I have already posted on this forum about all 4 of my Chevrolet Suburban door lock actuators going out and I am reminded of my disappointment in GM daily when I realize how many tens of thousands of loyal GM owners have been affected by the lack of quality in GM parts. Not only the lack of quality, but a lack of concern for the safety of these loyal customers.
I am now reporting, not surprisingly, that the actuator on my rear hatch has also gone out. Our friendly GM CS representative was kind enough, again, to let me know that my nearest dealership will be able to assist me in having it repaired - at my expense.
Does anyone have a link or thread I can follow for this part as well?
Thanks & much appreciation to my fellow GM Actuator Victims!
a2t ~ We were able to get my rear hatch open a few times, but it took about a half hour and 20-25 tries to get it open. When the actuator tries to work, you have to try press the release button at just the right time. Hopefully we can get it open to remove the failed actuator out for repair.
Thanks so much for the suggestion to email paul@gruvenparts.com. I gave him my vehicle vin#. He did not have the part in stock, but offered to repair my original actuator for $60, which would be much cheaper andlast longer than replacing it with a new part. He said it would take about a week to repair & return it to us.
My fellow GM actuator victims, I urge you to take a2t's advice and contact paul@gruvenparts.com for help with your replacement parts/repairs.
By the time GM decides to recall these parts, there could be hundreds, if not thousands, of accident victims due to their negligence. Apparently GM has no conscience or concern for their loyal customers welfare.
This will be my last GM vehicle and I don't plan to keep it much longer.
Thanks so much for the link. This is not the first time someone has posted this link, and unfortunately when I click on it, it will not open the website.
Is this link for a website that is still operating?
I just took my 2008 Tahoe XLT to the dealership and they said my actuators are covered by extended warranty but not the handles. They want to charge me $200 a piece to fix which is insane since this isn't the first time they broke but they were then covered under 35,000 mile warranty. My front passenger handle is literally hanging off the door, I went to open the door and it just popped out. I know this is a reoccurring problem with these chrome like door handles. Plus the service guy was explaining stuff to me like I was an idiot, I felt that if it was my husband who answered the phone it would've been different. If this is happening to everyone else then this should be a recall or they should re-design the plastic inserts that make the handles stay. UGH!!!!!!!!
I'm sorry that you're having this issue with your vehicle. However, I would like to look into your concern. Can you please email your issue with the Tahoe to socialmedia@gm.com (attn: Marlea)? I look forward to your response and assisting you.
Hello to all GM Tahoe Owners who are frustrated like me. didn't get anything done. I have following this thread since GM Customer service dumped me. and cost 400 bucks and did not get anything done. dealership charged 95 bucks to diagnose. i spent whole day going to take this problem to be resolved upon gm said we will take care of it. when gm we will take a look and charge you money to diagonse and we will tell you how much it will cost you to repair such problem. they told me we will take care of it. what i found that means we will charge you to diagnose the problem and we will tell you how much we will charge to fix he problem. so they can keep their dealership in business.
I spent 1 1/2 day to get this dealership and receievd repair quote. just because i live 300 miles away from nearest dealership. I was handed out a quote for $450.00 a piece to get this problem fixed. when this should be a recall. i can't believe that federal gov't has not stepped in to have resolved, this is very major safety issue, especially who have kids in the car like me. I have had 3 out 4 locks aren't working.
I see these email from sarah and few other folks they do nothing and they just want to respond to emails. i can almost guarantee you all they do copy and paste and spend less than 5 sec. to response. so every one can think that oh yeah gm is taking of their customers really. GM can profit few billions every quarter and can not take care their customers issue all they are up to is how much profit for the quarter, who care about the customer dump them. we are all being dumped by GM. since they so many complaints via social media why can't make it right, if they have messed it up form the begining, call it recall and have it fixed without the asking each and every customers send us you info etc etc. what that will do document it and send your customers dealership and charge them and hand them a quote that is how much we will charge you to get vehicle fixed.
this thing drive me crazy that we have spent over $50,000 for these vehicles. what they given us is peice junk parts that were installed in these vehilcles. wow it's a shame how GM trying save a few bucks by buying it really cheap components that meant to be failed right after warranty expires. mine one failed 56 days later after my warranty expires is this scam or what.
does anyone have any success with this problem who actually got it fixed by contacting GM. or everyone got quote like me. i would like to know any success story. tell us all how did you get it fixed without paying to GM.
the other thing really amazes me is that no one has filed a lawsuit against this problem i contacted NSA last they said we will look into it. guess what nothing was done. can all of us start calling nsa and report this problem goto www.nsa.org express your voice let them know how we were treated by GM and why they are not calling it major recall on these vehicles. I am very frustrated GM Tahoe owner,
GM Folks: replying to social media like this is not going to any good, unless you start to take care of these problem. please don't make us look like fools, that everyones probelms are getting resolved because you have asked vehicle VIN, conatct info etc.
Thanks guys for reading by frustated notes. please call nsa to voice your opinion. we want this issue to be resolved by gm. this is the only way we can get it done to my opinion. if anyone have any other idea please share your opinion we will follow it.
I am getting ready to purchase a new vehicle. Sadly a Chevy/GM will not be one of my choices. I have tried to get my problem resolved without any satisfaction a number of times. Seeing the hundreds of others on this thread who are having the same issues tells me GM hasn't fixed the problem over the years and doesn't care one bit. So I'm looking at Ford and some Japanese mfg. for my next SUV.
