Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon ABS Fault Issues

135678

Comments

  • darrell16darrell16 Member Posts: 1
    i agree this is not my first truck but it is the worst ive had eats tires,brakes,headlights,brake lights and when i say eat in five years ive done 3 rear brake jobs and 7 front brakes and tires every year tirekingdom says the vehicle is too heavy for the tires i warenty 60k mile tires in 32k miles and lights 3-5 times a year bought truck new passenger seatbelt broke in less then a week now im having abs fault issues i replaced the abs sensor it still does it i never had these problems with a ford ranger and it had 350k miles this colorado has 136k miles ill never buy another chevy there service sucks 4 days on a call back for tires is unacceptable i took my truck to them to have brakes adjusted it took 3 hrs i leave i didnt make it 3 miles and they were smoking and locking up and draging bad full throttle i was doing 30mph i took it back showed them the tech couldnt even get the brakes to realese they take it have it back in 45 min and tell me its my fault that it was user error chevy can kiss my azz i hope they go under garbage vehicle liers and thieves very disapointed
  • coloradolemoncoloradolemon Member Posts: 10
    I have also replaced the break lights more than 5 times, the two front turn signal lights 3 times each, my dirver window works when it feels like it. Ive replace the relay switch on my air conditionr 5 time the last one only lasting me 4 hours. Yup Chevy is taking me for a ride with this truck i tell you.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    coloradolemon,
    Can you please email me with your previous case numbers? I would like to look into these.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • coloradolemoncoloradolemon Member Posts: 10
    Christina I do apologize I have only only one reference number it is 71-894111161 But I have had contact with 4 different Customer Relationship Specialist. Here they are Dan on two occasions, Erci two occasions Ryan and Jason on two occasions. Truck continues to have abs faults. My rear right breaks continue to lock up on me constantly almost causing cars to run into me. I did another diagnosistic just to have them tell me the computer diagnostic shows now activitiy yet I drive this truck every day and I know what it does. The Service manager at my local Chevy dealer drove my truck around the block and in an wise smile said " I see nothing wrong with your truck" making me feel like a complete idiot in front of others. Add insult to injury.
  • kmartickmartic Member Posts: 12
    edited March 2011
    Christina, I posted my problems back at post 82 I believe. At that time I replaced both hubs with both speed sensors, all ball joints and tie rod ends. After the fix the ABS came on at different times. ABS system would work sometimes and not work at other times. Now a short time later my driver's side hub is shot for the second time. This will be the third one,with speed sensors each time in 67,000 miles for a total of Five hubs & speed sensors. Christina, on the surface that is ridiculous. Each time a hub goes it takes out the front brake pads. My heater relay is burned out, works on high speed and rarely on any other speed. The driver's window is also intermittent. Would you seriously consider this not to be a defect. Look at all the other posts just on this site. If you have this many on just this site imagine what is out there in the general Colorado owner's population. Most people are not savy enough to find these sites and just suffer in silence. Why doesn't GM do an owners survey or survey the dealers. You guys could easily find out the extent of the problem, you really honestly already know. Hopefully these junks will soon be off the road before they start killing people. What do I do when I really need the brakes in an emergency situation. Step hard on the brakes and expect the ABS to work or pump the brakes to avoid lockup because at that moment the ABS chose not to work. God I hope I am lucky enough to choose correctly!! Care to go for a ride with me?
  • sb7693sb7693 Member Posts: 2
    I'm having the same problem. Originally it happened about 6 months ago and when restarted everything was fine. I couldn't pinpoint what exactly had happened since i was only at the end of my street when I turned around.

