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Comments
The signels are almost continuous at this point.
Usually these failures can be fixed by simply tapping the back of the sensor in a bit with a plastic hammer. There was never a GM spec released for the sensor clearance because GM never intended to sell the sensor by itself.
Occasionally this can also be attributed to rust on the gear like part that passes in front of the sensor. In that case the sensor needs to be removed, cleaned, and reinstalled again.
It is rare that the sensor itself is really bad.
Why would a manufacturer sell a vehicle to the public, after 75 years of making vehicles, that leaks water into the back window and then expects the owner to pay to have the faulty seal to be fixed. Is the faulty seal going to be replaced with another faulty seal that they make and will soon leak like the original part? I would like to know what GM is thinking about these lack of manufacturer quality parts. Do they just want to get us to keep paying them so the corporate executives can take bigger bonuses and get another "Bailout" to line their pockets?
The repair decisions are being made by the mechanic (technician) at an independently owned business (the dealer). The mechanic is being paid by the book and not by the hour. He gets paid more when the work is billed outside (to the customer) rather than paid for my GM (warranty work). The dealer also makes the mark up on any parts used so the more parts used the better for the dealer. If it is warranty or recall work only one part may be used without specific permission of GM.
If you complain to GM, they defer back to the Dealer to make the determination on whether you pay or send it back to GM and ask for them to pay.
What was your outcome from GM and any other source?
KPO / Ken
I'm so sorry that your experiencing this potentially dangerous concern with your brakes! It looks like it is happening quite frequently at this point - for a dealer to diagnose, they need to be able to duplicate the problem if there aren't any codes. Let us know if you decide to go in! We're available to help in any way we can.
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Thank you for reviewing and responding to my message. I am glad that a representative from General Motors is clearly aware of my situation, in the event of a serious incident. I am not able to duplicate the problem for the dealer to diagnose. If the problem comes up again and the code registers, I will take it to a dealer. Unfortunately I will have to select a dealer farther from home. The owner of the dealer closest to me is a close social acquaintance, and I am confident that the situation will not be a pleasant one. I do not want to harbor bad feelings about him, his family, or his business every time I go to a soccer game, the swim club, a school event, or even at church on Sunday, because of issues out of his control or the products that he sells. I will select a reputable dealer that I have no personal ties to so I can be objective in my decisions and actions during the process. I drove the truck all weekend and the brakes did not fail. Its like driving a ticking time bomb and having no idea how much time is left or when it might go off. Sounds dramatic, but thats how it feels. Sarah, you did mention that you would be available to help any way you can. In what ways do you feel that you can help in a situation like this?
marroe
GM Customer (in search of) Service
As you begin to work with a service department, we would set up a Service Request through our department which would allow us to interact with your dealership to follow the progress on the repair, and if there is not a satisfactory resolution to perhaps send the case to your district specialist for further assistance. Our primary goal is to get vehicle concerns remedied through this process.
I hope this helps to clarify our role. If you have further questions or would like to start the Service Request process, you can reach us at socialmedia@gm.com
Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
If I e-mailed you my VIN number, is it possible for you to obtain the list of dealer completed service work on my truck since it was new? I am curious to see what dealership service or warranty work work was done and if any of the work done is associated with the issues that I am experiencing. I see many other owners have issues at low miles and I am wondering if mine did too.
Thank you for your time,
marroe
I'm sorry - I am unable to disclose that information. I would be able to check into any existing recalls that are open and associated to your vehicle, but would not be able to discuss past service history prior to your taking ownership of the vehicle.
Regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
www.355nation.net is another.
A quick comment on your listed problems. The heater fan is usually a burned connection on the resistor block or a bad ground wire connection on the right inner fender. If it is a 2004 an AC cooling problem there is a fix posted there for the temperature sensor on the evaporator. The rough idle is usually cured by cleaning the throttle body. It could be other things like a coil pack or a valve but clean the throttle body first. The ABS problem is usually cured by tapping on the back side of the failing sensor and re-seating it back where it belongs. You can get more detailed info on these common problems at the above sites.
