GMC Envoy instrument panel problems

robbiejames

Hi to all. I have a 2004 envoy and just the other day it started to give me some problems and I hope some one can help me out. The problems I am having are with the instrument panel. The problems are as follows:

1. When I get in the suv it says "Unknown Driver" and when I go to push either driver 1 or driver 2 it will load the settings and the seat will go in to the correct position but it will still say "unknown driver".

2. When it says "unknown driver" the ABS light, air bag light, battery light, gas light, and emerg. brake light are all lit.

3. the rpm and mph gauges work but they studder and do not reflect the correct speed, i can come to a stop and the mph will still read 30 mph.

4. the gas, oil, and volt meters do not work.

5. the line under whatever gear you are in does not appear.

6. when you go into the settings you cannot change any of them.

After I drive the suv for about 10-15 minutes it will then jump into driver 1 or driver 2 mode, which ever I tried to push when i first got into the suv, and all the guages seem to work properly, but the battery light then goes to a very dim state and the gas light flashes ramdomly.

I hope someone can help me out with this problem. And have a fix for me.

thanks

Robert

joe163

Jan 17, 2008 -
:confuse:
It's a short in the instrument cluster.
I had the same problem with my 2004 XUV.
It started in early December of 2007.
Intermittent manifestations, than more persistent.
Took it to the GMC Dealer --
Of course, the Truck wouldn't do it's tricks for the Tech.
They replaced the ignition switch and sent me home.
It got progressively worse.
I waited until I was sure it would do it for the tech.
Took it back in to GMC Dealer--
It's a short in the instrument cluster.
They needed to replace the entire cluster.
I bought an extended warranty when I bought the truck.
The warranty is still in effect --
So I only had to pay the $100 deductible.
No Idea what it might cost otherwise.
Joe

robbiejames

Thanks I plan on taking it to the dealer this month or next month I called them and they said it should be about $500 or so. Thanks once again

cyokley

I am also having problems with my instrument panel. the volt meter is pegged out, where can I get another one without costing $500.00

bigsave21

hello, i just had a crack on the plastic cover on the instrument panel, the crack has spread to the point that it needs to be replaced. any solutions to this. Or is there anyone out there that knows where i can purchase one besides the dealer. I'm from Canada.

thanks

bigsave21

mcart

I have a 2005 GMC Envoy with similar problems. My speedometer is stuck way to the right. My fuel gauge is stuck on empty so I have to use my trip meter to gauge when I need to refuel. My check engine light is on and has been for a long time. My warranty has long been up. Does all this sound like an instrument panel problem or do I have multiple problems. The dealer wanted to charge me $1,000 to fix. I would appreciate any help with this. Thanks.

wsr58

Hello, I have a 2004 envoy xuv and have been having the same problems with the instrument panel as everyone above. Could someone please inform me what is the best method to get this problem repaired. Several have mentioned the instrument cluster being the problem, could someone that has had the cluster replaced report if that indeed was the problem. Looking forward to some help, thanks in advance..

knockster

The problem with The speedometer in most cases seems to be the cluster gauge. I have the same problem with my 04 XUV SLT. It seems a lot of GM trucks using the cluster gauge PART # IS X C5 168 from 03 to 06 fail quite easily. GM supposedly extended a warranty to 7, 70,000 miles. After that you are on your own. The replacement is PART # X 25 168. If you don't mind doing it your self you can get the part on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trkparms=tab%3DWatchin- - - g&viewitem=&item=220285453817&_trksid=p3907.m32 or look up mandigital on ebay if the link doesnt work and check out his store. This guy sells the whole cluster replacement to include the speedometer. He also gives his number in case you need help and want him to walk you through it.
You can also get just the speedometer gauge here http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300261613380&- - - ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=020 for $5.95 plus $4.75 shipping. If links don't work look for boulderbros and look in his store. I recently ordered the part and replaced it and it seems to be working fine. Hope this helps.

wsr58

Thanks Knockster, Appreciate your comments and information, I am off to the dealer today with my 04 XUV. Thank you again.. wsr58

wsr58

Concerning the envoy instrument panel issue, no luck with the dealer on tuesday. Informed them of the instrument cluster, the tech played around with the truck and then confirmed replacing the cluster. At minimum it will cost $700 for them to repair, it could be more. No assistance from GMC available, I was told.
So, if anyone can offer any other options for me or add more information I would appreciate it, at this point time is of the essence.

