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For the versatrak fluid change they need to follow the correct procedure to get it right. Basicly after filling it they need to drive it around to get the fluid into all the nooks and crannies, then check and add additional fluid as needed otherwise it could be low.
Joe's (my beloved 2K2 Aztek) list of top disco songs for his ailments.
10) Dancing Queen - Fuel gauge 09) Star Wars Theme - Flashing dashboard lights 08) Hot Stuff - Temp gauge reading fine, car smells "hot" 07) Shadow Dancing - Gear selector lights don't work 06) Turn the Beat Around - ABS (Another Beat System???) light stuck "on" 05) Macho Man - What it takes to open rear hatch 04) If I Can't Have You - No one else will turn my key 03) Don't Leave Me This Way - alternating on off headlights 02) Automatic Lover - May or may not leave "park"
And the number one all time song favorite of Joe... *drum roll*
Y.M.C.A - Only place I'll be finding air conditioning!
**disclaimer** There are smaller symptoms, but he only wanted to list the top ten. He was having issues about going into the hospital in the morning. I promised him I'd post his list in the unlikely event of a water-ditching, or I adhere to his DNR orders.
Joe, THANKS FOR THIS POST IT HAS HELP A LOT, I THINK.
The reason being the reason GM/Pontiac stated at their web page for not recalling the Aztek & siblings is that none of the current ailments involved safety issues. But after reviewing your short list, & would luv to see the long version, I believe I have spotted several that would qualify as possible real SAFETY issues that may actually help get the ball rolling for getting a recall out to fix ALL THE DISCO ISSUES.
10) Dancing Queen - Fuel gauge (POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE CAR RUN OUT OF FULE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 80 MPH WITH OUT ANY WARNING. Will need more details on this problem) 09) Star Wars Theme - Flashing dashboard lights (POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THIS COULD HAPPEN AT NIGHT WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 80 MPH WITH OUT ANY WARNING.) 08) Hot Stuff - Temp gauge reading fine, car smells "hot" (POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE CAR COULD CATCH ON FIRE ANY WARNING & THE DOORS COULD LOCK YOU IN THE CAR AT THE SAME TIME :sick:). 07) Shadow Dancing - Gear selector lights don't work (POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE CAR COULD INADVERTANTLY BE LEFT IN GEAR WITH OUT NOTICE AT NIGHT.) 06) Turn the Beat Around - ABS (Another Beat System???) light stuck "on" (DEFFINATE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING IF THE ABS WILL ACTUALLY WORK IN AN EMERGENCY OR IF THIS IS JUST AN INDICATOR PROBLEM!!!!). 05) Macho Man - What it takes to open rear hatch 04) If I Can't Have You - No one else will turn my key 03) Don't Leave Me This Way - alternating on off headlights (DEFFINATE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING IF THE LIGHT WILL ACTUALLY WORK WHEN REQUIRED TO DO SO IN ORDER TO DRIVE SAFELY ON THE ROAD AT NIGHT ***A TICKETABLE OFFICENCE BY LAW*** OR IN AN EMERGENCY!!!!!). 02) Automatic Lover - May or may not leave "park" (DEFFINATE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE WHICH CAN CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH OR NOT WORK IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION!!!!!). And the number one all time song favorite of Joe... *drum roll*
Y.M.C.A - Only place I'll be finding air conditioning! My AC finally gave up the ghost & quit working this week .
**disclaimer** There are smaller symptoms, but he only wanted to list the top ten. He was having issues about going into the hospital in the morning. I promised him I'd post his list in the unlikely event of a water-ditching, or I adhere to his DNR orders.
If more people posted the Disco problems such as the MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES you touched upon in your list I bet there would be enough data to got the Highway Safety Division to get a recall issued due to safety concerns such as driving with intermittent head lights at night & vehicle will not stay in park or malfunctioning ABS/ABS indicator.
If others are having these or similar safety issues related to the EBCM & start posting here maybe as a group we can get something done as far as getting a recall out to replace it.
For the 'winking' headlights that happen on one of ours, I found a simple solution when it bothers me. I use the switch to turn headlights on instead of the auto mode.
Gear shifter light is easy, I swiped this from elsewhere: 'There is a bulb under the shifter housing.I just replaced mine.THe bulb was 94cents at the dealer.There is a clip on the back of the gear shift knob.Pry that off and remove the handle.Remove your cup holder.Under the lower one is a screw and you remove that.Lift off the cover.the bulb is at the end of a wire and is a little tricky to twist out and replace.Seems an 8 year old with small hande would find it easy.Be careful with that dust cover boot or belt that goes around the shifter.I popped out the red plastic bar indicator and it's lost.I'll fashion another. It's easier to put stuff back with the shift handle removed since you can turn the housing upside down and you can get that dustcover belt back in the track'
ABS light is quite often due to loose /corroded wire to wheel hub/bearing assembly. The lack of ABS working means the vehicle is working like the many thousands of others that don't have ABS and I would consider it a safter factor if there was no light to tell you it wasn't working properly.