I apologize that your experience has caused you to feel this way about a future GM vehicle purchase. If you've spoken to GM Customer Service previously about this, we'd like the chance to look more into this to see what else can be done. If you'd like our assistance please reach out to us via email at socialmedia@gm.com.
Like many others on this thread, I just had my THIRD actuator replaced on my 2008 Tahoe LT. The first two were replaced under warranty (or extended warranty, I'm not sure). The 3rd one just cost me $389 out of pocket, since the warranty has expired. I'm just waiting on the 4th one to fail.
I understand that parts will fail with normal wear and tear, but this seems to be a widespread quality control issue on the Tahoe. To have 3 actuators fail on the same car indicates a problem with the part and GM should remedy at their cost. I've been driving Tahoes since 2001, but I'm probably going to look elsewhere for my next vehicle (especially if the 4th actuator fails on this car and I'm out another $400)...
Sorry to hear about the problem with your door lock actuators. Although we cannot guarantee any cost assistance towards this repair, we would be more than happy to look more into this situation and see what options there are for you. If you'd like our help, please feel free to email us.
These are decent trucks aside from a few issues. I have no idea why GM is refusing to solve the problem and wasting our time with their scripted responses. These same auto replies are on many other forums, it's pretty sad.
Ignore the GM customer care trolls on this thread. All they will do is look up whether you are still under warranty (as if I needed help determining that). If not under warranty, there is nothing they will be able to do. Just a waste of your time.
Thinking about doing the installation myself. Local dealership just quoted $164 each for the front doors and $158 each for the back doors. Direct quote from the parts guy: "I try to keep these in stock because they sell so often". No kidding. Pains me to think of paying $650 plus tax for parts that will very likely fail again. Next vehicle won't be GM. And when I trade in a vehicle, it probably won't be my 2002 Tahoe (which has been great), it will be my 2009 P.O.S. Suburban.
I know this is old, but I feel for you. I have a 2004 GMC Yukon - but MY problem is slightly different from most (I have not seen anyone complain of an issue like mine)... All of my door locks WILL lock when the vehicle is put in drive and moving. When I stop and put the truck in park, the front doors unlock, the rear doors and hatch do not. If I want to unlock the rear passenger doors, I have to push the unlock button on the driver door several times - then they will eventually unlock. They will NOT unlock via the remotes anymore at all. Early on, the remotes would unlock all doors, then only the front doors, but the rear doors would unlock occasionally with the remote, or if the button on the remote was pushed several times. Eventually the remotes no longer unlocked the rear doors at all, then eventually, the remotes stopped unlocking ANY doors, including the rear hatch (and yes, I have replaced the batteries). We must now use the key to unlock the driver's door, press the button on the driver's door to unlock the front passenger door, then push the same button SEVERAL times to unlock the rear doors and hatch (should only need pushing TWICE). The remotes both still LOCK all the doors, but that's it. Extremely frustrating. I've been a loyal GM customer almost all my life (I only had ONE Ford). This last week my wife and I decided to buy another car. We thought about the GMC Terrain, but I know GM's quality has dropped - especially where their door locks are concerned (just google "GM door lock problems" to see how many people have had issues)... Yet GM does NOT view it as a safety issue at all, nor will they do anything about it! - With that, we went in a new direction and purchased a Ford Edge... And LOVE IT. I think I'm giving up on GM. I still have my Yukon, but when it's time to get rid of it, I'll be buying a Ford. Sorry GM, but if you upset people enough with poor quality and refuse to help your customers, this is what happens - and you have to seek another bailout.
I purchased my 2008 Tahoe Lt in 2008. It has 28000 miles and it has been given the best of care. In December of 2012, the driver door actuator went out. I called my dealership and even though it was out of warranty the replaced it at no charge. In July 2013, the driver side rear door actuator went out, again, they fixed it at no charge. In January 2014, the right side rear door went out, this time they weren't so happy to fix it for me, but they did. Now, only 6 weeks later, the right side front door has gone out. I don't know what they are going to do as I am waiting for a call back. This is a big SAFETY issue in my opinion and they KNOW these door locks are failing! WHY has there not been a recall??? I suppose it is going to take something like the locks failing, an accident where the car catches fire and you can't get your child out of the car! I can think of many scenarios where these door locks could bring great harm. I personally think a class action lawsuit should be brought. I have read where MANY who own these 2008 Tahoe's have and are having this issue and, unfortunately, have had to pay between $300-$400 to get EACH one fixed! Something needs to be done!!!!
@lindawey said:
I purchased my 2008 Tahoe Lt in 2008. It has 28000 miles and it has been given the best of care. In December of 2012, the driver door actuator went out. I called my dealership and even though it was out of warranty the replaced it at no charge. In July 2013, the driver side rear door actuator went out, again, they fixed it at no charge. In January 2014, the right side rear door went out, this time they weren't so happy to fix it for me, but they did. Now, only 6 weeks later, the right side front door has gone out. I don't know what they are going to do as I am waiting for a call back. This is a big SAFETY issue in my opinion and they KNOW these door locks are failing! WHY has there not been a recall??? I suppose it is going to take something like the locks failing, an accident where the car catches fire and you can't get your child out of the car! I can think of many scenarios where these door locks could bring great harm. I personally think a class action lawsuit should be brought. I have read where MANY who own these 2008 Tahoe's have and are having this issue and, unfortunately, have had to pay between $300-$400 to get EACH one fixed! Something needs to be done!!!!