Thank you for your post. My name is Christina; I have taken over on the forums for Mariah. Please feel free to email me directly at SocialMedia@GM.com. Please include your VIN, current mileage, and dealer of choice with your inquiry. I will do my best to answer your questions.
Christina
GM Customer Service
I seen your post and wanted to try to clarify my position and the ways I am able to assist you all. I'm part of a new department for General Motors that reaches out to customers via social media (including forums like this one, Facebook, and Twitter). In doing this, we're hoping to assist customers who otherwise might not contact us regarding a particular situation. In some ways, I acknowledge that my responses are perhaps limited in depth and scope. I am operating entirely from the GM-approved resources available to me, and when it comes to trouble shooting some problems an owner's manual is the only thing I can contribute from. Our approach to diagnosing concerns is that our dealerships are our eyes and ears, and that an in-person look at a vehicle is more accurate than a virtual one. We'd rather not have one representative of GM say one thing over the internet and another representative of GM say another in person at the dealership.
Some things I can help assist with are:
1) looking to see if there are any open safety recalls that you need to be alerted about
2) inform you of your warranty parameters (exact date/time of expiration, special coverages, etc)
3) investigate past service history in the event of a vehicle concern (an extensive service history record helps build a case towards GM assisting with the costs of a repair, but isn't the only determining factor)
4) helps to build up our database so that the interactions I have with you virtually are recorded for "text-mining" of customer service records; this assists with GM issuing recalls or service programs for makes and models of cars
I hope this helps to clarify our purposes for engaging with forum posts. Again, I appreciate this feedback. I am here to serve you all in the ways that I'm able to do so. If you have a question please feel free to address me on the forum or send me an email at SocialMedia@GM.com, and I will do my best to find the answer for you, or lead you in the appropriate direction.
Sincerely,
Christina
GM Customer Service
I purchased a 2006 Chevy Colorado about 4 years ago. About 2 years ago i first experienced the ABS fault issue. I touched the brake pedal to slow down and the vehicle veered off to the right, i corrected it in time but what had happened is the ABS activated for some reason but was only working on the right side of the vehicle. The ABS stayed activated for a few more seconds while i was trying to slow down, then it released and the ABS BRAKE FAULT message came up. I then had full control of the brakes. After shutting the truck off and restarting it the error message was gone. I took it to my local GM dealership (while i was under extended warranty) and they said that nothing was wrong. It happened a few more times over the next few months so i tried again, same result from the dealership. I then took it to Les Schwab, and they replaced about 1000 dollars worth of drums and pads. Also ever since i have had the truck there has been a pulse in the brake pedal. A few months later, same thing. So back to the dealership i went. When i purchased the truck in 2008 i bought a 5 year 100000 mile extended warranty. What i was not told in 2008 is that, that specific warranty starts with the vehicle manufactured date. So by this time my warranty was over (2 and half years and 40000 miles later). I threw a fit in the store and left never to go back, just decided i would live with the ABS FAULT problem. In the past week the problem has got very bad. Almost every time i stop it happens, this last weekend it happened at 75 mph and just about threw me off the interstate. Its been doing it daily, and is getting very annoying. Is there a solution to this Fault yet that anyone knows about, because we all know that GM will not man up and fix it. I'm sure there is no way that their design would ever have this many problems is the way they see things. Anyway long story short i hope that GM will fix this problem. But the way i was treated at the GM dealership in Twin Falls, ID i will most likely sale my truck and never buy a GM product again.
How scary that must have been having the ABS problems at 75mph! Thankfully I have only had problems at low speeds. I have been keeping a log book in my truck for every time it happens and today again coming off of the highway I could hear that sound coming from somewhere under my dash and then the ABS brakes kicked in with no fault lights on the dash. I frequently travel 300 miles on the highway to my destination and really getting worried about the safety issues and wondering when Chevrolet will realize the magnitude of our problems with this issue and do something to make it right. I refuse to pay 1000.00's of dollars to have something fixed that is not the problem or continue to have it diagnosed and pay for no readings. I have to travel this week and wondering if I should just pull the ABS fuse again?? Does anyone know if that will do the trick? I have done it before and didn't seem to have any problems but unsure if that was just coincidence. I put the fuse back in to pass inspection. I am going to attempt to call Chevrolet tomorrow and see what they have to say. So sorry that we all have to deal with this and for the dealerships not even standing behind us. Be careful!">
There are several components that could cause your problem but the most common by far is the wheels sensors. Things like shoes, pads, drums, and rotors should not cause this problem.
I would start looking for a maladjusted sensor (meaning the sensor clearance is off because it is not seated properly) causing an occasional loss of sensor pulses.
If you also have traction control, an intermittent / weak sensor will also display an occasional traction fault without pressing on the brake. The traction control system uses the same sensors .
Initially I would scan the ABS controller looking for errors (codes). The scan might tell you which sensor is failing. A solid sensor failure will set an ABS light after initially picking up speed past 10 mph without touching the brake. These are errors are easy to retrieve with a scan tool.
If that does not work, with the same scanner I would drive the vehicle with the ABS scanner attached and look at the output of each wheel sensor. One should be different than the others.
You could also have a bad ABS controller but those failures are rare.
I thought that I was reading my own post while reading yours. Talk to almost anyone that owns a colorado they can share the same issue. I was sick to my stomach to read all of the information on the internet about this problem. It seems that a lot of people replaced the hubs the sensors and everything but the truck and it still happens. If pulling the ABS fuse stops it, I may do that to mine. I would rather have no ABS than no brakes at all. Or having just one front wheel brake working and shooting you off the road. That happened to me too. Everyone just needs to report it. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/
Be careful, it scared the hell out of me.
I am sorry to read that you haven't had a satisfactory experience with your dealership. If we can look into this further for you, please send an email to socialmedia@gm.com with more information (include your name/Edmunds username, phone and address, the last 8 of your VIN and current mileage, and the name of your involved dealership). My coworker Christina, who answers inbound emails, will assist you further.
Regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
You said, " After shutting the truck off and restarting it the error message was gone. I took it to my local GM dealership (while i was under extended warranty) and they said that nothing was wrong." Of course, what did you expect from a Chevy Dealer; they don't care and/or they don't know how; they just want your money and as much of it as possible.
You said, " Is there a solution to this Fault yet that anyone knows about, because we all know that GM will not man up and fix it. I'm sure there is no way that their design would ever have this many problems is the way they see things. Anyway long story short i hope that GM will fix this problem."
Don't hope, there is no hope with either the company or their dealers. The company was in financial difficulty, because they don't manufacture a quality product and then don't back them up like a reputable company should.
Could you imagine if Boeing (The world's largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense) built airplanes like GM built their vehicles? A GM type Boeing would say after their plane crashed, " Duh, I don't believe that there is a problem; take it to our hanger and have one of our janitor dealers look at it." Their dealer would say, "There is no problem." or "We can replace all the parts that are attached to the wing that failed, including the entire fuselage and horizontal stabilizer, 'maybe' that will solve your crashing problem. At your expense, of course"
You, the airplane owner, could always contact their Customer Service Rep and they could string you along with false hope and empty promises and then later tell you, " Our GM type Boeing can't help you."
BOTTOM LINE: A LOSER company like GM was in financial problems to the point of BANKRUPTCY and had to have the AMERICAN TAXPAYERS bail them out. What makes us think that we change a LOSER into a WINNER by just throwing Billions of dollars at them? Would you do that for a criminal? Can you change the spots on a leopard; can you change a hawk to a dove? The answer is simply, "NO"! If you love your country, don't buy GM (you will reward the greedy and punish the honest ones) ; go to a foreign car dealer and trade in your GM (Colorado or Canyon) in and a buy the foreign car (most are made in the USA); stick them with the loser GM product that they can't even give away. Tell your friends.
Ken
GM did address the issue of the soft valve seats on the I-4 and I-5 engines by extending the warranty to 100,000 miles. They did address the failing brake light with a $10.00 recall, but other than that on these other high failure items such as the wheel sensors, the heater fan resistor, the missing star washer on the right inner fender ground connection, and the evap vent solenoid you hear nothing from them other than "you are the only one who is having this problem". It will cost you $,$$$.$$ to fix our poor design.
