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GMC Envoy Electrical Problems

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Comments

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    thin rubber pads

    Good tip; I have several wedge shaped bulbs on my older van, including the license plate one (148s iirc). The exterior ones are fine so far but I want to replace a few in the dash this winter. And there's at least three of those pads in the cupboard.
  • maldwinmaldwin Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2004 GMC Envoy. It recently developed a low level electrical short and I cannot find it. I disconnected the positive lead from the battery. I then connected a 12v test light from the positive lead to the positive pose of the battery. The light was activated. I then removed each of the fuses, one at a time, from the fuse panels in the engine compartment and under the back seat. I could not find the circuit with the short. Is there some other place I can look?
  • bandhfischerbandhfischer Member Posts: 1
    We are having similar issues. Our car will not start every morning, but once you jump it, runs fine. My father is an electrician and checked all fuses and came up with nothing. Our passenger seat did not work for three years and after checking the fuses made a miraculous recovery. We just bought a new battery and had it checked as well. If you go out in the middle of the night it starts up, but lights are really dim. But by morning totally dead. I have seen several other postings with same problem, but no answers.
  • maldwinmaldwin Member Posts: 3
    I found the short in my Envoy. Seems the gauge cluster has an internal short and the climate control module has a short. Apparently that is quite common in the Envoy. I can't afford to replace both clusters right now, so I installed a battery kill switch to protect the battery at night. The Envoy electrical system goes to sleep about 4 hours after you turn it off. With the shorts it does not go to sleep at all. I had to replace the battery also. It was drained and recharged several times and at the end it would only charge about 30%. Because the battery was so low if, while driving, I turned on the air conditioner the car would stop dead in its tracks.
  • lrhamiltonlrhamilton Member Posts: 1
    Hello everyone. I hope someone can help. My alternator went out on my truck this weekend. I had it replaced at CityGarage. After they finished the replacement of the alternator and the hoses for the radiator the dash lit up like a Christmas tree. Their computer isn't producing any details about the error codes so they told me to take it to a dealer. *sighing* I wanted to see if anyone else has had this issue first though. The engine light is on, the abs light, the computer is displaying that the airbags are failing. The air bag codes are u100, b0100, b103. The abs module won't communicate with machine but light is on. The check engine codes are u1000, po 463c, po452b. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
  • keepontryinkeepontryin Member Posts: 1
    Hi everyone. Just wanted to tell my story and hope it helps. About a month ago, I took a drive with no warning something wrong with my SUV. Went into a facility, came out and envoy would not start. Showed no gas, even though tank was full and AAA said battery was completely dead. Had it towed to my local garage, backed it off rollback and started right up. Shut off couple times on highway. Finally would not start at all! Would not click, showed dead battery, and no gas. THIS SHOCKED ME! Started checking fuses. (Number 10 FUSE) under the hood, PCM Module B was partially melted. Replaced it and the Envoy started right up, registered full tank of gas and a full battery. 10 minutes before that, it wouldn't even turn over. Also there is a PCM 1 as well, #28 under the hood. Soon as I pulled this one, the Envoy shut completely down. Also just for information 4 wheel drive unit did not work all last winter. Just started going through what all the fuses said. This one was #8 under the hood. Transfer case unit. The fuse was intact but the metal was loose in the fuse. Put another one in and I just tried it. SUCCESS!!!! I spent days trying to find out the start problem. Not saying its going to take all my worries away. But 10 minutes ago, my Envoy has been sitting for days. Not registering. Not starting. Now I have turned it off and on 10 times. Starts up everytime. I googled everything trying to find a solution and seeing all the problems people are having very similar. Before you spend lots of money diagnosing , CHECK THESE FUSES!!!
  • j_engj_eng Member Posts: 9
    Fuses only blow if you have a short and draw current over the rated value. However fuses with a heavy load can fatigue and eventually fail from the constant expansion and contraction or at the solder joint. If there was a short or bad power module then the problem would reoccur immediately. If you replaced the faulty PCM (power Control Module) and then the fuses and everything is fine you've corrected the problem and saved yourself a lot of money. My window module burned up and never blew a fuse but caused the car's computer to shut off leaving me stranded and costing me a tow. Thank God I was only at the end of my driveway. Now the rear door lock has failed but other than that my SUV has been running great.
  • wbj2wbj2 Member Posts: 1
    have a 1998 envoy...it starts up fine but when i drive it for awhile and stop at a stop sign all the gauges act up and it shuts off.. it wont start back up until i go out and open the hood and move the neg wire around but strange thing on that is wire is tight and no cracks the truck starts back up but still cant figure out why the truck stops .. and whats so important about the neg battery cable
  • maldwinmaldwin Member Posts: 3
    Mine was doing the same thing. It would run and all of a sudden it would sputter a little the gauges would act up and it would die. I had, or thought I had to move one of the battery cables to make it work again.