For the stuck in park thing, assuming it wasn't allowed to roll after putting it in park, it is likely an issue with the BTSI, a safety item that doesn't allow vehicle to start when in gear. If it fails, it is better to leave it stuck in park then to allow it to start in gear.
For the hatch, if you don't hear the 'click' when trying to open with either the button or key fob, usually pulling the #28 fuse from underhood fuse box for about 20 secs works. If it does 'click' but not open without a little manual help in the winter I don't have a fix for that, but if it happens all the time a little turn counter-clockwise of the 2 bumper stops on liftgate usually resolves problem.
I'm pretty sure it's the whole BCM thing because I have other issues that are mentioned throughout this thread. I also have no odometer lights, and the dashboard flashes off and on at times.
I did pull the #28 fuse, and while it worked, I had to hold in the button (inside) more than just the short push to make it work. That was the first time I was actually able to open the hatch without the fob.
I've gone through three batteries in less than six months, too. The car sat from early Saturday morning until 0445 Monday morning. It started just fine. Three hours later, it was completely dead. Nothing was left on, or in the chargers. When I got jumped, the left headlight was out and the gas gauge was on the "H"! I drove it an hour before I stopped and let it sit for about 30 minutes. I turned the headlights on manually and then back to auto. The left lamp came back on and the gas gauge went back to just below a half tank. (Just when I was thinking I miraculously gained a full tank. lol)
I've talked to the mechanic and I'm going to buy a new BCM online; he's going to put it in for me. If that doesn't work, I'm calling in my priest because the only other answer is total demonic possession.
Hhmm the battery thing could shed new light on things. A less then stellar battery/charging system can for sure cause problems for the sensitive electronics. I had another vehicle that failed one day (started ok, but on the road the radio went out, then the lights and some other stuff and then stalled and won't start and left me with 3 mile walk home on cold day. After tow and jump at the shop a load test initially showed everything was fine. The mechanic left it running and went elsewhere when another mechanic noticed change in sound from engine, re-ceck then found alternater bad. It was an intermitent thing but replacing corrected it)
In general for the fuel guage the sensor in fuel tank might be suspect, but on GM minivans there has been a problem with the c-305 connector involving water intrustion/corrosion that can cause this, perhaps it could cause a parisitic battery drain also, I don't know, but it may be a place to check.
I am having some of these issues, but not all. It started a few years ago, i was changing my headlight and after finishing i begun to hear a dinging noise inside (sounded like the door ajar warning). This noise would not stop until i unplugged the battery for a few minutes then plugged it back in. After that, every so often it would do it again and i would unplug the battery, plug it back in and it would stop again for a month or so.
The dinging just stopped after one of the times and never came back. After a few more months my a/c stopped working on one of the speeds (don't remember which). After a few weeks, 2-3 it stopped all together. I popped the hood and started checking fuses in the fuse box and everything look ok, got back in the car and it started working again.....only on level 4 though.
I thought i could live with this so i just ignored it thinking maybe the blower was going bad. The car would over heat every once in a while, but i have a slow antifreeze leak, somewhere...have yet been able to locate that, no smoke, no puddles, not in the oil, just gone but that is another story (car does smell hot though, even when not running hot)
The major issue started a few weeks ago, when parking the car we would stop, put it in park and turn the key, but the key would not turn all the way off. it would stick at that first click that gives you battery power but not ignition (sorry, not a car guy). We would then turn the key once more to where it clicked but didn't start the care, through it in gear a couple of times and then we could get the key back all the way and out.
The other day though that solution stopped working so i had to unplug the battery to get the radio and lights to go off and not to run the battery dead. I am at a lost, i have talked to several people and a couple think it is the ignition lock and other think it is the neutral park switch. after some reading, i am beginning to think it could be the BCM or the blower resistor assembly, since when i called the auto store they recommended that i replace the pigtail if i replace the resistor. This made me think there is something know wrong with it and maybe it is shorting out other items
I dont know what to think though, does anyone have any ideas.....i don't want to spend a ton of money but i am still paying on the car so i have no choice but to fix it.
2001 pontiac aztek, not gt Front wheel drive no towing package windows, lights, and hatch work flawlessly.
2002 Pontiac Aztek 3400 engine overheating, replaced coolant and thermostat; pressure test at dealer reveals cracked head gasket. Was there a recall on this engine?
My wife just bought a 2001 Aztek. We've had it a week now.
