Denali Yukon Traction Active Readout on Display
I own an 03 Denali and have had some problems. The latest, which has lasted 18 months, thanks to an incompetent dealer (Toth Akron, Ohio) is a Traction Active message read out on the display. This happens when accelerating - usually from a stop sign. When the vehicle shifts from first to second gear the vehicle pulls up lame, motionless and leaves you a sitting duck in the middle of an intersection. TOTH GMC looked at my Denali three times and had no clue as to what was wrong. I finally felt I wasted enough time with them and went to another dealer. They knew it was a stabilitrak problem, spent some time diagnosing the problem and found the wheel sensors had carosion and were not reading properly. It was a $468 repair, but at least my $50,000 vehicle now makes it through ab intersection safely. I am due for a new vehicle next year. I want to buy another Denali but I couldn't get 50,000 miles out of this vehicle without spending major cash on repairs. I also had to have my front diff rebuilt. GM is doing everything they can to keep me away. I am thinking about going Infinti or Lexas and saving myself the service headaches and expenses.
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Document ID#1819672 202 GMC TRUCK GMC K SIERRA 4WD
SUBJECT: PRODUCT SAFETY - FRONT WHEEL SPEED SENSOR CORROSION #05068B - (04/21/2006)
Good luck with yours. Having this information will save your dealer time and you money.
Unless GM steps to the plate, covers the repairs and admits that have a faulty product, I will go with a Japanese vehicle next year. GM needs to offer a 100K warranty to sell product, becuase their's stinks and they know it. They fail to realize the US Big 3 are the only car co.s hurting, I don't see Toytota, Honda or Nissan with any problems. They are on the fall and I will be watching out the windows of my new [non-permissible content removed] SUV next year.
Just bought a used 04 Denali and noticed the problem right away. I was afraid to take it in to a dealer because I could just imagine the run around. Googled the problem and voila!
Printed out the response and heading to the dealer with solution in hand.
Can't thank you enough.
Document ID#1819672 202 GMC TRUCK GMC K SIERRA 4WD
SUBJECT: PRODUCT SAFETY - FRONT WHEEL SPEED SENSOR CORROSION #05068B - (04/21/2006)
By the way, my Denali was fine when finished and the dealer service mgr claimed warranty and GM paid for the repairs. You need to make some noise with the service mgr. I sold that vehicle and bought a new 07 Denali.
I posted the same problem on 2/25. You have provided the answer I need. I will clean my sensors and see if that makes a difference.
By the way, for anyone that has the problem and still has not had it fixed, when the truck dies in the middle of the intersection, simply press the "Traction" button to disable the traction control and you will be on your way again. Another alternative is to floor the gas pedal, that works too, although it's hard on the transmission and maybe unsafe if there is someone in front of you.
I have a 2003 yukon denaili and like many of you My traction control kicks in while doing a left turn or accelerating. Like all of you pressing the disengage button or letting go of the gas pedal and accelerating again gets rid of the problem. The only difference I have seen that I dont think anyone has mentioned, is that when i turn to park or sometimes just doing normal breaking my BRAKE pedal starts VIBRATING as if the abs system is kicking in. I have not had a problem yet while turning to the RIGHT.
second problem is my A/C the first time the belt broke i replaced it and the A/C worked fine. Now the a/c went out so i figured the belt broke but its still on and it is working properly and not slipping. I cannot hear the compressor turn on and im afraid its that because just for the compressor im talking about 360 dollars. any other ideas. I have tested the freeon and everything seems to be fine.
I could be wrong, but below is my thinking out loud on why I can't see that is necessary.
Just thinking out loud :
1. You must have one of those OEM Auto-Ride systems.
2. In the event that you need to change a tire due to flat (or raise the vehicle for a tire rotation), you have to first jack-up one of the wheels, does your Owner's manual says you need to disable the auto-ride system (in my 2007's manual, it does not; but if for your model year is Yes, then most likely you just found the instruction on how to disable the auto-ride system).
3. Skip the #2 thinking above. The auto-ride system is to pump air in to the shocks when they are compressed by the carrying weight/load to your vehicle, the pump stops when the vehicle reaches back to the specific/normal ride height (distance between the axle and chassis/frame) via a position sensor/switch (for example, normal vehicle ride height is 8" apart between the frame and the axle, now with load its down to 7", so as you turn-on the ignition, the auto-ride system triggers the compressor to pump air in to your shocks until the ride height is raised back to 8").
As you raise the vehicle on to jack stands, if you rest the axles on stands then you have nothing to be concerned with as the ride height/distance between the axle and the chassis is the same as if the vehicle is sitting on its 4 tires. Agree?
Let's say you rest the vehicle on the stands by its frame, that means the axles will drop down (longer distance between the axles and the chassis than normal), as your turn on the ignition that should not trigger the pump to turn-on, would it? I would think not...
Anyway, to play it safe, there seems to be two ways to disable the system:
1. remove the auto-ride system relay from the fuse block in the engine compartment
2. or by disconnect the Auto Level Control (ALC) Air Compressor connector in the rear of the vehicle. You first need to locate the compressor and follow the wiring and you should then locate the connector (most likely via those plastic anchors anchored to the back of your rear bumper close to the spare tire...
Disconnect either, then turn on the ignition for 45 seconds and make sure the compressor is disabled before put it on stands. Be Safe!