    Check the battery. My battery would start it and run it until a little more load was placed on the battery and it would die. I checked the battery and learned it would hold only a 30% charge. I replaced the battery and it runs fine now.
  • rooster22rooster22 Member Posts: 2
    Well here we go again time to vent. It's funny my last post was exactly one year ago this month. So on with it, cylinder #4 misfire code P304. This happened 6 months ago and healed its self before I could start the diagnosis. At the same time my oil pressure sensor failed. Fast forward to 1week ago. The oil pressure sensor is acting up again thankfully it's under warranty. The misfire has returned. I have checked the spark plug, spark plug wire, ignition oil, fuel injector and compression. Also checked the wiring harness for the injector, it's getting signal to activate. Compression is well over 120. Swapped plug, wire and coil. Guess what it still misfires, but only after driving 40 feet or so. I have checked the power, ground and reference ground for the coil and they all preform as expected. That leaves the signal to the coil from the ecu. Well GM decided it was a good idea to use a Hz frequency signal instead of a 5v or 12v signal to activate the coil (Really GM?) guess who doesn't have a digital multimeter that is capable of testing that ? This guy! So I'm at a loss as to why I'm experiencing a misfire unless the coil is losing the signal from the ecu after a load has been applied and why did this heal itself 6 months ago? Hopefully someone has experienced this and can shed some light on the problem. As for the GM rep that will probably chime in on this post no I'm not interested in taking my envoy to the stealership. I don't feel comfortable paying 100 dollar an hour labor rates for them to tell me some random crap that is not even related to the problem. Speaking of GM, they have a corrosion warranty for this vehicle. My back doors have begun to rust and I spoke to GM and they advised me to take it to a authorized repair facility which I did. After they determined it was covered under the corrosion warranty and would take a week to fix GM declined my request for rental car reimbursement. I shouldn't have been surprised! So GM will fix my car but won't provide me a rental while its being repaired! What crap lol your warranties are half [non-permissible content removed]. My cars doors are corroding and it's your fault but I have to foot the bill for a rental really? That's just as bad as the 50% reimbursement for the fuel level sensor lol I cannot wait to get this SUV running so I can trade it in. This has been the biggest lemon I have ever owned. Anyone considering purchasing a envoy or any GM model with the 5.3L motor with AFM run the other direction please !! The active fuel management system is terrible. If you have a envoy and wonder why it burns so much oil between changes it's probably the AFM system. Forgot to include this it's a 2007 GMC Envoy Denali 5.3L 4WD. Someone please shed some light on this intermittent problem before I burn it to the ground :)
  • macsgirl1000macsgirl1000 Member Posts: 5
    ok so a little fyi out there for anybody that needs it, i have an 04 envoy bad battery replaced it and ran fine so threw on heater rpm's dropped and car shut off!! so long story short checked all connections fine, went back to auto part store replaced with another battery (3hrs old) same thing, mean time called gmc probably not battery at all needs alternator, nope after replacing battery need to leave back lift and drivers door open and battery disconected for approx. 5-15 min. then all is FINE!! (this from a mechanic who happened to stop in to said parts store). rmps may still fluxuate for approx 30 miles or maybe a day to day 1/2 depends on driving. hope this helps somebody.
  • c_eddensc_eddens Member Posts: 1
    I HAVE A 2004 ENVOY XUV SUV AND THE REAR ROOF IS OPEN BUT NOT REGISTERING OPEN SO I CAN NOT CLOSE IT ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT TO DO :cry:
  • jchofayjchofay Member Posts: 2
    edited January 2013
    We love our envoy but do not love the issues. And there have been many. Current issues are:

    Rear Amp defective, radio does not work

    MPH cluster gets stuck when its cold. Some days the gauge says 45MPH before I even put it in drive

    Gas Gauge does not work

    Not having a radio sucks. I know I need a rear amp but I dont know where to get one ( trying to avoid paying triple the cost through a dealer)

    Can any one help?
  • leesajonesleesajones Member Posts: 1
    did you find out what was wrong with your envoy. I am having the same issue
  • macsgirl1000macsgirl1000 Member Posts: 5
    do you have the envoy with the nav or no? i happen to have an amp if you can get me the numbers i'll check mine and see if will work, we can make a deal.
  • macsgirl1000macsgirl1000 Member Posts: 5
    yes it was my battery that we replaced we had to leave the hatch open and drivers door open with the battery disconnected for about 5-10 mins crazy gm... any way also told if that still makes it a little flakey they said take it out on the highway and drive it upto speed for about a 15 min run. good luck thankfully mine is back to normal.
  • macsgirl1000macsgirl1000 Member Posts: 5
    the reason for the extra amp is the fact that somehow my radio that was replaced with the nav by a used car dealership that i bought it from put in the wrong radio cause you know gm has to have specific radios per envoy god forbid you try to put in aftermarket but after buying a used amp and it still not working took it a gm dealership who should be recognized (thank you Mastria), and 3 nav systems later got somebody at gm who told them that we needed a specific radio at a tune of 1800.00 thank you again Mastria for getting gm to eat that one!! any way get some #'s off of it and see what we can do.
  • jchofayjchofay Member Posts: 2
    edited January 2014
    No Navigation. I am pulling the panel off at the end of this week and I will get you the numbers. My email is [Email removed]
  • envoydummyenvoydummy Member Posts: 1
    This is EXACTLY what's happening to mine. I am trying your weird advice to see if that works.
  • macsgirl1000macsgirl1000 Member Posts: 5
    good luck
  • yrbammyrbamm Member Posts: 1
    Yesterday I had a problem with starting the car 2002 Envoy. I pulled up in driveway to get my son and got out turned off the car so he could drive and use his key. Before he started the car I showed him how I reprogrammed the key fobs a few days prior and that they worked now so I locked the car and unlocked using the fob. He then went to start the car and it said driver 1 and wouldn't start. I figured it was because I used driver 1 fob. And his key is just a spare key with no fob and always said driver 2 when he used it prior. So my initial thought was that we freaked it out and it went into security mode since it was acting like injectors weren't working but there was no security light on or flashing. I tried a few times gave up and took another car. Came back a few hours later and still no start. I tried a couple of the security tricks nothing. So i disconnected negative cable turned on headlight switch and waited 10 minutes. Hooked everything back up and still nothing. So I disconnected it again and left it overnight. Went back today hooked it back up and it started. Drove home and got about 10 miles and it acted as if I was running out of gas so i pulled to the side and put it in park. The vehicle was idling fine and gauges were working so I got back on the rode drove about 5 more miles and it did it again this time it died and and was back to where I was last night. I tried the 10 minute disconnect trick waited 15 minutes still nothing then reprogrammed remotes still nothing then called a tow truck and its now sitting in my driveway waiting for an answer or for it to start. I have the negative cable off and the light switch on to try and reset computer again. Any other tricks to try???? Any ideas on what to fix????
  • soflhuskyhousesoflhuskyhouse Member Posts: 1
    Has this happened to anyone? We were driving along in our 2003 GMC Envoy, purchased new one owner never had any problems before. The SUV ran perfectly. Going through a school zone at 25mph we began to smell a bad odor. We pulled over at the first parking lot and turned the car off, opened the hood and smoke began to pour out of the engine. The relay fuse center block was smoldering. We disconnected the positive side of the battery. The car turned itself ON - No key in the ignition. The car still was smoking. The battery disconnected.