Yesterday evening she got in the thing to come home When she turned the key, the vehicle just went hay wire. Everything just started flickering, fluttering and going crazy. She tried cranking it a few more times and then the battery died. We were able to get her jumped off and she drove the car home.She pulled up to the house and turned off the car It wouldn't restart. The battery was still dead.
I hooked our battery charger up to it and left it on all day. I noticed that the battery wasn't charging. The car still wouldn't start and every time i turned the key the car still just went ape-poop crazy. So I took a battery out of my own car and put it in hers. The Aztek then turned over and ran like a charm. Took the dead battery to Autozone and they confirmed that battery was D.O.A.
I have been reading this forum, convinced someone out there has has ran into the same problem.I'm really glad the problem seems to be fixed (for right now) But I can't help worry that there's still something wrong with the Aztek to cause batteries installed in the thing to go bad. Is the computer modules going to go bad soon? I mean, when all this started happening I envisioned the worst case scenario that has happened to so many fellow Aztek owners here. I just couldn't afford a $1,000 repair bill so soon after coughing up the money to buy the thing.
But boy howdy! do I just want to add my utter disbelief that a car can react so badly to something nothing more than a unchargeable battery with bad cells!
It's not very fun getting that bolt out but if you just keep at it, eventually it will come out. Keep wiggling the fuse box off - it will take time. Then you'll have to get an extension for your ratchet driver that will reach down to the bolt tha holds the support brace over the battery. Remove the two easy to reach bolts on the brace closest to the radiator. Loosen the hard-to-reach bolt under the fuse box only enough to swivel the brace out of your way. undo the hot and cold terminals. The cold terminal is not very fun at all to loosen. There's just so very little room to get your hand or a tool down there to loosen the bolts.
It's not very hard to remove the battery. It's just really bothersome. There's just so little room inside the engine compartment.
There's a little tab you have to set the fuse box back down onto. I'm kind of amazed that's all that keeps the fuse box in place.
For the key getting stuck, the fact that moving gear shift lever corrected problem (at least is did work) leads me to think it is an issue withe the BTSI (Brake Transaxle Shift Interlock). Either the part is broken or the wireing to it has issues.
For the cabin fan issue, If you lost the slow speed first then second, ETC until only high worked, I would guess it is the blower motor resister assembly. If it didn't fail that way, it may be the HVAC cluster that has problem.
For the coolant leak, if the lower intake manifold gaskets havn't been changd to newer part number, that is likely cause.
All the fancy electronics on these vehicles can be very sensitive to low voltage and can (and do) cause strange things to happen. Good battery/charging system with good connections and you should be fine.
Intake manifold gasket failure is a known problem with these 3.4 L engines. Had to replace mine twice during the time that I owned my 2001 Aztek and should have replaced it on my 1998 Montana Van with the same engine model before the engine seized up from coolant contamination in oil.
My symptom was dissappearing coolant from the coolant recovery bottle with no fluid on the ground or any other exterior visible evidence. Never did see the contamination on the oil dipstick in either car, but it must have been there.
Recently purchased a 2003, needed a new battery within a week. 2 days later the service engine light came on. Took the car in for service, had an oil change and they reset the light. There are two service engine lights, the words above the odometer and the big light over the RPM monitor.
They reset the lights and 15 minutes later the big service engine soon light came on but not the smaller warning over the odometer.
Any ideas, they gave me a quote of $1400 worth of work, brakes....tires...none that would appear to be connected to the service engine soon light.
The bcm can a huge culprit of a car like this. It will go bezerk and kill your battery. When you have a cheap battery in your car, i had a stupid wal-mart battery (nEVER START) it might kill the battery completely. What it does is creates a constant draw on the battery till it is dead.
I cheated when I chaged the BCM. I went to my local junkyard and took one out of a junk car. It cost me $25. They are really easy to take out and to put in. The car was mostly locked but driveable, so I then had to take the car to a GM dealer to program the BCM. The dealer was never able to clear the air bag light though :shades: . Besides that the $25 BCM has been going great for two years now.
My wife still really loves her Azteck. I don't mind driving it either.
EverStart batteries are mostly made by Johnson Controls and they have a pretty good reputation. Delphi and Exide may be making some of them for Wal-Mart, but Johnson Controls supplies half the US battery market.
Consumer Reports rated them pretty high back in '05 and again in Nov. 2008. One of mine is 4 years old and just needed some cell topping up recently.
not sure about the engine oil, I kno when I change my oil I have to reset the counter and that is in the manual. $1400 for brakes and tires are they high. I just did my brakes front ones with new rotors and pads for about $125.00 and spent $15.00 dollars on oil change that I did. Check your manual that came with the car. I have 2003 pontiac aztek also 2 wd. I hope this helps a little.