Hello lindawey,
We certainly understand your frustration, and apologize that you have experienced your door lock actuators failing. Your safety is very important to us, and we are pleased to hear that your dealership is actively working to correct this problem for you. Please keep us posted on their final repair decision, and if there is anything we can do to help with this situation, please feel free to send us a private message.
I am having the same issues with my 2008 LS Tahoe on the door locks, driver side front and passenger door. I have also noticed that the speakers on the driver side have quit working. I called the dealership several times for recalls but I haven't had any good luck yet. I was given quotes for replacement in the neighborhood of $250-300 per door. I was wondering if anyone has had any luck getting replacements outside of warranty without paying. I think a recall for this issue is way over due, obviously Chevrolet is not concerned with customer retention.
@tmccl88 said:
I am having the same issues with my 2008 LS Tahoe on the door locks, driver side front and passenger door. I have also noticed that the speakers on the driver side have quit working. I called the dealership several times for recalls but I haven't had any good luck yet. I was given quotes for replacement in the neighborhood of $250-300 per door. I was wondering if anyone has had any luck getting replacements outside of warranty without paying. I think a recall for this issue is way over due, obviously Chevrolet is not concerned with customer retention.
Hi tmccl88,
I definitely understand your frustration surrounding the trouble with your door locks, and apologize for this inconvenience. For your reference, you can monitor any recalls or service related announcements on the Chevy Owners Center website. Please send us a private message if you're interested in working with your dealership to have your door locks repaired. Although I cannot make any guarantees, I'd be happy to look into additional options for you. With any inquiries please include your contact info, VIN, mileage and name of dealer.
Who has got GM to pay for their door lock problem when a vehicle is out of warranty? What did you do?
gmcustsvc - where can I get my door locks fixed for free when not in warranty? It definitely appears to be a major issue with so many locks failing. The question is not IF they will fail, but WHEN they will fail. And replacement locks can possibly fail again.
@sharonco said:
Who has got GM to pay for their door lock problem when a vehicle is out of warranty? What did you do?
gmcustsvc - where can I get my door locks fixed for free when not in warranty? It definitely appears to be a major issue with so many locks failing. The question is not IF they will fail, but WHEN they will fail. And replacement locks can possibly fail again.
Hi sharonco,
If you are outside of your vehicle warranty I cannot guarantee that repairs will be performed for free. However, I understand your concerns surrounding your door locks and would be glad to look further into this matter if you are currently experiencing this issue. Please feel free to private message me with your VIN, mileage, contact information and dealership if I can be of assistance.
@sodak said:
amber at gm customer care. what is you email Thanks sodak
Hi sodak,
You can email me at socialmedia@gm.com. Please reference your screen name and put "Attn Amber" in the subject line so that it's delivered directly to me. I look forward to hearing from you.
I just purchased an 08 tahoe hybrid today. When we test drove it both front doors and the left rear door locks worked. Now as we are heading home we stopped and went to lock the doors and only the left rear door unlocks.I am extremely sad as I have been wanting one of these for years and I finally get one and the doors dont unlock. This thing is loaded and we still paid over 25000 for it. We shouldn't have to pay for the doors to be fixed 5 minutes after we leave the dealership. The radio also turns up and down all by itself and won't eject the dvds. What the heck is up with that? My 03 suburban runs better. Please any help would be great. I can't afford to pay for these to be fixed and I can't return the vehicle.
You should go back to the dealership and demand it be fixed. Their techs are supposed to go through a used car before it's put up for sale. Someone isn't doing their job. If you let anyone else touch the car, then the dealer is off the hook. Hard to say what's going on, or if the locks and radio are related, or if anything else isn't working. Possibly a bad BCM module, but it needs diagnosis.
MrShift the dealer dropped the ball on the repairs. They said they lowered the sale price and if I wanted the locks fixed they'd have to raise it back up. The repairs are over 900$. I will never purchase a vehicle from them again I can guarantee that. I think they knew it was broken from the get go and overlooked it because they knew it was an expensive fix. I was working with Amber at gm customer service and she said she was working with the Chevy dealer in my area who in turn told me the vehicle is out of its warranty you're bumming. After they charged 115.50 to diagnose the problem we already knew it was having. Pathetic really. This should be a recall if so many people are having the same issues.
Rosie, check out the link I posted above your post. Gruven makes their own motors to replace the crappy ones GM has been using. Pretty inexpensive when you compare it to the dealer prices.
Then click on the picture of the Tahoe. You will see the method used to repair these FAULTY actuators. The GM trolls on here are NOT going to do anything other than run you around.
If the truck is out of warranty, its completely up to whatever GM dealer you take your truck to. There is no need to "contact" social media @ GM. They are merely hired trolls who are on all the GM forums, running customers around in circles.
If you want to see if GM will fix it, go to a dealer and ask. I can already tell you, you are wasting your time if out of warranty. Click the link above, do the repair, and be done with the issue once and forall.
Even if GM did somehow replace your door locks free, they would just break again in short order because their door lock units are very poor quality.
PS - Amber, tell Marry Barra the internet is still plugged in and working. Her strategy to "handle this" isnt working out too well.
