7.2

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$2,000
Average Mileage:
69,250 miles
Total Complaints:
44 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. the dash needs to be replaced as the defect may affect passe (20 reports)
  2. replace dashboard (17 reports)
  3. not sure (8 reports)
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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #4

Nov 202010

Avalanche LTZ 5.3L V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 62,100 miles

I had read about others having problems with dashboard cracking on '07-'08 Avalanche,Tahoe,Suburban,Yukon but it didn't happen to me until 20 November 2010. I reported it to my local dealer and at first they said it was cosmetic and may not qualify. I spoke again with service and they wrote it up and said it was covered (my Avalanche is a GM certified vehicle). The dash panel hasn't come in as of 20 Jan 2011 due to weather/backorder. This is definitely a manufacture defect given the entire '07-'08 GMT900 platform seems to be affected,

- coolram62, Beaufort, SC, US

problem #3

Feb 182009

Avalanche LS 5.3L V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 40,000 miles

click to see larger images

cracked dashboard cracked dashboard cracked dashboard

There is a crack that appeared in the left upper corner of the airbag on the dash as has been the case of 10 of my other Chevy owners (Avalanche, Suburban, Tahoe mainly). This occurred shortly after the fit and finish warranty expired at 40,000 miles. I thought it was rather odd until I read the hundreds of other complaints on various websites. Some owners were fortunate enough to have had it happen in the 3 year, 36K period. Mine just made 3 years in September of 2010 and had 70K miles as I do some traveling. At about 55K miles in late 2009 the second crack appeared on the left side of the dash just to the left of the bubble of the instrument panel. This is also a common complaint that I have seen on hundreds of blogs. Two other issues of notable importance - the door handle on the driver side has peeling plastic that has "cut" my finger twice before I sanded it down (the other side and back door handles are as yet unaffected - I suspect because I "use" the driver handle more often) and the 12 volt accessory plug in covers have been replaced once under warranty and now they have fallen off again. Very cheaply made they are - a rubber plug with lanyard that could be replaced would be much more suitable. I work with design engineers and we would call this a "piss-poor" design. Since this is a common theme in this model it would lead me to believe that the dash and door handle design (plus the 12 volt plug-in) are all design flaws that should be rectified by GM. I can live with a lot of things but I have never had problems like this with my Chevrolet's I have owned (10) over the years. I am seriously thinking of switching to the non-government motors brand. Of course mine was built before the government takeover, but maybe the lack of attention to detail got them into their current situation. Who knows - I would like to have it fixed on GM's nickle though.

- Robert S., Covington, LA, US

problem #2

Aug 292010

Avalanche LTZ 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 54,000 miles

I too am a victim of the now infamous GM dashboard crack! My wife and I were on a long weekend get-away in Ashville and decided to stop at a local detail shop and have our '07 Avalanche detailed. We were satisfied with the detail and left. When we returned home, several days later, we noticed a large crack in dash just left of the instrument cluster. We were furious with the detail shop thinking that they were responsible, but now after reading this and many other forums, I am finding that this is a VERY common problem with these vehicles.

We are very particular of the smell of our Avalanche, so we are very limited on what chemicals we use on the interior so we only use a few drops of mild soap and water on the dash. we dont use any Armor-All, or anything, so it cannot be a "Chemical" issue as some of the other forums suggest. Also, it is very ironic, that these cracks seem to happen in the same areas in all of these posts.

I am within a year of purchasing another vehicle, and WAS considering a Suburban, but unless GM does something for me, I may be looking elsewhere. Hmmm, Toyota maybe???

Update from Dec 18, 2010: Update... With the help of the dealer in which I purchased my Avalanche (Raceway Automotive Group), GM agreed to replace my dash with no expense to me. I took the Avalanche to Raceway and they did an awesome job replacing the dash. They put me in a loaner vehicle while they replaced the dash. They even cleaned the interior and exterior. I have to say that Raceway has won me back as a loyal Cheverolet customer. I will definitely consider a GM product in the future and will definitely by it from Raceway Automotive Group. Although Raceway is over an hour from where I live, after receiving poor service from the local dealerships, and receiving the great service from Raceway, I will be happy to take my business to Raceway.

- Frank K., Summerville, SC, US

problem #1

May 062010

Avalanche LTZ/4x4 Flex

  • Automatic transmission
  • 78,421 miles

On my way back from from Las Vegas headed to San Diego I noticed a 2" Crack starting at the top left corner where the passenger air bag housing is diagonal towards the front 30 degrees. I know it wasn't there 3 days prior when I left for Vegas as I completely detailed inside/out/under hood/wheel wells and chasis. So I would have noticed it. I only use Black Magic (NOT Armor All) I did some research and this is what I have found, due to the placement of the airbag Chevrolet engineers failed in design and this is an unsupported weak point in the dash. If it splits full the airbag housing will not be properly secured and could cause a malfunction if deployed/not deploy properly. The fix s to remove the airbag housing (make sure its off first) and seal the crack using a repair kit to restrengthen the plastic. No it is not a recall because no ones been killed because of it yet, which is the only thing that gets recall national attention and makes mfr actually due something asap. And no its not covered under any warranty because it "cosmetic" So if this is your problem, get it repaired, don't wait for a fender bender and hope the airbag unit doesn't launch out of its mounting.

*Permatex makes a decent kit for about $20; Item 81785 if you can't find it you can use 81781 (which says vinyl & leather but in the box has instructions for use on hard plastics) Hope this helps

- nauticalx, San Diego, CA, US