Three problems related to front air bag sensor control have been reported for the 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I had an accident on the hwy in georgia, the steering was hard to control/lock, the tire sled, was rust and corrode on structure, brake area, wheel area, frame, tire broke off, almost flipped and was hit from the back, and twice in the front after slamming into a cement divider and the air bags didn't deploy at all, I injured my left side, neck, back, and hip. Blessed that my pregnant daughter in her 8th month wasn't in the truck with me. I had done multiple repairs on the fuel tank, tire rod, knock sensor, abs brakes, running board,brakes,rotors, etc, and was told that the rust on the frame won't effect the trucks performance and it was safe to drive because everything is attached to the frame good. I almost lost my life and two of us got injured. If these trucks are having and been having these issues- why do they just pull all of them and give people other options.
2002 chevy Avalanche's most common consumer complaint is "water leaking" into the interior of the SUV. Front floors are completely soaked with standing water. Dealership has tried varied method's to fix. The reason for complaint< and please pay attention to this: not only are these reported problems inconvenient (one chevy Avalanche owner reported one inch of water in the floor of his cab after an 8 hour drive!), but they could also be dangerous. On page 8-1117, volume 4 of the gm authorized service manual from helm inc. States: "caution: if any water enters the vehicle's interior up to the level of the carpet or higher and soaks the carpet, the sensing and diagnostic module (sdm) and the sdm harness connector may need to be replaced. The sdm could be activated when powered, which could cause the deployment of the airbag(s) and result in personal injury. " this fact is not given to owners, and in reality the air bags deployment system has been compromised by the water leaks. This one website has over 160 similar complaints. The federal government needs to make gm accountable, find and fix the problems ASAP, before there is a fatality. Thank you.
My vehicle (a 2002 chevy Avalanche) was involved in a total loss collision on January 18, 2006. The collision was a full frontal crash which caved in the entire front end of the Avalanche. The air bags did not deploy, and the driver of the vehicle was thrown out of his seat belt due to the force of the impact. The driver ended up in the passenger seat of the vehicle. It is my belief that the air bags malfunctioned. The criteria for air bag deployment were met. There was a deceleration rate from approx. 55 mph to a complete stop. The air bag sensor was hit (as seen from the examination of the vehicle upon arrival to the body shop). The collision was in the middle front of the vehicle. General motors did an inspection of the vehicle, however, I was not pleased with their conclusion. They said that the air bags did not malfunction. They claimed that the vehicle "absorbed" the impact, which caused the air bags not to deploy. I believe that this is a huge safety issue and it should be investigated by someone other than the manufacturer, who, in my opinion, was biased in his review of the incident.
| Air Bag Not Deploy problems | |
| Air Bag problems | |
| Front Air Bag Sensor Control problems | |
| Front Air Bag problems | |
| Air Bag On-off Switch problems | |
| Air Bag Light On problems | |
| Side/window Air Bag problems | |
| Warning Light On problems |