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Buick Terazza Steering & Suspension Questions

scully504scully504 Member Posts: 4
in Buick
I recently took my 2005 Terazza to the dealer because as I was driving it, the traction control would kick in, pump the brakes, jerk the steering wheel to the left and then give me a message saying "service stability system" as the traction control light on the dash would come on. Regardless of whether I had traction control switched off, this was still happening.

The dealer explained that traction control is different from the stability system, but somehow they were both freaking out at the same time.

Anyhow, they told me that some wires were getting pressed together causing problems so they replaced the wires, and put them in conduit to prevent further issues. They also said they needed to replace a sensor. They got the sensor, and apparantly that wasn't the problem because they still have my van (since Monday, today is Friday) and they say that there is still a problem somewhere but they can't find it. They said it is probably in the in wiring "somewhere".

Yesterday they were consulting with GM to try and troubleshoot it, but still no good news.

Anyhow, I was wondering if anyone else has had similar problems. I was also wondering what happens if they can't fix it? It's definately a safety issue - not drivable, as you essentially lose control of brakes and steering for a second or 2. Do they disasemble the whole van and put it back together?

Thanks for listening and any input!
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Comments

  • kcoreykcorey Member Posts: 130
    I'm really sorry to be replying so late...I've had this happen twice to me, both times about a week apart. They both happened after I started the car after about a 8 hour stop. Within a mile of my start, while on a highway going about 50 or 55, the same thing as you described happened. It almost feels as though a tire is going flat.
    When I called the Service Manager of the dealer, he advised me to bring in the car. As it was on a Friday, both times, he wanted me to bring in the car on Monday or Tuesday. In the meantime I read the Owners' Manual and it states that this is a normal reaction, especially when the car first starts off (within a mile, or so) and if the car seems to be losing traction. When it happened before, the car had about 20,000 miles on it, now it has 30,000 miles, and it has never happpened again. Usually I just don't go over 50 for the first mile, especially if it's cold out, and everything seems to be OK. The Service Manager agreed with me. Please read the Owners' Manual.
  • scully504scully504 Member Posts: 4
    They finally fixed my problem. After the initial repair of wires and a broken sensor, they found some other loose wires.

    What was happening to me did almost feel like a flat tire, but it was too dangerous to ignore. It was happening at any speed, from 15 MPH to 55 MPH, and repeatedly.

    I am curious what the owners manual says so I will read it, but if it's "normal" and continues to happen even after the repairs, it is a safety issue and I'll have to contact whomever I need to, to file a complaint. I don't like swerving off into the next lane, let alone with my son in the car.

    Thanks for your input.
  • tdoghb2tdoghb2 Member Posts: 2
    I too have had mine in since Monday,for the 5th time for the same problem. I also have been having problems with the stereo system. I will turn it on, there will be a popping noise and then the entire system blacks out for a few seconds and comes back on. The dealership says that nothing is showing up on the computer for either issues. Both of these problems have been off and on for the past two years and they keep telling me the same things. First it is in the wiring. Then it is in the sensors. Then it is this or that. Now they are consulting with GM. They have no idea what it is either. The book states that if the traction control light comes on and stays on, that it could be a engine problem. All I have to say is that this is the last time I am dealing with it before I bring up the :lemon:
  • scully504scully504 Member Posts: 4
    I get the radio blackout thing occassionally too. Not sure I hearing a popping noise (I'll have to listen better).

    I also get random noises from time to time where the dashboard is dinging like their is a problem with something, but no lights are on. When I turn of the engine, the noise goes away and doesn't come back for months until it happens again.

    My big concern is getting these issues worked out BEFORE my factory warranty is up in October 2008. Might be a good candidate for an extended warranty.....
  • kcoreykcorey Member Posts: 130
    My 2005 Terraza is leased, and the lease expires in January. I will be leasing an Enclave, even though we really love the Terraza. My fervent advice...if I owned this car, or ANY car, would be to get an exteded service warranty...from the manufacturer!! Please, don't buy these "fly-by-night" warrantees that are offered on the internet or that you see advertised in papers or receive in the mail. Ask your GM (or whatever brand you have) Service Department which one they accept. Only go with the manufacturer!!
  • morewasabimorewasabi Member Posts: 58
    Question. How many drivers on your van? If you have two drivers,and each driver has their own key, the Terraza will remember each driver. My wife is driver 1 and I am driver 2. If my wife has been driving and then I drive the van, there is a black out of the radio at first as the computer recognizes me as driver 2 and then starts playing my last radio station or CD or DVD. It took me a while to figure this out, but its a nice feature as I my wife doesn't ask me "did you change my radio stations?
  • scully504scully504 Member Posts: 4
    We have 2, but it happened even if I was the only one driving it. We actually just took the van in last week because the sliding door malfunctioned. It had been dinging at us like it was open even though it was fully closed. They had to replace a bunch of stuff in the mechanism and sensors. Also, we told them about the radio and they ended up replacing it. They also fixed the horn because I had the problem with it being hard to push.

