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Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon Electrical Problems

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Comments

  • burnthecanyonburnthecanyon Member Posts: 6
    I had an '04 till last week when I finally gave up and traded it in. I put over $20,000 into it and even in the couple days before I traded it in, it still had a short that did the exact same thing. Read the posts. Most guys swear it is the wiring harness and have had some success in swapping it out.
  • al6pndral6pndr Member Posts: 45
    YES get rid of the P.O.S.!! And never buy another G.M. product. Trust me you won't be sorry. After Obama motors took over, the company just DOSEN'T care how they or thier dealers talk/treat thier customers.

    I was a 20 yr. die hard Chevy fan but the Colorado took care of that!
    Colorado the gift that keeps on giving..(to the service dept.)

    Randy Wise Chevrolet. Milan Mi. THE WORST DEALER ON THE PLANET!!!
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    Kandr313,

    If you would like assistance in working with a dealership towards resolving this concern, please email us more information (including your name/user name, contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN, your servicing dealership, and any further details about this vehicle concern).

    Best,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    Al6pndr,

    I'm sorry that you're frustrated with your vehicle and with your dealership. Have you already worked with Customer Assistance?

    Best,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Assistance
  • snaproll1snaproll1 Member Posts: 88
    I have to agree with the previous poster. Bot the Chevy hack but the person saying get rid of the Colorado and never buy another GM product.

    I've followed the posts since there were only like 40 or 50 of them. Now there are over 500. I really liked the Colorado but finally gave up and bought a Toyota. I never in a million years thought I would ever buy anything but American. Obama Motors is no longer American IMHO.

    That aside, there are so many electrical issues with this truck, and so many possible solutions, there is not any one single fix since the problems reoccur and are ongoing. It could be the programming of the control modules, the grounds, the alternator, the battery the.... forget it, just replace the truck with something other than a GM product.

    By the way, I did do the "customer care" BS. I got fed up with the GM service department randomly replacing expensive parts always promising this would fix the problem that would reoccur. Their "care" representitive offered four oil changes and a tire rotation "worth $450 dollars!!".

    Forget it, do yourself a favor, get rid of the money pit as soon as you can for whatever you can get for it.
  • al6pndral6pndr Member Posts: 45
    Sarah. THNX for your concern! took care of the cust.serv. problem a year ago traded the 07 P.O S.(Colorado) off on an 07 Jeep Liberty and LOVE it! No rude,disrespectful service manager telling me "we don't care about your problem." "take your business somewhere else."

    After which I call someone like you at good ol' G.M. who tells me "Sorry Randy Wise Chevrolet. Milan,Mi. is and Independent G.M. dealership there's nothing we can do." SOOooo with that said obviously G.M. DOSEN'T care how a service manager/owners son of the dealership treats thier customers!! The sad thing is I REALLY liked the trucks 4cyl. engine/gas milage. and was a "DIE HARD" chevy customer for yrs. But I guess paying back Obama & the boys is more important than a few satisfied customers..

    Since my WONDERFUL treatment at Randy Wise Chevrolet. I've had a sign in the back window of my Colorado/Jeep stating just what they can do! and whenever someone asks why, I make it a point to tell them what was said to me by both Randy Wise/G.M. Have a nice day!

    Randy Wise Chevrolet. Milan Mi. THE WORST DEALER ON THE PLANET!!!
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    I'm sorry for these frustrating experiences, al6pndr. I hope that your new vehicle serves you well.

    Best,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • snaproll1snaproll1 Member Posts: 88
    I have to chuckle with this "Customer Care"represenatives trying to drum up business for their dealerships. How about arranging a recall on the truck?

    The "we're sorry with your frustration" reminds me of those banking ads with 'Peggy'.

    "Um, yeah, my colorado doesn't start, the driver's window doesn't work, the fob doesn't work, I've taken it to the dealer three times, they've replaced the BCM, the battery, the blower resistor, the fuse block, all the time saying they have never seen this problem before. Is there anything you can do about it?"

    "Ah-low, dis is Peggy. You are waluable customer. You con change in your coupons for tokens, vich you con redeem for credits...."

    Just sell the Colorado and buy a Chevy Volt. At least when that one burns up they'll buy it back.