I've had my 2 back door handles break 3 times now and this time I had to replace it out of pocket...$266...but they didn't fix the actuator that has also broken 3 times now...I've owned my '08 tahoe LTZ from start...and had 2 dealerships replace them previously thru warranty but not any more. So I'm actually extremely upset that it hasn't been recalled and now I will have to pay out of pocket again for this. PLEASE if anyone has a good link that works for a recall..or for a CS rep that is willing to work with us on this matter I'd appreciate it. But in the meantime I'm looking to replace this myself. Sadly because it is Limited Edition and NOT that many made they don't care to recall the chrome back doors nor the actuator. But if I missed something and they are willing to fix it under recall...please let me know. (I have low mileage still but it's been 6 yrs so ofc it's out of warranty)
We are sorry to hear of the repeat concerns you've experienced with your door handles on your 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe. We'd be happy to check your VIN for any recalls or service announcements and see what we can do for you. Please reach out to me with your contact information, VIN and mileage via email at socialmedia@gm.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
Wow... I had no idea this huge problem even existed until... I googled it and it took me about 20 seconds to catch on. HOUSTON we've got a problem and it ain't goin away any time soon. Add me to the list of LOCKED Tahoes! 2006 ~ How unfortunate for me that I have the model that has NO key entry NOR an inside handle on the back hatch! It's permanently LOCKED SHUT until I get this thing figured out. Now mind you I spent the better part of yesterday reading all of these comments from these fine people that keep GM in business. And I've also read up on all the fixes... I get it! What I don't get is... why do I see a lot of proud Chevy owners being let down. I am a THIRD GENERATION CHEVY LOVER! My Grandfather was an accountant for GM auto parts manufacturing and my father worked his entire adult LIFE at AC Spark plug! DORT HWY FLINT MICHIGAN! So CHEVY you've got a bunch of supporters out here. It's the very people on this blog~ that have purchased what you've dedicated your lives to manufacturing. I am a lifetime Chevy owner. When you grow up around em they grow on you and that doesn't just "go away". But what WILL make your customer base "go away" is when you don't stand behind your product and support your customers, especially when they come at you by the thousands with the identicle problem. I don't care if the repair shops are whining about losing money on this EASY FIX. I invested 1/2 a house to buy it!!!! But to ask your customers to pay hundreds or in my case nearly a thousand dollars to fix a piece of broken plastic that's buried deep inside the vehicle door - WHICH by the way I can't get to because the hatch is closed! Don't forget 85% of your business comes by word of mouth> I had 10 people gawking at this thing with no option for manual entry and they were literally scratching their heads and laughing. These are all my neighbors... asking what the heck happened to the Chevy Brain. I don't think you've got a bunch of whiners out here saying oh poor me... I've got a real problem with that hatch being frozen shut and it's NO easy fix for me. The majority of us bought the Tahoe Brand NEW. Our incomes out here in consumer land haven't quadrupled like the cost of cars and mortgages have. That's a big chunk of money. Sparing you my life story ~ MY DAD TAUGHT ME WELL! He always had a Chevy and tinkered and fixed them himself because he wasn't gonna waste money and most everything was something he could handle. I owned my 1969 Chevy Malibu for 17 YEARS til I bent some rods and I rebuilt the engine in my own driveway in 8 weeks and guess what... I was back on the road, not a thing on that car was different, except the new dual exhaust. She was back to being my ole Chevy. I was proud! I couldn't get through an intersection in this city without people offering to buy it or begging me to trade! WHY???? Because it's a CHEVY! So do we really think these people on this blog are NOT the CORE of your business? AND FUTURE? I don't like other people touching my vehicles... 3 out of five are either gonna mess something else up, do a 1/2 bleep job because nobody is really watching them or they charge you for things they don't do, pocket your money and laugh at you as you drive off . Already had that happen at the good buddies down at the Chevrolet repair shop... swore I'd never go there again. And here I am. You have no idea how frustrating this is. I'm embarrassed for Chevy. Not happy about this at all. Not happy about what I've seen on your own forum! Do you know how many people would come back and stand up for your name if you stood up for them and made things right? Things just aren't the way they used to be and it's a darn shame. Priorities are all backwards. Yes, I know... you're sorry and I can send an email with my vin# etc. etc.
This Tahoe was my dream and it came true. I was gonna keep it for the rest of my life. Thanks for readin' the rant. I don't know what I'm going to do but I sure know the suggestion of paying 100 for a diagnosis out of my pocket to begin this whole process leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. You can't even offer a diagnostic? I'm finally speechless.
just bought a used 2008 suburban with 84K miles on it "as is" from a metropolitan ford in Minneapolis (a grossman dealership which sits next door to another grossman dealership, suburban chevrolet). the cruise control worked intermittently - salesperson pushed through that one with me but i was able to fix it with a google search, $12 part and a little elbow grease. also, the door lock actuators on front and rear passenger-side doors are bad as well. (didn't catch it when i did the test drive). my research indicates the dealerships are charging about $400 to replace each actuator, the part is $125. i did get a good deal on the vehicle (as long as nothing else is wrong with it) but it seams the consistent failure of the door lock actuators warrants a recall or class action lawsuit, especially for those who purchased their vehicles new.
my second point is that the "as is" purchase allowances for auto dealers totally serve the auto industry/auto dealership at the expense of consumers. state's attorneys general offices need to revisit this across the country.
Hi, everyone. Yes my 2008 escalade power door lock (passenger rear) stopped working just like the rest of yours. Being a "super do it yourselfer" I tore the power lock mechanism out with enthusiasm prior to reading this whole blog. Expecting to find lack of lubrication as a problem like my windstar power door lock. Not so. The door lock truly would not work and was well lubricated.