I have a vibration in the passenger front wheel. I just changed my rotors and new brake pads and the vibration is still there. Could it be the tire out of balance? Any ideas what wlse to check? The vibrations is worse @45 mph but constant @ highway speeds and 35 mph zones.
I had some simuliar problems on my 03 aztek I took my car into muffler man and i think they stated my problem was a ball joint i think but it took me a few times to get it checked out take it back to the place you had your brakes done at and make them really look after taking the wheel off sometimes being really persistant like me will get the job done
Well I do all my brake work myself. I got screwed really bad one time and I leanerd how to do it myself. I am pretty sure it's the caliper hanging up, so I took out the slid bolts(thats what I call them) and cleaned them off and regreased the bolts and it seems to be working but I think a caliper is in my future. I asked Auotzone if they sold a loaded caliper but they do not for that car they said it's special.
You might want to check 2 things check the shifter interlock button (white button on side of the shifter under cupholder) to make sure its not sticking check the wiring coming into the front of the shifter beside the shifter interlock button they are notorious for breaking the bottom 3 wires in which case they wont come out of park
all the wires from the front of the shifter have come disconnected on my 04 aztek. Is there a way to fix this easily or do I need to buy the whole piece to replace. I cant even figure out which wire goes into which hole....Please help!!!!
Hello,i have a 01 Aztek AWD,my parking break light came on while i was driving and a buzzing sound came on and didnt stop until i did.I checked my break and everything was fine.........i think.Did this happend to any one else???? Thank you. :surprise:
Turns out it was not my brakes at all, it was both my wheel bearings were shot. The passenger side was the worst and that was causing the vibration and the driverside was on it's way. It cost me $383.00 with parts and labor and the car rides like a dream now.
Yes there is, I believe it is a number 94 bulb and costs about 94 cents. Somewhere in one of the topics I have posted a procedure on how to acces and replace, don;t know exactly where though.
Help! I don't know where to begin with this one. My cooling fan stopped working and now the car 'overheats/redlines. Could this be fuses? Or what else - any suggestions please & thanks. '04 Aztek. :confuse:
My car was repoed about a month or so ago. They towed my car in park. I got it back. The breaks were soft then they were hard at first and I figured it was because it sat for about 2 weeks. Then the anti lock light, trac off light and the light saying service traction system came on. I took it to my mechanic and he hooked it up to the code machine and there was no problem with a code. He checked the breaks on the back and they were cracked and they were less than 1 year old. He rotated the tires cause the ones that were on the front were bald and today I had gotten 2 new tires to replace the ones that were bald and had them put on and now the light is still coming on saying service traction system at the same time my anti lock and trac off light are also coming on...I have had about enough with this car. Could they have done something to it when they came and repoed it.
My car has been doing the same thing since I bought it almost 3 years ago. I have replace the bearings on both sides as well as the brakes. It still happens. I have had enough of mine too !!
Mine has been doing it for about a month now. It is sitting in my driveway. I have been driving our extra car which is a 1990 chevy cavalier station wagon... I hate that car...
Every time I unlock the doors with my remote, it sets off the alarm until I keep pushing the unlock button on the remote. In fact, often, it does not unlock the door at all. I have to hit the unlock button on the remote until the alarm stops going off and then I have to use the key to unlock the door. Does anyone have an answer for why this is occurring?
The key when turning off the car gets stuck in the mid position. We cannot completely turn off the car and no matter how many times we pump the brakes or take it from park to 1st gear. I have checked the recall list and nothing shows for it. We have so far not been able to take it to the dealer to have it repaired due to financial reasons; however, I am upset that I can take the key out of the ignition and drive with no keys in the ignition, because the key will not unlock out of mid position.
1. Stick key in 1st position 2. Turn to Mid position ( Key stuck and will not return to 1st position) 3. 3rd position lights up the deck and 4. turns the car on.
Very frustrating when picking up the kids and you cannot turn the car off and cannot lock the doors. Other than that the Aztek has been a great ride and good on gas mileage. We are the 2nd owners of the vehicle. Today however my love for the vehicle has turned a lil sour. The ignition again would not come out of the accessory position yesterday after we had gone grocery shopping. We kept checking every couple of hours to see if it would completely turn off. Well it didn't. Now I have a dead battery. What really is going to be painful is the cost of repair as my husband and I are both out of work. :sick: :mad:
I am seriously thinking I had every common problem with my Aztek, we too had this happen but turning the steering wheel seemed to unstick it.. hope it helps.. I loved mine but it died after lots of $$ invested.. wouldnt buy another thats for sure... :lemon: good luck
hey everyone. i recently bought an 02 aztec and it didnt have the tent or the mattress. if anyone is interested in selling theirs, i am definately interested in purchasing one. and i live in canada (for shipping purposes) thanks everyone!