    Today it happened after dropping my kid off at school and having my foot on the break for two minutes. Again just down the street and the grinding sound of the ABS was going. Once I pulled into my driveway I had an ABS, TRAC, and BRAKE warning. I just emailed chevy, with low hopes. This needs recalled. It is an expensive fix. I don't even want to own it anymore, and I am scared to have my kids in it. We have very low miles for it being a 2005 so it is a shame.
  • sb7693sb7693 Member Posts: 2
    OH - and my heater only works on HIGH. Once in a while it will decide to come on out of nowhere on another level, but rarely. This started in the summer of 2010.
  • coloradolemoncoloradolemon Member Posts: 10
    Ive had all the same problems as you. my abs breaks, my windows my heater/ac relay switch. my break lights my tail lights my turn signals and I have contacted GMC on several occations and nothing. This is a joke GMC dont care as long as they sell cars with wont recall these problems. I fully understand you kmartic every time I pic my son from school my abs locks up almost causing the car behind me to hit me. Ive replaced that break system only to have it do it again 2 days later. WTF is somebody really gonna have to get killed for GMC to do something about this??? I read a post here about a guy comming down a steep mountain here in California called the Grapevine. On the way down his breaks locked up sent him toward the center divider at 65 miles an hr. He was lucker he lived. GMC did nothing but his insurance bailed him out and salvaged his truck. He got lucky because he didnt get killed got red of his truck.
  • coloradolemoncoloradolemon Member Posts: 10
    One more thing on my Lemmon aka my colorado. I cant park in parking lots like normal people do. Why? because everysingle dam time I put my truck in reverse the abs breals lock up. Yes that was the best $12,999 cash paid I ever spent. nootttt.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    coloradolemon,
    I have looked into your case. Have you contacted your agent back to let them know that you were still having issues and about your experience at the dealer? If not I would recommend doing so. Please feel free to email me directly and update me on your progress.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • aufb11aufb11 Member Posts: 1
    I am haveing the same issue with my 2005 Colorado. The ABS activates everytime I am slowing down. I believe you are right with the sensor thought, but from what I have seen it can be upwards of a $2k fix at the dealer. Any info on where you can go for DIY directions?
  • coloradolemoncoloradolemon Member Posts: 10
    Sorry i have no DIY info. Im luck that i have a friend that is a mechanic and does not charge me $200 a freeking hr to fix a dam GMC defualt. My mechanic get me the sensor at his cost and charges me 5 $ t put it on. Christy at GMC dont worry he is a certified mechanic he is not a joe pro on the side mechanic. I think GMC and thier dealer mechanics have a deal in place. GMC agrees to make freeking messed up cars that way the Chevy dealers can make $$$ charging $200 an hour. Dam pimps. We need a lawyer to sue the pants of of them maybe this wont happen again.
  • n9cvn9cv Member Posts: 30
    This is a known and common problem. It takes about 15 minutes to fix. The fan motor resistor has a burned connection. Order a new one from GM parts or your favorite auto parts store. . I suggest you pull the old one out first and make sure the the connector is not also burned. If it is GM also offers a replacement cable.
  • hackmehackme Member Posts: 1
    So I have a 2005 Colorado Extreme, just passed 75,000 miles. and today I was quoted a price of 367.000 per wheel hub assembly from GM. The mechanic I took this took told me that because the passenger side is going bad, it would also be in my best interest to replace the driver side to avoid any issues within the near future. After labor cost, This is going to cost me nearly 1 thousand dollars if I go through with this. I don't claim to be a master mechanic, but I would surely think that the wheel hubs would last longer than 75,000 miles. I'm even more mortified to hear people have replaced them 3-4 times over and are STILL having issues. This was my first vehicle purchase. and after all of the problems I've had with this truck, it will more than likely be my last Chevrolet purchase.

    The air conditioner has almost always popped when switching air flow direction. LOUDLY
    My heater intermittently works, it has been this way for 2 years.
    The factory radio died 3 years after purchase and I was forced to replace with aftermarket.
    The MAF sensor has went out twice.
    If you do not regularly clean the throttle body, the engine runs like crap. I literally have to pull it every 3 months to give it a thorough cleaning.
    The head lamp assembly's are a joke. Moisture containers are more like it. Replaced twice now
    The emblem on the front end fell off riding down the road one day. Not that it really mattered, because the static paint had been flaking for 3 years.

    And the final straw for me was when the local dealership charged me 200 dollars to take a look at why my drivers side window wasn't lining up and causing this crazy popping sound when rolled up.
    They tell me " Someone's disassembled this door before, we can tell because there are different bolts in the door holding the window motor in place, and one of the bolts was completely missing." The only problem I have with that is, no one else has ever taken the door off aside from me ONE time to install speakers that were no way related to the window motor. Because of this missing bolt, the stress on the other two bolts wore out the shell in the door and the only two options were to replace the entire shell, or he would " try his best to fix it. " I essentially paid a man 200 dollars to install washers on a bolt and then re-screw said bolt. AND IT WASN'T GUARANTEED.

