THE TAILGATE ASSEMBLY. WHY WOULD ANYONE DESIGN PARTS THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE DESTROYED IN ORDER TO SERVICE ANOTHER PART? IN FACT, WHY WOULD ANY PART THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE USED FREQUENTLY BY A REGULAR TRUCKER BREAK SO EASILY? OF COURSE, NEITHER THE WARRANTY NOR THE GM PROTECTION PLAN COVERED THIS. THE NEXT PROBLEM OCCURRED ON 12/27/06 AT 41,901 MILES, MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULDN'T SHUTOFF. INTO THE DEALERSHIP WE WENT AND $334 LATER A WIPER BOARD WAS REPLACED. NO WARRANTY AGAIN COVERED THIS PROBLEM. I NO SOONER GOT HOME AND HAD TO RETURN ON 12/28/06 AT 41,944 MILES. NOW MY DASHBOARD LIGHT SERVICE 4 WHEEL DRIVE WAS ON. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD THE TRANSFER CASE ENCODER SHORTED OUT AND $779 LATER IT WAS FIXED. I MIGHT HAVE USED THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE 8-10 TIMES AT THE MOST. AT THAT TIME, I'D OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR 29 MONTHS, THAT'S PRETTY SAD!! TODAY WITH THE LATEST EPISODE, I TRIED TO LOWER MY FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW AND IT WOULDN'T WORK. THE OTHER 3 WINDOWS WORK FINE. I WAITED AND TRIED AGAIN LATER STILL NO LUCK. I HEAR A CLICKING SOUND BUT NO ACTION.THIS PROBABLY MEANS ANOTHER VISIT TO THE DEALER. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED VEHICLE WOULD TAKE VERY LITTLE FUEL AT A TIME AND SHUT THE PUMP OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY REPLACED THE FUEL FILTER LINE. HOWEVER, PROBLEM RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY REPLACED THE FUEL TANK. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT TAKE FUEL AT ALL , IT LEAKED FUEL ON THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN . WHEN DRIVING IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH THE HOOD VIBRATED. THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM.*AK

DT: DENTS IN THE HOOD KEEP REAPPEARING. THIS HAPPENED 4 TIMES AND DEALERSHIP FIXED VEHICLE 3 TIMES. THESE DENTS WERE ON THE HOOD NEAR THE GLASS ON DRIVER'S SIDE OVER TOP OF THE HINGE AREA. CONSUMER HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH GM AND HIS DEALERSHIP. CONSUMER WAS SUING GM UNDER THE LEMON LAW. THE OHIO STATE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE GAVE THE CONSUMER THIS PHONE NUMBER. THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU HAS SEEN THE VIDEO OF THE VEHICLE AND HAS ALREADY BEEN INVOLVED. CONSUMER THOUGHT THAT THE METAL THAT WAS MADE OUT OF THE HOOD HAD A FLAW IN IT. TECHNICIANS FELT THAT THE WEATHER MAY HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE. CONSUMER HAD THIS VEHICLE LOOKED AT BY NUMEROUS SPECIALISTS. CONSUMER WAS LEAVING THE HOOD AS IT WAS UNTIL THE LAWSUIT WAS SETTLED. CONSUMER STATED THAT GM REFUSED TO FIX THE VEHICLE. *AK

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, MY TAILGATE WOULD SLAM OPEN ON THE REAR BUMPER AFTER ACCELERATING. BECAUSE OF THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER MANUFACTURER WARRANTY, I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT CHECKED. WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT IT, I WAS TOLD THAT THE TAILGATE MUST BE SLAMMED SHUT (HARD) BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER STRIPPING. I TRIED THIS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS BUT STILL NO DIFFERENCE. I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER DEALER AND IN A MATTER OF MINUTES, THEY READJUSTED THE LATCHES AND I HAVEN'T HAD THAT PROBLEM SINCE.

AT 500 MILES, MY NEW AVALANCHE REQUIRED THE CROSSMEMBER TO BE CHANGED DUE TO CLUNKS IN THE COLUMN AND FLOORBOARD DURING TURNS, AT SLOW OR FAST SPEEDS. AGAIN AT 9527 MILES IT REQUIRED CHANGING AGAIN FOR THE SAME REASONS. I HAD A 2002 AVALANCHE THAT GM HAD TO BUY BACK FROM ME DUE TO THE SAME PROBLEM BUT WERE UNABLE TO REPAIR. *JB