I BOUGHT A NEW AVALANCHE IN OCTOBER, 2002. IT HAS BEEN LOSING ONE QUART OF OIL PER 1000 MILES. CHEVROLET SAYS THIS IS NORMAL????? THEY REPLACED THE PCV VALVE, BUT SAID IT WILL STILL BURN 1 QUART PER 2000 - 3000 MILES. THIS IS ABSURD FOR A NEW ENGINE. WHAT EFFECT WILL THIS HAVE ON ENGINE LONGEVITY? CATALYTIC CONVERTER? AIR POLLUTION? I DON'T REMEMBER THIS FEATURE IN THE ADVERTISING OR SALES PITCH. WHAT IS NHTSA DOING ABOUT THIS KNOWN DEFECT? *NLM
2007
VISIBILITY
IN APR 2009 I TOOK MY 2007 CHEVY AVALANCHE IN FOR SERVICING. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WAS ON AND I HAD RECALL #0848 PERFORMED. THIS RECALL WAS TO INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS (HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE SHORTCIRCUIT). THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND AN 02 SENSOR WAS REPLACED. APPROXIMATELY AUG/SEPT I HAD AN ODOR IN THE VEHICLE (SMELLED LIKE DIRTY FEET OR THE INTERIOR CARPET WAS WET FOR SOME TIME, WITHOUT PROPER VENTILATION TO DRY. HOWEVER, I THOUGHT THAT WAS ODD AS I WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE ANY LEAKS INSIDE THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE.) ON OR ABOUT OCT 2ND, I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON AND A MESSAGE TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE WHICH I DID. AFTER BEING TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THE ENGINE HAD LOST OIL PRESSURE AND A SENSOR WAS REPLACED. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE WORK WAS PERFORMED THE SMELL WENT AWAY BUT THAT SAME EVENING I WAS DRIVING AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STARTED GOING, FLUID SPRAYING, WHILE IN THE OFF POSITION. I HAD TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF TO GET IT TO STOP. I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE DEALER, SINCE THIS HAS HAPPENED 2 OR 3 TIMES. THE END OF DEC I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE INTERMITTENT WIPER/FLUID PROBLEM AND I THOUGHT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. THEY COULDN'T FIND AN ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND THEIR DIAGNOSIS FOR THE WIPER UNIT WAS THAT THE MODULE WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY REFERRED TO BULLETIN #4298, DATED 02/26/07, AND PART #1910885. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT ALL THE FAILED SENSORS/PARTS ARE RELATED TO THE RECALL AND I AM HOPING THE INVESTIGATION TO THE RECALL IS STILL OPEN/ON-GOING. FYI: WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF PURCHASING THE VEHICLE MY BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AFTER BEING INSPECTED AT THE DEALERSHIP. IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY THERE WERE SEVERAL OCCASIONS I WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. THERE SHOULD BE RECORDS ON FILE AT THE DEALERSHIP PERTAINING TO THIS ISSUE. LASTLY, I DO HAVE THE PART THAT WAS REPLACED AS A RESULT OF THE OIL PRESSURE SENSOR. *TR