The little electric motor wasn't even trying. Or at least very much. The repair turned out to be rather complicated but not impossible. Firstly you must drill out the two rivets that hold the door lock mechanism together. Thank you GM for making everything "disposable". After the fix is done, I drilled and tapped the rivits with a M3x0.5 drill and tap (#35 drill if I recall) and used a bolt and rather large washer to hold the device back together again.
However, upon taking the unit apart, I tried the little motor on 12 volts directly. Odd result, ran for a second and then slowed down to a crawl. WTF? DC motors either work or they don't, this made no sense.
I carefully pried open the motor using an awl under the folded case tabs holding the brush and bushing carrier in the case.
I found inside the dirty little motor, (which got a shot of carb cleaner to remove all the black particulate) a small semiconductor device, or what might be a tiny resistive overload protector.
My best guess is that it works like self regulating heat tracing, increasing resistance as it heats up. Motor runs, draws current; heats resistor; resistor ohmic value increases, motor current drops, motor loses torque. Again I assume the purpose is to reduce current to the motor once the motor stalls at the end of the actuator operation. Seems awkward but hey, must be some reason for it.
Bypassing the "resistive overload" directly with 12 volts to motor made it scream like no tomorrow. Perhaps a little too much. Heaven forbid the plastic gears and mechanisms in the door lock be designed strong enough to endure the raw power of a tiny DC motor.
Perhaps a bigger concern would be overloading the drive IC's that power the door lock. That could be catastrophically expensive and painful if I got too overzealous bypassing the "resistor overload"
Thus, I carefully added two connections in parallel with the internal "resistor overload" and brought the wiring out of the motor case to where I could "experiment" with current limiting techniques. I settled for a parallel 3.3 ohm resistor. So far so good.
The actuator operates fairly "gently", perhaps a little more so than I would like. If I have to do this on another door, I will probably decrease to 2.5 ohms for a little more oomph.
Good luck.
BTW, Paul Gruven was kind enough to get back to me, and they appear to be selling replacement motors, and are rebuilding actuators for those of you who are not quite so mechanically inclined.
IMHO, the motors in the actuators are poorly designed and GM, as usual, is picking bare minimum quality product to sell to their customers. My 2008 escalade has been pretty much my only "new" GM vehicle I have owned and probably will be my last. Too many problems caused by cost cutting.
Cruise Control Brake Switch Rear Window Defogger Connection Console Glue Failure Transfer Case Seal Failure Chrome Plating Cosmetic Failure on 22" Rims Seal Failure on Corroding Rims (Nice "Made in China" stickers on the inside of the rim barrel!) Impact Sensor Failure Block heater temperature sensing stupidity. Using a block heater shouldn't throw and engine code! Poor range on remote start. and the writing is on the wall that the Cellular Phone system will be unsupported in the near future.
My wife has had the same problem and of course when it happened it was out of warranty, she has to physically lock all doors and can use the key fob to unlock the drivers door only and rolls the window down to access the other locks. What a POS GM's are getting to be going back to fords. As I've had my engine to go out on me on my 08 silverado at 104,000 miles and GM wouldn't even work with me it costed me 5,400 and some change to repair down on GM.
Comments
I am now reporting, not surprisingly, that the actuator on my rear hatch has also gone out. Our friendly GM CS representative was kind enough, again, to let me know that my nearest dealership will be able to assist me in having it repaired - at my expense.
Does anyone have a link or thread I can follow for this part as well?
Thanks & much appreciation to my fellow GM Actuator Victims!
How are u opening hatch if actuator is dead? Hopefully it died in the unlocked position.
I have a 2008 Yukon and it has 2 bad actuators and the 3rd one intermittently goes bad, I need help PLEASE !!!
Thanks
This permanently fixes the issue.
http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f69/tahoe-door-lock-actuator-problem-solution- -27064/index3.html#post249087
We were able to get my rear hatch open a few times, but it took about a half hour and 20-25 tries to get it open. When the actuator tries to work, you have to try press the release button at just the right time. Hopefully we can get it open to remove the failed actuator out for repair.
Thanks so much for the suggestion to email paul@gruvenparts.com. I gave him my vehicle vin#. He did not have the part in stock, but offered to repair my original actuator for $60, which would be much cheaper andlast longer than replacing it with a new part. He said it would take about a week to repair & return it to us.
My fellow GM actuator victims, I urge you to take a2t's advice and contact paul@gruvenparts.com for help with your replacement parts/repairs.
By the time GM decides to recall these parts, there could be hundreds, if not thousands, of accident victims due to their negligence. Apparently GM has no conscience or concern for their loyal customers welfare.
This will be my last GM vehicle and I don't plan to keep it much longer.
Is this link for a website that is still operating?
I'm sorry that you're having this issue with your vehicle. However, I would like to look into your concern. Can you please email your issue with the Tahoe to socialmedia@gm.com (attn: Marlea)? I look forward to your response and assisting you.
Marlea W.
GM Customer Service
I have following this thread since GM Customer service dumped me. and cost 400 bucks and did not get anything done. dealership charged 95 bucks to diagnose. i spent whole day going to take this problem to be resolved upon gm said we will take care of it. when gm we will take a look and charge you money to diagonse and we will tell you how much it will cost you to repair such problem. they told me we will take care of it. what i found that means we will charge you to diagnose the problem and we will tell you how much we will charge to fix he problem. so they can keep their dealership in business.
I spent 1 1/2 day to get this dealership and receievd repair quote. just because i live 300 miles away from nearest dealership.
I was handed out a quote for $450.00 a piece to get this problem fixed. when this should be a recall. i can't believe that federal gov't has not stepped in to have resolved, this is very major safety issue, especially who have kids in the car like me. I have had 3 out 4 locks aren't working.
I see these email from sarah and few other folks they do nothing and they just want to respond to emails. i can almost guarantee you all they do copy and paste and spend less than 5 sec. to response. so every one can think that oh yeah gm is taking of their customers really. GM can profit few billions every quarter and can not take care their customers issue all they are up to is how much profit for the quarter, who care about the customer dump them. we are all being dumped by GM. since they so many complaints via social media why can't make it right, if they have messed it up form the begining, call it recall and have it fixed without the asking each and every customers send us you info etc etc. what that will do document it and send your customers dealership and charge them and hand them a quote that is how much we will charge you to get vehicle fixed.
this thing drive me crazy that we have spent over $50,000 for these vehicles. what they given us is peice junk parts that were installed in these vehilcles. wow it's a shame how GM trying save a few bucks by buying it really cheap components that meant to be failed right after warranty expires. mine one failed 56 days later after my warranty expires is this scam or what.
does anyone have any success with this problem who actually got it fixed by contacting GM. or everyone got quote like me. i would like to know any success story. tell us all how did you get it fixed without paying to GM.
the other thing really amazes me is that no one has filed a lawsuit against this problem i contacted NSA last they said we will look into it. guess what nothing was done. can all of us start calling nsa and report this problem goto www.nsa.org express your voice let them know how we were treated by GM and why they are not calling it major recall on these vehicles.
I am very frustrated GM Tahoe owner,
GM Folks: replying to social media like this is not going to any good, unless you start to take care of these problem. please don't make us look like fools, that everyones probelms are getting resolved because you have asked vehicle VIN, conatct info etc.
Thanks guys for reading by frustated notes. please call nsa to voice your opinion. we want this issue to be resolved by gm. this is the only way we can get it done to my opinion. if anyone have any other idea please share your opinion we will follow it.
thanks again
here are the links:
http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/contacts/index.shtml
http://www.nsa.gov/index.shtml
I apologize that your experience has caused you to feel this way about a future GM vehicle purchase. If you've spoken to GM Customer Service previously about this, we'd like the chance to look more into this to see what else can be done. If you'd like our assistance please reach out to us via email at socialmedia@gm.com.
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
I understand that parts will fail with normal wear and tear, but this seems to be a widespread quality control issue on the Tahoe. To have 3 actuators fail on the same car indicates a problem with the part and GM should remedy at their cost. I've been driving Tahoes since 2001, but I'm probably going to look elsewhere for my next vehicle (especially if the 4th actuator fails on this car and I'm out another $400)...
Sorry to hear about the problem with your door lock actuators. Although we cannot guarantee any cost assistance towards this repair, we would be more than happy to look more into this situation and see what options there are for you. If you'd like our help, please feel free to email us.
Thanks
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f69/tahoe-door-lock-actuator-problem-solution- -27064/index3.html#post249087
These are decent trucks aside from a few issues. I have no idea why GM is refusing to solve the problem and wasting our time with their scripted responses. These same auto replies are on many other forums, it's pretty sad.
Thinking about doing the installation myself. Local dealership just quoted $164 each for the front doors and $158 each for the back doors. Direct quote from the parts guy: "I try to keep these in stock because they sell so often". No kidding. Pains me to think of paying $650 plus tax for parts that will very likely fail again. Next vehicle won't be GM. And when I trade in a vehicle, it probably won't be my 2002 Tahoe (which has been great), it will be my 2009 P.O.S. Suburban.
I purchased my 2008 Tahoe Lt in 2008. It has 28000 miles and it has been given the best of care. In December of 2012, the driver door actuator went out. I called my dealership and even though it was out of warranty the replaced it at no charge. In July 2013, the driver side rear door actuator went out, again, they fixed it at no charge. In January 2014, the right side rear door went out, this time they weren't so happy to fix it for me, but they did. Now, only 6 weeks later, the right side front door has gone out. I don't know what they are going to do as I am waiting for a call back. This is a big SAFETY issue in my opinion and they KNOW these door locks are failing! WHY has there not been a recall??? I suppose it is going to take something like the locks failing, an accident where the car catches fire and you can't get your child out of the car! I can think of many scenarios where these door locks could bring great harm. I personally think a class action lawsuit should be brought. I have read where MANY who own these 2008 Tahoe's have and are having this issue and, unfortunately, have had to pay between $300-$400 to get EACH one fixed! Something needs to be done!!!!
Hello lindawey,
We certainly understand your frustration, and apologize that you have experienced your door lock actuators failing. Your safety is very important to us, and we are pleased to hear that your dealership is actively working to correct this problem for you. Please keep us posted on their final repair decision, and if there is anything we can do to help with this situation, please feel free to send us a private message.
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
I am having the same issues with my 2008 LS Tahoe on the door locks, driver side front and passenger door. I have also noticed that the speakers on the driver side have quit working. I called the dealership several times for recalls but I haven't had any good luck yet. I was given quotes for replacement in the neighborhood of $250-300 per door. I was wondering if anyone has had any luck getting replacements outside of warranty without paying. I think a recall for this issue is way over due, obviously Chevrolet is not concerned with customer retention.
Hi tmccl88,
I definitely understand your frustration surrounding the trouble with your door locks, and apologize for this inconvenience. For your reference, you can monitor any recalls or service related announcements on the Chevy Owners Center website. Please send us a private message if you're interested in working with your dealership to have your door locks repaired. Although I cannot make any guarantees, I'd be happy to look into additional options for you. With any inquiries please include your contact info, VIN, mileage and name of dealer.
Thank you,
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
Who has got GM to pay for their door lock problem when a vehicle is out of warranty? What did you do?
gmcustsvc - where can I get my door locks fixed for free when not in warranty? It definitely appears to be a major issue with so many locks failing. The question is not IF they will fail, but WHEN they will fail. And replacement locks can possibly fail again.
Hi sharonco,
If you are outside of your vehicle warranty I cannot guarantee that repairs will be performed for free. However, I understand your concerns surrounding your door locks and would be glad to look further into this matter if you are currently experiencing this issue. Please feel free to private message me with your VIN, mileage, contact information and dealership if I can be of assistance.
Thanks,
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
amber at gm customer care. what is you email Thanks sodak
Hi sodak,
You can email me at socialmedia@gm.com. Please reference your screen name and put "Attn Amber" in the subject line so that it's delivered directly to me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
You should go back to the dealership and demand it be fixed. Their techs are supposed to go through a used car before it's put up for sale. Someone isn't doing their job. If you let anyone else touch the car, then the dealer is off the hook. Hard to say what's going on, or if the locks and radio are related, or if anything else isn't working. Possibly a bad BCM module, but it needs diagnosis.
Has anyone had any luck or have any feedback on this company that rebuilds these original parts?
http://www.gruvenparts.com/2008-2013-gm-door-lock-actuator-rebuild/
Rosie, check out the link I posted above your post. Gruven makes their own motors to replace the crappy ones GM has been using. Pretty inexpensive when you compare it to the dealer prices.
Again, please visit this thread
See this thread for the repair. GM is not going to solve this issue.
http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f69/tahoe-door-lock-actuator-problem-solution- -27064/index3.html#post249087
Then click on the picture of the Tahoe. You will see the method used to repair these FAULTY actuators. The GM trolls on here are NOT going to do anything other than run you around.
If the truck is out of warranty, its completely up to whatever GM dealer you take your truck to. There is no need to "contact" social media @ GM. They are merely hired trolls who are on all the GM forums, running customers around in circles.
If you want to see if GM will fix it, go to a dealer and ask. I can already tell you, you are wasting your time if out of warranty. Click the link above, do the repair, and be done with the issue once and forall.
Even if GM did somehow replace your door locks free, they would just break again in short order because their door lock units are very poor quality.
PS - Amber, tell Marry Barra the internet is still plugged in and working. Her strategy to "handle this" isnt working out too well.
FYI -- you might need to copy/paste the whole link into your browser.
http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f69/tahoe-door-lock-actuator-problem-solution-27064/index3.html
I've had my 2 back door handles break 3 times now and this time I had to replace it out of pocket...$266...but they didn't fix the actuator that has also broken 3 times now...I've owned my '08 tahoe LTZ from start...and had 2 dealerships replace them previously thru warranty but not any more. So I'm actually extremely upset that it hasn't been recalled and now I will have to pay out of pocket again for this. PLEASE if anyone has a good link that works for a recall..or for a CS rep that is willing to work with us on this matter I'd appreciate it. But in the meantime I'm looking to replace this myself. Sadly because it is Limited Edition and NOT that many made they don't care to recall the chrome back doors nor the actuator. But if I missed something and they are willing to fix it under recall...please let me know. (I have low mileage still but it's been 6 yrs so ofc it's out of warranty)
Hello dverrill,
We are sorry to hear of the repeat concerns you've experienced with your door handles on your 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe. We'd be happy to check your VIN for any recalls or service announcements and see what we can do for you. Please reach out to me with your contact information, VIN and mileage via email at socialmedia@gm.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
Andraya
GM Customer Care
Wow... I had no idea this huge problem even existed until... I googled it and it took me about 20 seconds to catch on. HOUSTON we've got a problem and it ain't goin away any time soon. Add me to the list of LOCKED Tahoes! 2006 ~ How unfortunate for me that I have the model that has NO key entry NOR an inside handle on the back hatch! It's permanently LOCKED SHUT until I get this thing figured out. Now mind you I spent the better part of yesterday reading all of these comments from these fine people that keep GM in business. And I've also read up on all the fixes... I get it! What I don't get is... why do I see a lot of proud Chevy owners being let down. I am a THIRD GENERATION CHEVY LOVER! My Grandfather was an accountant for GM auto parts manufacturing and my father worked his entire adult LIFE at AC Spark plug! DORT HWY FLINT MICHIGAN! So CHEVY you've got a bunch of supporters out here. It's the very people on this blog~ that have purchased what you've dedicated your lives to manufacturing. I am a lifetime Chevy owner. When you grow up around em they grow on you and that doesn't just "go away". But what WILL make your customer base "go away" is when you don't stand behind your product and support your customers, especially when they come at you by the thousands with the identicle problem. I don't care if the repair shops are whining about losing money on this EASY FIX. I invested 1/2 a house to buy it!!!! But to ask your customers to pay hundreds or in my case