cyokley

I found a guy here in Wichita Ks that works on speedometers, he charged me 200.00 to remove, repair and replace the instrument cluster in my Envoy, check around in your city and see if there is a person there that does this type of work, he also came to my location and worked on site.

knockster

Sorry you didn't have any luck. $700.00??? Thats crazy. AVG price runs around $500.00 to repair in a shop without warranty. I had to do mine myself since I was 800 miles above the warranty. How many miles on the speedometer? If under 70,000 miles call the dealer back and ask him about special notice #07187 concerning your issue. This notice should be specific to the GMC speedometer issue. If you are still under the warranty I would pressure this guy and ask to speak with higher officials within the company. I would not trust the dealer. Sounds like he is overcharging you and trying to doubledip. The guy I listed (mandigital on eBay) also repairs them. He has a listing for that as well. Problem is you would have to remove the panel yourself and ship it to him. I think he charges $195.00 plus the shipping. You might want to see if anyone in your area fixes them or like I said you could repair it yourself for $10.00. You will need to know how to solder or know someone else that knows how to solder. Or you could try a local scrapyard and see if they have the whole panel you can buy. Unfortunately not very many options at this point.

knockster

Here is a copy of the letter I found. If you are under the warranty, Print it out and take it back to the dealer and see what they say.

03-04 GMT800 07187 - Special Coverage Adjustment/Instrument Cluster

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GM PARTS BULLETINS & INFORMATION - TO CADILLAC, CHEVROLET AND GMC DEALERS

Subject:Bulletin GMP07-174 - Special Coverage Adjustment #07187– Instrument Panel Cluster Gauge Needle FunctionMessage #:VSU20071575
DESCRIPTION:
SPECIAL COVERAGE Adjustment #07187– SEPTEMBER 28, 2007

DUE TO PART AVAILABILITY, THIS SPECIAL COVERAGE IS BEING ADMINISTERED IN PHASES. YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED AS EACH ADDITIONAL PHASE IS RELEASED.

CUSTOMERS ARE BEING INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT IF THEY BELIEVE THEIR VEHICLE HAS THIS CONDITION. THE CUSTOMER IS BEING ASKED TO PROVIDE THE VIN SO THE IPC CAN BE ORDERED IN ADVANCE OF THE SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT. THIS WILL ELIMINATE THE NEED TO KEEP THE VEHICLE OVERNIGHT.
Some customers of 2003-2004 model year Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, and Tahoe; and GMC Sierra, Envoy, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles have reported that the instrument panel (IP) cluster gauges stick, flutter, or become inoperative. This may cause inaccurate readings, including the speedometer and fuel gauge.
This special coverage covers the condition described above for a period of 7 years or 70,000 miles (110,000 km), whichever occurs first, from the date the vehicle was originally placed in service, regardless of ownership.
Refer to Special Coverage Adjustment #07187 for further information

EFFECTIVE DATE:
Initial owner mailing is scheduled to begin: Phase 1 9-28-07

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Instrument panel clusters (IPC) required to complete this special coverage are to be obtained from the Electronic Service Centers. Refer to GM Service Policies and Procedures Manual, section 1.5.9, for specific procedures. To eliminate keeping the customer's vehicle overnight, customers are being told to contact the dealership to arrange a service appointment and to supply their VIN. Dealers are to pre-order the IPC identifying the part from the Electronic Parts Catalog using the VIN filter so it will be at the dealership on the day of the scheduled appointment.
1. The customer will contact the dealership to arrange an appointment and provide their VIN.
2. Contact a GM Authorized Electronic Service Center to order an exchange and arrange for delivery of the pre-exchange product.
3. All units will be shipped FedEx Ground.
4. After removal of the defective unit, return the defective core to the Electronic Service Center using the supplied pre-paid Automatic Return shipping (ARS) label.
5. Failure to return the product within 30 days to the Electronic Service Center will result in a charge to the Dealer's Open Parts Account.

wsr58

Thanks for the information Knockster, will inform you later on how I make out at the dealer.

