2003 Chevrolet Avalanche Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 42about this part
- Share
- 21%of 204 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 70,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 42 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche, 21% of the 204 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 70,000 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My speedo and fuel gauge either do not work or peg out in the instrument cluster. I never received the recall notice for my z71 Chevrolet Avalanche and Chevrolet is saying that they put a limit on the year and mileage. If I would have known it was a recall I would have taken in my vehicle to have it fixed for free. Chevrolet is saying I have to pay for this.... This is not right.”
NHTSA complaint #10493064, filed 2013-01, 84,900 miles“My speedometer in my 2003 Avalanche randomly started going back and forth between working and not working. Now it isn't working at all. I can't afford to have the instrument cluster replaced, with all the problems I have read about, this is something chevy should fix at no cost.”
NHTSA complaint #10285688, filed 2009-09, 92,000 miles“The accessory lights on my steering wheel that operate radio volume, souce, on-star, etc are not all working. I was told at bradshaw Chevrolet that they have had to repair alot of these and would not be included as recall. This is a safety hazard and you can't see at night which button to select. Also now the light for my mileage and engine operation has faded out until I can barely read it.”
NHTSA complaint #10205720, filed 2007-10, 108,000 miles“One day while driving at 55mph the truck just shut down. Everything electrical completely shut off. Luckily I was able to control it. I turned the vehicle off and restarted it. It was fine but did it again when I stopped at a stop sign. It continued to do it but then just stopped. Check engine light goes off and on all the time when I accelerate up a hill. The lights on the dashboard are dim. Everything on the mirror comes and goes. It will go months without working and then comes back on. The suspension is terrible. …”
NHTSA complaint #10629240, filed 2014-08, 110,000 miles“Speedometer stopped working correctly on my 2003 chevy Avalanche. Received a letter from GM saying they would replace the cluster on vehicles under 75,000 miles. My vehicle had 90,000. This issue is being experienced by a large amount of owners and is a safety hazard.”
NHTSA complaint #10227444, filed 2008-05, 90,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10113892Mar 1, 2016This Preliminary Information communication advises the technician that if OnStar is unable to configure the vehicle after the OnStar 15-08-44-001 upgrade and Onstar receives a…
- 10114470Apr 17, 2015This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicle that may have an OnStar system that has progression tones when pressing the blue…
- 10112009Jan 21, 2014This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the speedometer needle appears to be inaccurate. Dealer should advise the…
- 10112523Oct 30, 2012This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have slip in forward ranges immediately after replacing the input housing…
- 10027804Nov 1, 2008General motors corp: special coverage adjustment; analog onstar deactivation. *pe updated 2/17/09.
- 10023585Sep 1, 2008Cadillac chevrolet gmc service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. Instrument panel cluster gauge needle function may cause inaccurate readings on some…
- 10026744Jun 1, 2008Gmc: sir mil dtc b0084 and/or b0085. This concern could be caused by broken seat position sensor circuits under the driver or passenger front seats. Over time, from repeated seat…
- 10022914Oct 4, 2007One of the following concerns when programming the mileage or the hours into an exchange instrument panel cluster that is received from an electronic service center (esc).
- 10022766Sep 26, 2007Blown mbec 1 or lbec 1 fuse.
- 10022482Aug 15, 2007Additional diagnostic for yaw/lat sensor dtc's.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 4 | 5% |
| 2012 | 1 | 3% |
| 2011 | 4 | 3% |
| 2010 | 8 | 7% |
| 2009 | 4 | 5% |
| 2008 | 21 | 8% |
| 2007 | 24 | 6% |
| 2005 | 21 | 30% |
| 2004 | 60 | 36% |
| 2003 | 42 | 21% |
| 2002 | 17 | 4% |
Other parts of the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche
81 complaintsAir bags
14 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
14 complaintsVehicle speed control
11 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
10 complaintsBody and structure
9 complaintsSteering
8 complaintsSuspension
7 complaintsTires
7 complaintsEngine cooling
6 complaintsExterior lighting
6 complaintsFuel system
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology