Onstar Module Fail - Red Light of Doom

magiaone · November 19, 2014

New to Forum - not to GM - I have a 14 Camaro Conv. 2SS RS

Well - moved from my 14 Jeep GC Overland (worked for Chrysler for 17 yrs) to get a 15 Tahoe LT.

1200 Trouble free miles until I tired to use the turn by nav, that was stuck 45 miles away from where I keyed on. So talked to Onstar, they did a diag. and told me to go to a dealer as the Onstar module has gone down, they couldnt find my location. Dropped in in Tuesday, dealer called now - module has to be direct shipped from GM - maybe a week. Now, they did give me a Buick Enclave to drive, so this isnt a rant - more an FYI - Thankfully I got my boat dropped off last weekend.

Wondered if anyone else had this issue.

yuk15 · December 4, 2014

Hi Magiaone.

Yes, I am having the same issue with my 2015 Yukon Denali at just under 1,000 miles. On-star module needs to be replaced. Wondering how things went with the repair? Have you had any additional problems?

I'm being told 1 week for the part to come in, then a simple fix. I hope that is true...

Thanks for any update you can provide.

magiaone · December 5, 2014

Hi yuk15,

Well its not the module - but the antenna - of which they are on back order. so be prepared to wait. Apparently its a big issue because they dont have enough, and if you have a painted one - they are shipped without paint and then painted. So if it is the module, then 1 week and $1000 on warranty, but GM backed out when they did more diagnostics and found it was the antenna.

Me - Well I drove my truck for two weeks, gave it back to them when Onstar went down, I got an Enlcave for one week (yuk) and now I have a loaded Yukon as my loaner. I certainly cant complain, dealer has kept me in the loop as far as parts and whats going on and I m driving a loaded Yukon. Be prepared for a wait tho - it took GM a week to figure out it wasnt the module and no ETA on parts.

yuk15 · December 7, 2014

Thanks for the update Magiaone.

I just got mine back and they tell me it was the module. So far, seems accurate. Prior to the repair, my truck lost radio, navigation and on-star features. I couldn't even reach on-star to have them run a diagnostic...I'm hopeful that it is truly fixed, as all features seem to be up and operational now, including 4G.

We have owned a bunch of different vehicles- "14 GL450, '12 Land Rover LR4 etc... and I just love the '15 Denali. Comfortable, spacious and loaded with amenities. The one thing that almost kept me from buying it is concerns about reliability, especially given that it's the first model year of a redesign.

My dealership was good to me too, for which I am grateful. Here's to hoping that future repairs are few and far between!

Thanks again for the follow-up.

magiaone · December 11, 2014

Glad you got yours fixed. Just got an email from the dealer today, maybe next week. In the mean time im still loving the GMC.

JC237 · December 21, 2014

We've had ours three days and have the same issue. The dashboard screen shows "CAL" and couldn't figure out what that means. Onstar, after doing a diagnostic, says it's an issue with the antenna and it has to go into the shop.

megfitz6 · January 23, 2015

I am having this same issue and am distraught. Bought a brand new 2015 Chevy Suburban LT last Tuesday, drove it three times and noticed the red onstar light, no GPS, navi shows me in the Atlantic Ocean and weather gives random cities every time I start the car, went to dealer and they said water damaged the antenna and they would order new one, but like mention in this thread, they are back ordered. There are 3 people ahead of me at this one dealership waiting. Onstar diagnostic shows me in a random location and comes back with the code TB 462, which indicates a problem with the antenna. How bad is this that GMC/Chevy has no parts or help for customers with brand new vehicles? How deep is this issue, how many are impacted? Should I give the car back and get a loaner until it is fixed? At a loss.

JC237 · January 24, 2015

My dealer painted and installed a new antenna after waiting about 7 days for the part to arrive. It was over the holidays, so arranging a time to drop the Yukon off was a bit of an issue, but once it was ready to be installed, it took them about three hours. The issue does seem to be resolved.

stereopal · February 8, 2015

I picked up my 2015 Suburban exactly 1 month ago, and within 1500 Miles the ON STAR failed. I went back to the dealer and they replaced the module.

After I came home, I found out the WEB INTERFACE on iPhone no longer controls ONSTAR. Also, my Voice Command and phone number is still not working. So I went back to dealer, and they told me this is an ONSTAR issue, call ONSTAR. They have done all they could. So I called the ONSTAR technical dept. They said it was a software issue, and it will work within 24 hours.

I did not. Told me to wait another 24 hours and it will work. I did not, again. Then I called back, and they said they are escalating the case.

By escalation they meant somebody will call me back in 1 week. I told them, "In the world which we live in, Escalation usually means immediate attention but your definition of Escalation suggest a delay from 1 day to 1 week." The ONSTAR rep said they will not talk to me again on the same issue until they call back.

To me that's "de-escalation".

So now, within 1 month of ownership, I have no Onstar. I can't go back to the dealer, and can't talk to the ONSTAR Rep except to wait.

Today, I learned from my friend in Florida that his new DENALI has the exact same issue. His Denali would not even start and he had to call a tow truck. Same issue: All began with ONSTAR.

This GM ONSTAR thing is beginning to smell like a big lemon to me.

Edited February 8, 2015 by stereopal

bngordon · February 12, 2015

I also have this issue, 2015 Yukon Denali. Issue occurred while the vehicle was still on the free tank of gas from the dealer delivery (less than 400 miles on the odo). I also suspect it was a short due to water intrusion as I noticed the problem the day after driving in a massive rain. Let's see how long this takes... at the dealer getting it "diagnosed" right now.

Maks_D. · February 12, 2015

I have the same problem. But in my case, no communication with onstar module. I'm going to service next Monday. 2015 tahoe ltz

krzyd · February 13, 2015

gps fail at mile 886, I'll see what diagnosis is today

krzyd · February 13, 2015

3-5 weeks to replace failed onstar module, sux.

Chris O · February 14, 2015

My 2015 Yukon SLT XL didn't even make it till the next day after I bought it and the red light was on. 3 weeks later with my temp tags still on it was just fixed today with a new module. Still can't get text messaging any suggestions?

megfitz6 · February 14, 2015

My 2015 Yukon SLT XL didn't even make it till the next day after I bought it and the red light was on. 3 weeks later with my temp tags still on it was just fixed today with a new module. Still can't get text messaging any suggestions?