    Chevy= :lemon:
  • col05col05 Member Posts: 1
    Den52
    Could you forward me the pdf wiring diagram for 2005 colorado power window/lock issue.
    Thanks
  • shyster66shyster66 Member Posts: 17
    Ok. This is my first post and am obviously here becuz the same thing happened to me yesterday.Was putting the xmas lights up while listening to music from my 2007 colorado LS.(which i still love by the way.....for now). Never had a problem b4 listening to tunes and the battery dying but it happened yesterday. Dont know if maybe my passenger door was partially open,and the light was on or what, but it died. It would barely turn over and wouldnt start. i shut everything off and let it sit for a couple more hours and then it started no problem. Took it around the block to charge it up a bit and thats when i noticed the drivers side window and power locks not working and the remote for the keyless entry. (wtf does FOB mean btw?) I looked at it this morning,checking all fuses,reading the manual etc etc. Pulled every fuse and looked at them and then kept checking the problem to no avail.I made sure every fuse was all the way in, forcing them all in tight.Still didnt work. Got on the internet and read a bunch of posts here.I tried bstroud5073's tips about disconnecting the battery and putting the key in etc. It didnt work so i disconnected the battery and let it sit for 3 hours this time instead of just disconnecting it and hooking it right back up. So what i did was disconnect the battery for 3 hours,then put the key in and turned it to ACC,left the door open and then hooked the battery back up.The door chimes came on right away and then i tightened the the battery terminals tight.(didnt hear any clicking noises of relays or anything). I then got in the truck and closed the door,turned the ignition off and pulled out the key.The locks never made a sound when i pulled the key out,but the window and locks both worked when i tried them!!!( I never put the emergency brake on either at the start). So i was happier than a pig in you know what. Now my remote wont work for my keyless entry. Maybe when my battery died it sent some signal to my remote and fried the battery in it!!! Haha. Who the hell knows. Hopefully it will work in a few days. Pretty damn strange how you cant even disconnect your battery w/o losing power to some electrical items upon startup!! What a friggin joke!!! And there was a mechanic in here who said that disconnecting the battery wouldnt do anything to reset the BCM? Sorry bud but you obviously have no clue. If you have no explanation why a dying battery causes electrical components to not work upon startup,then your reasoning behind disconnecting the battery for a while not working to fix the problem, has no value.

    Ive had the truck for a year and a half now and a rear signal light went a couple months ago.$1.99.Easy fix.No other problems until a month ago. My engine light came on and all of a sudden i cant pump gas into the tank at full pressure.Takes me about 20 minutes to fill up. Its not being able to release the air from inside the tank and i think the airline from the tank is plugged or something. I looked under the gas tank neck today and the airline is solid metal line welded to the main neck. I dont know how it could become plugged. Havent had it looked at yet as i have worked 27 days straight and havent really worried about it because im sure the engine light is on due to gas cap air pressure etc. Anyone know a fix for this problem?

    Anyway,i havent even started the truck yet since fixing the door lock/window problem.I want to give it a good run, but ill wait til tomo morning when i go to work. I cant believe that with all these posts on here that there isnt a definite solution yet. Its all a guessing game. I read alot of posts in here.Spent all day reading other peoples posts and its such a shame that GM could care less about the people who "WERE" and are supporting them. Charging people astronomical amounts of money for 2 yrs old or less vehicles to be fixed.

    Congrats to snaproll for his new truck.I read alot of his posts!! Hopefully, unlike him and many others, this isnt the start of my electrical nightmare!!! Or i'll be going to Ford next!! Dont mind fords. Dont dislike japanese cars,just cant afford them...lol.....Take care and good luck all!!
  • shyster66shyster66 Member Posts: 17
    I thought i maybe better take the truck out for a boot and see if everything works,half an hour after my last post. Its pouring rain out right now.I started down the road and drove a good 1/8 mile b4 i thot i needed to turn my wipers on.OMG,they dont work..lol. I went around the block a couple times checking everything else.I stopped and restarted the truck 3 or 4 times.I tried my remote for my keyless entry.Yayyyyy.It works!! Wipers dont but.......lol. While driving around the block a few times i started wondering if i put a fuse back in the wrong spot for the wipers.Hmmmm. Could i have? Got home, popped the hood and sure enuff i did.lol. What a relief!! Everything seems to be back to normal now but im now scared to roll the drivers side window down. I think a new battery is in order tho,what with winter coming and all. I'll just make sure that i wait a few hours to install it after disconnecting the old one.And i definitely wont be going to a dealer to get it!!! :shades:
  • snaproll1snaproll1 Member Posts: 88
    Yeah, you have all the symptoms of the window/lock/battery thing. Disconnecting the battery may work, for me it was just the window module in the door. It may work for a few says, maybe a month. The problems will come back sooner or later. Get the thing running then sell it before it becomes an endless money pit.

    It really comes down to which is the problem, the chicken or the egg kind of thing. Did the low battery cause the electrical problems or did the electrical problems cause the dead battery? It seems the two are related, the low battery and the weird electrical problems. It could be bad grounds causing feedback and stuff to fry. It could be the bad fuse block if you haven't replaced it. It could be bad programming on in the computer modules. Perhaps low voltage gets causes error codes in the computer modules. There are many things is could be, and any one of them could cause problems with the others, so it is virtually impossible to solve. It's impossible to tell if the problem is actually 'the problem' or just a symptom of something else that is the root cause.

    You could take it to a good mechanic and spend $$ having them chase the problems. Or you can try a Chevy dealer, but I didn't have much luck with them randomly replacing parts. Needless to say I am pretty disgusted with Chevy service.