nearly a thousand dollars to fix a piece of broken plastic that's buried deep inside the vehicle door - WHICH by the way I can't get to because the hatch is closed! Don't forget 85% of your business comes by word of mouth> I had 10 people gawking at this thing with no option for manual entry and they were literally scratching their heads and laughing. These are all my neighbors... asking what the heck happened to the Chevy Brain. I don't think you've got a bunch of whiners out here saying oh poor me... I've got a real problem with that hatch being frozen shut and it's NO easy fix for me. The majority of us bought the Tahoe Brand NEW. Our incomes out here in consumer land haven't quadrupled like the cost of cars and mortgages have. That's a big chunk of money. Sparing you my life story ~ MY DAD TAUGHT ME WELL! He always had a Chevy and tinkered and fixed them himself because he wasn't gonna waste money and most everything was something he could handle. I owned my 1969 Chevy Malibu for 17 YEARS til I bent some rods and I rebuilt the engine in my own driveway in 8 weeks and guess what... I was back on the road, not a thing on that car was different, except the new dual exhaust. She was back to being my ole Chevy. I was proud! I couldn't get through an intersection in this city without people offering to buy it or begging me to trade! WHY???? Because it's a CHEVY! So do we really think these people on this blog are NOT the CORE of your business? AND FUTURE? I don't like other people touching my vehicles... 3 out of five are either gonna mess something else up, do a 1/2 bleep job because nobody is really watching them or they charge you for things they don't do, pocket your money and laugh at you as you drive off . Already had that happen at the good buddies down at the Chevrolet repair shop... swore I'd never go there again. And here I am. You have no idea how frustrating this is. I'm embarrassed for Chevy. Not happy about this at all. Not happy about what I've seen on your own forum! Do you know how many people would come back and stand up for your name if you stood up for them and made things right? Things just aren't the way they used to be and it's a darn shame. Priorities are all backwards. Yes, I know... you're sorry and I can send an email with my vin# etc. etc.
just bought a used 2008 suburban with 84K miles on it "as is" from a metropolitan ford in Minneapolis (a grossman dealership which sits next door to another grossman dealership, suburban chevrolet). the cruise control worked intermittently - salesperson pushed through that one with me but i was able to fix it with a google search, $12 part and a little elbow grease. also, the door lock actuators on front and rear passenger-side doors are bad as well. (didn't catch it when i did the test drive). my research indicates the dealerships are charging about $400 to replace each actuator, the part is $125. i did get a good deal on the vehicle (as long as nothing else is wrong with it) but it seams the consistent failure of the door lock actuators warrants a recall or class action lawsuit, especially for those who purchased their vehicles new.
my second point is that the "as is" purchase allowances for auto dealers totally serve the auto industry/auto dealership at the expense of consumers. state's attorneys general offices need to revisit this across the country.
The little electric motor wasn't even trying. Or at least very much. The repair turned out to be rather complicated but not impossible. Firstly you must drill out the two rivets that hold the door lock mechanism together. Thank you GM for making everything "disposable". After the fix is done, I drilled and tapped the rivits with a M3x0.5 drill and tap (#35 drill if I recall) and used a bolt and rather large washer to hold the device back together again.
However, upon taking the unit apart, I tried the little motor on 12 volts directly. Odd result, ran for a second and then slowed down to a crawl. WTF? DC motors either work or they don't, this made no sense.
I carefully pried open the motor using an awl under the folded case tabs holding the brush and bushing carrier in the case.
I found inside the dirty little motor, (which got a shot of carb cleaner to remove all the black particulate) a small semiconductor device, or what might be a tiny resistive overload protector.
My best guess is that it works like self regulating heat tracing, increasing resistance as it heats up. Motor runs, draws current; heats resistor; resistor ohmic value increases, motor current drops, motor loses torque. Again I assume the purpose is to reduce current to the motor once the motor stalls at the end of the actuator operation. Seems awkward but hey, must be some reason for it.
Bypassing the "resistive overload" directly with 12 volts to motor made it scream like no tomorrow. Perhaps a little too much. Heaven forbid the plastic gears and mechanisms in the door lock be designed strong enough to endure the raw power of a tiny DC motor.
Perhaps a bigger concern would be overloading the drive IC's that power the door lock. That could be catastrophically expensive and painful if I got too overzealous bypassing the "resistor overload"
Thus, I carefully added two connections in parallel with the internal "resistor overload" and brought the wiring out of the motor case to where I could "experiment" with current limiting techniques. I settled for a parallel 3.3 ohm resistor. So far so good.
The actuator operates fairly "gently", perhaps a little more so than I would like. If I have to do this on another door, I will probably decrease to 2.5 ohms for a little more oomph.
Good luck.
BTW, Paul Gruven was kind enough to get back to me, and they appear to be selling replacement motors, and are rebuilding actuators for those of you who are not quite so mechanically inclined.
IMHO, the motors in the actuators are poorly designed and GM, as usual, is picking bare minimum quality product to sell to their customers. My 2008 escalade has been pretty much my only "new" GM vehicle I have owned and probably will be my last. Too many problems caused by cost cutting.
Cruise Control Brake Switch
Rear Window Defogger Connection
Console Glue Failure
Transfer Case Seal Failure
Chrome Plating Cosmetic Failure on 22" Rims
Seal Failure on Corroding Rims (Nice "Made in China" stickers on the inside of the rim barrel!)
Impact Sensor Failure
Block heater temperature sensing stupidity. Using a block heater shouldn't throw and engine code!
Poor range on remote start.
and the writing is on the wall that the Cellular Phone system will be unsupported in the near future.