mrgrass

dude, you deserve a adult beverage... on me.
i just bought a 04 envoy xuv for my wife. loaded to the gills and in excellent condition. had it for about a week or so, and started having issues with the speedometer... stuck from 0 to 10 if anything at all. its been very spiratic to say the least. i contacted the dealer and they game me that standard used car saleman guy crap about "sure bring it down, well take care of it". were only about to turn 30k on the ticker, but from the wording of that letter you posted, i should be able to take it to a local gmc dealership. if it works out... like i said, the first beer is on me. thanks.
btw, just wondering... has your odometer been effected? kinda makes me wonder if the dealer i just got it from misrepresented the actural milage thus putting me in a excellent position to renegotiate the amount financed.

ksatc1

Have an issue with speedometer which I would guess is the instrument cluster as described. Have called dealership and GM to discuss the problem and told them of the special coverage adjustement bulletin 07187 that was describe on this forum. Both places have told me they cover a lot of the GMC vehicles listed but envoy are not one of them. I have 2004 Envoy XUV with 45000. Sounds like a real crock because I would expect this instrument panel to be the same as others listed. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Don't feel like paying 500 for a speedometer that should be covered.

wsr58

At this point I am very frustrated, angry and as disappointed as most of us here. What to do with this obvious, widespread Envoy problem is the big question.
(The problem GM is very aware of) Got my Envoy back to the Dealer again and of course it was on its best behavior and showed no signs of problems to the tech. Shared with the service advisor all of the information here, the bulletin, (#07187) from Knockster and that joe163's dealer replaced the ignition switch and the problem got progressively worse and when they replaced the instrument cluster it corrected the problem. After sharing this info with the Dealer and my Envoy spending an overnight with them, they informed me they wanted to start with replaing the ignition switch.. You have got to be kidding me is all I could say to them, obviously I left without them doing anything, except for the diagnoses, that I had to pay for and here I am with this question. What to do next..???

ksatc1

Supposedly there is a #07187 (B) letter out that states which vehicles that are covered. My 2004 Envoy with 45000 is not one of them. There were plenty of GM's that were in 07187 (B). There doesn't seem to be a 07187 (A) anymore that listed the envoy in the previous post. I can't remember for sure what makes he said were covered but I find it hard to beleive it isn't the same blankedy blank, blank instrument cluster/ speedometer (got edited by edmunds before) that is in my Envoy. Any others having success getting this fixed.

mrgrass

i talked with the dealers gmc location about my issues and what i learned here... i was basically told that if that was indeed the problem, than it would be fixed and paid for by gmc. however i told that if it wasnt the problem, i would be stuck with the diagnosis bill. called the dealer that i purchased the envoy from, and was told that it would be taken care of. i have to take it all the way down to them, just so they can run it through their dodge service dept., just so i can get taken up to the gmc dealer thats about 15 minutes from me. good thing its my gas theyre wasting. :mad:
btw, according to the gmc service mgr. this is a problem in a majority of their suvs but is most prevailent in the full size trucks.

socialbug

Believe it or not I was quoted 657.00 for the same thing... My problem is if this is an on going problem then there should be a national recall for this particular part..... I am going to try to reach the corporate office to find out what other alternative do consumers like us have.

ben

This is a total crock on behalf of all GM customers who are having problems with the instrument panel cluster. I have a 2003 GMC Envoy with only 57,000 miles and not being able to read the right amount of fuel in the tank on a car that cost with
tax etc,, 34K. I see why GM is having some much trouble and kissing the governement for money when they treat their loyal customers this way. The cluster will cost me in excess of $700 , when its a problem they have been able to isolate as a mfg defect. So why should we pay for something they knew was a problem and from what i read on the Internet, its all across many of GM's vehicles.
I went to the dealer today and they stated its not on the Bulletin #07187 A or B.
They need to include the ENvoy on this list. Read this GM, you should have gone out of business if you continue to treat your customers in this fashion. I am going foreign if this is the way they believe its right. READ GM !!!! Learn from what people are saying you Idiots !!!

ksatc1

Took my envoy in at 34,000 prior to the the warranty run out at 36,000. When I was getting a fuel light when I shouldn't have. The light would go off occassionaly and work correctly most of the time. When I took it to GM the found nothing wrong. Now I have all sorts of issues. Speedometer, Tach, occassional battery light, occassional gas light. So what do you think the problem is and was at the time I took it in. Whats the odds of GM taking care of this?