    A couple things you should be aware of if you didn't know already. The head needs to be replaced on the trucks. There was a recall on that. The cylinders go flat because the head was improperly constructed. There was also a SB to replace a fuse block. This can't be the main problem because I had mine done yet I still had the ongoing electrical problems. My fuse block was actually burned. There was also a recall on the tail lights. They could stay on, they could fail completely, but... "Don't take your truck in unless you experience these issues". Uh-huh, wait until you get rear ended at night, then bring it in. (Well, that is what Chevy is good at, rear ending customers IMHO).

    Again, seriously, your best bet is to get rid of the thing. I really loved my Colorado. If it was well built I would still have it. For its size, utility, gas milage, on paper it looks like a good vehicle. But... these weird electrical problems do not go away. It is simply a poorly designed system that Chevy did not stand by and rapes their customers over. If you want to experiment and "hope" for a while like I did, good luck to you. If you actually want to try the apologizing "Customer Care" reps from Chevy, give them a shot, but report back if they were able to do something except open your wallet.

    The alternative is to get with a car company that actually stands by their product. I've never heard anything but good about Toyota. I'm not a fanboy of non-American products, but there's a limit of what is reasonable for a person to expect. Like I say, if nothing else, trade the Colorado in for a Chevy Volt and wait for that to burn up so they will buy it back, but I wouldn't hold my breath on the Colorado.

    Chevy= :lemon:
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    snaproll1,
    Thank you for your feedback on our services. I completely understand why many of you are on the forums looking for information; some because you don’t trust your dealer, some because you are out of warranty and looking for a less expensive fix. I’m not sure you completely understand why I am here on the forum. I’m not here to drive business to the dealers or even on behalf of the dealers. Dealers are our eyes and ears in the field yet they are independently owned and operated. I am here on behalf of GM. I am here to listen to your concerns and report the concerns to GM; however, I am not a technician nor can I diagnosis a vehicle via the internet. Therefore I have to have the vehicle diagnosed by a dealer to report the proper concerns as well as attempt to have them addressed by GM as well as the dealer. I understand this can be frustrating for you that I don’t have more technical information, but we do have the ability to contact dealers to see what’s going on or what the hold up is. GM is working to improve our customer service and so we are out here to hear you and your concerns and assist you. Each case is handled on a case by case basis. I can tell you that our service on different forums has helped us and many customers. Feel free to email me.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • den052den052 Member Posts: 27
    That is a good explanation and thank you for it. It is just frustrating that this "Drivers window, door lock" problem has not been addressed by the GM Pro's or troubleshooting team as to what is causing the problem. As a former GM Tech Mechanic, I have narrowed down the problem to either a voltage supply problem to the door/window lock module, or a "window/lock" drivers module problem or replacement. After using dielectric grease on all the drivers window module connections of my Colorado, the problem has not returned yet. All the disconnecting batteries and the various "shade tree mechanics" mentioned before is not really a FIX. Rest assured that if other people have done these things and the window/lock problem goes away, THEY WERE JUST LUCKY as the problem appears random and will cure itself sometimes for a while. My truck has actually had the problem 3 times. Cured itself twice just by waiting a month or two, and the last time I greased the connections as I mentioned before (and sofar no problem). I am convinced that there is no problem with the BODY COMPUTER OR MODULE HAVING TO BE RESET, ETC.
    Thanks,

    Dennis S Tomlinson
    Certified Master Light and Heavy vehicle Technician, 30 yrs+ with extensive electrical background.
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    If Customer Service can be of any assistance (look into warranty/recall information or assist in working with a dealership), please don't hesitate to get in touch with us via email with more information.

    Best,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • canyon08canyon08 Member Posts: 14
    There is a purge canister on or near your fuel tank, it opens and closes releasing tank pressure, evap. system, if is closed the tank pressure can't be released and your fuel "backs up" the fill tube, luckly mine stuck open and I could fuel it with no problem...just shy of 400 cdn to replace it, is your check engine light on? If really ambitious follow the line next to the fill tube and locate the canister..give it a smack! never know! Good luck..
  • snaproll1snaproll1 Member Posts: 88
    "I am here on behalf of GM. I am here to listen to your concerns and report the concerns to GM..."

    Well, Christina, Camran, Sarah... and uhhh, "Peggy".... Yeah nothing personally against you guys, I know you are trying to do some kind of job on behalf of GM.

    The truth of the matter is the Chevy rep in our area made a very bad call when I had the initial problems with the truck. After the initial $750 fiasco of replacing the BCM that would cure the problem, then the fuse block, then the battery, then buring up the blower resistor while testing, I had worked out a deal with the dealer. They finally had to agree that all these things that happened in a three day period couldn't all be coincidence. They offered to cover $250 (out of their holdback probably), if I would cover $250 and they said Chevy would cover $250. Ok, fine... except the Chevy rep wouldn't cover the GM portion of the $250. I called the "customer care center", you know, the outfit you work for... the woman on the phone gave me all the "we apologize for your frustration" BS and said the best I could hope for was the five oil changes and a tire rotation, a "package worth $450 dollars!". About $40 bucks in oil and an impact wrench is not worth $450 dollars.

