Which year to buy
Bar height: serious owner complaints to NHTSA for that year per car on the road, against this model's usual year.
2012GOOD BUYSerious complaints 0.5× usual
22 serious complaints of 52, the most about air bags (9) and engine (3); per car on the road, 0.5× this model's usual year. 3 recalls. NHTSA investigation EA21002: desiccated air bag inflator rupture.
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the VIN was updated and now displayed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The failure recurred.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the air bags, Aug 2021
“The vehicle is displaying error messages Reduced Engine Power, Service Stabilitrak, Service Traction Control. It also has the related service indicator lights for the Stabilitrak, the Traction Control, and the Check Engine Light is on.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the engine, Sep 2022
Fixes and extended coverage
- Repair program This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have a Diagnostic Trouble Code B101D stored in Telematics Communication Interface Control Module. (PIT5236F, Aug 2015)
From the manufacturer's bulletins filed with NHTSA. A dealer can look up whether a car has had the work done or is still covered.
52 owner complaints · 3 recalls (check a car's VIN for open recalls) · EPA combined: 17 mpg · NHTSA: Not rated · 2012 trims and features
Every Avalanche year's verdict →
Verdicts computed from NHTSA owner complaints, defect investigations and recalls. Cars on the road from New York State registrations. (How we judge.) Data checked 2026-10-06.
Trims and features
Engines: 5.3L 8-cyl · Drive: 4WD, RWD
2012 Avalanche trims
| LS | LT | LTZ |
|---|
base price, seating and driver-assistance equipment from NHTSA's vehicle database (vPIC), as Chevrolet reports it. Tech and comfort features (CarPlay, heated seats, sunroof) for Chevrolet aren't in our data yet. "—": not verified in our sources. "Varies": standard on some versions of the trim.
Year by year
| Year | Engines | Drive | Fuel economy | Crash rating | Recalls | Owner complaints | Most-reported problem | CarPlay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 5.3L 8-cyl | 4WD, RWD | 17 mpg | Not rated | 3 | 111 | Unknown or other (54) | — |
| 2012 | 5.3L 8-cyl | 4WD, RWD | 17 mpg | Not rated | 3 | 52 | Unknown or other (32) | — |
| 2011 | 5.3L 8-cyl | 4WD, RWD | 17 mpg | Not rated | 3 | 155 | Air bags (66) | — |
| 2010 | 5.3L 8-cyl 6.2L 8-cyl | RWD | 14–17 mpg | Not rated | 4 | 117 | Air bags (57) | — |
Owner complaints are unverified reports to NHTSA, counted as filed: older years have had longer to collect them and sales aren't adjusted for, so see Which year to buy for a fair comparison. Most-reported problem: the component named in the most complaints that year. Sources: EPA, NHTSA, Apple.
Every NHTSA-rated version: crash ratings, safety tech, recalls, complaints
| Year | Version | Stars | Forward collision warning | Lane departure warning | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Chevrolet Avalanche SUV 4WD | Not Rated | No | No | 2 | 82 |
| 2013 | Chevrolet Avalanche SUV RWD | Not Rated | No | No | 2 | 82 |
| 2012 | Chevrolet Avalanche SUV 4WD | Not Rated | No | No | 3 | 52 |
| 2012 | Chevrolet Avalanche SUV RWD | Not Rated | No | No | 3 | 52 |
| 2011 | Chevrolet Avalanche SUV 4WD | Not Rated | No | No | 5 | 155 |
| 2011 | Chevrolet Avalanche SUV RWD | Not Rated | No | No | 5 | 155 |
| 2010 | Chevrolet Avalanche 4-DR w/SAB | Not Rated | No | No | 4 | 117 |
Source: NHTSA.
Every EPA-rated version: engines and combined mpg
| Year | EPA model | Engines | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Avalanche 1500 2WD | Auto 6-spd, 8 cyl, 5.3 L | 17 |
| 2013 | Avalanche 1500 4WD | Auto 6-spd, 8 cyl, 5.3 L | 17 |
| 2012 | Avalanche 1500 2WD | Auto 6-spd, 8 cyl, 5.3 L | 17 |
| 2012 | Avalanche 1500 4WD | Auto 6-spd, 8 cyl, 5.3 L | 17 |
| 2011 | Avalanche 1500 2WD | Auto 6-spd, 8 cyl, 5.3 L | 17 |
| 2011 | Avalanche 1500 4WD | Auto 6-spd, 8 cyl, 5.3 L | 17 |
| 2010 | Avalanche 1500 2WD | Auto 6-spd, 8 cyl, 5.3 L Auto 6-spd, 8 cyl, 6.2 L |
14–17 |
Source: fueleconomy.gov.