After starting my 2001 Aztec the Abs warning light comes on and proceed to drive when the parking brake indicator lights up combined with an obnoxious binging noise which is loud and non-stop!!!! I have had the vehicle checked to no avail. One mechanic mentioned the BCM. What the BING!!! There was also a mention of a switch in the master brake cylinder, I am not very techy, therefore would like any input as to what may be the problem. I am slowly but surely going insane from the binging ( I would be able to stop the noise by putting the vehicle in park and turning off the ignition then restarting) This has finally failed me.....I am only minutes from driving with earplugs in...................literally. :confuse: I love my vehicle and have had no complaints till recently with this annoyance. My Aztec has been loyal.
I'm a non knowledgeable female who is driving a 2001 Aztek. Please help!
I took this car into the dealership and they said that they could reproduce the flashing dash lights and radio cutting out by fiddling with the ignition switch. After replacing the switch (368.00) with an oil change I drove the car 40 klics and the dang lights started flashing again. What happens is the radio cuts off for a nano second, all the lights go off, gauges go off and then after a few seconds all the lights go on, battery light, abs light, P light, exclamation light, wrench light, what looks like a lock and then there are 4 bongs sounding. This goes on every 5-10 seconds. Now when I just drove the car and tried to get the windows to close the automatic window and automatic door lock does not work.
BTW when the dealership diagnosed the electrical issue they told me the head gasket was cracked as well! The manifold was repaired last year!
Is there any chance the electrical is connected to the head gasket.
Anyone know what is happening to my possessed car?
This is not an uncommon problem with the Aztek. If you search this thread you will find it mentioned repeatedly including mine. I took the advice of ray80 in an earlier post and replaced the BCM (Body Control Module) back in October 2007, which I purchased new from online parts store brightauto.com at a fourth the price of the dealer. An additional $89.00 to have the local dealer program it and I have not had any problems with it since.
It appears you are not the hands on type, but you may want to order a BCM from the web (new not used) and have a non-dealer do the servicing. They usually charge about half the labor as a dealership. You will still have to have a dealership program it but you will save yourself hundreds. Good luck.
Concur with replacing BCM, purchase on-line, install by a non-dealer service mechanic and have it programmed by the dealer ($89). I did the same and it seemed to work, for a while. Head gasket problems are a class issue with 3.4L engines. I replaced 2 each on a 97 Montana Van and on my 2001 Aztek b4 I sold both.
Sorry to here about your poblems but, this is clearly a BCM issue as you will see in other threads posted on this site. I have a 2001 Aztek and replaced the BCM in November. The electrical problems disappeared although, I have heard they may re-occur. The head gasket and intake manifold gasket are class action issues you need to research. I had to replace the intake manifold on my Aztek. You may be able to recover some of the cost but, not very much. I don't remember the link but, you might try a search for GM class action suits.
Well we've changed the BCM and nothing has changed. On the advice of the non-dealership mechanic, I took it to a Pontiac dealership to have them put it on their diagnostic machine. After seven hours (they needed more time, but I needed my car!), they told me I needed a new radio for the clock not keeping time. (working fine now), I probably needed a new instrument cluster, (some things were working fine BEFORE they got it), a new blower motor, and probably a new A/C clutch. They never got around to my other issues; only made one worse.
I do have another dealership to take it to, but money is getting tight for a flight attendant out on medical leave! My drivers side head light is completely out now. I just bought one tonight, but the guy at Auto Zone couldn't get the cover off to change the bulb. Any ideas out there? :sick:
We found out what was wrong. There is a wire that is too short in the shift column that when it shorts does not relay that the shifter is in park. We also found out that the keys are so worn that the chip in the key is not connecting to the chip in the tumbler. LOL, these are the same keys that the dealer gave us. My husband and BIL fixed the wiring. The tumbler can be worked on as well, however we would have to take the truck back to the dealer to have them reset the chips.
We were quoted $500 for the shifter and $300 to have the tumbler and keys redone.
I bought my Daughter a 2001 Aztek and she loves it. Now she wants the accessories, so if any one is selling a Tent, mattress and between the seat cooler I would be interested.
It might be ugly but it grows on ya. When I first looked at the one I got didn't like it at all once I got to drive it over night and saw how it drove nicely I fell in love with the thing. I think its a very great car.... Except for the issues I have been having with the right hub assembly...
My mechanic drove my car and found that the sensor is bad in the right hub assembly. I just replaced the right hub assembly 2 years ago.... Has anyone else had this problem....