    I could go on and on about the paint chipping, the factory muffler failing after a year, the lug nut covers falling off 3 days after I got the truck and when I went back to the dealer I was told " we can't cover that because you might have had the tires worked on " for an .87 cent part! But what's the point?
  • coloradolemoncoloradolemon Member Posts: 10
    I have changed that part 5 times it cost me $19 and it last me only 4 hrs or air conditioner time. Now they say I must change the ac wire harness and maybe the ac unit itself. ouuuuchh that wont be cheap. ac harness is onl $39 but the ac unit with parts and labor will not be cheap.
  • saylorj1saylorj1 Member Posts: 1
    My daughter just bought this truck. Less than 40,000 miles on it. However the brakes squeel. She took it in and was told the calibers got rusty on the lot. due to the design of the brake system she was quoted 1500+ dollars for repairing the calipers plus rotors and the bearings. Is this for real??? Sounds like a very faulty system is so. Plus the lot rust should have been disclosed by the dealer and wasn't. Sounds like a total scam to unload a lemon vehicle. This needs to be resolved without this cost. The brake system made the noise from day one!

    I want resolution either from Chevy or from the dealer and not at the cost of 1500 bucks! from reading this forum it seems like this is a common problem on this truck. My next call will be to a lemon Law attorney.
  • n9cvn9cv Member Posts: 30
    The harness is a simple part and a replacement is available in the after market or from GM. Again it is a simple repair. The reason you are replacing the harness is the pin on the resistor burned the pin in the harness. Replace the harness and resistor together for a permanent fix. Some people have also just soldered the wires direct to the resistor for a permanent fix.

    There is one other common failure of the blower motor circuit. It is the ground wire for the motor which is located on a horizontal bolt on the passenger side inside fender. It is located behind the air cleaner. If your blower runs on position 4 then you do not have this problem.

    These failures have nothing to do with the AC unit itself. The blower moves air for BOTH the AC and the heater. If you are having AC problems other than air movement then that is an entirely different problem. If someone is trying to sell you another AC unit, probably the evaporator, because the blower does not work, I would look for another repair shop or fix it myself. They are either incompetent or taking advantage of you.
  • n9cvn9cv Member Posts: 30
    Squeaking brakes are very common on many vehicles and they are correct it just could be rust on the rear drums or front rotors. Driving it should rub the rust off and the squeak should eventually go away. If it doesn't then they can remove the rear shoes or front pads, remove the glaze from them with a wire brush or bead blaster and reinstall them. At worst they could install new pads or shoes and you are done. The auto parts store price for the shoes or pads are in the range of $30.00 per axle. I would estimate the labor at 1 hour per axle.

    Replacement of rotors, calipers, and bearings is totally unnecessary and I believe you are being taken advantage of with that estimate.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    hackme,

    I apologize for the issues you have experienced with your vehicle. By chance have you been in contact with GM Customer Assistance?

    Thank you,
    Caron, GM Customer Service
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    saylorj1,
    I apologize for your frustrations. Can you please email me with the VIN? I would like to look into this further. Have a great weekend!
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • bjmcgarry6bjmcgarry6 Member Posts: 2
    Christina,

    I have a 2005 Colorado myself and i am having the same problems everybody else is having. My 4wd will kick in whenever it feels like it, my abs light comes on whenever it wants and locks up my breaks causing me to almost hit somebody. I cannot let anybody in my family drive my truck because of this problem and on top of that i continuously have water leaks underneath the front and rear driver side seats. Don't you think after all these complaints you would do something about this? After having a truck 5 years old with only 80,000 miles on it i should never have to worry about this. i had a ford before i recently bought this truck and not once ever had problems like this and the truck was over 10 years old and the only thing i ever had to do to it was change tires and breaks. There should never be any problems like this after having a vehicle only 5 years old. I think its about time you do something about fixing these problems and to not say over and over to contact your GM dealership and have them look at the problem, if its continuous problems then you being a GM customer service should complain and have all these POS recalled. Thank you.
  • brewerguybrewerguy Member Posts: 11
    I am shocked at how many of you are having this much trouble with your trucks. I have an intermittant ABS issue, but since there is no locking up of the brakes, just the occasional ABS buzzing, I've decided to wait before getting it repaired. When the buzzing occurs, I shut off the ignition and restart and that usually stops the ABS buzzing. It might not happen again for weeks or months.