    Chevy and GM should be a footnote in history like Packard and Studebaker, not a nationalized car company "too big to fail".

    Ya know, if you want to take a "message" back to GM, it would be one of "don't be penny-wise and dollar foolish". The little $250 bucks that Chevy rep kept in the company has cost GM a lot more than that in future sales as good will.

    If you want to do what is right, push them for a recall on the truck. That is what should have been done in the first place.

    GM= :lemon:
  • shyster66shyster66 Member Posts: 17
    Thx for you input on the purge cannister. I dont think i can reach it as i think it is on top of tank.Someone else in here said they took their truck bed off to get at it? Not a job I'm really into...haha. Is this another BS item installed by gm so you have to bring your vehicle in for service? Where did you get the price of $400 to replace it? Was it a dealer or a private garage or Canadian tire? My engine light was on b4 i disconnected the battery,for a few weeks. I drove to work today and back(25 minutes one way) and the light never came on. When i arrived at work i immediately released the pressure built up inside by taking the gas cap off.Made a whooshing noise. Air release or whatever.I might try getting under there again and give something a smack..lol.....Thx again :)
  • shyster66shyster66 Member Posts: 17
    Dennis.I'm sure you are a fine mechanic. Sometimes electricity works in mysterious ways.I am an electrician.I know firsthand. Altho alternating current being different than direct current. Pretty weird how it never happened to me before until my battery died. Obviously some design flaw in the computer or something when full power is lost,affects the memory or program of the computer. I read alot of posts in here and the same story over and over is mainly that peoples batteries died.Not always tho. Most people admitted to leaving something charging in their truck,lights on, stereo,cooler plugged in etc etc. As for electricity works in mysterious ways, listen to this story. 10yrs ago lightning hit the tree directly beside my driveway,directly beside my plymouth voyageur. The tree was about 5 ft away from the van.I never saw the lightning strike as it happened in the middle of the night,but the next day there was a circle on the side of the tree where the bark had blown away from the tree. About the size of a frisbee.About a foot off the ground. There was bark stuck in the trim on the van. On the driveway there were pit marks all over the asphalt driveway. All close to the van. Around 20 or so. They were the size of a quarter and about a quarter inch deep.One 15 amp fuse in my house had blown.Only one. My neighbour said he heard a loud crack in the middle of the night during the storm and thot for sure that his house or mine got hit by lightning. Ok now to the point of my story. All the guages and dashboard lights didnt work in the van. gas gauge,speedometer,lights. Anything electrical on the dash didnt work. The headlights worked, taillights,turn signal, etc all worked. Drove it for a few days without having a clue to how fast i was going, how much gas i had and at night with no dash lights was hell. Didnt matter anyway. No gauges worked. No fuses on the van were blown. Took it to a mechanic who said the whole wiring harness was fried,or part of it.He said i should go thru insurance as it could cost up to $3000 to repair. He showed me where he thot it was melted. Told me to reach in and feel. I couldnt feel nuthing as it was all wrapped with a soft tape. I dont think he spent much time with it after hearing the story about it. I called my insurance company and took it in.The mechanic (dealer no less)said the wiring harness wasnt fried and that lightning didnt hit the van at all. This was a conversation on the phone. After work that day the insurance estimator called me and was arguing with me about how lightning couldnt have hit the van.He said that there was a short somewhere in the harness and that just normal wear and tear had caused something to short out. Somewhere in the conversation i told him i was an electrician and he said that i should know that it is excess current that would do the damage to wires or whatever and that lightning just has high voltage and no current.I said "Whatever dude!!!!!!! High voltage is high voltage!!!! And that no one truly knows how lightning works"!! What a friggin moron!! I told him to come over and look at my driveway if he didnt believe me!! Of course he wouldnt do that.The next day i was on the phone with the mechanic yelling at him cuz he was adamit that lightning definetily did not hit my van. He was yelling back at me too. I said "Are you calling me a liar!!?" I took my van to a dealer of my choice too. So i dont think the dealer was in cahoots with the insurance company,trying to save a claim or whatever from going thru. Maybe they were in cahoots. Who knows?All i know is that he was just a friggin moron who didnt know squat!!!!! I know the van got hit, or had trace amounts electricity go from the tree to the van. Or to the driveway and to my house too. Man was i pissed though!!!!!
  • shyster66shyster66 Member Posts: 17
    OMG christina. You just dont get it do ya? The dealers are a bloody rip-off, understand? $100 just to plug it in for diagnosis.If GM really cared about their customers, and you being a GM representative, then you should start talking to people in your company about why this constantly happens. If you cant explain the technical stuff, then have a gm mechanic or engineer come on here and explain it. .Is that all they pay you for is to come on here and ask for VIN #'s and tell people you will kindly guide them to the nearest dealer? Pretty simple question that you would have to ask someone from GM. Ok,ready now? "Why is it that the drivers side window only, and the power doorlocks, and the keyless entry just all of a sudden stop working? "Alot of the cases are when someones battery goes dead or is dying". |" How do they fix it it?" "There are over 500 posts on one website alone, so it must be a common thing to happen" You said that you are here on behalf of GM,and you are here to report our concerns to GM. Have you reported our concerns? One concern is that we would like an answer. Thx......
  • biscuit8biscuit8 Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2006 Colorado, it has been an excellent truck up until recently. My engine light came on, once I replaced the gas cap and the light went back off (Oregon we can't pump or own gas, so idiots constantly over tighten the caps), now my light is back on but I am not sure if I should bother paying out all the money for that fix. Because, six months ago I started having issues with my driver side window. I took it to a repair shop and they said it was the regulator and motor. So I had that replaced and paid out about $300 in total for labor and parts. But it turns out that it wasn't the issue. They tried to hand my truck back with the window half way down because they couldn't get it to work again. After complaining to the owner of the shop the dimwits manually put my window in the up position. I drove home and all of a sudden my truck wouldn't lock. The lights flashed and my dome light went off but my truck was fully unlocked. I tried to actually lock it with my key and it locked the driver side only and then the key couldn't unlock my truck. Thankfully I could get in the passenger side to hit the button. After playing with my key pad a few times, my truck magically locked and unlocked like there was never an issue. Though my window still doesn't.

