2011 Chevrolet Avalanche: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 127 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (53% of complaints); the 2009 and 2012 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 127 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 127,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 223,000. Local authorities had been contacted.”Owner report · Electrical System · Apr 2025
“The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, there was a loud banging sound coming from under the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and the steering wheel became stiff. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not yet diagnosed. The contact believed that failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V643000 (Suspension); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.”Owner report · Suspension · Feb 2025
“The structure that holds the rear differential and axle to the frame rusted through and broke off from both sides so the whole rear axle unit broke loose and pulled back so the drive shaft pulled loose and the rear tires were rubbing on the fenders. If this happened at highway speeds I don't know what might have happened. The vehicle was towed to a welding shop to see if it can be repaired. It has not been inspected. If it can not be repaired the vehicle will have to be junked. There was no warning that this would happen.”Owner report · Structure · Jul 2022
Show 7 more owner reports
“Was advised of the recall of my vehicle on Feb 26th 2021 and that the part to fix the problem was not available it is now six months later and have heard nothing and don,t know how log they expect people to wait with a faulty part to be repaired.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2021
“February of 2021 I was notified the driver side air bag in my truck I drive daily has an issue that if goes off can cause serious injury or death. that as 6 months ago and still no path forward to fix it, how safe it this for me to drive is death is an option? I feel this would be a concern for drivers and the companies doing more to prevent something if a part cannot be secured. Maybe start offering deals to accept the trade ins so your customer doesn't have to drive around an unsafe vehicle because of supply issues? This needs to be addressed so something silly can be avoided.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2021
“Dashboard has 5 large cracks 4 lateral an 1 vertical top front speaker has fallen off clips.vehicle dashboard started cracking while just sitting over time and while driving road vibration help cracking continue I'm afraid that with the cracking since it is in the passenger airbag area as well it could cause airbag to deploy causing more damage injuries to passenger or a wreck by suddenly going off and causing driver to swerve suddenly.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2021
“I have received several notices about having the air bags replaced but the local chev dealer tells me when they get the parts they will call me. When will the parts be ready?”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2020
“Dash board is cracking around the steering wheel and air bags started as small spot now with the heat it has gotten bigger and connecting to other cracks”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Mar 2020
“Dashboard is cracked by passenger side airbag and over the instrument cluster. There have been thousands of complaints on 2007 to 2013 tahoes, suburbans, silverado's, and avalanche's with this issue. Should the airbag deploy the cracking plastic could be a hazard.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2019
“I am the owner of a 2011 chevrolet avalanche. I received the chevrolet recall, I went to do the airbag repair and they inform me that the company that makes it has gone bankrupt and there is no repair. They also inform me that it is dangerous to use the vehicle since the airbag can cause damage. What I can do?”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: 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.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: 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 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. 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 N212328800.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.
How other years compare
Check your exact Avalanche by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2011 Chevrolet Avalanche reliable?
NHTSA has 127 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2011 Chevrolet Avalanche. The most complained-about area is air bags (53% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2011 Chevrolet Avalanche problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 65,000 miles or less.
Does the 2011 Chevrolet Avalanche have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.