    My previous truck was a 1994 GMC Sonoma (S-10) whose rear brakes would lock up on the first brake application on damp mornings...no other time. I had it to two different dealers with even the rear drums and shoes getting replaced, all to no avail. The ABS, though, worked fine until 2005, when I traded it in on my current Colorado.

    The Colorado has been an almost perfect vehicle for 49,000 miles, requiring only an oxygen sensor replacement, new tires and new battery, which was just replaced last month. I guess I'm just lucky?
  • eddy29eddy29 Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem you had and solved. I took brakes apart put in new rotors and pads and now my ABS system is acting up. I am curious to know if your brakes are still working well and you still are not getting the ABS light coming on?

    Thanks for your response.
  • kmartickmartic Member Posts: 12
    Christina,
    I have posted on Edmunds a number of times about the problems with my Colorado. I have replaced a total of 5 hubs including the originals. The ABS system is constantly misbehaving, never sure when it will work or not! Have replaced the abs rings with each hub replacement. The Fan resistor had to be replaced, now the drivers door is popping if you do not close it gently at the top of its run. I am now replacing both front calipers and front brake hoses. On various occasions the front brakes progressively lock up. Depends on how far from home I am as to whether I make it home. On two occasions the rotors got so hot that I could see them glowing red hot. Had I not called my wife to have the garden hose ready when I got home it may have caught fire. The truck is useless. The underside of the hood near the latch has a 3” square rust hole through it. This is all on a 2005 vehicle with less than70,000 miles. I am a retired public school auto mechanics teacher with 32 years in the classroom as well as having taught numerous adult night classes at our local community college. I also have my own restoration business so I know my way around automobiles and this is without a doubt the worst vehicle for reliability and quality I have ever owned. I have been a GM man up until this truck. I still have my nice one ton dually diesel and did have a nice GMC Envoy. After this Colorado I traded the Envoy in for a Ford Edge Limited. None of these complaints are unique to my truck as evidenced by not only the posts on Edmunds but also on sites like Colorado Fan.com. You are aware of the issues but seem to offer no relief. Guess if you wait long enough the trucks will all end up in the junkyard but in the meantime you will be losing long time customers! I never know how to use the brakes on my truck. Maybe you could offer some advice. Since I never know if the ABS will engage or not, in an emergency stopping situation do I pump the brakes as if no ABS or step and hold as if I had ABS. That does present a dilemma to me as well as a safety issue. What are you thoughts if you had to drive the truck since the problem seems incurable for me as well as many others. Keith Williams
  • leadfoot4leadfoot4 Member Posts: 593
    "Eddy29", my brakes have been functioning properly since I did the repairs.... My ABS light does not come on, but keep in mind, I replaced the wheels speed sensors.
  • kmartickmartic Member Posts: 12
    I have replaced the wheel sensors twice, 2 pair and that hasn't fixed mine. Beware they may work for weeks and then stop and then work again for a while,totally random Good luck with yours
  • leadfoot4leadfoot4 Member Posts: 593
    "kmartic", while I understand your sentiments, my OE sensors worked well for 5.5 years/29,500 miles. I only had trouble after I disassembled the front end to replace the brake rotors, and it was only with one of the sensors (LF).

    According to one of the "dirty fingernail, skinned knuckle" Canyon/Colorado websites, you have a 50/50 chance of having ABS sensor issues after disassembling the front hubs. It appears that I fell into this category.

    However, I then disassembled the truck again, replaced both sensors with ACDelco replacement parts, and have had no issues. That was 6 months/3500 miles ago, and the ABS saw a regular workout through the winter, with the slippery road conditions that I regularly drive through.