    Now after reading all of these posts, I have a delimma do I possibly go through all of the BS the rest of you have gone through or trade it in. This really sucks because I only have two payments left. I could pay it off and let it sit and get a different car but I'd still have the issues sitting there waiting for my wallet to open up again and again. :sick:
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    I'm sorry to hear this. Can I get a better understanding of a few things?
    Was the repair shop a GM dealership? Have you worked with Customer Assistance already on this concern?

    Thanks in advance,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • canyon08canyon08 Member Posts: 14
    It was at the local G.M. dealer here in Dartmouth Nova Scotia, that 400 included tax and an oil change...maybe by occasionally releasing the pressure you'll be o.k. they told me it was o.k. to drive it with the engine light on but I couldn't stand looking at it! lol...and with it on you don't know if anything else is going wrong, got to love the emmission system!
  • al6pndral6pndr Member Posts: 45
    I still like one of the earlier posts comparing "GM cust.serv." to the popular tv commercial. "Hello.. Dis Peggy! how I help you?".. NO points use CREDITS now.. G.m." customer service" isn't that sort of an oxymoron? like Militay inteligence,Honest politicain?

    Does the word RECALL come to mind???!!! Kristina you know what RECALL means right??!! RECALL, to bring something back from where it originated? RECALL,RECALL ,RECALL!!!!! But I guess that ALL these post don't add up to enough for a RECALL!!!

    I bet if instead of the colorado we all were wealthy enough to go and purchase the Volt A.K.A. "Start,stop and BURN." why G.M. might do something for us besides the jelly of the month club/oilchange, tire rotation. Some earlier advice was to trade your colorados in on this (the Volt.) vehicle because G.M. is offering to buy them back.. GOD can America really afford ANOTHER bailout??!!
  • wes0110wes0110 Member Posts: 6
    I have read through most of these posts. I too am experiencing issues with my 2006 GMC Canyon. The dash lights will flicker occasionally. Sometimes the blower motor only works on level 4. The radio loses some of its settings. Usually I am not able to dim the dash lights with the lever. It just simply stays on one level. And finally, the truck has died on me when turning corners. Very strange electrical issues. Now without going through ALL of the posts. Has anyone found a cure all for these common issues?

    Sincerely,

    Wes...
  • al6pndral6pndr Member Posts: 45
    Not to be a "Wise-n-hymer." but do yourself a favor like others of us have done, UNLOAD IT B-4 IT'S TOO LATE!!!!! Had same issues,G.M./My dealer/G.M. service dept. Did NOTHING to help!!!

    Traded it off on someone elses product,have not been sorry. Found out thru friend at dealer where I traded it off, poor sap who bought it brought it back 3 days after purchase complaining of "Electrical issues??" Buyer beware of used cars!!
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    Good morning, Wes,

    If we can look to see if there are any recalls associated to your vehicle, or if you were to decide to work with a dealership to diagnose your vehicle and would like assistance, please send us an email with the last 8 digits of your VIN.

    Regards,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • den052den052 Member Posts: 27
    wes0110, the blower issue is the plug connectors that contact the blower resistor, located above the passenger's feet area under the dash next to the motor. You can do the factory repair or if you are into soldering, I cut the plug off the harness and cleaned the connector terminals by removing plastic around the connectors with a hot knife. I cleaned and soldered new wires to the terminals and connected the wires to the existing harness with butt connectors commonly found at a parts store. This was a permanent repair at this point for the blower speeds. There is a factory bulletin about this issue, but it cost me less than $5.00 to fix my way.
    The other electrical issues you have are not common with this thread other than the issue of stalling when turning corners which may have been mentioned here.
    If you have a window/door lock issue (this thread), the problem is either the door/window module connections, module itself, or electrical supply issues to the module. This module is the actual drivers door switch and is easy to remove and replace. Disconnecting the battery and messing with the body computer is not a fix and sometimes causes things to work again just because the time was right for it to start working again, not because you really did anything to the body computer.
    The body computer WILL NOT cause stalling issues with the engine, so you can eliminate that.
    Dennis
    Certified Master Light/Heavy vehicle Technician
  • snaproll1snaproll1 Member Posts: 88
    Hi Dennis, to your post... There were earlier posts about the weird electrical problems with the dash lights and instrument cluster. There is also an issue with the CD player not playing CDs.