    We had it towed. Filed an insurance claim....claim denied! The result is the relay fuse center has a 2 inch burned hole completely through it. The engine electric harness is fried and the total cost to repair it between $1000-2500, if and this is from the dealer they can find the parts. What to do now? We have quite an expensive paperweight. Has this happened to anyone else? I have researched and see that this is common in newer models. Thanks!
  • denjess01denjess01 Member Posts: 1
    Pickup your rmps, the acc takes down your rmps when on
  • bassilbassil Member Posts: 1
    Hello . I bought my envoy 2003 3 years ago and now it has around 120000miles . The prob is that 2 months ago i was driving my envoy and its stops so i was trying to start it again but it wont start . Gauges makes weird sounds and moves like crazy also the sound of engine checked is missing . So anyone has an idea whly that happened
  • kibitzer2kibitzer2 Member Posts: 1
    I recently took my husbands 2006 Envoy in to have the door switch (recall) repaired. I plan to sell it as he passed away in June. I unlocked the car with the remote and drove it 20 miles to the dealership. They supposedly repaired the switch and I drove the car home and parked it. A few days later my son-in-law noticed that the rear lift gate would not lock as he put something in the car. I attempted to lock the car with the remote and neither remote worked. I could lock the doors manually but rear lift gate still would not lock and rear windshield wipers did not work. I called the dealership and they said to bring it back in. While I was waiting one of the sales people came in and, having noticed the for sale sign in the car, asked if I would be interested in selling it to them for $4000 less than the blue book value. I declined, but told him I would reconsider if it didn't sell. Shortly after this discussion, I was informed that the rear lift gate module was bad, but they could repair it for $440. Since everything worked fine prior to their repair of the recalled door switch, I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem and just how the rear lift gate module would suddenly stop functioning in a car that hasn't been driven. Also wondering if it is common for a rear lift gate module to suddenly stop working.
  • hackerdog123hackerdog123 Member Posts: 5

    having same problem power down btry. dead in morning

  • hackerdog123hackerdog123 Member Posts: 5

    @rooster22 said:
    I purchased this vehicle at the beginning of last year, it had 40xxx miles was 3 yrs young and looked like it just rolled off the showroom floor. I wish I would have done more research! Fast forward to December 2011. Like everyone else I have suffered the infamous Fuel Level Sensor issue. One day it decided to stop working, I replaced the faulty part. At least that is still working. Now I’m battling electrical problems. The Air Bag, Traction Control and ABS light randomly come on. Also the TPMS wheel sensors freak out and stop reading. This morning my wife calls on her way to work to inform me that the display in the gauge cluster advised her to immediately shut off the vehicle due to a loss in oil pressure. After I traded her cars I checked to oil, guess what ? It was full, go figure. On the way home the oil pressure gauge steadily dropped from 40 to 20 and the alternator gauge began reading well over 14 volts. The battery and the alternator both checkout fine. I have read some of the other posts and couldn't believe what I was reading; people’s doors actually fly open !! There was also one that caught on fire ?!?! Apparently GM knows about these problems, but there too cheap to do anything about them. I received the letter that stated they were willing to " pay half " of the cost to repair the Fuel sending unit. WHAT A JOKE !! Really.... So you acknowledge that it’s a problem, but you don’t stand behind your product enough to reimburse me 100% of the repair costs. That says a lot about the General Motors. People are having serious safety problems with these vehicles while GM is standing by twiddling their thumbs. Where are the Recalls ?? Where is the customer service ?? Why are you not taking responsibility for these blatant issues? I can’t understand why anyone hasn’t filed a class action law suit.

  • hackerdog123hackerdog123 Member Posts: 5

    I agree with rooster22

  • hackerdog123hackerdog123 Member Posts: 5

    165,000 vin no. 1gket63m962316206

  • hackerdog123hackerdog123 Member Posts: 5

    @gmcustsvcsarah said:
    golferx,
    When did your dealership do the fuel module work? We're happy to check into this further if you would send more details (including your name/Edmunds username, the last 8 of your VIN and current mileage, and the name of your involved dealership) to socialmedia@gm.com

