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Chevy Tahoe Stabilitrak Problems

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Comments

  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    atc, it's really tough to follow what you wrote but in trying to make sense out of it you bought struts and took them in to be installed? "I was there 3 weeks ago with my Loaded Outlook XR. I had bought 2 new OE AC Delco struts to have installed. " If you carried in parts to be installed did you ask them to advise you of any additional needs? Did you ask to have the vehicle aligned? Were you quoted prices for that additional work?

    The suburban that you bought, did you buy it from a dealer or an individual?
  • atc007atc007 Member Posts: 8
    edited July 2015
    ray 80, Yes, the boards were stuck out,and airbag light on. And he advised after showing the religious Mobil one oil changes about the oil useage. Only problems at purchase. The battery and all other problems showed up AFTER purchase. You seem to be possibly suggesting I should have "saw this coming!!?". I never could have foreseen these problems! Brakes locking up without a foot NEAR the pedal??? The problems found at inspection,were googled and determined roughly what it would take to fix them. I am truly flabbergasted you have that "tone" given the track record here!! Oh well :). Carddoc, yes,sorry. Carried in new AC Delco parts, was quoted $130 for job. They came out halfway through stating,,,both of your swaybar bushings are shot. $56 a piece. I quickly checked Ebay,,,fresh new STEEL ones,with grease zerks, $29 shipped. I said ,just leave them. At pick up""" Broken piece is in the back",,what!!? Without so much as cleaning the threads or shooting PB on the threads,,which were Spotless BTW. ZERO rust. He had Broken the stud off. NOTHING wrong with the bushings :((. Yes,,of course they wanted to sell an alignment!!! My life is spent running family to hospitals here and there. We had an appointment to get to upon leaving.I called the service manager, Barry Humber, I said ,,I have a front wheel that sounds like it's coming back through my Wifes feet,a steering wheel aligned perfectly with the DITCH and Stabiltrak and traction control lights flashing!! I drove in there with a a PERFECT car with ONE soft strut on it a couple hours ago!!!!! WTH IS THIS!?? Well, you said change the struts,,, no alignment was talked about.. And swaybars break off ALL THE TIME when changing struts! ALL the time! He said..WHY would it need an alignment unless you screwed it up!... It drove straight as an arrow that am. I had a 08 Outlook, same struts, Landon Tire installed both 2 years ago. $100. NO alignment needed. Car drove like a dream another 40,000 miles. Never chewed a tire at all. And my next door neighbor now runs foster children all over Gods green earth with that car.. This 07 Outlook is absolutely unsafe to drive in the condition they returned it in. Bill was $140.. I get it. This is the new world order,and most of you simply swallow it. Not me, not by ANY stretch of the imagination. I have twisted wrenches my entire life and know right from wrong. And these stories on here,,,are not right. Suburban was brought privately.
  • atc007atc007 Member Posts: 8
    I would also like to add. I have no ill will obviously. Toward the GREAT mechanics who TRY hard every day ,and dedicate themselves to being great and doing right. As with anything, it's the bad ones there collecting a check and taking up space that ruin it for all of the good ones. I know first hand how many tens of thousands of dollars free time and advice I have given through the years repairing over the phone and breaking my knuckles on rusty junk I wouldn't charge extra for :(

    It is General Motors I have the HUUUUUUGGEEEEE Problem with. Do not think for one SECOND, their filthy low down belly crawling layers and Corporate asset preservation teams don't see these threads. Ford Pinto gas tanks, Explorer Firestone tires, They were NOTHING compared to this fiasco. Please,,, if ANYONE knows of anyone who has actually been in an accident ,or was killed or injured. PLEASE get ahold of me or post here. This entire situation does not sit well with me. Also,, My entire family WAS gm forever, the brutal Ford Chevy battles.Monster trucks, nascar, We bought a new Caprice or silverado every other year. Like MANY in this thread, I have chased ALL of my friends, neighbors, customers to ANYTHING but a GM. This after many disc brake/fuel pump problems with prior models.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I think GM needs to either fix Stabilitrak or develop a better performing replacement. Given the long period GM has apparently had these issues, the answer is probably the latter alternative.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    atc007 said:

    I never could have foreseen these problems! Brakes locking up without a foot NEAR the pedal???

    If you want an attempt at a silver bullet, one guess would be that the e-brake shoes might have corroded and the brake lining broke loose from the shoes and is moving inside the rotor hat (like a mini brake drum). No matter what this needs inspected by the symptom.
    atc007 said:


    Carddoc, yes,sorry. Carried in new AC Delco parts, was quoted $130 for job. They came out halfway through stating,,,both of your swaybar bushings are shot. $56 a piece. I quickly checked Ebay,,,fresh new STEEL ones,with grease zerks, $29 shipped. I said ,just leave them. At pick up""" Broken piece is in the back",,what!!? Without so much as cleaning the threads or shooting PB on the threads,,which were Spotless BTW. ZERO rust. He had Broken the stud off. NOTHING wrong with the bushings :((. Yes,,of course they wanted to sell an alignment!!!