    It's interesting what you say about the door module and power to it etc... I found cleaning and replacing the door module would reset the window/fob thing for a couple of days, but then it would return, dead battery window/fob problem. My DEALER absolutely assured me that the problem had "nothing to do with the door module", (that was when they were replacing the BCM etc). They also told me not to "believe anything on internet" because they were "the experts".

    The next time I had the door/fob thing (dead of winter, window down 4 inches when it was 20 below), I passed on the "knowlegable dealer" option and had a competent mechanic work on the truck. Know what they found? Like you said, no power coming out of the window module. Imagine that? Huh. The window module was replaced, which was like $350 more dollars to Chevy. Perhaps they can be found cheaper or used at a junk yard, but once again... replacing parts randomly may work, disconnecting the battery may work, sacraficing a virgin over the engine compartment may work... hit or miss, intermittent (but expensive fixes that may or may not work long term.

    Anyway, I've followed your posts with interest and what you have said makes a lot of sense. It is certainly a lot more helpful that those that care enough trying to get people without your expertise into a GM dealer to spend more money. It really kills me... for FIVE YEARS, 500+ posts, and Many, MANY people that have had this whole fob/window/battery deal and all GM can do is say they never heard of the problem before, or get the truck to a dealer for "specific diagnosis". What BS. There is obiously a reoccuring problem and their has to be a common solution... but it isn't important enough for GM to address.

    I know the Colorado and Canyon were not big sellers for GM so it probably goes that supporting the owners is "small potatoes", not enough to worry about.

    To say that the truck was misdesigned is an understatement given the recall on the head, the tail lights, the fuse block and whatever else. When was the last time you bought a new vehicle and had to have the head replaced? I love the recalls, "Your head may be bad but don't bring it in to a dealer unless you have problems" (or the warranty expires). Same BS with the tail lights that may or may not fail, but "don't bring it in unless you have a problem".

    I have to say, I had a lot of good memories where the Colorado was involved, trips out west, hunting trips, camping trips, snowy trips in blizzards. I really liked the truck. I have to say though, it was the first vehicle I ever traded where I didn't look back one last time, it was more "good riddens".

    Really sad.

    Anyway, Dennis, thanks for your posts, I think they are the most helpful.
  • shyster66shyster66 Member Posts: 17
    Call me stupid, but i just cant figure out for the life of me, what the hell "FOB" stands for. LOL. Can someone please endulge me....lol...thx
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    key fob (remote).
  • shyster66shyster66 Member Posts: 17
    Figured it was the keyless entry but why the hell do you call it fob?...lol Is that something only in the U.S.? Never heard of that expression up here in Canada. Thx. Its just called "remote"...lol
  • canyon08canyon08 Member Posts: 14
    Was wondering myself...turns out it's a noun meaning an object attached to a chain, like a pocket watch...nothing to do with what it is...weird I know,
  • snaproll1snaproll1 Member Posts: 88
    Fob stands for... ummm, ahhh, Fob.

    I've asked this of serveral people, nobody knew a good answer. "Freight On Board" is what is typical but that makes no sense. The dictionary definition is "A chain attached to a watch for carrying in a waistcoat or waistband pocket".

    I can tell you what GM stands for though...

    :lemon:
  • canyon08canyon08 Member Posts: 14
    This is my first GM must admit that I do like the truck, so far...2008 Canyon Crew,, have had it almost 2 years...90,000 kms on it, only cost so far is a purge canister...not bad from what I've seen here. Recently put a remote starter on it and have had some strange things happening...security light coming on as I drive ...as well as dome light coming on when I stop...it displays that a door is open when not true...maybe took my luck too far with the remote..going back to installer Monday to inquire..
  • wes0110wes0110 Member Posts: 6
    I know...I should unload the truck and move on. But I have grown up with General Motors vehicles and I really was hoping that it would work out. I am so sad that there are so many issues with such a new truck. You would think that the corporation would take the extra step to resolve and satisfy their customers. I can remember riding around in an old GMC pickup and being proud of the quality and craftsmanship. Times sure have changed!
  • bmmethenybmmetheny Member Posts: 1
    My Canyon is having a major meltdown. the windows dont work... locks wont work, with the switch or clicker... radio clock and presets reset 100% of the time when truck is turned off... takes a second or two to turn over to start... environment blower works off and on... battery died, checked it with a meter (dead cells), changed it and everything seems worse now!! WTF!! HELP PLEASE
  • shyster66shyster66 Member Posts: 17
    Christina? Sarah? Do you have an answer for bmmethheny about his electrical meltdown? Windows, locks, and more.Sound familiar? Another new person every few days on here. If there are over 500 complaints only on this forum,I can only imagine all the people who have taken their trucks in to get serviced who havent complained on here. Say only 10% have complained in this forum. Thats probably way high for an estimate. More like 1 %. Lets say there has to be at least 5000 trucks out there that have had this problem. Most people in here love or loved their truck.Alot of us will probably sell their truck now and go buy someone elses other than GM's. Are you going to let that happen ladies of general motors? A little ford ranger is looking pretty good right now. Couldnt find hardly any complaints online about ford. I do love my 2007 colorado, for now. Purge cannister is stuck closed right now and makes it hard to pump gas. Supposedly a $400 fix. Im going to hold onto the truck for now, and hopefully.... thats a BIG hopefully......nothing major goes wrong with it. Because if it does. Bye bye Gm forever. Was even thinking of getting my wife an Equinox. Might have to start looking at something else.
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    Canyon08,
    How did your trip to the installer go? Hope that things were resolved. If not, please let us know.

