Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 4030 | 4030A | 10021676 | New design front axle side bearing adjusters. *kb | 06/15/2007 | |
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 3136 | 3136K | 10021019 | Slip condition in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th. damaged 2-4 or 3-4 clutch. *kb updated 10/31/07. *nj | 02/22/2007 | |
| POWER TRAIN - TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE) | |||||
| 3424 | 3424A | 10017299 | Electronic transfer case unable to complete shift. *tt | 11/02/2005 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 01/22/2012 | 45000 | ||
| Clunk when going into drive, also shifts hard when driving down the road. | |||
| 10/12/2011 | 81000 | ||
| Went to pull out of a parking lot, gave it a little gas and nothing. engine idled up but it would not move. went down through the gears but still would not move. had to put it in reverse and back into a parking space and called a tow truck. $2900 dollars later the transmission was replaced with genuine gm rebuilt transmission. | |||
| 12/07/2011 | 78000 | ||
| Traveling home from work on the interstate at regulated speed (65mph). as i started to accelerate to maintain speed gingo up a hill, the message transmission hot came on the in-dash display and engine began revving as if not in gear. i could not accelerate and had to turn on flashers and merge to safety lane on right. i continued to slow down until i could engage the transmission again at around 30 mph in 3rd gear. as soon as i started to accelerate past 35-40 mph, the transmission slipped again and would not engage any gear. this happened all the way home so what should have been a 20 minute drive turned into an hour. i couldn't get above 35-45 mph without this happening each time which made navigating the hills of northern va in the rain not very fun for me nor the hundreds of frustrated drivers behind and beside me. as i pulled into the driveway and parked, i could notice a 'burnt and sour smell...most likely transmission fluid. i didn't see any leaks or drips but the engine was extremely hot as was transmission and transfer case. this has been happening off and on for a few months now but in very limited occasions and never for more than 10-20 seconds so i haven't contacted a service station but will definitely do so this weekend as i am unable to leave work during the week for this issue. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 03/06/2010 | 59500 | 1 | |
| 2005 chevy avalanche with less than 60k miles, has a transmission failure. no warnings of any type. vehicle was maintained according to manufactures specifications (transmission fluid changed at 30k miles). vehicle is in the shop currently being worked on. 2nd and 4th gear cause the vehicle to come out of gear causing a loss of power. *tr | |||
| 09/24/2009 | 80800 | 1 | |
| At highway speed, service 4 wd light came on, stated vehicle lost speed/power and the 4 wd selector shifted on its own into 4 wd hi.....very dangerous situation...to lose speed and power in highway traffic. *tr | |||
| 01/22/2008 | 61937 | 1 | |
| Car started jerking as if it was going to cut off then once i got on the highway it would not go over 50 miles per hour. took car to the dealership, and later found out that transmission was gone. *tr | |||
| 05/25/2008 | 40000 | 1 | |
| I bought a 2005 chevy avalanche. 3 year 36,000 mile warranty, at 40,000 miles the transmission disintegrated. $3,000 out of pocket........ i expect a little more than 40,000 miles out of a $35,000 truck. now i'm getting mail about a speedometer lawsuit, i've always been a chevy guy but if this is what i can expect from gm maybe its time for a change! *tr | |||
| 02/19/2008 | 49500 | 1 | 07/03/2005 |
| Normal driving. gm tsb 05-07-30-017b talks about an issue they have on several thousand 2004-2006 vehicles that can allow for transmission fluid contamination, leading to failure of the transmission. my experience is that under towing, the vehicle can create a dangerous condition if the transmission fails due to unforeseen circumstances. this also can lead to repair costs over several thousand dollars, that the manufacturer, or warranty companies, will not cover. general motors knows by the issuance of the technical service bulletin that this condition exists, yet refuses to educate the owners of affected vehicles, and refuses to correct the issue and damages it creates. i have found several other cases where this failure has occurred with no remedy from the manufacturer. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 05/30/2010 | 115000 | ||
| The service 4wd started appearing in the driver information display intermittenly. taking the vehicle in for service gave no relief. the vehicle started acting erraticaly, slipping in and out of gear intermittenly. it wasnt safe to drive anymore, ie stranded at stop lights or after slowing for traffic it had no acceleration. it became clear at this point that the problem wasnt going to be able to be diagnosed at a repair facillity, without replacing parts needlessly and then test driving the vehicle untill it worked again . i started checking on line and foud many of these vehicles exhibiting the same behavior and traced the problem to a defective encoder motor which fixed the problem i feel the way the vehicle acted with this problem is a very unsafe condition and should have a fail safe built into it to at least prevent complete loss of acceleration. at the very least owners should have been warned of this possible situation since there are techincal service bullitens out on this condition. | |||
| 06/30/2009 | 79000 | 1 | |
| Service 4wd started to be displayed erratically in the dic. 4wd system started to function erratically 4wd control switch witness lights light erratically or do not light at all. 4wd low range engaged by itself unexpectedly while driving - this was a serious accident hazard, fortunately it occurred at low speed and at a place where the vehicle could be stopped safely. general motors has issued tsb 05-04-21-003c (april 15, 2008) for this condition however owners were not notified about it or the potential associated accident risk. research on the web at vehicle owner clubs shows this condition to be a very frequent problem for gm vehicles using the this type of 4 wheel drive. further research on the same sites suggests that the solution to the problem was a challenge to gm and it was a hit-and-miss approach with multiple trips to the dealer to get it resolved. this malfunction could be cause a serious accident if it happens at interstate speeds in heavy traffic or on a slippery steep mountain road ( just to give a few examples). *tr | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 2000 | 03/18/2005 | |
| I own a 2005 avalanche with 2000 miles on it. when turning sharply while in 4 wheel drive, going forward or in reverse, the truck bogs down and stops. there is nothing in the owners manual about this. this is a dangerous condition for someone who does not realize what will happen. if i were to make a u turn the vehicle will come to a stop if the wheels are turned two sharply. my dealer did not even know about this untill i brought it to his attention.the dealer went out on his lot and drove an avalanche in 4 wheel drive to determine if i was nuts or not. well i am not nuts as thiers did exactly what i said. the dealer then contacted general motors and was told this condition is normal so the u joints and gear box will not be damaged. if they say it is normal to lock up why don't they put it the owners manual? someone is going to be seriously hurt over this condition and it will be more than u joints or gear box. | |||