Uplander/Montana/Relay/Terraza TSBs and Problem Codes

stobar

I'm taking my '05 Terraza in for service on Monday and I am desperately looking for a copy of the "Flickering Lights" TSB to show the Service Manager. Can anyone tell me where I can find it? I have been looking on line with little luck. I thought I had printed a copy of it a few months back, but can not find it. Also, there was a previous TSB issued in '05 stating to replace the alternator, but believe I read somewhere that the Voltage Regulator replacement superseded replacement of the alternator? Many thanks.

stobar

I believe I found the answer: "GM has recently issued (revised) TSB # 05-06-03-003B (Headlamps and/or interior lights flicker intermittently) for the 2005 & 2006 Chevrolet Uplander, Buick Terraza, Saturn Relay, and Pontiac Montana SV6 - which instructs the dealer to replace the generator voltage regulator with a kit, part #15926088 (and NOT the entire generator)." Now there was also another TSB issued in 2005 that said to replace the alternator. Should I try for a new alternator? Did that solve the problem, or did the revised TSB with Voltage Regulator replacement fix it? Thanks

stobar

Took the van in and finally got the Service Manager to order the voltage regulator part once I showed him the TSB information. Will take about a week to come in from Flint, MI. Didn't bring up the alternator replacement from original TSB as after reviewing old posts, I don't believe it solved the problem, and believe the revised TSB to replace voltage regulator did. Not sure if many of the original people who used to post regularly are still reading this Forum, but would like to know if the Voltage Regulator fixed your flickering lights issue. Mine hasn't been that bad, but on long road trips, there were a few times that it got annoying, and I don't want people to think I'm flashing them. Thanks.

genmtrfan

Stobar,

The voltage regulator didn't completely fix the problem, but it did improve it. Although occasionally annoying, most of the time it's a non-issue.

jerrywimer

Prior to having any TSBs applied the issue was very noticable and fairly predictable (release throttle while headlights, rear seat entertainment, and heat were on and the lights would dim and recover in about 1/2 second, as the engine RPMs dropped, the computer figured out that the juice was too low for the load, and commanded something to compensate).

After the first TSB (alternator replacement), the issue remanined, but to a lesser degree. The lights didn't dim as much or as frequently.

Now that we've had the final TSB applied (voltage regulator), I haven't seen the dimming occur even once. This may not mean that it's "fixed", but it sure seems like it so far..

kschoenrock

FYI, we just found out what the horrible whistling noise at 65-70 mph is on our 2005 Montana: The Windshield. Apparently it was installed off balance or off center, the dealer installed new one and the noise disappeared. Now if they can just get rid of the other 5000 problems....

tmcgee06

Yes the new TSB did fix the flickering problem. I went to a different dealer, who took the time to research with GM. They replaced the generator, and used some kind of tape and wrapped around all the wires. I am finally happy, but doubt I will ever own another GM product, because of all the problems that I had to go through. :confuse:

dweitzel

I have had my 05 terraza to the dealership 4 times to fix the flickering dash lights. They replaced the alternator twice, the voltage regulator once and now are going to wrap some foil kinda tape around some wires. This is the first new vehicle I ever bought and wish I never bought it. It is an electrical disaster. The radio has been taken out 4 times and sent in, every time I get it back, something else is wrong with it. The last time the aux button did not work so after getting the radio back, I lost my xm band. I have had the door ajar beeper beep for 3 hours with no key in the ignition and no message on the display telling me what door was ajar. After slamming all the doors and starting the engine several times, it finally quiet. I could go on and on with electrical problems! Does other people have other electrical problems with their vans?

jerrywimer

Not like you have had. I'm sorry to hear you've had such a terrible experience. The only electrical issue we've had with our 05 Terraza so far was the flickering lights, and that was addressed with two visits- the first replaced the alternator and the second the voltage regulator.