    Thanks for the input though!
  • ramjet99ramjet99 Member Posts: 3
    We sometimes hear a groaning noise when making left turns in our 2005 Terraza. It doesn't happen all the time and seems to make no difference if we are braking, coasting, or accelerating through the turn. It only happens on left turns. The dealer cannot duplicate the problem or find anything wrong. It has been happening for about the last 20,000 miles (now has 41,000 mi.).

    Has anyone else experienced this situation, and, if so, what causes it and how do we fix it?
  • rmondshinermondshine Member Posts: 2
    My 05 Terraza has done the same thing but it has been difficult to reproduce. I had a rattling noise in the front suspension area and took the vehicle in for warranty repair. They replaced what they called an intermediary steering linkage and when they test drove the car they found another noise. May have been the groan. Now, I am getting a new rack and pinion unit. Only time will tell if that fixes the groan. I also complained about the tire wear, cupping on the rear tires, and they say I need to rotate every 6k miles instead of 12k. Put new Michelins on at 35k. Will do better on rotations and see if I can more mileage out of this set.
  • ahmuschahmusch Member Posts: 1
    I just had my wife's AWD Terraza in for warranty work for a similar groan during turns. There was a TSB related to either the transfer case of the rear differential, but I can't remember the TSB number.
  • dave_justdavedave_justdave Member Posts: 29
    We have also had problems and have had the system serviced twice. I'm not sure what GM did but it was all under warranty. Our problems were not as serious, the whole stability system would stop and the require servicing message would come on after even a minor slippage in rain or snow. In general, this stability system does not seem to work at all as the brochure or owners manual state, it has been disappointing since day one.
  • kcoreykcorey Member Posts: 130
    Here's a little update about the Stability Control System malfunction that may help. (First off, I no longer have the Terraza...the lease was just about up and I turned it in on an Enclave.) When the car had about 30,000 miles on it, I replaced the tires (4 used tires, all Goodyear) and had the 2 front tires balanced. The tire dealer where I bought the tires from advised me that judging by the wear on the original tires, the car appeared to be out of alignment and the rear shocks may be worn.(This is not unusual in New york City). (I had the alignment checked at about 25,000 miles...not by a GM dealer...it was put back to factory specs.) Both of these conditions would have caused premature tire wear, and possibly the Stability Control System light to come on. After I had the "new" tires installed, the light did not come on again and the car drove and rode as smoothly as it did when it was new. I did not re-align the front end nor did I replace the shocks as I turned in the car with 35,400 miles on it.
    If I had kept the car, I would have performed both of these as I now feel both of these conditions were contributing to the malfunction.
  • kcoreykcorey Member Posts: 130
    Have the alignment checked and the front stablilzer links checked. Also, have you been rotating the tires and keeping them properly inflated...35 lbs.
  • alastanalastan Member Posts: 11
    I have slightly over 20,000 miles on my 05 Terraza and am starting to hear a slight groaning when making right or left turns. I had a similar occurrence in my Grand Prix at about 50,000 miles and was starting to get louder over time. In my GP it turned out to be worn front wheel bearings. After I had them replaced, the groaning noise while making turns in the GP went away. If your Terraza noise is coming from the front end and it always makes the noise when you make turns at speed, it may be your passenger-side front wheel bearing going bad.

