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2008 Chevrolet Avalanche Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 258 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche, most often about the air bags (51% of complaints, typically around 80,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Avalanche model year since 2000 and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche problems
Air bags
132 complaints · 51%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles.
Dash pad has severe cracking and 1.5 in hole...concerned about hole around passenger air bag !! Dash pad has cracked and opened up over instrument panel!! This all affects the deployment of the faulty taukarty air bag in a crash! This has been an ongoing issue since ownership of vehicle and has just worsened with…
I was completely stopped behind another vehicle, when a toyota tacoma pickup hit the rear of the Avalanche, knocking it into an f250 crew cab 4 wheel drive pickup, the front end was severely damaged and the rear was severely damaged causing it to be totaled.
Other or unspecified
53 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles.
Plastic dashboard is cracking several places. Most of the cracks are around the passenger airbag. The cracks form sharp edges in the plastic. I fear that these sharp objects could become projectiles in a crash.
Severe cracks have developed in my dashboard at the passenger air bag & above the instrument cluster / speedometer. It is my understanding there have been a multitude of similar issues with other gm models. Appears to be a manufacturing defect w/ the plastic material and / or the manufacture of the dashes. Gm has…
Body and structure
44 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 64,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
Multiple dashboard cracks in the proximity of the passenger airbag could cause deployment failure during airbag deployment. This vehicle airbag system is compromised by these cracks. Thousands of gm trucks are affected by cheap dashboard materials that crack within a few months or years of sale. This vehicle has…
After a couple of years my vehicle developed several cracks in the dash, especially around the airbag. Yesterday I had the airbag recall performed. As a result of the repair, the cracks are now broken pieces. I now fear that in the event of an airbag deployment, shards of sharp plastic will be thrown into the air and…
Electrical
21 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 59,000 miles.
2008 chevy Avalanche. Over a two year period had all 4 door lock solenoids replaced due to failure. When I thought I had doors the doors locked they were not. Cost me about $150 for the first lock--when I raised [] the chevy service manager accommodated the cost of the other three over a period of time--I pointed out…
Right front door power lock does not work. Cannot lock or unlock with remote or with inside control. Can only unlock/lock door by button on door. This is a safety concern.
Engine
19 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles.
The 5.3 vortec engine lifters collapse took to dealer fixed for 1000.00 dollars drove 30 miles home from dealership started ticking again dealer ship fixed it said it was another side lifter that went easter weekend no vehicle now again here 1 year later another ticking well maintained oil changes every 3 to 4ooo…
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche. While driving at an unknown speed, the low oil indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to sands Chevrolet (5418 grand ave, glendale, az 85301) where the dealer stated that the contact needed to get more frequent oil changes. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure…
Doors and locks
13 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 41,500 miles. Parts named most often: doors.
Electronic door locks have failed on three of the 4 doors on this truck. Check engine light on due to code p0452, which is fuel tank pressure sensor defective. I called the dealership and they said it was not covered under the warranty and it would cost around $500 to repair. Spoke with my brother-in-law today who has…
Right front door power lock does not work. Cannot lock or unlock with remote or with inside control. Can only unlock/lock door by button on door. This is a safety concern.
Steering
6 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 87,000 miles.
Lost complete power of car. Could not steer, or brake. Happened in snow. Since that time it has happened 5 other times. 3 in the last week with the snow and rain. There is a great potential for loss of life. Have researched this for months and there are many Avalanche owner with the same problem.
I replaced the tires on my 2008 Avalanche ,got a front end alignment and now when I drive it I hear a clunking sound . I looked on the internet and it said that many chevy truck owners have this problem so I was wondering if there was a recall on the steering shaft on these trucks.
Fuel system
6 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate. The contact stated that once he reached 60 MPH, the failure stopped. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the fuel module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was…
My 2008 Avalanche with 72,000 miles on it, is completely rotting away underneath. I've had to replace many parts, shocks, autoride compressor, fuel pump module, had body rust repaired, have had 3 door handles fall right off.. Last 2 mechanics told me that all parts located underneath truck are rotting away and that I…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2008 Chevrolet Avalanche recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on february 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on september 20, 2021. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, and gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n212328780.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, silverado 2500, silverado 3500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, sierra 2500, sierra 3500, yukon, and yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia or "zone b." additionally, gm is recalling certain 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, and escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, yukon, and yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of alaska, colorado, connecticut, idaho, iowa, maine, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, mo
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on february 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on march 1, 2021. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n212328760.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2007-2011 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, yukon, yukon xl, and 2009-2011 chevrolet silverado 2500, silverado 3500, gmc sierra 2500 and sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands or "zone a." additionally, gm is recalling certain 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, yukon, yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missou
Electrical: electrical system
Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
Fix: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Full defect summary
Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamb
Electrical: electrical system
Risk: This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; cadillac at 1-800-982-2339 or http://www.cadillac.com; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or http://www.saturn.com, gmc at 1-866-996-9436; or hummer at 1-800-732-5493; or through their website at <a href=http://www.gmownercenter.com>http://www.gmownercenter.com</a> .
Full defect summary
Gm is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 buick lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; my 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, saturn outlook; and my 2008 buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Non-crash engine compartment fires
Summary
In a letter dated august 27, 2008, general motors corp. (gm) notified NHTSA that it will conduct a safety recall (NHTSA recall number 08v-441) to address a safety relateddefect that can result in engine compartment fire in approximately 850,000 vehicles equipped with a heated windshield washer fluid option.the subject vehicles of this investigation comprise over three-quarters of the recall population. According to gm, a short circuit on the printed circuit board for the windshield washer fluid heater module may overheat the control-circuit ground wire. This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor or cause smoke and in rare cases it may cause a fire.as a remedy, gm
Questions about the 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche
- What are the most common problems with the 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (132 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles); other or unspecified (53 complaints, typically around 78,000 miles); body and structure (44 complaints, typically around 64,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 5, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2008 a bad year for the Chevrolet Avalanche?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Avalanche model year since 2000, with 258 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.