Buick Roadmaster vs Chevrolet Avalanche 1500

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	Buick Roadmaster	Chevrolet Avalanche 1500
Complaints on file	452	1,115
Model years covered	1989–1999	2002–2013
Worst model year	1994	2002
Best model year	1996	2009
Crashes reported	61	58
Fires reported	12	14
Injuries reported	43	40
Deaths reported	0	1
Most complained-about part	Brakes	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	25.7%	10.1%

Buick Roadmaster by year

2 9 105 65 132 76 62 1

89 91 92 93 94 95 96 99

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Brakes 63 13.9%

Electrical System 44 9.7%

Engine & Cooling 40 8.8%

Suspension 38 8.4%

Airbags 33 7.3%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 29 6.4%

Transmission & Drivetrain 27 6.0%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 27 6.0%

Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 by year

185 213 175 153 63 142 49 27 7 43 20 38

02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 228 20.4%

Brakes 220 19.7%

Airbags 147 13.2%

Other & Unspecified 93 8.3%

Body & Structure 72 6.5%

Transmission & Drivetrain 63 5.7%

Steering 44 3.9%

Fuel & Propulsion 41 3.7%