Hello,I have a 01 Aztek AWD and my key is stuck in the acc. position.I can start it but I have to unplugged the battery because it's out of juice after a night. I check the #44 and 42 Fuse and the are good. HELP Thank you in advance.
he key stuck problem is only in relation to having no power. With the key stuck in the ignition and no battery power to send the signal to the ignition switch you can not get the key out. Hook up a battery and wait 10 minutes and away you go (the 10 min is for you to cool down) Hugh
Comments
10) Dancing Queen - Fuel gauge
09) Star Wars Theme - Flashing dashboard lights
08) Hot Stuff - Temp gauge reading fine, car smells "hot"
07) Shadow Dancing - Gear selector lights don't work
06) Turn the Beat Around - ABS (Another Beat System???) light stuck "on"
05) Macho Man - What it takes to open rear hatch
04) If I Can't Have You - No one else will turn my key
03) Don't Leave Me This Way - alternating on off headlights
02) Automatic Lover - May or may not leave "park"
And the number one all time song favorite of Joe... *drum roll*
Y.M.C.A - Only place I'll be finding air conditioning!
**disclaimer** There are smaller symptoms, but he only wanted to list the top ten. He was having issues about going into the hospital in the morning. I promised him I'd post his list in the unlikely event of a water-ditching, or I adhere to his DNR orders.
The reason being the reason GM/Pontiac stated at their web page for not recalling the Aztek & siblings is that none of the current ailments involved safety issues. But after reviewing your short list, & would luv to see the long version, I believe I have spotted several that would qualify as possible real SAFETY issues that may actually help get the ball rolling for getting a recall out to fix ALL THE DISCO ISSUES.
10) Dancing Queen - Fuel gauge
(POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE CAR RUN OUT OF FULE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 80 MPH WITH OUT ANY WARNING. Will need more details on this problem)
09) Star Wars Theme - Flashing dashboard lights
(POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THIS COULD HAPPEN AT NIGHT WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 80 MPH WITH OUT ANY WARNING.)
08) Hot Stuff - Temp gauge reading fine, car smells "hot"
(POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE CAR COULD CATCH ON FIRE ANY WARNING & THE DOORS COULD LOCK YOU IN THE CAR AT THE SAME TIME :sick:).
07) Shadow Dancing - Gear selector lights don't work
(POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE CAR COULD INADVERTANTLY BE LEFT IN GEAR WITH OUT NOTICE AT NIGHT.)
06) Turn the Beat Around - ABS (Another Beat System???) light stuck "on"
(DEFFINATE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING IF THE ABS WILL ACTUALLY WORK IN AN EMERGENCY OR IF THIS IS JUST AN INDICATOR PROBLEM!!!!).
05) Macho Man - What it takes to open rear hatch
04) If I Can't Have You - No one else will turn my key
03) Don't Leave Me This Way - alternating on off headlights
(DEFFINATE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING IF THE LIGHT WILL ACTUALLY WORK WHEN REQUIRED TO DO SO IN ORDER TO DRIVE SAFELY ON THE ROAD AT NIGHT ***A TICKETABLE OFFICENCE BY LAW*** OR IN AN EMERGENCY!!!!!).
02) Automatic Lover - May or may not leave "park"
(DEFFINATE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE WHICH CAN CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH OR NOT WORK IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION!!!!!).
And the number one all time song favorite of Joe... *drum roll*
Y.M.C.A - Only place I'll be finding air conditioning!
My AC finally gave up the ghost & quit working this week
**disclaimer** There are smaller symptoms, but he only wanted to list the top ten. He was having issues about going into the hospital in the morning. I promised him I'd post his list in the unlikely event of a water-ditching, or I adhere to his DNR orders.
If more people posted the Disco problems such as the MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES you touched upon in your list I bet there would be enough data to got the Highway Safety Division to get a recall issued due to safety concerns such as driving with intermittent head lights at night & vehicle will not stay in park or malfunctioning ABS/ABS indicator.
If others are having these or similar safety issues related to the EBCM & start posting here maybe as a group we can get something done as far as getting a recall out to replace it.
CharO
Gear shifter light is easy, I swiped this from elsewhere:
'There is a bulb under the shifter housing.I just replaced mine.THe bulb was 94cents at the dealer.There is a clip on the back of the gear shift knob.Pry that off and remove the handle.Remove your cup holder.Under the lower one is a screw and you remove that.Lift off the cover.the bulb is at the end of a wire and is a little tricky to twist out and replace.Seems an 8 year old with small hande would find it easy.Be careful with that dust cover boot or belt that goes around the shifter.I popped out the red plastic bar indicator and it's lost.I'll fashion another. It's easier to put stuff back with the shift handle removed since you can turn the housing upside down and you can get that dustcover belt back in the track'
ABS light is quite often due to loose /corroded wire to wheel hub/bearing assembly. The lack of ABS working means the vehicle is working like the many thousands of others that don't have ABS and I would consider it a safter factor if there was no light to tell you it wasn't working properly.
