Most common 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche problems
Share of the 76 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Chevrolet Avalanche complaints by model year
Best Avalanche years: 2006, 2012, 2009. Years to avoid: 2002, 2003, 2004. Compare all years →
2009 Chevrolet Avalanche recalls (5)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida,…
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 24, 2021.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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,…
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 23, 2021.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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…
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.
Electrical system
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…
Remedy: 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…
Fuel system, gasoline
GM is recalling 27,188 my 2009 Cadillac escalade, escalade hybrid, escalade esv, and escalade ext; Chevrolet avalanche, suburban, tahoe, tahoe hybrid, and colorado; and GMC yukon, yukon hybrid, yukon xl, and canyon vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new fuel system control module free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2009. Owners May contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and GMC at 1-866-996-9463 or at…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche:
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
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.
What 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche owners say
Air bags all 41 →
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated that he received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V052000 (Air Bags) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact stated that upon picking up the vehicle from the dealer, he noticed that the dealer had fractured a portion of the dashboard close to the passenger's side air bag housing. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the dashboard was fractured prior to the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they could not assist. A case was opened. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000. Consumer stated dealer installed new dash into the vehicle.
I purchased the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche new in October 2009. While in warranty I noticed the dashboard was cracking and took it to the dealer, Four Stars Auto, in Henrietta, Texas. At that time I was told they would order a new dash board and replace it. I took the truck in for replacement of the dash board on the scheduled date. After the truck was out of warranty the dash board cracked again in the same place. I suspect the dash was repaired and painted and not replaced, but I have no proof so I did not contact the dealer. Since that time I have learned this has been an issue with other owners of GM trucks and nothing can be done about it other than replacing the dash, which is a very expensive repair for someone that is retired and on a fixed income. My dash board has now cracked in at least four places and seems to be getting worse. …
Body & structure
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated that he received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V052000 (Air Bags) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact stated that upon picking up the vehicle from the dealer, he noticed that the dealer had fractured a portion of the dashboard close to the passenger's side air bag housing. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the dashboard was fractured prior to the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they could not assist. A case was opened. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000. Consumer stated dealer installed new dash into the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated that the dashboard was cracked. The vehicle was taken to cutter Chevrolet (711 ala moana blvd, honolulu, hi 96813) where the contact was informed that the dashboard needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the failure was a common and that the dashboard would be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
Speed control & acceleration
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced independent deceleration and stalled while driving 75 MPH. The stabilitrak warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the accelerator pedal assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V381000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified. The senior adviser informed the contact that GMC was planning to rescind the recall for the Takata air bags. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche. While the contact was stopped with the vehicle in drive the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning causing the contact to crash into a garage door. The acceleration could only be stopped by placing the vehicle into the park gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the failure could not be reproduced. There were no prior warnings and the current and failure mileages were 11000. Updated 4/30/10 the consumer stated he was waiting for his garage door to open when the incident occurred. Updated 06/01/10.
2009 Chevrolet Avalanche engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 20 / 16 |
| 6.0L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche a good car?
Based on 76 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Avalanche rates better than average: 54% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Avalanche at the same age. It is one of the best Avalanche years by this measure. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche?
The air bags — 41 complaints, 54% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the body & structure (8) and speed control & acceleration (4).
How many recalls does the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche, the most recent from February 5, 2021 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Chevrolet Avalanche?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2006, 2012 and 2009. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2002, 2003 and 2004. See the full Chevrolet Avalanche years comparison.
At what mileage do 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 76,000 miles; 20% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.