    Bmmetheny,
    I can see why you are frustrated. Where was your battery changed? Are you interested in working with a dealership?

    Regards,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • snaproll1snaproll1 Member Posts: 88
    "Bmmetheny,
    I can see why you are frustrated. Where was your battery changed? Are you interested in working with a dealership?"

    I thought you guys were here to take feedback back to GM, not reaallllly to try and drum up dealership business. Seems to me that's kinda the only interest you guys seem to have with this thread. Am I wrong?

    How about posting something useful for the poor folks that still own their Colorado's and Canyons, something like... "We apologize to all of you that have been frustrated with your GM dealership lack of service and knowledge with these reoccuring problems. We are issuing a recall..."

    Now that would be something useful.

    GM= :lemon:
  • al6pndral6pndr Member Posts: 45
    edited December 2011
    Snaproll1. Now don't forget,last time I checked these suppossed we care/get you in touch w/a service dept.folks AREN'T even G.M. employees!!!!! So with that said what else are they gonna do but drum up business for G.M. service dept..??" HELLO DIS PEGGY HOW I HELP YOU!!??"
  • bpoglinebpogline Member Posts: 1
    Did you ever get a response to your question? what did you learn? mine is doing the same thing and I can not figure out why.
  • colo04canyoncolo04canyon Member Posts: 8
    I've skimmed this thread, but not read every member of the thread (it's long!) ... I'm facing a similar problem with my 2004 GMC Canyon Z71 crew-cab.

    1) since 2005, the effective range of the remote lock FOB reduces, some times to mere inches from the cab. Problems historically start about 35F, and if the temp falls below 10F, the remote FOB doesn't work at all.
    2) starting this winter, the problem advanced to where it was first apparent at about 50F
    3) starting last week, the UN-lock would not work at any temp (up to about 60F the recent high temp). Remote LOCK worked OK. Also the doors lock would not engage when putting the vehicle into Drive and pulling away, nor would it UNlock when stopping and putting the vehicle in Park.
    4) there were several trips to dealers in the last several years where they could never reproduce the problem. last week, i finally got fed up with this, and forced the local GMC dealer to dig into it more when it was 100% that the UN-lock wouldn't work. They replaced the BCM, which did not fix the problem - outside temp was never about 45F. This weekend, the temp rose about 55F and low and behold lock/unlock started working fine. The vehicle stayed in one place that entire day, so it could NOT be related to bumps, or slamming of the door. After nightfall, with the temp in the 40'sF, the problem has returned to the previous condition -- UN-lock does not work, LOCk works OK. (Drive/Park Lock/Unlock also do not work.)

    I'm supposed to return to the dealer in the AM to have them work with the factory techs. But i'm already into this for nearly $600 for diagnosis and BCM replacement, and presumably the bill will only go up from here.

    Thoughts? This all seems very, very strange. Particularly frustrating to me is that this problem has been brewing since the first winter i owned the truck, at just 4-5 months old, but that I can't _prove_ a repeated string of complaints that might help me get the regional GM people involved. however it seems from here (Edmunds), and Canyon/Colorado Fans and 355 fans forums that there are a LOT of people with similar problems ...

    Thoughts?
  • snaproll1snaproll1 Member Posts: 88
    "I'm supposed to return to the dealer in the AM to have them work with the factory techs. But i'm already into this for nearly $600 for diagnosis and BCM replacement, and presumably the bill will only go up from here.

    Thoughts?"


    Yeah, pretty much, welcome to teh GM service department. I went through the same thing. Replace the BCM, it will cure the problem. Oh it didn't? You want your money back? Well, ahhhh, the BCM was bad anyway. Let's try replacing something else. How about a new battery? That will cure the problem. Oh it didn't? You want your money back again? Well sorry, but the battery probably needed to be replaced anyway. Oh? It was only three years old? Must have been a bad battery that went before it's time. Oh it was a GM battery? Well, ahhhh... Oh how about if next we replace...

