General Motors has officially issued a Technical Service Bulletin because far too many owners are getting spare change stuck in their window switches and completely killing their vehicle’s battery.

Thankfully, as it ends up, this is not a complex software glitch, a faulty wiring harness, or a defective alternator. Dealership technicians are hooking up their diagnostic equipment to trace down severe parasitic electrical draws, only to discover a rogue dime or quarter wedged perfectly under the master door switch.

The issue has become so prevalent across the lineup that GM had to release an official document instructing its service departments on exactly how to handle the situation.

The Parasitic Draw of Spare Change

According to GM Service Bulletin PIT6458A, which was released in February 2026, dealership technicians are seeing a wave of vehicles being towed into the service bay with completely dead batteries. Other customers are complaining of a frustrating “no crank, no start” condition that leaves them stranded and requires a jump start.

When the technicians dig into the vehicle’s electrical system, they discover an excessive parasitic battery draw. But the root cause is entirely human error. The official bulletin notes that a coin may be lodged under one of the window switches in the driver/master window switch panel.

When you toss your spare change toward the door pull instead of the center console cupholder, those coins can slide right under the power window buttons. This effectively wedges the switch into an active, pushed-down position. Because modern vehicles are essentially rolling computers, that engaged switch keeps the vehicle’s electrical system awake and continuously drawing power. If left overnight, that single coin will drain the battery until it is completely flat.

A close-up view of the driver's side door panel in a GMC Canyon showing the master window switches located directly next to a white upholstered door pull handle.
Looking at the tight tolerances around these buttons, it’s clear why GM issued PIT6458A. A single coin dropped here can easily wedge under the switch, keeping the truck’s computer “awake” until the battery is flat.

Which Vehicles Are Eating Your Quarters?

 The bulletin covers a wide variety of the latest Chevrolet and GMC models across the entire lineup.

If you drive one of these newer vehicles, you might want to invest in a dedicated coin purse, because they are highly susceptible to this loose change disaster:

The Official “Fix” is, well… simple

Perhaps the funniest part of this official GM service document is the documented correction procedure that technicians must follow.

General Motors instructs its highly trained mechanics to “Inspect all window switches for a coin lodged under one of the buttons”. The bulletin reassures the tech that this complex diagnostic “will be visible and will not require any removal or disassembly of the window switch”.

If a coin is indeed found, the official factory repair is simply to “remove the lodged coin”.

But it gets even better. GM actually created a unique Labor Operation code (5481018) specifically for “Lodged Coin Removal”. The dealership is allotted exactly 0.2 hours (12 minutes) of labor time to pry your loose change out of the switch.

Finally, as the last step of the repair process, the technician is strictly instructed to “Educate the customer of this condition and encourage them that coins should be stored away from the window switch”.

Interior view of the driver's side door panel in a Chevrolet Traverse featuring red trim, a portion of the steering wheel, and the master window switch controls.
Looking at the layout of the Traverse door panel, it’s incredibly easy to see how tossing spare change toward the door pull could result in a coin getting lodged under one of the buttons in the driver’s master window switch.

Have You Fallen Victim to the Coin Draw?

It is certainly an embarrassing way to end up on the back of a tow truck, but clearly, you are not alone if it happens to you!

Have you had a weird electrical gremlin that turned out to be something completely silly, or have you actually been hit with a “Lodged Coin Removal” fee at the dealership? Head over to the GM-Trucks.com forums to share your story. We have dedicated discussion boards for all of the affected vehicles so you can connect with other owners: