Jump to content

Electrical issues Need Help

Robert Sutton

By Robert Sutton
in Troubleshooting & Recalls

Recommended Posts

DMZEE New Member

DMZEE

Posted
Posted

I immediately noticed it was wet in your video.. I have a 17 Denali and I have noticed that after I take it to the car wash (hand wash ) the radio screen blacks out (sometimes)... I called on star once when it happened.. they had me turn off the truck for x minutes and start it again. It was fine until the next time.. If it ever stops snowing and I get to wash my truck again I guess we will see if it continues but I’m confident H2O is a factor...

If it helps.. my Dodges radio used to black out when it got hot outside.. luckily I live in Canada..

  • Replies 41
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Robert Sutton Enthusiast

Robert Sutton

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Ok everyone here is the update. It has been a while since I have posted here about my issue. The dealership got a new fuse block in, they replaced it and still the issue occurred. They then blamed my HVAC Module, put a new on of those in. Still no dice.

 

Just this last week they noticed my headlights going dim then bright just like my instrument cluster. They told me they believe it to be my Alternator. Which I had told them on January 25th I tested the alternator and gave them my results. I was not very happy. If you look back to page 2 you see my alternator test results, IN JANUARY!!!!

 

Well the new alternator is installed now. It only took them 3 months to diagnose what I had already done months ago. I have not seen any symptoms since getting the truck back Friday. Lets hope that was it and the problem does not return. 

 

I would like to share my experience of this as well in hopes someone from GM reads my post. The dealership did everything right, except not listening about the alternator. I understand they are not allowed to fix something unless proven broke by error codes or GM tells them to. GM on the other hand was absolutely awful. I worked with 4 different advisors and was told they'd call me back on several different occasions and they missed the ball every time. They would call several days late with less details than I had. My shop was on top of it calling me and letting me know the progress every step of the way. Multiple times I had to tell the GM advisor what the shop was doing because they had no idea. I left about 7 voicemails throughout this adventure and my advisor responded to 1. GM, if you are reading this, please work on your customer service.

adamj2121 Enthusiast

adamj2121

Posted
Posted
On 4/24/2018 at 4:53 PM, Robert Sutton said:

Ok everyone here is the update. It has been a while since I have posted here about my issue. The dealership got a new fuse block in, they replaced it and still the issue occurred. They then blamed my HVAC Module, put a new on of those in. Still no dice.

 

Just this last week they noticed my headlights going dim then bright just like my instrument cluster. They told me they believe it to be my Alternator. Which I had told them on January 25th I tested the alternator and gave them my results. I was not very happy. If you look back to page 2 you see my alternator test results, IN JANUARY!!!!

 

Well the new alternator is installed now. It only took them 3 months to diagnose what I had already done months ago. I have not seen any symptoms since getting the truck back Friday. Lets hope that was it and the problem does not return. 

 

I would like to share my experience of this as well in hopes someone from GM reads my post. The dealership did everything right, except not listening about the alternator. I understand they are not allowed to fix something unless proven broke by error codes or GM tells them to. GM on the other hand was absolutely awful. I worked with 4 different advisors and was told they'd call me back on several different occasions and they missed the ball every time. They would call several days late with less details than I had. My shop was on top of it calling me and letting me know the progress every step of the way. Multiple times I had to tell the GM advisor what the shop was doing because they had no idea. I left about 7 voicemails throughout this adventure and my advisor responded to 1. GM, if you are reading this, please work on your customer service.

Hopefully this fixes your problem, glad to hear that your truck seems to be fixed!  I don't know how many times your vehicle was in for warranty repairs, but you can pursue a breach of warranty claim against GM to receive a reimbursement for lost value on your asset due to the spotty service record. My lemon law attorney mentioned that GM may offer that to me instead of a full buyback since my truck was used and sort of in a gray area (according to Ohio's lemon law). The breach of warranty is a federal law and pursuing a claim incurs no costs to the customer, GM absorbs all attorney fees. Unfortunately, that is about the only way you are going to get GM to listen.

 

I had multiple calls and voicemails to GM and was hoping to arrive at a mutually beneficial resolution before having to involve legal counsel, but GM's customer service reps never returned my calls/voicemails.

  • 1 year later...
clacher New Member

clacher

Posted
Posted
On 12/19/2017 at 2:44 PM, Robert Sutton said:

Hey all, I will start from the beginning here. Purchased my new 2017 Sierra Elevation Edition in February 2017. Drove it off the lot with 6 miles on it. This is my first new vehicle so its been a little discerning to me that this has more issues than any used car I have owned before. 

 

A few weeks after owning the truck, my microphone stopped working for my phone calls and the onstar stopped working all together. My OnStar module died and they replaced it with a new one. About 5 thousand miles later, my trucks radio screen started randomly going black, turning off all sound, then coming back on again. It would resume where it last was, phone call still intact or radio still on the right station. This went on for about 2 weeks then my dash lit up and chimed at me, the radio turned off like it does I get a warning of a Power Steering Failure. I call my local shop and get it in there right away. The drive in, the power steering worked just fine. 

 

They said the reading came back as High Voltage, they updated the computer and sent me on my way. Fast Forward to 3 weeks later, my truck starts doing the radio off again but this time the dash lights all shut off too. I can't be sure but it seems to do it when its wet outside. It did not have problems after I was in the shop but it was also dry outside. I also noticed when this happens the voltmeter spikes high.

 

I am dropping my truck off again the Tuesday after Christmas. Does anyone have experience with this before? The shop told me last time they have never seen this before. 

 

Thanks!

Hello, i own a 2015 chevy silverado. had many many electric issues similar in nature. my entire truck would shut down, lose all electrical power for a few seconds and than randomly restart and turn on. happened randomly and often, even while driving. my steering would also malfunction and the electrical steering would feel like it was resisting me and jerk around. i read a bunch of forums about the grounding issue behind the dash. the recommended solutions didn't help me and electric problems continued to occur. but i took it to a local maintenance shop and told them my problem and said that this is a problem concerning the throttle body. I have no idea how or why  but i'm assuming they cleaned it out and i haven't had any electric problem sense then. i have no idea how these problems relate but my truck hasn't had a problem for months now after they treated the throttle body. hope this helps

  • 2 months later...
Alyx101834 New Member

Alyx101834

Posted
Posted

I’m having similar electrical gremlins currently. Power steering issues, brakes locking, headlights going crazy and check engine codes. Dealer put alternator in. Picked it up, more codes. Dealer put battery in. 1 week later, more codes. Now it’s been in the shop for 6 days and they’ve replaced the headlight unit but that didn’t fix it. I’m going in today to escalate it. Have already had fuel pump and wheel bearings replaced too. Bought new 7/2017 and it’s got 9000 miles left on the warranty. I’ve had it with dealers not being able to fix it. 

  • 3 months later...
Becca New Member

Becca

Posted
Posted

I’ve had my 2017 Silverado 4X4 in shop 5 times, not including countless phone calls-even call GM directly, because my entire dash goes out, losing headlights, radio, hands free phone only to be told “we can’t duplicate the problem!” Once I was driving east on I 16 and had to pull off the road to call and they wanted me to come straight to their shop. It was 3 hours in the opposite direction at 5 pm! GM closed case because the dealership said they couldn’t duplicate it! Well, they had to know about the problem because the put a new battery in, then they changed the headlight switch, then they tried updating the memory, etc., etc. I have always been a Chevy girl, but at this rate, I’m rethinking Chevy!

JimCost2014 Senior Enthusiast

JimCost2014

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, Becca said:

I’ve had my 2017 Silverado 4X4 in shop 5 times, not including countless phone calls-even call GM directly, because my entire dash goes out, losing headlights, radio, hands free phone only to be told “we can’t duplicate the problem!” Once I was driving east on I 16 and had to pull off the road to call and they wanted me to come straight to their shop. It was 3 hours in the opposite direction at 5 pm! GM closed case because the dealership said they couldn’t duplicate it! Well, they had to know about the problem because the put a new battery in, then they changed the headlight switch, then they tried updating the memory, etc., etc. I have always been a Chevy girl, but at this rate, I’m rethinking Chevy!

Welcome to the site.

 

Have you considered finding a new dealership to look at the truck?

 

You can take it to any Chevy lot you like.

Becca New Member

Becca

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, JimCost2014 said:

Welcome to the site.

 

Have you considered finding a new dealership to look at the truck?

 

You can take it to any Chevy lot you like.

Yes, and they said same thing. If they cannot duplicate it, they cannot fix it.

JimCost2014 Senior Enthusiast

JimCost2014

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, Becca said:

Yes, and they said same thing. If they cannot duplicate it, they cannot fix it.

If they are saying (multiple dealers) no fix, and if it has been in the shop for over 30 days combined, I would open a new claim with GM demanding a buy back.

 

You can also check the Lemon Laws in your state too, but would start with the buy back process first, takes a while, but no money out of your pocket for legal fees.

Becca New Member

Becca

Posted
Posted

Thank you for that information. I was not aware about a buy back. I am not in the lemon law timeframe anymore (missed it by 2 months. 

JimCost2014 Senior Enthusiast

JimCost2014

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Becca said:

Thank you for that information. I was not aware about a buy back. I am not in the lemon law timeframe anymore (missed it by 2 months. 