markdel

The only problem I have had with my Saturn Relay 3, 2006 model, with 16,000 miles, is the "flickering lights". I called the dealer and had it scheduled for the TSB fix, they put in a new regulator and its been fine ever since. I had no problems with the dealer and no other problems with the van. (other than the tail light that I broke...)
MarkDel

genmtrfan

This is the first time I've read about the tape solution. Is that in a new TSB?

rlmiller9

We have a saturn relay that does the samething just a little higher speed at about 80 the wind noise from the wind shield area is deafning !!!

tdoghb2

I stated in another discussion that I have had it in many, many times over the past 2 years for electrical problems. The traction control light comes on here and there, The book states that if it stays on it could be an engine problem. I will turn on the radio, hear a popping noise, it will black out for a few seconds and then come back on. a few other minor things but none of these issues show up on the computer so the dealership has no idea what is wrong. They have tried replacing wires and sensors and this and that but still have not fixed a thing. They are now consulting with GM. Way too many problems for a new vehicle and paid way too much money for the hassles! :lemon:

dweitzel

I still have many electrical problems with my 05 terraza. I now have 29,000 miles on it and GM has offered an extended warranty of 4 years 40,000 miles starting now. I am not settling for this. I spent every penny I had on this van with intentions of keeping it for a long time. The way I see things at this point I have 2 options, 1 being keep it and pay out the nose to get things fixed when the warranty is up, or 2 take one hell of a beating and trade it in. I would like for GM to buy the van back, but I am not getting far with that. My electrical issues never end. The dealer can't seem to fix them. I have been to 2 dealers and am still unsatisfied. This is a good place to blow off some steam!

jerrywimer

I sympathise with you. We just took the second option ourselves.

To be clear, I loved the Terraza. But what I didn't love was the way it constantly eats front brakes. The rotors have been turned several times now. And just the last time my wife had it in for service, the mechanic replaced the tie rod ends for excessive wear. I'm fairly certain that the warped brakes pulsating led to the second issue. The two combined led to the factory OEM tires (50,000-mile rated) to need replaced at 31,000 miles. After researching the replacement cost, it was going to be at least $500 all said and done. Given that the brakes are going to keep doing this, we decided to swallow our pride and trade it off.

Mind you, I doubt 2006+ owners will have the same issues we had with the 2005's brakes. I'm still convinced that the reason GM quietly changed all the CSVs from 5 lugs to 6 lugs between the 2005 and 2006 models is BECAUSE they know about the problem, and the silent change (brakes, hub, wheels and all) takes care of the issue. But that doesn't help us 2006 owners.

basspro

I had brake issues to on a 2005 uplander and had the rotors turned three time in 30,000 miles. I had the front rotors changed to heavy duty at my shop at 33,000 and now have 96,000+ and have yet to even have one rotor turned. Flickering light issue is a bit of a problem. MC

oldforgehoss

Is anybody else having trouble with the wipers not working on these van. My wife drives an 07 Relay and it has been to the dealer twice and herself and I have had to fix the wiper motor on the side of the road everytime we drive it. The dealer told me it was ice build up on the windshield, we live in upstate NY and the car is parked in the garage at night but in heavy wet snow they dont even move. We WERE repete saturn buyers (this was our third from the same dealership) but this is realy pissing me off and when I tried to Lemon it out the salesmanager told me that it was not a drivabilty issue and it was VERY TOUGH to Lemon out a car that moves. Well if you cant see where you are going the car is useless :mad: :mad: :mad:

1bigdog

I have a 06 Uplander.. These cars are all LEMONS..
300 MILES LOW OIL PRESSURE
400 MILES BAD BRAKES
800 MILES ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS
1300 MILES BAD FRONT BEARINGS
3458 MILES TRANS PROBLEMS WARRANTY REPAIR COST $5500.00
GM WILLN'T BUT BACK THIS VAN..

mkauz52

After telling me for over 10,000 miles that i was imagining it they finally replaced the voltage regulator. Initially they replaced the alternator saying they thought the alternator was too small for all the devices that Terraza has. I thought "How is this my problem?" Don't let them do the alternator because that doesn't fix it. Replacing the Voltage Regulator will. Now what do you know about the Service Stability System Error? My traction control will kick in driving 55 mph down the highway on dry pavement....yeah it throws you into oncoming traffic. They replaced a sensor and that worked for a day. Then unexpectedly it started up again!

electbc

There seems to be problems with brake pulsating, the dealer that handled mine had to replace one caliper and resurfaced the rotors. I see now that there is a TSB to replace the shields protecting the rotors.
TSB #070523003 taken from the NHTSA website. NHTSA item # 10022957

uplanderblues

That TSB originally came out in August of 2007. It was recently updated and has a new date on it. I have a subscription to All Data .com Unless your van is still in warranty it doesn't matter that there is a brake shield issue. They will be happy to replace them if your van is past warranty but it will be a billable service. I'm currently going back and forth with the dealer trying to make them understand that I've had brake issues going back to less than 10K on it and it should be covered, but they will have nothing to do with my argument.

rlmiller9

GM is struggling big time, I wonder if that effects these kind of warranty discretion decisions?

clubsudz

I have my SV6 in the shop now chasing down the Stability / Traction Control issue/warning. I have over 50K on my 2006 SV6 but have a AAA Platinum Extended Warranty. (Warranty is not that great, won't buy from AAA again as it requires $100 deductible for EACH item and they are making the shop jump through hoops to prove the trouble code in the computer is a real trouble code.) I'll post an update once I get my van back, hopefully before Labor Day weekend. BTW, I haven't bothered with the flickering light problem. Figure why waste my money.

desertbullies

What ever happened to your sv6? I have the same problem with the stability/Tracrion control issue.Mine will turn on every once in a while about once every 4-5 times i drive my car.When it turns on, i turn the car off then turn it back on the lights stay off until the 3 rd time i turn the car on.Any help would be appreciated.my email is desertbullies@msn.com this is my first time on this board.
Thanks

mkauz52

My van is now nearing 65,000 miles which is ancient if you talk to any car dealership. For the last 15,000 miles the Traction Control, ABS, and Stability System warnings have taken their turn flashing continuously on my computer. My van no longer locks up while traveling down the road (I believe that after doing that repeatedly the anti-lock braking system has burned up) Even though the warning lights still flash I only fear an accident taking place when my traction control or Anti-lock brakes try to engage while I am turning a corner. Several times I have nearly gone into another cars drivers door with my grill. I am pretty sure that if I can even pay this off before it dies...I will have to retire it to the junk yard. Drivers of this vehicle be careful! I am sure I am not the only one that has nearly had accidents because of problems that the dealerships cannot fix. This vehicle is a serious safety issue!

stillcrazy

During a trip last night on the interstate at dusk Iturned on the headlights Manually because of the weather conditions. I drove for an hour and when I got within 10 minutes of my destination they started to "Flash on and off". I could hear a clicking coming from the computer evidently turning them off and on. When I stopped, I found that the Headlight switch was sensitive to it's position but the most revealing item was that they "STAYED ON" in the "AUTO" position. I was able to drive 2 hours back home without a problem. ? could it be the switch or the computer ? I had monitored the VOLTAGE for a while when it first started and it did not flutuate as I had expected it to but it was higher than I thought it should be.
Since it did not flash when in "Auto ON" it can't be a short kicking out a breaker.

clubsudz

Sorry to take so long to post an update. Back in August of 2008 my 2006 Montana SV6 had the ABS / Traction Control / Stability Control lights on (see post #24 in this thread Aug 27, 2008). I had a Code C0131 ABS Pressure Circuit, C0136 Base Brake Pressure Sensor, a C0139 Base Brake Pressure Sensor High, a C1100 System Pressure Sensor 2 and a C1101 Sensor 2 Range. I also had a code 1225 wheel speed sensor. I replaced the Master Cylinder (which was leaking), replaced the hub & bearing assembly, the Antilock Brake Assembly. So at that time the problem was related to the ABS assembly. I also remember the mechanic getting GM parts for the cables to the sensors because the original ones and the after market ones are short and can cause problems because they are too short. Now that was back at 53,811 miles. I'm at 61,581 miles and the lights are coming back on again. They reset after a couple of restarts. I took it into an actual GM dealer the last time the lights came on but when they turned the car on the lights were off and the ABS computer had no codes. I've used OnStar and they are not finding codes in the ABS system when the lights are on so I'm beginning to think I have some sort of phantom problem. Instead of paying another hour of labor to the dealer to read no code in the computer, my plan is to (1) allow OnStar to escalate to tech support the next time I have them on the phone and (2) wait until the lights come on and stay on before taking it into a mechanic to diagnose.

mkauz52

I am now at 76,000 miles and never thought I would make it this far in my vehicle. Last week while driving on the interstate at 70 miles per hour I tapped my break to kick off the cruise control and this made the wheels lock up. Although it was only momentarily it was enough to make my heart jump into my throat! I have learned you have to be ready for anything driving this van. I haven't had it back into the shop since they told me they could not fix the problem. Two of my friends have purchased the Chevy Uplander (believe me I tried to tell them it was a bad idea!) One cannot drive the vehicle over 35 mph because of the uneven wear on the tires. The tires have only gone 1/2 of the recommended mileage before they are suggested to be changed! My other friend has her van in the shop for what they told her initially was the wheel bearings being bad?! Each day she gets a call that they are keeping her van cause they cannot tell what is wrong with it. Buyer BEWARE! I am now saving to trade but be sure I am not going to the BUICK dealership again!

gr8joy75

Does anyone else out there have a problem with their van not starting? We bought ours brand new and have had a problem with it not starting since the very beginning. The Saturn mechanics cannot duplicate the problem but then it does it to us 2 days after we get it back from them. Check engine light has come on three times...they've changed out the fuel pump and 2 of the 6 injectors and it still doesn't want to start every time we're in it. It does it at least once a week sometimes more than that. Needless to say we will never buy GM again! This one problem is enough to keep us away. :lemon:

sergiom

i can see why gm is going under .i have a 2005 sv6 with 130000kms
so far i spend
$780.00 brakes 42000kms
$800.00 tires 36000kms
$4012.00 transmission 121000kms
190.00 rear wipermotor 80000kms
and i think my engine is acting bad,a word of advise DONT BUY GM PLEASE,if someone doesnt belive me i have all the bills to prove it.when i had warrant no problems ,it finishes all this garbage starting to happen

PS: how about all the shacking and radles all over
i hope this can help if you need anymore details reply please

clubsudz

Update 2006 SV6 Stability / Traction Control / ABS post from April 2009.
The intermittent ABS, Stablility, Traction Control warning light with no "hard code" in the ABS computer is called a "soft code" which means it resets when the car is turned off. In speaking with 2nd level OnStar support, they said this soft code is sometimes caused by a short in the connector to the wheel speed sensor due to water or a loose connection. I turned the wheel to the far left, crawled under the van and made sure the connector was tight (I also removed some electrical tape which was coming unraveled from the connector) and then did the same thing on the right front wheel sensor connector. I haven't had the light come back on since then even though it's been wet and foggy and snowy. Fingers crossed that might have done the trick. (The dealer who couldn't figure that out is now closed so maybe there's justice in this world after all.)

stillcrazy

The head lights continue to give trouble but I have found that by exercising the switch back and forth between Auto and Manual the will work properly again. I suspect the exposed manual contact on the switch becomes oxidized from leaving it in the Auto position.Additional resistance probably doesn't signal the computer constantly.
Last GM car for me after 50 years.