FOLLOWING IS A COPY OF THE LETTER I WROTE:
RE: 2003 Yukon Denali Vin XXXXXXXXXX
I recently had my vehicle in your service dept. for an on-going problem of which XXXXXXX GMC could not repair. From a standstill, when I would accelerate, the vehicle would lose power and not move after about 20 feet or so and a “Traction Active” message would appear on the display. This was a very serious safety concern as the vehicle would end up in the middle of the road with loss of power. It was an intermittent problem but would happen when I would drive through a stop sign or red light. To regain power, you had to let off on the gas peddle and the drive would re-engage. This left me twice in the middle of an intersection almost causing an accident at State Route 18 & Heritage Woods Drive, only one mile from my home. I would no longer allow my wife drive the vehicle due to safety concerns.
I explained my situation to your Service Advisor, XXXXXXX. She immediately knew there was a problem with the Stabilitrak System and scheduled me in for service. Your Service Technician spent about a day and a half with the vehicle and did a great job diagnosing and correcting the problem, which was cleaning and recalibrating corroded wheel speed sensors. This repair cost me approximately $495.00.
When you spend that amount of money on a repair, you like to know what the problem was, especially when another dealer had the vehicle twice and was not able to correct it or stated as
XXX GMC did, “there is no repair for your problem”. GM recommended a repair procedure be followed from an ABS recall document ID # 1819672 of which the subject is “Product Safety – Front Wheel Speed Sensor Corrosion #05068B. In this recall it states the follow condition:
“ General Motors has decided that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety, exists in certain 1999-2002 Chevrolet Avalanche, 1999-2002 GMC Sierra, 2000-2002 GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles located in areas listed below (which includes Ohio). These vehicles may have a condition permitting corrosion to occur between the front hub/bearing assembly and the wheel speed sensor. If the brakes are applied while the vehicle is traveling at a speed of greater than 3.7 mph but less than 10 mph, the corrosion may cause an unwanted anti-lock brake system activation. If this condition occurred where stopping distance is limited, a crash could occur.” (Continued on Page 2)
Page 2 - 2003 Yukon Denali Vin XXXXXX
Now, it seems rather clear to me that I had a safety issue that a crash could occur, as it almost did twice. And, it seems rather clear that the problem was the corrosion of the wheel speed sensors that caused the Stabilitrak to malfunction which activated the “Traction Active” which caused my vehicle to stop in the middle of an intersection. What does not seem clear to me is why General Motors would not pay for this repair as it is caused by the same corrosion of the wheel speed sensors as in the recall for the ABS.
Yesterday the GM customer service people called me and we had a very frustrating conversation. They said that the repair I needed was not related in any way to the recall even though the correction was the exact same as in the recall. They said they would conduct further research before a conclusion is drawn. It was very troublesome knowing that GM had customer service people making decisions regarding mechanical repairs that did not understand what they were saying. They have no mechanical background to understand what the sensor is or how or why it works. I told them to look on their computer screen to see the vehicle repair history and compare it to the recall. They said they do not have access to a computer. I said I’ll fax you a copy of the repair order and it says the same thing as the recall. They said we have no access to a fax. I said I’ll fax it to a Kinko’s close by and they said that was ridiculous that I would expect them to pick up paperwork from a Kinko’s. Obviously their call was not made to satisfy the customer.
If GM chooses not to pay for the repairs, it is apparent they do not care about me as a customer and I will take my future business elsewhere. I don’t care to drive a Japanese made vehicle because of the line of work I am in, but, GM will make that decision for me.
I would like you to know that I am very pleased with your service department and you have gained me as a service customer through-out the remainder of my lease. I am hopeful this issue can be resolved so that I can continue on as a future GMC Denali owner.
Also, just to let you know, I did end up buying a new Denali in 2007 and absolutely love the vehicle.
I went to remove the R/H sensor, but the plastic body cracked off, and is still stuck in the bearing. Main body and coil/magnet assembly is out, so just the remaining shell is left in the bearing/hub.
Am looking for suggestions on how to remove the shell without introducing debris into the bearing/reluctor. Any ideas? Thanx!
I apologize for your frustrations. Can you please email me with your VIN and the doc ID you are referring to, as well as a description of your problems? I look forward to your response.
Christina
GM Customer Service
Can u please email me directly with your VIN and current mileage? I would like to discuss your concerns further with you.
You can get my email by clicking on gmcustsvc.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
Were you planning on having the vehicle diagnosed by a GM dealership? Please keep me posted when the issue has been taken care of.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
Thanks
I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with your vehicle. Is the dealership having trouble diagnosing the vehicle? Has the dealer involved our Technical Assistance?
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
I looked into your case with GM Customer Assistance. It appears they tried to contact you a few times. If you are still experiencing concerns I would definitely recommend calling your agent back. Please feel free to email me with any questions comments or concerns.
Christina
GM Customer Service
I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with your vehicle. Is the dealership having trouble diagnosing the vehicle? Has the dealer involved our Technical Assistance?
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
Christina has responded to you, and is waiting for your email. I would recommend speaking with her as she has been looking into your situation.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
STILL NO RESOLUTION...
I would like to discuss this further. I am looking forward to your email Josephine.
Christina
GM Customer Service