2008 Chevrolet Avalanche Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 132 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche, 51% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 80,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (21% of reports).
- 132air bags complaints
- 80,000median miles at failure
- 7mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- 20%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 28 of 132 complaints (21%)
- Able confirm become: mentioned in 10 of 132 complaints (8%)
- Passenger airbag: mentioned in 7 of 132 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 47 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 132 complaints, 7 mention a crash, 4 an injury.
Chevrolet Avalanche air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Avalanche | 22 | 27% | 49,000 |
| 2012 Avalanche | 6 | 17% | 38,900 |
| 2011 Avalanche | 55 | 43% | 68,000 |
| 2010 Avalanche | 53 | 48% | 70,500 |
| 2009 Avalanche | 41 | 54% | 75,500 |
| 2008 Avalanche | 132 | 51% | 80,000 |
| 2007 Avalanche | 225 | 60% | 104,000 |
| 2006 Avalanche | 1 | 9% | 51,778 |
| 2005 Avalanche | 11 | 15% | 44,750 |
| 2004 Avalanche | 9 | 5% | 39,500 |
| 2003 Avalanche | 14 | 7% | 78,000 |
| 2002 Avalanche | 22 | 5% | 65,450 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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, 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." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 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 N212328780.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…
Both air bags deployed for no reason driver and passenger
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the driverâs side air bag deployed inadvertently without the vehicle being involved in a crash. The passengerâs side air bag also deployed and shattered the passengerâs side windshield. The contact pulled…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Chevrolet Avalanches have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 132 owner complaints about air bags for the 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche (51% of the 258 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche air bags?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 80,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 28 of 132 complaints, followed by “able confirm become” (10).
See all 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche problems or air bags problems across all Avalanche years.