Theft deterrent issue and not starting - 2014 GMC Sierra

14sierra-gmc · March 20, 2016

I have a 2014 GMC Sierra that I purchased new in July 2014. The only issue that I've had was with the driver's seat clip. However, about a month ago I started having occasional problems with it not starting.

About one month ago, I tried to start the vehicle and the engine didn't crank. I tried again, and it started fine. However, the display said something about service theft deterrent system. About two weeks later the same thing occurred.

Today was the scary part though! I was in the drive through lane at a restaurant. I just received my food. The vehicle was in drive and I accelerated to about 2-3 MPH. Then it died. I immediately put it in park and tried to start it again. It didn't start. I tried again, and it started fine, but again said service theft deterrent system. I drove it on home without any more issues. It scared both me and my wife, since it was actually in drive and just died without warning. I would have hated to been driving at full speed.

I'm taking it to the dealer at 8:00 AM Monday morning to let them figure it out. Does anyone have any idea as to what could be causing this issue or has anyone else experienced it?

Thanks,

-w

Jullian is not my name · March 22, 2016

I wonder if its related to the truck needing to re-learn the key. I agree that taking it to the dealer is the best thing, but if it was out of warranty I would consider following the programming keys section in of the manual (2-2).

My 2002 would occasionally not recognize a key and I'd have to do the re-program, but while that could cause it to not want to start, it would not to just die while running. Other people here have mentioned issues with a bad ground causing issues. Will be interesting to hear what the dealer told you.

stackez215 · May 2, 2019

did you ever figure it out? My 14 Rado is doing the same thing.

IHscout · May 28, 2019

I made three short runs in a row one evening, short like a couple of blocks and back to the house and on the third one truck almost didn’t start like the battery was dead. I went ahead and went down the road but the whole trip the anti theft light stayed on. When I got home I put the charger on the battery for the night and parked it in case I had to jump it. Surprisingly it fired right up with no issues but I went ahead and replaced the battery since the one in it was a Delco and I couldn’t find any indication of how old it was. Only had the truck for three months so wanted to play it safe. No more issues until it randomly died pulling away from the gas pump on Saturday. Very very little faith in this thing after the issues so far after only three months, bought it used yes but low miles and expected more I guess.

JimCost2014 · May 28, 2019

1 hour ago, IHscout said:

I made three short runs in a row one evening, short like a couple of blocks and back to the house and on the third one truck almost didn’t start like the battery was dead. I went ahead and went down the road but the whole trip the anti theft light stayed on. When I got home I put the charger on the battery for the night and parked it in case I had to jump it. Surprisingly it fired right up with no issues but I went ahead and replaced the battery since the one in it was a Delco and I couldn’t find any indication of how old it was. Only had the truck for three months so wanted to play it safe. No more issues until it randomly died pulling away from the gas pump on Saturday. Very very little faith in this thing after the issues so far after only three months, bought it used yes but low miles and expected more I guess.

Check your battery cables, especially the ground, known problem on the 14's.

Might not hurt to check any other ground connections you can find/see.

Myold64 · July 12, 2019

I have been experiencing the same problem, service theft deterrent code and temporary electrical shutdown. It seems that when I pushed on the negative post of my (new) battery, the electricity returned and the truck would start.. I bought an 18" battery cable with capped ends with holes in them. I attached one end to the support bar over the battery, after grinding a good ground under the bar and bolt and attached the other end on the nut that tightens the negative battery post.clamp. It's been about a week now without power interruption. For $7.95 CDN, it's worth a try.

2015gmcowner · February 7, 2020

Well let me help you all out. So my 2015 Sierra was doing the same thing. Not starting, starting then shutting off, theft deterrent system on the dashboard. So my GMC dealer helped me out and asked if there was a scan type fob on my keychain, like for a gym, laundromat, or whatever. As soon as he said that it hit me. I had just joined a gym and put a fob on my keychain. Take it off and everything will be just fine.

Chett · October 31, 2020

On 2/7/2020 at 5:59 AM, 2015gmcowner said:

Well let me help you all out. So my 2015 Sierra was doing the same thing. Not starting, starting then shutting off, theft deterrent system on the dashboard. So my GMC dealer helped me out and asked if there was a scan type fob on my keychain, like for a gym, laundromat, or whatever. As soon as he said that it hit me. I had just joined a gym and put a fob on my keychain. Take it off and everything will be just fine.

Confirmed, thanks 2015GMCowner! I had a four year old non functional ‘Tile’ brand locater device on the key ring which apparently was still emitting a very slight UHF signal and it made my 2015 Sierra do all the described weirdness even after I switched to the second key. I just had to remove the tile device, unhook the positive side of the trucks battery and reattached it to reset because my truck seemed 100% dead. Next, I put the key in and turn to “on” and it said “CAL” down by the odometer for about 3 seconds and then I started the truck right up. I did the same with the second key and it calibrated it too. No prob since.

Sierra Dude 2500 · December 21, 2020

My 2015 Sierra 2500HD lost its charge and would not start. I put a charger on it and tried to start it. As soon as I put it in gear it quit and would not turn over but the lights on the dash were good. I checked the the battery and it showed 12.56 volts. I tried a number of things but what worked was disconnecting the positive terminal on the battery. I reconnected it and it started right up. Thinking the Immobilizer had to reset?

Steven Malchuk · July 6, 2021

I have a 2015 Chevy Silverado the truck will not start with the key but it will start with command start and stay running is there anybody out there that can give me an idea of what is wrong is it the ignition key or is there something else and the service theft deterrent light come on