2010 Chevrolet Avalanche Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Nov 11, 2024 · 111 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Avalanche years
More complaints than other years 7th of 15 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 111 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche. That ranks 7th out of 15 Avalanche model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (53 complaints, 48%), typically at around 70,500 miles. Complaints mention 1 injury. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.

Chevrolet Avalanche
2007-2010 Chevrolet Avalanche photographed in La Plata, Maryland , USA.. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Air Bags53 · ~70,500 mi
Unknown or Other51 · ~65,000 mi
Structure16 · ~52,042 mi
Electrical System8 · ~50,000 mi
Engine6 · ~71,000 mi
Electronic Stability Control (esc)3 · ~84,100 mi
Power Train3 · ~2,551 mi
Vehicle Speed Control3 · ~46,500 mi
Service Brakes1
Suspension1 · ~100,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Air Bags problems5348%70,500“takata air bags” (17%)—
Unknown or Other5146%65,000——
Structure1614%52,042——
Electrical System87%50,000——
Engine65%71,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)33%84,100——
Power Train33%2,551——
Vehicle Speed Control33%46,500——
Service Brakes11%———
Suspension11%100,000——
Trailer Hitches11%70,000——
Visibility/wiper11%5,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2017, with 26 complaints
2011: 1201112013: 2201322014: 6201462015: 112015112016: 242016242017: 262017262018: 142018142019: 8201982020: 132020132021: 4202142024: 220242

n = 111 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2010 Chevrolet Avalanche recalls (3)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V050000 · 2,641,272 vehicles

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.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V053000 · 692,526 vehicles

Problem: 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, 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 2010 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 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 2009 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 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."

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 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V054000 · 1,778,128 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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 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.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

Heard a Loud Pop Bang noise then discovered Dash cracked in several multiple places. Currently need to have airbags attended to as when I last called when it was convenient for me to take vehicle into repair , the repair place can’t meet my needs for time frame to repair. Am now afraid driving…

Unknown or Other · received Nov 11, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11624558

In October of 2020, my avalanche only would start in winter after disconnecting and reconnecting the battery. It was also on numerous occasions go into limp mode while driving at normal city speeds meaning it wouldn’t go above 25 miles an hour. The entire dash would light up. It threw numerous…

Service Brakes · received Nov 1, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11623041

Cracked dashboard at passenger air bag and front dash speaker.

Unknown or Other · received Nov 2, 2021 · NHTSA complaint 11439094

My dashboard is cracking in several places, also my panels for the truck bed are warped.

Unknown or Other · received Oct 20, 2021 · NHTSA complaint 11437459

Having alot of issues with the drain tubes especially with the front top tubes my floor boards are being soaked. The tubes are plastic so when and why for the drain tubes and how often should they be really be changed. The seal above driver door and passenger door in front are not always put in…

Unknown or Other · received May 17, 2021 · NHTSA complaint 11417523

Other Chevrolet Avalanche years

← 2009 Avalanche · 2011 Avalanche →

See all Chevrolet Avalanche problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.

Similar Chevrolet models

Embed this 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche badge on your site

Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche?

Owners most often report air bags, unknown or other, structure problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 53 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche?

Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2010 Chevrolet Avalanche a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Avalanche model years, the 2010 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.