For the stuck in park thing, assuming it wasn't allowed to roll after putting it in park, it is likely an issue with the BTSI, a safety item that doesn't allow vehicle to start when in gear. If it fails, it is better to leave it stuck in park then to allow it to start in gear.
For the hatch, if you don't hear the 'click' when trying to open with either the button or key fob, usually pulling the #28 fuse from underhood fuse box for about 20 secs works. If it does 'click' but not open without a little manual help in the winter I don't have a fix for that, but if it happens all the time a little turn counter-clockwise of the 2 bumper stops on liftgate usually resolves problem.
I did pull the #28 fuse, and while it worked, I had to hold in the button (inside) more than just the short push to make it work. That was the first time I was actually able to open the hatch without the fob.
I've gone through three batteries in less than six months, too. The car sat from early Saturday morning until 0445 Monday morning. It started just fine. Three hours later, it was completely dead. Nothing was left on, or in the chargers. When I got jumped, the left headlight was out and the gas gauge was on the "H"! I drove it an hour before I stopped and let it sit for about 30 minutes. I turned the headlights on manually and then back to auto. The left lamp came back on and the gas gauge went back to just below a half tank. (Just when I was thinking I miraculously gained a full tank. lol)
I've talked to the mechanic and I'm going to buy a new BCM online; he's going to put it in for me. If that doesn't work, I'm calling in my priest because the only other answer is total demonic possession.
In general for the fuel guage the sensor in fuel tank might be suspect, but on GM minivans there has been a problem with the c-305 connector involving water intrustion/corrosion that can cause this, perhaps it could cause a parisitic battery drain also, I don't know, but it may be a place to check.
The dinging just stopped after one of the times and never came back. After a few more months my a/c stopped working on one of the speeds (don't remember which). After a few weeks, 2-3 it stopped all together. I popped the hood and started checking fuses in the fuse box and everything look ok, got back in the car and it started working again.....only on level 4 though.
I thought i could live with this so i just ignored it thinking maybe the blower was going bad. The car would over heat every once in a while, but i have a slow antifreeze leak, somewhere...have yet been able to locate that, no smoke, no puddles, not in the oil, just gone but that is another story (car does smell hot though, even when not running hot)
The major issue started a few weeks ago, when parking the car we would stop, put it in park and turn the key, but the key would not turn all the way off. it would stick at that first click that gives you battery power but not ignition (sorry, not a car guy). We would then turn the key once more to where it clicked but didn't start the care, through it in gear a couple of times and then we could get the key back all the way and out.
The other day though that solution stopped working so i had to unplug the battery to get the radio and lights to go off and not to run the battery dead. I am at a lost, i have talked to several people and a couple think it is the ignition lock and other think it is the neutral park switch. after some reading, i am beginning to think it could be the BCM or the blower resistor assembly, since when i called the auto store they recommended that i replace the pigtail if i replace the resistor. This made me think there is something know wrong with it and maybe it is shorting out other items
I dont know what to think though, does anyone have any ideas.....i don't want to spend a ton of money but i am still paying on the car so i have no choice but to fix it.
2001 pontiac aztek, not gt
Front wheel drive
no towing package
windows, lights, and hatch work flawlessly.
Yesterday evening she got in the thing to come home When she turned the key, the vehicle just went hay wire. Everything just started flickering, fluttering and going crazy. She tried cranking it a few more times and then the battery died. We were able to get her jumped off and she drove the car home.She pulled up to the house and turned off the car It wouldn't restart. The battery was still dead.
I hooked our battery charger up to it and left it on all day. I noticed that the battery wasn't charging. The car still wouldn't start and every time i turned the key the car still just went ape-poop crazy. So I took a battery out of my own car and put it in hers. The Aztek then turned over and ran like a charm. Took the dead battery to Autozone and they confirmed that battery was D.O.A.
I have been reading this forum, convinced someone out there has has ran into the same problem.I'm really glad the problem seems to be fixed (for right now) But I can't help worry that there's still something wrong with the Aztek to cause batteries installed in the thing to go bad. Is the computer modules going to go bad soon? I mean, when all this started happening I envisioned the worst case scenario that has happened to so many fellow Aztek owners here. I just couldn't afford a $1,000 repair bill so soon after coughing up the money to buy the thing.
But boy howdy! do I just want to add my utter disbelief that a car can react so badly to something nothing more than a unchargeable battery with bad cells!
It's not very hard to remove the battery. It's just really bothersome. There's just so little room inside the engine compartment.