    Aside from this new noise, my Terraza has been essentially trouble-free from day 1.
  • mkauz52mkauz52 Member Posts: 6
    I am currently having the exact same problem and not under warranty anymore. Please tell me what they finally had to do because so far I am in $500 (replacing the sensor) and that didn't fix the problem. Tuesday will be the 11th time in the shop.
    Whoa is me!
  • kcoreykcorey Member Posts: 130
    I'll try my best...here goes.
    First, get a good alignment. If your local Buick dealer can do it, good! It should run about $80. Then, have you rotated the tires? Check for uneven wear. While the car is having the alignment, check the shocks...front and rear. (Remember that the shocks not only provide a smooth ride, they also keep the tires firmly on the road). I found that the Stability Control System light only came on within a mile of a cold start, and usually as I entered a highway and started to accelerate, at about 50 MPH. If it was a problem with rough handling (like the car was getting a flat tire), I pullled over, shut off the engine for a minute or two, started up again, and all was well.
    The biggest problems seemed to happen when the tires were wearing down. (The original equiptment tires...Goodyear "Infinity"(or "Integrity")...were lousy. Before I turned my car in, I put on Goodyear "Eagle" (or "Double Eagle") tires...used! After that, I never had a problem until I got rid of it, at 35,400 miles.
    Good luck, I hope this helps.
  • mkauz52mkauz52 Member Posts: 6
    Do you get an error message in your display? My Terraza has 51,000 miles and has had several front end problems. Actually it is in the shop right now cause they can't figure out why my traction control kicks in on dry pavement....locks up the front tires and throws me into the oncoming lane of traffic. I think I am tempting fate by keeping it but the poor trade in value is forcing me to keep it.
    Problems in my front end only include:
    14,000 Took in for knocking noise in front end. Couldn't duplicate..No Action Taken
    14068- Taken in for knocking noise in front end. Replaced Stabilizer Links(both front) because they were worn loose.
    33,000 miles- Taken in for knocking noise again--Sway Bar links replaced and Right Front Tie Rod End had to be replaced.
    51,000 It has been in the shop 3 times now for the Traction Control/Stability System. Replaced a sensor...didn't correct the problem....Next they are going to look in the wiring.

    It sounds like you are in the onset of the problem I am dealing with right now. If they get it fixed I will let you know....In the meantime be VERY careful!

    I have 11 pages of repairs some pages have 4 items. It seems they can only put band-aids on this thing.....IT IS NEVER FIXED.
  • ramjet99ramjet99 Member Posts: 3
    No error message. Does not happen all the time. Go to the link below for complaints filed with the NHTSA for the 2005 Terraza. There seems to be some recurring themes: horn, traction control, other electrical problems. I only bought this vehicle because we got my father-in-law's GM discount. I'm not very happy with it. Lots of little problems.

    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints/results.cfm
  • stevem82stevem82 Member Posts: 1
    I had the same problem with my 2005 Terraza and my dealership solved the riddle.
    Here it is - and it is a recall so don't pay for it.
    This is straight from the dealership's ticket:
    "Diagnosis: Noise Change axle oil per bulletin #06-04-114-001A"
    Problem solved noise is gone.
    My guy in Missouri, who is really nice, said it was actually out of the date of recall or warranty but he covered it anyway. Like you this noise drove me crazy for some time.
    Give it a try it should work.
    Hope this helps.
  • electbcelectbc Member Posts: 4
    I complained to the dealer, while my 2005 was under warranty about the groan. I described it as a moan though. Of course he couldnt duplicate the problem, but, it was doing it when I pulled into his lot for service that morning .He searched service bulletins on the sympton, or so he said. When did that bulletin come out?
    He agreed to drive with me to duplicate it. It took about 15 minutes for it to warm up and re create the problem, it happened when we pulled back into the dealer lot. It happens when I am going slow, about 2-5 miles per hour, and an moderate or extreme left or right turn. We determined it was the tires, when they heat up they give a moan while turning at slow speed. What do you think? Of course these are my second tires on the van, the original set wore out evenly across the whole tread inside 14,000 miles. :confuse:
  • ramjet99ramjet99 Member Posts: 3
    No, our problem is definitely not with the tires. The sound is similar to when you turn your wheels hard to one side or the other, and you hear a groaning (moan?) noise from the power steering system. Our symptom occurs when making normal turns, not hard to the stops.
  • jasonc10jasonc10 Member Posts: 1
    I am having the same issue without Buick now. Could you possibly tell me if they were able to fix the problem? Was it the wires, and if so do you know the location of where and what was crushing them. I would greatly appreciate any help, as I would like to avoid a huge bill from the dealership.
  • egoodsegoods Member Posts: 1
    I have same problem, and I'm looking for an answer. And I found replacements to fix it from electronic boutique shop.
  • electbcelectbc Member Posts: 4
    ok so 60,000 miles later......Been living with groan for 6 years now. I brought it to a mechanic for a unrelated CV joint issue. When I got it back the groan was gone. What did he do? Nothing.. it came back in a couple weeks. My wife asked to do something about it so I did more research and found that the Versatrack fluid must be flushed and then again replaced. I bought the fluid, 8 pints, list price is @40 per pint, I got the dealer down to $25 per. I did the flush fill and then drove it in circles as the moaning dissapeared, I then emptied and refilled it. Hope it stays quiet. I do wish I found out about it sooner. I posted about the moan back in 2006, I never found about the service bulletin till this month. #06-04-114-001A
  • dave_dudedave_dude Member Posts: 14
    edited January 2017
    from a mechanic's point-of-view, if you hear a moan, groan, squeak, rattle, typically - it's mechanical in nature. Grinding moaning noises ONLY when you turn usually has to do with your suspension gone bad, axles that need lubrication, brakes that need changing, and/or tires rubbing on something due to clearance issues associated with the wrong tire size. Versatrack fluid? What the heck is that? I swear, auto dealers must think we're all a bunch of idiots. What fluids does your vehicle use? Motor oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, gear oil, anti-freeze, power steering fluid, gasoline. If the dealer insists you must buy their proprietary fluid, guess what... it's a scam. $40 bucks a pint for some sort of "magic" fluid? Yeah right. Listen folks, just because you drive the newest no-brainer flying carpet doesn't mean you should leave your brain at home.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,745
    edited January 2017
    dave_dude said:

    from a mechanic's point-of-view, if you hear a moan, groan, squeak, rattle, typically - it's mechanical in nature.

    What mechanic would you be referring to?

    The description of any sound is only information that can be used to attempt to reproduce and hopefully identify the source of the sound. With experience you learn not to jump to any conclusions, meaning you don't even "assume" the above are mechanical before you have even heard the sound for yourself. An example that would defy your generality would be a failure of Honda's active noise cancellation system which is supposed to cancel out sounds created by the engine mounts under specific conditions. That's a radio that has a problem when that system fails and even though it sounds mechanical, it isn't.
    dave_dude said:


    Grinding moaning noises ONLY when you turn usually has to do with your suspension gone bad, axles that need lubrication, brakes that need changing, and/or tires rubbing on something due to clearance issues associated with the wrong tire size. Versatrack fluid? What the heck is that?

    Versatrack fluid is a gear oil with a very special friction modifier similar to what we used to have to add to limited slip differentials. Inside the rear differential in some of the AWD systems there is a hydraulically applied clutch that has a given amount of torque slip under normal conditions, but can be made to apply and lock tightly when wheel slip is encountered. Since the clutch has to slip to reduce drag, but still pass torque when required the fluid has to allow slippage without any sticking once a given torque is exceeded. When the fluid is degraded, the clutches start to stick and that creates a groan or vibration. Replacing the fluid early enough cleans and protects the clutches and usually prevents someone for having to disassemble and rebuild the assembly.
    dave_dude said:


    I swear, auto dealers must think we're all a bunch of idiots. What fluids does your vehicle use? Motor oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, gear oil, anti-freeze, power steering fluid, gasoline. If the dealer insists you must buy their proprietary fluid, guess what... it's a scam.

    This can go so wrong..... You just took a lack of knowledge about a given subject, and projected your perspective on it and insulted people who are trying to solve a vehicle problem for its owner correctly. It would be a scam to NOT advise someone to service the axle assembly correctly and have them end up failing the apply clutch assembly which would result in a bill that would exceed $1500 to repair. It would be a scam to lead them into suffering an axle failure when simply replacing the fluid could have corrected the issue.
    dave_dude said:


    $40 bucks a pint for some sort of "magic" fluid? Yeah right. Listen folks, just because you drive the newest no-brainer flying carpet doesn't mean you should leave your brain at home.

    Nothing magic about the fluid. It's a full synthetic with friction modifiers that behave in a very specific way. Shops and techs don't set the prices on stuff like that, all they can do is pass the costs on to the consumer. Maybe next time instead of just spouting off, do some research so that maybe you will really know something about what you're trying to talk about.

    BTW you can start researching this with TSB 06-04-114-001A
    and here is a little about how the differental works
    http://www.neilkline.com/Tech Tips/Versatrak.htm
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