intermittent electric issues (Gauges and radio cut out) 2006 Silverado

Solas · February 10, 2014

I have a 2006 Silverado 1500 with the following problem

Intermittently - All dash gauges cut out and charging light, security warning light- light up. radio also cuts out ... I think electric door locks and windows also don't work....once I depress the brake pedal all comes back until it happens again 10 sec to several minutes later. Dash lights, headlights, tach, speedometer, heater fans stay on - engine never skips a beat...happens moving and idling...brake pedal always fixes it ... can happen 10 times per minutes or can go 5-10 minutes w/o it happening... very frustrating -any suggestions?

txab · February 10, 2014

Always check the battery condition. Battery cables/connections including body grounds

Pjwolcott34 · February 10, 2014

Check that the mega fuse is good

Solas · February 10, 2014

Is the megafuse the 125 amp one that is not visable unless you remove the plastic surrounding the the fuse box under the hood? I've seen reference to a 175 amp one on the firewall in 2008...but doesn't appear to be there on the 2006?

06pirate · February 10, 2014

My truck in a 2006 GMC Sierra. A couple of years ago I had a bunch of unusual and seemingly unrelated electrical problems. Check engine light illuminated dimly, cruise control worked but would not shut off with switch, only by pushing brake pedal, interior lights flickering sometimes, etc. It turned out that mice had chewed the hell out of the wiring under the main fuse panel mounted in the engine bay, left front fender. I spent an entire weekend splicing and re-insulating to fix it all. It isn't real easy to get at the wires under the fuses, you have to pull the fuse panel section off of the rest of the big plastic box, but if you don't find anything else wrong, you might look under there. I now put mothballs in plastic holders under the hood to keep the mice out.

Oh, and neither my OBDII scanner nor the dealer's superdooper scanner showed any fault codes.

Edited February 10, 2014 by 06pirate

Solas · February 10, 2014

My truck in a 2006 GMC Sierra. A couple of years ago I had a bunch of unusual and seemingly unrelated electrical problems. Check engine light illuminated dimly, cruise control worked but would not shut off with switch, only by pushing brake pedal, interior lights flickering sometimes, etc. It turned out that mice had chewed the hell out of the wiring under the main fuse panel mounted in the engine bay, left front fender. I spent an entire weekend splicing and re-insulating to fix it all. It isn't real easy to get at the wires under the fuses, you have to pull the fuse panel section off of the rest of the big plastic box, but if you don't find anything else wrong, you might look under there. I now put mothballs in plastic holders under the hood to keep the mice out.

Oh, and neither my OBDII scanner nor the dealer's superdooper scanner showed any fault codes.

This is where I suspect the problem is (main fuse panel)...if it were in the dash circuitry - I don't think the radio would be involved and if it was the ignition switch..I don't see why some accessories but not others...the brake pedal correcting it 100% of the time has me perplexed....I will head under the fuse panel under the hood megufuse and all...it was sitting for a bit - so mice a possibility

Solas · March 13, 2014

I have a 2006 Silverado 1500 with the following problem

Intermittently - Dash gauges (voltage, oil pressure, etc) cut out and charging light, security warning light- light up. radio also cuts out ... I think electric door locks also don't work....once I depress the brake pedal all comes back until it happens again 10 sec to several minutes to hours later. Dash lights, headlights, tach, speedometer, heater fans all unaffected - engine never skips a beat...happens moving and idling...brake pedal always fixes it ... can happen a couple times per minutes or can go 5-10 minutes w/o it happening even hours... very frustrating -any suggestions? Ignition wiring? Could brake circuit be backfeeding power?

gmtech4 · March 13, 2014

sounds weird ,have your battery and alternator checked

Carl Lutz · September 6, 2020

Aluminum oxide is the demon. Aluminum stud, aluminum nut & aluminum braided cable, engine body ground. removed from firewall cleaned put back no gremlin. If the problem is at the block (hard to get at) just run a 14 - 16 gauge copper wire from stud to block, alternator bracket has a 8 mm bolt holding a wire clip (that was first thing I did), stopped in the middle of no where after gremlin attack dash gauges door locks headlights warning lights radio clock reset. Went to start turning key nothing at all. Key in the on position with a coat hanger touched body ground bolt and block the key in ignition alarm started dinging. used a lamp cord that was in the bed stripped it rigged it up and no problems rest of 30 miles home. once home pulled ground strap from firewall cleaned with wire brush reinstalled not a flicker from headlights when brakes are applied nothing demon/gremlin completely gone.

DeeboSC78 · August 21, 2021

I realize this is an old post but Solas, did you figure it out?

I have an 06 Z71 and its doing the exact same thing. Warning lights pop up on dash, all gauges drop to zero, radio turns off, windows/doors wont work, etc but truck still runs. If I have AC on , fan will continue blowing but compressor not sending cold air. If i turn the truck off and restart, its usually fine.

Fairly new Interstate battery, will check ground and connections but this is driving me crazy

Youngblood25 · March 14, 2022

On 8/21/2021 at 9:14 AM, DeeboSC78 said:

I realize this is an old post but Solas, did you figure it out?

I have an 06 Z71 and its doing the exact same thing. Warning lights pop up on dash, all gauges drop to zero, radio turns off, windows/doors wont work, etc but truck still runs. If I have AC on , fan will continue blowing but compressor not sending cold air. If i turn the truck off and restart, its usually fine.

Fairly new Interstate battery, will check ground and connections but this is driving me crazy

Did you ever get this issue resolved? I cannot find out why my truck is doing this and shops are charging ridiculous amounts to go through my system.

07silveradoclassic1 · January 10, 2024

I’m having the same issue did any of you guys ever figure out the fix for this. Thank you

LTcolorado22 · February 7, 2025

I’m currently having similar issues on my 2006 Chevrolet Silverado.

My doors won’t power unlock or lock , windows won’t go up and down, radio doesn’t turn on, my four gauges are not working( battery, oil, pressure, temperature, gas) and interior lighting only turns on when I manually pushed the buttons.

My battery light is on so I replaced the battery because it had gone out but didn’t fix the problem.

My ABS light is on.

No check engine light.

I checked my fuses and relays and they all look good.

not sure the problem.