Identify a cut wire in wheel well? Return to dealer?

Sayjuh · July 20, 2019

Hi, just bought a 2019 Silverado 2500 duramax last week. Today, I found a wire hanging in my passenger front wheel well. Appears to have been cut and it’s not recent because it’s dirty inside where it was cut, as if I’ve been driving around with it cut. It’s a silver sheathe around three individual wires. Can’t tell where it is coming from or leading to. I thought it might be the engine block heater recall and the dealers solution was to just cut the cord but I asked them if they did this and they said they don’t know what it is. Any one know?

carkhz316 · July 20, 2019

If I didn't know better, I'd say thats the cord for your block heater.

davester · July 20, 2019

There shouldn't be that many cables covered in silver tape. Follow it to where it's connected to something and see what's there. Then go back to the dealer and make them fix it, because GM doesn't just throw on a bunch of wires to nowhere.

redwngr · July 20, 2019

Another guess at block heater cord -- since they were supposed to cut them all off until the fire 'concern' gets resolved.

Leaving it hanging like that does seem a little odd -- like maybe the person doing it got interrupted and didn't get it finished.

Regardless I think I'd take it back and show them / verify what happened.

They may not know that it is like that.

L5P's got a 'safety recall notice', (in May 2019) indicating possibility fire at terminals to block heater. It indicated parts currently unavailable to fix it and to not use it until repaired,

I understood dealers were to disable the ones in their possession.

I wonder if GM and Ford are using the same supplier as both have this issue.

newdude · July 25, 2019

That's a big wire. Block heater. They didn't cut it as good as they could have for the recall.

Colossus · July 26, 2019

Agreed. I'd share that photo with the Service Manager or Dealer owner and ask them to please have their techs do a more professional job. (ask in a nice way, it goes farther, if you get mad they tend to ignore ya)