    Catch the drift?

    Remember the First Rule of Feregi acquisition, "Once you have their money, you never give it back..."

    My advice, seriously... there is no simple, single fix, just a host of possible causes. I've been following this thread since there were 50 posts. There are many thoughts, some good, some weird that may or may not help, basically since the problems come and go at whim it would seem. "I sacraficed a virgin on the hood and the fob started working", kind of thing. There are far more posts about dealerships replacing BCMs and other expensive parts that didn't solve the problem.

    I Honestly believe your best bet is to quietly sell your Colorado or Canyon as soon as you get it running and learn a lesson about buying GM products. I really tried to stay with the truck but after 5 years of reoccuring weird electrical problems and no support from Chevy (other than invites to spend more money at a dealership so they could continue to experiment at my expense), I finally gave up. Best decision I ever made was to get rid of that truck.

    The Colorado and Canyons truly are the gift that keeps on giving... to their repair departments.

    GM= :lemon:
  • colo04canyoncolo04canyon Member Posts: 8
    Gosh. That's pessimistic :)

    But I see where this one might be starting down a bad path. FYI, I didn't mention that the battery was replaced less than a year ago, with a better-than OEM spec unit. (and the problem was neither better nor worse after wards). This is only my second GM product in the last 30 years (the other was a trouble-free Venture van). You want a lemon ... try my old Chrysler Pacifica AWD ... that was a horrendous POS!

    Actually, aside from this, which has really just been an annoyance until the last month, I've been quite happy with my Canyon. It's given a steady 17-18MPG overall mileage, even when thrashed, towed my popup, carried countless loads of yard waste to the community recycle (and I mean big ones), carried innumerable loads of kids and sports equipment to football, baseball and softball, taken two trips to California towing a trailer, and been nearly trouble free (one fan clutch, one thermostat in almost 120k miles, did both myself -- although the climate control fan has always been a noisy annoyance). I got a great purchase deal on the vehicle in fall 2004, and would consider it an overall very good value over about 7 years. Basically, I just want a legitimate fix for this so I can get back to not worrying about my vehicle :)
  • al6pndral6pndr Member Posts: 45
    It's not pessimism. Check out more the posts on this site,they all state the same issues/problems with LITTLE/NO help Except to (give us your $)" go to the dealer."

    If this site has all these posts think about ALL the folks who don't know about this site who have'nt posted here..

    Pessimism?? NO just straight up FACTS!

    Randy Wise Chevrolet Milan Mi. THE WORST DEALER ON THE PLANET!!!
  • fmagellanfmagellan Member Posts: 10
    Wes,

    When the truck "dies on turns", are the rpms dropping way off and the truck shakes? If so, this sounds like a throttle body that needs cleaned. Mine was stalling and I took it to a friend and he cleaned the throttle body. It runs much better now (except for the random electrical issues).
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    I am sorry that this situation is frustrating at the moment, colo04canyon. I see that you're working with your dealership, and that your vehicle is going in today (December 19th). Have you been working with Customer Assistance at all? If you were to email us your Service Request number, we could look into the situation further. Or, if you would like to establish a case with us, please email us the following information: your name/username and contact information (phone and address), the last 8 digits of your VIN and current mileage, the name of your involved dealership and a description of the times you've been in for this specific concern (lock/unlock problems).

    Thank you very much for your patience with us as we work to sort through this concern with your vehicle,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • colo04canyoncolo04canyon Member Posts: 8
    Before the days of electronic remote entry/start for cars, when you had 'something' purely decorative attached to that chain (metal, stone, etc) - what did you call that?

    Or, what do you call that small extra pocket on men's pants (especially jeans or work pants)? Those are fobs. I believe the English word dates back at least to the early days of the North American trains (early 1800's), but my etymology dictionary says: [Probably akin to dialectic Low German 'Fobke', small pocket.]

    :)
  • snaproll1snaproll1 Member Posts: 88
    "When the truck "dies on turns..."

    Yes, that was another fix, cleaning the throddle body. Mine was doing the same thing, "bogging out" and the shop (non-dealer) that I was working with cleaned the throddle body and it was fine after that. This is something that is pretty common on high milage vehicles.

    The 'concept' of the Colorado/Canyon is a good one, that's why I put so much effort into keeping the truck. Ming got just shy of 19mpg. I really liked the truck but it ended up being a losing battle. It is one thing do get the throddle body cleaned, or change the brakes, alternator or starter, these are things you normally expect.

    It is another thing to have to deal with design defects like a bad engine head or tail lights that may fail at any time, or fuse blocks that burn up, or blower resistors that repeatedly fry or CD players that don't work and then the endless weird electrical problems... windo/fob thing, instrument cluster, turn signals, wipers, the "weird list" is endless. That's why I finally gave up and cut my losses.

    Anyone can design a product poorly, Chevy, Toyota, doesn't matter. The real deal though is who supports their customers vs those that look at their misdesigned product as a "gift that keeps on giving" to their service departments.
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