cableguy1972

apparently the 2006 montanas are the only ones that code to the ecbm before the check engine light, even if its not a braking issue. Ours ended up being a fuel trim reading issue. We had a wheel bearing replaced, but the fuel trim kept making it set it off even after that. the technician put a clamp on the air intake to keep it from bulging and setting the fuel to air ratio wrong.

derekjay

I have the same problem with a 2006 uplander. I have to take it in with the light on. They diagnosed my left wheel speed sensor. That could mean the hub, the harnest, the speed sensor. I had this problem corrected in 2006 under warranty, however when there was a problem with my steering rack, they replaced it, and the light started to come on.

gmcustsvc

derekjay,

Have you had the chance to speak to your dealership regarding these issues? Please keep me posted.

Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service

susanssv6

I am taking this van in for the 3rd time tomorrow because of problems with the ABS and also the traction control & engine lights. We have already had parts replaced two times at a cost of $1200 (the first time). Auto shop thought the parts must have been faulty the 2nd time but now I'm not so sure. I was driving the other day, exiting a ramp off the highway and breaking when the break pedal jumped and I did not think I could stop the van. It was the ABS. Really scary!

Anyone know if I have any recourse since Pontiac went under? Auto shop thinks this should be a recall but since Pontiac is no more that will not happen. They have seen this ALOT. I'm never buying GM again. Bought this as a 1 year old dealer driven van and I have no idea if I have any recourse.

Help please?!

gmcustsvc

susanssv6,

Are you taking your vehicle to an independent shop or an authorized GM dealership?

Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service

ceeceediva

I am having the same problems. I just got my 2006 Pontaic Montana SV6 out the yesterday for the THIRD TIME!! and the ABS, Traction Control, Service Stability lights came back on and the ABS started engaging as usual. What do I do? :mad:

max5841

Your having problems to,one of my customers and I had same problem.the wiring harness has to be re-routed,Chuck my customer had his fixed yesterday at gm dealer there is a dock number for the chevy uplander 2362549 not sure if it's the same number for your pontiac but same problem.It cost him 50.00 for the re-routing,called my Gm dealer and said they would do it for same price.Gm should be taking care of this at no charge,it is a problem many of us are having.hope thi helps you.Max

gmcustsvc

ceeceediva,

I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with your vehicle. Were you planning on having the vehicle fixed at the dealership? Please keep me posted.

Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service

cameron012

We had intermittent lights on for service abs and traction control on our 08 uplander. After reading clubsudz post, I did the same. The sensor wires were not clicked in completely and there was unraveled electrical tape. We haven't had a problem since although it's only been about 100 miles and 12 starts.
Hope this helps.
Other than that we've had no problems except rear wiper motor is out.

cameron012

Does anyone know if there were any recalls on the Uplander 08? I keep reading horror stories about the abs locking up on the highway

gmcustsvc

cameron012,
If you email me your VIN and current mileage I will look into recall information for you.
Christina
GM Customer Service

susanssv7

Caron,

No, an independent shop. I'm afraid if I go to a GM dealership now that I will have to spend the $1300 again. Replaced the hub and after taking it in the 3rd time I am still having the same problems with traction/abs control. Engine light is on also but apparently the engine is ok. I have been happy with the shop. They have replaced the part/s 3 times with no extra charge. 2nd time they thought the part may have been faulty but I think it's the van. Still having the same problems. Oh....and the last time the abs went out on me when I was exiting the highway. VERY scary!!

Other problem is the gas gage does not work properly. Tells me I am on empty after I fill up. Goes away after several starts. My rear window wiper went out early. We are not buying another GM vehicle after this one. Love my van but too many problems and no recalls.

Thanks for replying. Let me know if you have any ideas that are free. I'm not spending any more money on this van.
Susan

gmcustsvc

Susan,

I completely understand. If you are happy with the current shop you are working with, I would encourage you to keep working with them. If you have any future questions please feel free to contact us.

Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service

rrip

My ABS light came on when I had the transmission rebuilt (at 60987 miles - just out of warranty). The transmission shop took the blame and tried replacing the ABS pump/module several times without any improvement. After they had the car about 5 times, the light was finally off. However, it is back, and now comes back on intermittently. When you first start the car it either stays off or on for the entire drive. It is like the computer gives up if there is a problem with the ABS in the beginning.

However, when it is working it has never done anything weird.

van_man

Caron,
My van has 107,000 miles on it. At first that may sound great but I've spent a ton of money keeping this thing on the road. Since 38,000 miles I've gotten the "Service ABS System", "Service Traction Control", and "Service Stability Control" messages all at the same time (same as Susanssv7). The messages are on about 90% of the time and nobody can figure out the root cause. This van had a $29,000 sticker price and I would have expected more. The van was my company car for 19 months then I purchased it when my company was sold. It was still under warrenty then and the vast majority of my problems occured after the warranty had run out. I've taken it to two independent garages and two Chevrolet dealerships. The dealerships gave zero effort, the independent garages were left guessing as these are soft codes and dissappear everytime you turn off the van. This van has also eaten 5 sets of rotors and pads, the power doors stopped working 2 years ago (won't close so I had to pull the fuse and manually close them), I have a whistling sound coming through the front window at 65 mph, my headlamps and dash lights used to flicker and still do but to a lesser extent thanks to a TSB, the rear suspension has been repaired twice and finally I've had to have the rear wiper motor replaced. I bought a 2004 Toyota Camry 8 months before I took delivery of this van. It now has 105,000 miles on it and I've done nothing but routine maintenance. I'm just amazed by the poor quality of the Uplander. I've purchased 2 new Chevys, a new Saturn and a new Pontiac in addition to the van during the past 15 years. I doubt I will consider a GM purchase again because of this van.

gmcustsvcsarah

I'm sorry that you've had so many frustrations with your Uplander. If I'm understanding your post correctly, the current concern is with the "Service" messages? Have the other concerns been resolved?

I'm sorry for so many questions, but I have one more just so I can better understand your situation: have you worked with Customer Assistance before, and if so, could you provide us with your Service Request numbers? If you would like to start a Service Request on a current concern, please email us more information (including your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN, and your involved dealership).

Thank you so much,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

susanssv7

Caron,

These issues we are all having should be recalls. The shop I have been using...which has replaced my ABS hub 3 times just shook their head when I came in the first time because they have replaced so many of these on these vehicles.

Like Van Man, I am having the same issues with the ABS and Service Stability warnings, back windshield wiper and now the headlights dimming. I've chucked it all up to the poor quality of this van. Funny but my dealership is bugging the heck out of me to buy it back. Tempting as that is I'm keeping it another year after it's paid off just to get my monies worth...then buying a Toyota. This experience with this van has really discouraged me from buying GM ever again. I do appreciate your willingness to help though Caron.

Van Man...we bought a 1996 Toyota Camry for our daughter and it's still going strong.

richard06

After reading these post I am curious if some can help and let me know wether or not it's worth the money chev wants to fix my van. I also am having issues with the stability and traction control system after having it in the first time I was told it was a connection in the steering column and the second time the said it was the speed sensor code that came up and they fixed that. Now they are telling me it's the ABS pump or something. As I didn't tell them right away about this problem and now are warranty is out the best they say the can do is charge me $1000 and that will fix it. If I need to spend the money to have it fixed I am ok with it I just am really unsure that this will fix the problem and I will only be out the money. Has anyone done this and does it work?

rrip

Our ABS first went out when the transmission was rebuilt. The transmission shop took responsibility and changed the ABS pump/module twice with no success. Eventually after they tinkered with it enough and bled the brakes the problem went away, only to come back again after a few weeks. Now the indicator light comes on and off every few days.

The wheel bearings are whining pretty bad now, so I am going to change them. It is my understanding the ABS sensors are built into the bearing assembly so they will be replaced with the bearing. Will post an update after this gets done.