GM chose to make these design failures a revenue stream rather than an engineering issue. The product line is now dead. This is the last year for them and they are shutting down the US plant that makes them. You seldom see one on a dealer's lot and haven't for a few years. So there now is no incentive for GM to resolve your problem.
Two weeks ago I bought my first foreign car. It was a used 2009 Honda. I needed to reset the anti-theft radio code because I had disconnected the battery. I called Honda and registered myself as the new owner. They helped me with the new code and then said "Sir, there is a recall on that Honda and one service bulletin that you should bring you car in to have done. Your nearest dealer is xxxxxx and I can transfer you there if you would like to make an appointment." I never asked for any of this. All I wanted was a radio reset code but they went out of their way to make sure I knew what additional "free" things should be done.
I've always owned GM vehicles and GM was customer oriented is in the past like Honda is now, but Gm is not that way today. Good luck on resolving your issues. I now have 5 GM vehicles and one Honda in my family. You can bet that ratio will continue to change in the future until all of the GM vehicles are gone.
Sarah, GM Customer Service
Now, as for your ABS fault problem: I've experienced the same things with my 2005 Colorado for several years now, and have learned to live with it. The ABS Fault indication always goes away when I shut the ignition off and start up again. Until the vehicle becomes totally inoperable because of this, I'm gonna keep on driving it. I really do like my truck and have had no other problems in 7 years other than an oxygen sensor replaced. It really causes no safety concerns for me as long as the brakes work, especially when I read here about folks who've paid thousands of $$ to have the ABS system "fixed" and are still getting the fault code. You ought to consider the same thing. Good luck.
Listen to all of the Colorado owners who have tried to be honest and fair with GM. The GM Serv Reps and GM don't do anything but use delay tactics. 'Tactics, then, are isolated actions or events that take advantage of opportunities offered by the gaps within a given strategic system.' Their strategy is to wear you down with delays, expensive diagnostics at the dealer, and multiple statements or comments of "I'm sorry" followed by a explanation of why GM (Chevy) Will Not do anything with the design and manufacturing flaw that they continued to create and manufacture for several years and that still exsists with the Colorado ABS Failure issues.
Chevy Runs Deep!?? How about: Chevy runs away! or Chevy runs deep into your pocket!
KPO
I shopped the best deals on parts both on the internet and local parts stores. With all these parts replaced the ABS works as designed and the brakes haven't given me any trouble in 30k miles. Anyone suggesting you drive your Colorado with the ABS light on is suggesting you risk your life. The ABS system DOES NOT WORK with the light on and, as noted by many people on this forum, malfunctioning ABS can cause dangerous situations.
For those of you waiting for GM to do something about your ABS problem, Good Luck with that!
A few years and 40,000 miles ago I "fixed" mine by re-seating the front sensors with a plastic hammer. Now it is starting to do it again. I have seen it twice this summer when the Outside Air Temperature was over 90 degrees F. Unfortunately during the second occurrence when I looked down at the Instrument Panel to see what the alarm was on the display, I missed seeing the traffic light changing to red in front of me. When I realized the light was red and tried to stop, I slid sideways into the intersection. Luckily the cross traffic had not started across the intersection yet so no damage was done other than maybe some flat spots on my tires. When you get the alarm, the ABS is shut off and that truck is very hard to keep headed straight in a panic stop without any ABS.
I TOOK IT TO A MACHANIC HE COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. I FINALLY TOOK IT TO A CHEVROLET DEALER AND THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM, EVEN IF IT DID COST ME 900.00. IT WAS WORTH IT TO FINALLY HAVE IT FIXED. THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE HUB AND THE SENSOR,ROTOR AND I HAD TO HAVE BREAK PADS PUT ON. THEY FOUND OUT THE BEHIND THE SENSOR IN THE HUB , THERE WAS A PLASTIC BEARING (STUPID TO HAVE A PLASTIC ANYTHING AROUND THE BREAKS) THAT HAD MELTED AND WAS IN THE HUB AND THEY COULDN'T GET IT OUT, SO THE HUB HAD TO BE REPLACED. SO FAR EVERYTHING IS WOKING GOOD. HOPE THIS HELPS. I ALSO AM GOING TO CONTACT GENERAL MOTORS AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT I FINALLY FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.
