"How reliable is the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500?"

"Based on 27 NHTSA complaints, the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 has a median complaint mileage of 84000 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 27 total complaints filed."

2009 Chevrolet Avalanche 1500: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 27 complaints

Total Complaints

84,000mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

38,000 25th Percentile

84,000 Median Mileage

130,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

Unknown Or Other

Electrical System

Power Train

Structure

Automatic Transmission

Wheels

Body

Engine

Steering

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"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. T..."

"CRACKED RIM FLANGE IN 2 LOCATIONS. INFO AS FOLLOWS: WHEEL 20X8.5JX; MADE IN CHINA; T-DOT GM; CRACKS ARE AT 12 O'CLOCK AND 2:30, FULL LENGTH OF THE FLANGE WHERE THE TIRE MOUNTS, ON THE INBOARD (MOUNTING) SIDE OF THE WHEEL. NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE RIM AND NO TIRES WERE DAMAGED AS REMO..."

"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 BUSINES..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Air Bags 9 complaints

25th: 70,000 mi Median: 107,000 mi 75th: 130,000 mi

Unknown Or Other 7 complaints

25th: 36,000 mi Median: 75,000 mi 75th: 130,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 9 AL: 4 WA: 3 KS: 2 TN: 1 GA: 1 IA: 1 LA: 1 MO: 1 MS: 1

Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2002	184	97,500	Service Brakes	22
2003	212	90,000	Instrument Cluster/Panel	9
2004	174	80,000	Instrument Cluster/Panel	11
2005	151	62,000	Instrument Cluster/Panel	2
2006	60	83,000	Service Brakes	6
2007	142	72,900	Air Bags	5
2008	49	51,998	Air Bags	1
2011	43	50,000	Air Bags	1
2012	20	55,000	Unknown Or Other	0
2013	38	47,061	Unknown Or Other	1

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28