    FWIW, my truck is a 4WD....
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    GM Customers,
    I understand your frustrations with your situations. As all major companies or corporations, we have standard operating procedures. GM does handle their customers individually, not all situations are the same, so they must be handled on a case by case basis. I am here to help make GM aware of your situations. The only way I can do this is with your assistance. First, I need your contact information (including a good number to reach you), VIN, current mileage, involved dealer, and a break down of what you are experiencing. The best way to get me this information is a direct email. If you are unsure or uncomfortable please feel free to inquire with the host, or send me an email with your telephone number and I can give you a call. Second, the vehicle must be taken to a GM Dealer. They have a contract with GM and must look at the vehicle. For GM to know you are experiencing issues, you must contact GM; whether it is me via email or Customer Assistance via the telephone. This will help identify the problem and how large it is. I understand when you are experiencing these concerns these processes can be frustrating. All concerns, whether it be with a dealer or your vehicle, are documented in the cases set up if you directly contact GM. If you would like to call Customer Assistance and speak with someone the number is in your owners manual, or email me and I can provide it to you. If you would like me to assist you, please feel free to email me the information requested above. I hope everyone has a great weekend!
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    kmartic,
    I apologize for your frustrations. Can you please email me your VIN and mileage? I would like to look into this further for you.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • coloradolemoncoloradolemon Member Posts: 10
    I have contacted customer service on many many occasions.
    We never get anything resolved.
  • kmartickmartic Member Posts: 12
    As I was finishing the latest brake job yesterday,calipers and hoses and another set of pads,4th set, because they had been baked into a flaking state by the calipers locking and sticking, I was thinking on how much this junk truck would have cost me and made some GM dealer. At this point it would have been multiple thousands of dollars. Thank God I have the ability and the tools to do this stuff myself! As soon as I am financially able I will be off to a different manufacturer for a new truck. Sorry to say this but it will be a long time before I walk into another GM dealership after this experience!!!!! Christina suggests that we open a case with GM. That will get nothing. They are already fully aware of the problems with these trucks and really are just giving lip service to the problem.
  • kmartickmartic Member Posts: 12
    Good morning, the Vin on my truck is 1GCDT136258140039 and the mileage is 68,789. Can you tell me the date that the warranty was put in service because I have that large rust hole on the bottom of the hood but I am sure the warranty won't stand by that some how it will be too late. Thanks, Keith Williams
  • jjgolfhackerjjgolfhacker Member Posts: 5
    edited May 2011
    That's how mine started, (according to my mechanic) there is ring on the bearing with a raised bump on it. As the ring spins it passes a magnet on the sensor which confirms that the tire is in fact spinning. That ring has a tendency to break loose from the bearing and will on occassion stop spinning with the bearing which tells the sensor that that wheel is locked up. The ABS will in turn kick in and "pump" the breaks. Mine did it rarely for about the first 6-8 months then it got worse as time went along. It eventually got so bad that i could not even drive the vehicle. Maybe you are lucky and you will never have to replace the hub, but my guess is that within the next year or so you will be replacing a hub.
  • n9cvn9cv Member Posts: 30
    On two other forums I belong to on the Colorado/ Canyon (Colorado Fans and 355 Nation) it has become apparent that there are several weak points that keep coming up year after year. One would expect that GM would have engineered out these problems over the years as field failure data became available. They haven't.

    The first is electrical items. The most frequent is the burning of fan motor resistor connection to It's harness. (This failure is so common that GM actually sells a harness repair kit for this). Second would be the ground connection on the right front front fender. A simple tooth washer during assembly like GM did on the S-10 series would have prevented this. Others are poor connections with the power windows, connections on turn and brake light bulbs, wheel speed sensors, brake light switches, trailer wiring harness adapter, ABS controller failures, the evap vent valve, and the clock-spring in the steering that affects the horn and the air bag. I have the last three failing right now that I have not gotten around to fixing yet due to the high replacement parts costs.

    I really love this truck, as do most of the people on these forums, but the high rate of certain failures make it very expensive for someone who has to pay ridiculous prices at the dealers to get these very common failures repaired.

    Some other non-electrical common failures are the cam actuator solenoid, and sticking (due to internal rust) of the front brake calipers.

    You can see the Japanese influence in the design of this truck which in some cases in not necessarily better. Two examples are the rear brake and turn signal wiring (separate bulbs for each though hidden behind the same red lens) and the front rotors that require removal of the hubs (extra labor) to replace.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    coloradolemon,

    Since you have spoken with GM Customer Assistance, could you please email me your case number? I would like to look further into your situation.