    Regards,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service

  • chardotychardoty Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2015
    2005 GMC Envoy, I love this vehicle. But We are having problems with it. My Husband was driving it and it died, (stopped running) and sometimes the dash lights flicker. Then I was driving it and the steering got really tight it took all I had just to get it home. We checked the power steering fluid it was low, filled it up seemed OK, then it has been on going every few days have to fill up the power steering. Now the steering is hard all the time, then I was taking my sister to the bank to deposit money and it starts dinging. I looked at the dash it was getting hot. So I turned off the engine and called my husband. He said start it back up and see how fast the fan is going. It was not going fast at all. He said that fan should be going fast. I got in and started down the road the gauge was fine. Stopped at a red light gauge would go back up. So I get it home and my husband goes get a new belt and puts it on. But I can not handle the steering problem. The reason I wanted this vehical was for me to be able to get my granddaughter to the Dr.s. she is a diabetic and I needed something that was dependable. Now thinking that this was not a good choice. Also the gas gauge doesn't work. I fill up and Chang my trip meter then when I get to about 285 miles I fill it up again. 
  • mrsuvguymrsuvguy Member Posts: 1
    Tailgate electrical issues: rear wiper not working, lift gate not unlocking, cluster panel lit and gauges non-functioning, radio shut off:

    First my rear wiper motor did not function, then my lift gate would not unlock. Next, every indicator light in my dash lit up and the gauges quit working, and the radio shut off.

    The GMC Dealership checked all fuses and tested the lift gage module, and it tested OK. Next they removed my headliner, this is where they discovered a ground wire had broken; it was an easy fix. 24 hours later, everything seems to be working.

    I hope this info. helps others as electrical issues can be difficult to trace. Fortunately for me, my GMC Dealership seems to know their stuff.
  • raquelivelizraqueliveliz Member Posts: 1
    I bought a 2002 gmc envoy not even 3 months ago and already having bad problems. transmission was leaking they replaced 4 lines in the transmission (that had been replaced brand new 2 years prior to that and car had minimal if any use after). 360 dollars. couple days after that car shuts off while i'm pulling out of driveway and going to move forward then wouldn't start back up. After sitting fo a few hrs it started up but then my high beams were on and wouldn't go off and then the car would still ding after i took key out of ignition and car was off. I have no idea would could be wrong but this upsets me that I have had it just a few months and already problems that are pretty pricey.
  • kwydiverkwydiver Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2006 GMC Envoy with 143,000 miles on it. Its battery died in the winter last year so I thought it was the cold and replaced the battery. However, the battery died shortly thereafter. What I discovered was no matter how much the battery was charged, it drained down overnight. I have had it to two auto repair shops looking for shorts, replaced the radio, and have narrowed down the cause of the primary drain to the radio circuit (not the radio itself). If I remove the radio fuse I can keep it on for almost a week without starting it before it dies out. That might be normal for the battery since it has been so inactive at this point, a year later. I am putting the radio on another electrical circuit and leaving the other circuit open it used to be on. Perhaps that will stop the drain related to that wire. Does anyone have any similar problems with electrical shorts in that area or comments on putting the radio on another circuit?
  • rebecccaenvoyrebecccaenvoy Member Posts: 2
    After having my Alternator replaced, I was driving my car and the dash board lights all lit up,including the low oil, anti locks, every light, The air conditioning stopped working, the radio turned off, the windows and locks wouldn't work! I would shut the car off then restart and I would lose all interior power again. I bought back to the shop and they replaced it again with another Car Quest Alternator. Same thing happened after driving for about about 30 minutes. They replaced the alternator again with a AC DELCO brand. dat 1 and so far all is good but I do see the battery gauge dropping a little. I'm wondering if it's an ignition problem........anyone experience this????? Any suggestions??? I have a 2009 ENVOY Thank you.
  • atlas300atlas300 Member Posts: 1
    i have been having all or most of these same problems with my 2005 Envoy. gauges would light up but not work, battery light on, security light would sometimes come on, would sometimes start, sometimes not start, had it just die on me driving down the road and not want to restart. had to just sit there and keep trying it until it finally did start. changed and checked fuses, battery, alternator, wires, you name it, today i fixed it in 20 minutes. all these problems are related to the ignition switch just under the key tumbler. $20 part on rock auto for the AC Delco part. if nothing else change it before you dump a bunch of money into it for other more costly repairs. all you need is a 7mm socket and a standard screwdriver.
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