georger

In Dec 2007, my vehicle started accumulating water above the headliner. After a day of sitting in the rain, I noticed upon moderate braking a small water fall coming from the front of the headliner on to the dashboard. At the dealer, they checked the drains were open and the sun roof was closed and sealed. After five days of water checks they thought they had found the leak above the headliner in a seam in the roof. They sealed this and it still leaked. After another week, they finally found the leak in the track assembly where 2 factory rivets attached the drain rail to the frame assembly of the sun roof and were definately causing the leak. The service manager told me the only way to fix the problem would be to remove and repair the entire assembly which would cost about $1300. After the initial shock, denial and anger, I concluded that this was truly a factory design screwup. The service manager agreed and further stated it would only be $1000 to buy and install a new assembly. After numerous calls to GMC and further coordination with the service manager who went to bat for me, GMC agreed to send the dealer a new assembly complete with glass (even though the warranty had run out on body failures) at no cost as a factory warranty repair. I did suffer a lot of grief because of repeated attempts to fix the problem and numerous trips to return the vehicle for more leak testing. So, be polite, reasonable and STUBBORN and you may get lucky. Also, when they took down the headliner and later removed and replaced the the old assembly , I took a lot of digital pictures of everything. When the one year warranty is up on a repair like this you might need the pictures for another repair by yourself. reich

amyjones929

We recently took our 04 Envoy in for this problem, (unaware of this letter) and were charged about $700 for this to be replaced. I think if the dealerships received this letter they should have paid for the fix. They could have returned the defective part as the letter states and received a reimbursement for it along with charging us, since we had no knowledge of this letter and made double. I think that stinks! I wrote GMC about this and have yet to receive a response except saying they got my email. When we took our vehicle in it had under 50,000 miles on it. I am not sure I will buy GM again. I can't believe the government gave them $$ and they still don't take care of their customers.

wsr58

Enough is enough, the waiting game is over for me, I will surrender today. After all this time of waiting with this instrument panel problem and the GMC dealer pretending I am the only one with this problem, not aware of this widespread issue with Envoys or any Bulletin to GMC dealers. With all this being said my Envoy will be handed over to them today for repair, and of course they insist on starting with the ignition switch, even after I have shared posts from this thread showing that the problem is with the instrument cluster. Thanks again for everyones help here, but unless someone can reply to this post within the next couple of hours with saving information, my Envoy will be enroute to the dealer, with its tail between its legs.

frankie03

Just bought a 2004 GMC Envoy, with 60,000 miles...driving home I notice the battery light came on, and stayed on after I parked it. Also, the speedometer stayed at 60MPH. Good thing I didn't fully pay for the vehicle yet. Supposedly, this dealership will fix it, I hope they just don't rig it short term until the 3 month warranty is up. Sounds like a recall is needed.

TiredofGM

I gave up on GM doing the right thing. I purchased all the stepper motors needed on ebay and now my 2004 Envoy instrument cluster works perfectly. It was very easy to do if you know how to de-solder and solder. I should have done this a long time ago.

Note to GM- You Suck!

uhlix

I have a 2004 GMC Envoy with pretty much the same problem that everyone else on this thread has. The gauge in question for me is my oil pressure gauge. I have a friend that is an accomplished mechanic and has his own garage business so I'm thinking of purchasing the instrument cluster from ebay and working with him to replace it.

My question is this. Does anyone know where there is good documentation for replacing the instrument cluster? I'm sure we could figure it out ourselves with some investigative work, but any information that any of you can provide for doing the job would make it that much easier and quicker for us.

Thanks much!
Hank

JJPINTO788

My 2004 XUV has a pegged oil pressure gage since last year and then last week the speedo was saying 60 when i was parked. It took 2 days for the speedo to return to normal, but don't know if it will haooen again. With 50k miles it out of warranty, but was is up with GM fixing the problem for free.

mimi14

I am unclear, is GMC willing to fix this problem or not? I have a 2004 Envoy XL and I have no idea what to do. Can I get some more information on the stepper motors you purchased. thanks

JJPINTO788

I visited my local GMC dealer with a copy of letter by Knockster dated 10/2/08. I was given by the service advisor a copy of GM bulletin #07187B that does not have Envoys currently included in this repair program. He can only provide repairs to Sierra, Yukon & Yukon XL,as stated in 07187B. This current bulletin dated 9/9/08 replaces bulletin 07187A issued 11/07. I was also told that my oil pressure gage problem can be due a bad sending unit.This does not explain the irratic speedo problem that re-appeared after self- correcting.I am not the person who purchased and installed the stepper motors etc but have the ability to solder if necessary. I would also be interested in hearing more on this repair procedure.