You are very welcome.

 

Call GM, open a new claim, and see what happens. 

 

You did not mention your miles, but if this has been a documented problem with your truck (dealer records), I would give it a shot.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • BDS my HD
      Brand new to this forum. Questions about re-gearing my 26’ HD

      By BDS my HD · Posted

      Hello hello looking forward to expanding my knowledge of the 2026 2500 HD that I just bought.   Truck has 3500 miles on it four-wheel-drive crew cab and I’m about to put a 6 1/2 inch BDS lift on it 18 x 10 -25 offset with 37’s   Already have the wheels and tires just waiting on the lift install in about three weeks   Question what surprises am I not gonna be happy with?  I’m not new to lifted trucks so I know that acceleration towing gas mileage all that is affected..   Question is those of you that have this truck this powertrain with a 10 speed Allison and have done the mods that I’m doing,,, how bad is it? Is that Allison constantly gonna be hunting for the right gear to go into? And what about towing, acceleration, fuel consumption as mentioned?    Lastly how come I can’t find any ring pinion gear set up for these axles and when could I expect to see them?   I apologize if there’s any typos I’m doing speech to text on my iPhone.    
    • linc45bn
      2013 2500HD 6.0L intermittent no crank no start

      By linc45bn · Posted

      I've got a 2013 2500 6.0L Flexfuel. Drove the truck earlier today with no issues. Went to run an errand tonight and noticed key fob wouldn't work. Figured battery was dead, so replaced fob batter. Still wasn't working. Grabbed my other set of keys with the other fob and that one wasn't working either. So I manually unlock truck and insert key. Interior lights come on, dashboard lights up, turn key and truck starts. Turn truck off, like a moron, and try starting again. This time no crank, no click, no nothing. Lights still come on and dash lights up, but now I'm getting a service 4wheel drive, service tire monitor, etc. Check voltage on battery and Im showing 12.2v. Throw my battery charger on it and give it 15 mins and try starting again. But still no crank no start. Decide maybe its a bad battery, run to autozone grab a new one and put it in. Same issue. Disconnect battery and let it sit for 15 mins. Try again and still nothing. I had managed to roll the windows down earlier as its a humid night, but now I can't get them to roll up. Power locks are also not working now. Then randomly I try the key again, and it fires right up. Immediately I roll up the windows as we have nothing but rain forecast this week. I shut it back off wait 30 seconds and start up again. Worked a 2nd time. So turn it off, start putting things back together. Try one more time, and back to no crank no start. And now the car alarm starts going off. Had to disconnect battery and leave it that way for the night as I don't think my neighbors would appreciate my alarm going off again tonight. Any thoughts or help would be appreciated. 
    • Grumpy Bear
      first oil change - 2026 2500HD gas

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      No one will care for you like you care for you. Do what you can for as long as you can. IMHO of course. 
    • Grumpy Bear
      Oil Consumption

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      How about them NICKS!!! 
    • Peoplemvr
      GMC 1500 Illuminated Front Grill Emblem REPLACEMENT.

      By Peoplemvr · Posted

      Hi there.  Long time lurker, first post.    i have read the previous posts regarding the water ingress problem with this emblem.  I bought my 1500 SLT the  summer of 2025 new and after reading the MANY problems with these emblems failing I decided to install one anyways.  As per a YouTube video, I sealed ( or tried to) this sign with silicone sealant around the outer perimeter joint and the holes that were already somewhat sealed on the rear plate of the emblem.  And installed the connector assembly using dielectric grease on the connectors. The installation looked great and worked well for about 4 months……then FAILURE.  Grrrrrr…… I live in the great white north and wash my truck weekly in an automatic car wash  to keep the salt off.  Let me tell you that removing the old, failed emblem is a whole different animal than removing the OEM individual letters without removing the grill assembly. Mainly because the illuminated logo is built differently than the original letters which  you can remove the red surface lettering with a knife or some kind of blade which gives access to the tabs which hold the logo onto the grill. So I had to essentially destroyed the old emblem to remove it. Doing so killed my chance of doing somekind of autopsy on the failed , old logo.  But there was plenty of water inside when I ripped it apart.  Prior to installing the new assembly I tried it with the old harness and it works fine.   Does anyone have any insight as to where the water is getting into this emblem? I intend to seal the new logo with slow curing epoxy this time around using a syringe.  I think this newer emblem may be an updated unit which I hope GM got the vendor to fix. It has an October 2025 date on it.    If this one  fails,  I am just going to revert back to the non-illuminated letters….AFTER PULLING THE GRILL.    Any thoughts on sealing with epoxy would be appreciated. Thx!   Doug  

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...