    Thank you,
    Caron, GM Customer Service
  • kmartickmartic Member Posts: 12
    Put very well, these are all issues that should have never been allowed to exist on these trucks. My truck is really cursed. Fixed the front brakes, actually drove the truck for two days with no issues. Went out yesterday morning to go to the gym and it would not back up. Would only spin one rear tire. Put in 4 low and went for it and it broke free and took out the shoe return spring and the wheel cylinder as well as bending the rear anchor point on the backing plate for the large horseshoe brake shoe anchor. Upon inspection it seems the wheel cylinder had been leaking onto the brake shoes. No sign of spongy pedal or brake fluid running down the backing plate. I have never seen anything like the horrendous list of problems with this truck. It is almost laughable on something with only 68,000 miles.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    kmartic,
    Can you please send me your contact information including a good number to reach you, and your involved dealer. I would like to look into this further. Your in service date is 1/13/2005. I look forward to your email.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    NEVER put your phone number in your posts. The forums are visible to the entire internet and we have no control over who may scavenge such information for malicious purposes.

    In order to send the factory reps personal information, click on their username link in their post header - this will bring up their profile with the email address to reach them. Make the email subject to the attention of the specific rep that replied to you in the forum.

    kcram - Pickups/Wagons/Vans+Minivans Host
  • lyresalyresa Member Posts: 1
    I also have a 2005 chevy colorado and I also have all the abs fault problems mentioned here. I got it down to where when the message appeared I would place it in park pump the brakes 3 times put on the emergency brakes then restart the truck. The light would go off and I'd be fine for a week or so. Did it yesterday again for the umpteenth time but this time when I shut off the truck I couldn't turn it back on.Key would not even turn, and yes I jiggled the steering wheel, and jumped the battery and a number of different things. Steering wheel was NOT locked, but the key would not turn at all, and I could not shift out of park either. Had to get a flatbed tow truck to tow me to the dealer. They had to actually go under the truck and yank a bar to release the gear into neutral just to winch it into the tow truck bed. My truck is still in the chevy dealer because they had to special order a new ignition, because they couldnt get it unlocked either, and is yanking the whole thing out making new keys as well. I got a $1900 quote, to fix this and the abs problem. No one can tell me the why of the abs fault or the why of the key not turning, just the how much it will cost to replace it. When we mentioned that we knew all about the abs fault problems that plague the colorados we were shrugged off and asked if we wanted it fixed or not. Of course we want it fixed and said so, but we also want to know why it seems to be such a common problem and why the dealer isn't taking any resposibility for it. :sick:
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    lyresa,

    I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with your vehicle. Please keep me posted when the issue has been taken care of.

    Thank you,
    Caron, GM Customer Service
  • lalongbowmanlalongbowman Member Posts: 1
    I too am having problems with my front end on my 2006 chevy colorado 3.5 liter. I am not very savvy with vehicle mechanics but my brakes grind (feels like gears grinding teeth in my brake pedal and it is audible also) sometimes when I come to a stop and the truck almost does not stop. This happens almost every time I hit a bump while applying the brakes.It is very scary when this happens because the brakes seem to stop doing their job!! My abs light has never come on, and in the past few days, my front passenger tire has developed a whine when I'm accelerating. The front end alignment on this truck is total crap too! i have been through 2 sets of tires and have 56000 miles on this truck! I do NOT have the money to fix this, especially if all of this is a recurring problem. What is the deal!!?!? I will be moving about 650 miles next week with a 6X12 trailer and hope I dont have any problems with this because I'll prolly end up over a cliff cuz Im moving from flat Louisiana to mountainous Tennessee! If I do, this is a written testimony of what prolly happened to me.
  • 1chief1chief Member Posts: 1
    I have an 05 Colorado. It has the 3.5 liter engine and standard shift. I am having ABS Traction Fault issues. The error displays in the odometer area displaying the fault for no apparent reason. It comes on and goes off when it wants. The truck loses power as the traction control kicks in when the error displays. It will go off when I turn off the truck, or sometimes when driving down the road. Is this situation dangerous to drive with?. I have a long trip to take in a couple weeks, can I drive this vehicle? I bought it new and was delivered with a crack/ chip in the windshield. The first year I had it, the heater core went bad, the third year the steering knuckle had to be replaced,the fourth year I had fuel emissions error issues. When I start the truck, sometimes it will stumble/hesitate when I put it in gear and start to accelerate. Now I have ABS Traction Fault issues. I wanted to keep this truck, but now I don't know. What do I do? Gm seems to have a lot of issues with these vehicles needing addressed.
  • n9cvn9cv Member Posts: 30
    I have the same issue. I took mine to my friendly and expensive GM dealer. After paying an expensive diagnostic fee I was told the ABS controller is shot because they can not talk to it at all with their scan tool. They wanted an exorbitant price for a new ABS controller so I left. I have been driving it that way ever since. I'd take it to another dealer but figure I'll just be out another $100 for another non-answer. I'm thinking it is a wheel sensor and not the controller. These have a poor record of failing wheel sensors. Mine works sometimes for hours and other times it fails in the first few minutes. I'd like to fix it before winter because I like the traction control in the snow.
  • HappsterHappster Member Posts: 33
    You've probably long since resolved your issue, but in the event others need an answer, I note that the ABS sensors in the front hubs are very tempermental. I replaced my rotors and had to remove the hub from the halfshaft. The sensor is press fit into the hub in the hole where the halfshaft installs. I dinged the sensor putting it back together-barely scratched the metal. But I ended up with the same issues you're having. Replaced it and it has been fine. It was only about $60 at Auto Zone, but a bit of a pain to install. You have to take the hub off the halfshaft. I cheated by unbolting the ball joints from the A-arms, which saved me from having the smash them with a separator. That usually ends badly, particularly for higher mileage trucks.
  • n9cvn9cv Member Posts: 30
    Thanks for the information. I'm was also guessing that the failure is in the front sensors. I have not pulled or looked at them yet. I have a 2WD so the half shafts are not a problem. My scanner does not do ABS so I was hoping to get it scanned to tell me what side to look at. After my wasted trip and money with GM getting it scanned I gave up on that approach. I'll concentrate on the front sensors when I go back to work on it again..