There's a little tab you have to set the fuse box back down onto. I'm kind of amazed that's all that keeps the fuse box in place.
For the cabin fan issue, If you lost the slow speed first then second, ETC until only high worked, I would guess it is the blower motor resister assembly. If it didn't fail that way, it may be the HVAC cluster that has problem.
For the coolant leak, if the lower intake manifold gaskets havn't been changd to newer part number, that is likely cause.
My symptom was dissappearing coolant from the coolant recovery bottle with no fluid on the ground or any other exterior visible evidence. Never did see the contamination on the oil dipstick in either car, but it must have been there.
Recently purchased a 2003, needed a new battery within a week. 2 days later the service engine light came on. Took the car in for service, had an oil change and they reset the light. There are two service engine lights, the words above the odometer and the big light over the RPM monitor.
They reset the lights and 15 minutes later the big service engine soon light came on but not the smaller warning over the odometer.
Any ideas, they gave me a quote of $1400 worth of work, brakes....tires...none that would appear to be connected to the service engine soon light.
I cheated when I chaged the BCM. I went to my local junkyard and took one out of a junk car. It cost me $25. They are really easy to take out and to put in. The car was mostly locked but driveable, so I then had to take the car to a GM dealer to program the BCM. The dealer was never able to clear the air bag light though :shades: . Besides that the $25 BCM has been going great for two years now.
My wife still really loves her Azteck. I don't mind driving it either.
Consumer Reports rated them pretty high back in '05 and again in Nov. 2008. One of mine is 4 years old and just needed some cell topping up recently.
check the shifter interlock button (white button on side of the shifter under cupholder) to make sure its not sticking
check the wiring coming into the front of the shifter beside the shifter interlock button they are notorious for breaking the bottom 3 wires in which case they wont come out of park
Thank you. :surprise:
Thanks
1. Stick key in 1st position
2. Turn to Mid position ( Key stuck and will not return to 1st position)
3. 3rd position lights up the deck and
4. turns the car on.
Very frustrating when picking up the kids and you cannot turn the car off and cannot lock the doors. Other than that the Aztek has been a great ride and good on gas mileage. We are the 2nd owners of the vehicle. Today however my love for the vehicle has turned a lil sour. The ignition again would not come out of the accessory position yesterday after we had gone grocery shopping. We kept checking every couple of hours to see if it would completely turn off. Well it didn't. Now I have a dead battery. What really is going to be painful is the cost of repair as my husband and I are both out of work. :sick: :mad:
thanks everyone!
geoff
I love my vehicle and have had no complaints till recently with this annoyance. My Aztec has been loyal.
I took this car into the dealership and they said that they could reproduce the flashing dash lights and radio cutting out by fiddling with the ignition switch. After replacing the switch (368.00) with an oil change I drove the car 40 klics and the dang lights started flashing again. What happens is the radio cuts off for a nano second, all the lights go off, gauges go off and then after a few seconds all the lights go on, battery light, abs light, P light, exclamation light, wrench light, what looks like a lock and then there are 4 bongs sounding. This goes on every 5-10 seconds. Now when I just drove the car and tried to get the windows to close the automatic window and automatic door lock does not work.
BTW when the dealership diagnosed the electrical issue they told me the head gasket was cracked as well! The manifold was repaired last year!
Is there any chance the electrical is connected to the head gasket.
Anyone know what is happening to my possessed car?
Cheers, Joyce
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
This is not an uncommon problem with the Aztek. If you search this thread you will find it mentioned repeatedly including mine. I took the advice of ray80 in an earlier post and replaced the BCM (Body Control Module) back in October 2007, which I purchased new from online parts store brightauto.com at a fourth the price of the dealer. An additional $89.00 to have the local dealer program it and I have not had any problems with it since.
It appears you are not the hands on type, but you may want to order a BCM from the web (new not used) and have a non-dealer do the servicing. They usually charge about half the labor as a dealership. You will still have to have a dealership program it but you will save yourself hundreds. Good luck.
Sorry to here about your poblems but, this is clearly a BCM issue as you will see in other threads posted on this site. I have a 2001 Aztek and replaced the BCM in November. The electrical problems disappeared although, I have heard they may re-occur. The head gasket and intake manifold gasket are class action issues you need to research. I had to replace the intake manifold on my Aztek. You may be able to recover some of the cost but, not very much. I don't remember the link but, you might try a search for GM class action suits.
I do have another dealership to take it to, but money is getting tight for a flight attendant out on medical leave! My drivers side head light is completely out now. I just bought one tonight, but the guy at Auto Zone couldn't get the cover off to change the bulb. Any ideas out there? :sick:
We were quoted $500 for the shifter and $300 to have the tumbler and keys redone.
HELP
Thank you in advance.
Hugh