Welcome to the land of GM/ Chevy ineptness and design flaws. We (Colorado owners) have all had the same ABS problem(s) along with many other issues and problems that are examples of premature wear and / or design flaws. I am not surprised to hear that you found plastic parts in the brake assembly components. All GM wants to do is have the dealer replace the hub and sensor and call it a 'wear and tear' issue. The hub and sensor was re-designed in later years so you would have two separate parts, but dealers are still replacing BOTH parts sinc e they don't know what they are doing and simply want to make more money off of the owner/ consumer. Of course we will almost do anything to avoid the death defying episodes of BRAKE FAILURE due to this ABS issue. It will take a few deaths to get somone at GM to "own up".
We're glad to hear that the dealership helped you get to the bottom of the brake concern you had been having on your Colorado. Keep us posted if anything should come up as we're available to follow up on this with you and your dealership (we can be reached via email at socialmedia@gm.com and ask that you include your name and contact information, as well as a summary of the situation and the last 8 digits of your VIN).
Sarah, GM Customer Service
So, congratulations GM, you're now in second place of the biggest liars in the USA. GM says in response to ABS complaints, " There's nothing wrong with your ABS system; it just has worn out parts like other wear and tear parts, like tires and brake pads, that must be replaced over time." I say, OK, but how long should brake system parts (not pads) last and how should we know they are 'worn out' before we die on the road from BRAKE FAILURE. Even brake pads have a 'squeeler' to warn us of worn 'pads'. Shouldn't sensors and hubs last for more than 35,000 to 40,000 miles; brake pads (and practically all of the over 10,000 other parts) do.
How is that?
The last time it failed I was doing 55 and the alarm went off and I looked down to see the message. While doing that I did not see the light in front of me change to red. When I looked up again and saw the red light, I nailed the brakes forgetting that I now had no ABS and put the truck sideways into the middle of the intersection. I hit nothing so the only damage was some flat spots on my tires.
In 19 pages of postings here we have beat this subject to death. GM will not fix it and so we will live with it. A quick inventory of replacement hubs and sensors sold by them for these trucks would easily establish that there is a problem. They are not interested. It is a dead product that is no long sold and the manufacturing plant is closed down so do not expect much from them. There is a follow on truck scheduled for next year being to be made in Missouri. All one can hope for is a redesign of this area on the new product.
I was hesitant in buying my Colorado because of previous issues with General Motors. My wife commented that the Colorado was a "piece of crap" after test driving a brand new one at the dealership. No more General Motors products for the rest of my life. This Colorado is the last one.
Don't get me wrong, there is so much to love about these trucks. I still love mine. It just keeps giving me more and more reasons to hate it. ABS issues, power windows may or may not work, had the leaky third brake light, a quart of oil per tank of gas, radio and speakers have a mind of their own, etc... I filed with the NTSB because of the ABS problem. Now I can not get rid of it because my VIN number is associated with a known problem and the CarFax tells the story to the world. No one wants to give me anything for it. I will just keep it for when it snows or I need to haul something on the weekend. It is way too unreliable as a daily driver. Luckily I can afford a second car and I learned to drive in the snow before ABS brakes existed. Never another GM product. (Which really sucks since I am part owner of the company as a US Taxpayer)
Please everyone, be safe. This is a dangerous defect that we will have to live or die with.
GM has paid back their Bailout Loan with all of their 'corner cutting' schemes, at our expense. EXAMPLE: All of the high rear mount Brake Light Assembly leaks are because they made the assembly INCORRECTLY: Foam gasket (what a joke). only two screws (one on each end) on an extra long light unit with insufficient pressure to seal water out. All of these require the consumer to get parts and labor from the dealer, who splits the profit with GM. GM stands for "Greed Mongers". As described by The Free Dictionary. com:
greed (grd)
n.
An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth
mon·ger (mnggr, mng-)
n.
1. A dealer in a specific commodity. Often used in combination: an ironmonger.
2. A person promoting something undesirable or discreditable. Often used in combination: a scandalmonger; a warmonger.
If the dealership acts stupid on this, call the GM 1-800 number in your owner's manual or post again here and I'll go find the letter that GM sent out.