    Thanks.
  • firefighter5firefighter5 Member Posts: 2
    I just got my 2004 Colorado Back from the shop for my ABS system! They had to replace both Hubs assemblies! It cost me $1,223.14 I had to replace my fan resistor two week ago! I did it myself so it was only $28.31! GM needs to do something about this!!!
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    n9cv,
    I apologize for your frustrations. Can you please email me your VIN? I look forward to your response.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • firefighter5firefighter5 Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2011
    My Vin # is IGCDT136048127479.... $ 1,223.14 for 2 front Hub assemblies! Now I have noticed that my right back up light has a short in it! All these things are happening at the same time!! I have never had so much trouble with a vehicle! I know it's a 2004 but It's just got 80,000 miles on it. I had to replace my catalytic converter at 37,000 miles and yes it was still under warranty but still.. Whats next? this is my only vehicle!!
  • tmarshfieldtmarshfield Member Posts: 3
    I have had issues with my front breaks ever since I purchased my 2006 colorado new. The pad/rotors did not well correctly and I ended up with severe noise from the breaks which I had check out at the dealer and of course "there was not problem". I finally decided to replace the rotors and pad myself but because of the design of the front hubs it's not the easiest thing to do and I didn't want to damage the ABS sensor, so I finally just put on new pads to hold me over and reduce the noise issues. I did that last year and just this week my ABS Fault started showing up. Every time I touch the breaks the ABS kicks in and finally it goes to ABS Fault. As with every other story on here, as soon as I turn the truck off/on it resets and is fine for a little while. I have had to replace almost every exterior light on this truck 3 times. I have had to fix the Fan resistor as well. These trucks have some serious issues of which GM does not care to address.

    Now with the ABS Fault issue it seems that I'm only one in a long line of people having this issue. As with the others, I don't want to spend $1000+ getting my truck repaired. It only has 67k miles and if I had the money to get rid of the damn thing I would, but it's almost paid for and I can't afford to go buy a new truck.

    So would I be best to just get new ABS Sensors for the front wheels and change those out when I get the brakes done? I realize it would be good for GM to have this on record but at the same time it's very frustrating to spend $100 to get screwed even more...

    Also what's the best way to get the front hubs off so I can replace the rotors? i've seen a 2x4 trick that several people posted but everyone said to be careful about the ABS sensors. Guess that's not an issue if I'm going to replace them anyway.
  • buyusbuyus Member Posts: 4
    I replaced my hubs and ABS sensors last week and discovered that the passenger side ABS sensor had gotten road debris lodged in it causing damage to it. One thing the dealers won't tell you is that you can buy the just the sensors instead of spending the big money on the bearing hubs. They are 1/4 the cost of the hub assemblies. Great instructions at 355nation.net/forum. Just search "front hub replacement". You will need some heavy duty tools and this will help with sensor replacement too although it doesn't address that specifically.
    Hope this helps,
    Don
Sign In or Register to comment.