    Thank-you for a classic description of what happens to shops when the management isn't smart enough to turn away someone that wants to carry in their own parts. Well, you just gave them the lesson that goes with the experience so maybe they will start saying "No" now. Those sway bar links almost never survive being removed and re-installed and while you can say that there was nothing wrong with them it cannot be proven in a forum. However given their failure rate unless they had been replaced some time in the last year or so that would very likely be incorrect.
    atc007 said:


    My life is spent running family to hospitals here and there. We had an appointment to get to upon leaving.I called the service manager, Barry Humber, I said ,,I have a front wheel that sounds like it's coming back through my Wifes feet,a steering wheel aligned perfectly with the DITCH and Stabiltrak and traction control lights flashing!! I drove in there with a a PERFECT car with ONE soft strut on it a couple hours ago!!!!! WTH IS THIS!?? Well, you said change the struts,,, no alignment was talked about.. And swaybars break off ALL THE TIME when changing struts! ALL the time! He said..WHY would it need an alignment unless you screwed it up!...

    The strut is responsible for not only maintaining one of the main alignment angles, Camber. (among others) Where the bottom of the strut bolts to the knuckle an adjustment can be made to correct the camber angle. Any change in the camber angle and you get a change in toe (in/out) and that would leave the steering wheel off center when going straight down the road.

    The shops biggest mistake was letting you tell them what to do. You aren't a technician and have no training so you have to learn all of this by experience. Yes you can get stuff cheaper off of the net, but those prices are for you to do it yourself, not for what you have done here.
    atc007 said:


    I have twisted wrenches my entire life and know right from wrong. And these stories on here,,,are not right. Suburban was brought privately.

    I have been a mechanic/technician all of my life and based on what you posted you have a long way to go to claim yourself as proficient. If you genuinely had experience you would have known about needing the car aligned and the sway bar links with the installation of the struts. It's not a stretch to believe that a real technician examining the Suburban prior to purchase would also have discovered a good number of the faults you described. Caveat Emptor.

  • atc007atc007 Member Posts: 8
    edited July 2015
    Lol,, the internet is littered with typical responses like yours, dissecting a post and answering a sentence at a time. My little time on the net has proven to me to steer clear of that. My post aside. Completely discredited. We would ALLLL ,,LOVE to hear you explain away. The hundreds and hundreds,, Thousands? Of EXACT,same real world problems we are all here for. Rear brakes were replaced not long ago at a garage silver bullet. By a presumably "proficient" technician like yourself.It has a miss on multiple cylinders. I will dare a guess at oil fouled plugs from a defective engine design. Impeding electrical performance due to a defective electrical design. And when replacing struts, common sense does warrant very carefully placing the new one exactly where the old one lived. Guaranteed perfection? No, Straight wheel ? Yes.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    @atc So when are you going to open up a shop and show everyone how it is supposed to be done?

    The number one issue with all of this is that you want GM to goodwill you a rebuilt car. If GM did that, would you really treat them, or the dealer you mentioned any better? Meanwhile you have yet to explain why the rest of us have to chip in and pay for you to get a rebuilt used car because the manufacturer ultimately doesn't pay for stuff like that, its other customers do. Warranty expense is a cost that gets passed back onto the consumer just like every other part of doing business.

    There are a lot of people who are in for a big surprise, the trade is running out of qualified techs. The people smart enough to really be good at the work are doing other things with their lives where they can make better money, have benefits, and not have to put up attitudes like the ones displayed in your posts. The shops that have the best techs today have learned to not try and fix every car. You wouldn't even have gotten past the phone call estimate with carry in parts.

    As far as why your new used car has problems, it sounds like the previous owner didn't take as good of care of it as they should have and just let things go because they were planning on getting rid of it. Which by the way you'll find numerous posts advising people to do just that.

    The struts. You tried to state that there would be marks that would allow you to put it back together "where the old one lived". That's partly true, however the marks that you would need would only be visible inside of the old strut that would be headed to the scrap pile. The knuckle would have marks, but they would be across the entire surface because it gets clamped inside of the larger strut. That means there are no marks to attempt to line up when you install new struts.

  • atc007atc007 Member Posts: 8
    edited August 2015
    I appreciate you are one of the good ones. I truly do. But using THIS particular thread to pound home how rough your job is, is NOT the time or place. I mean this in 100% sincerity to you. Thank you for trying to be a GREAT tech. BUT, THIS thread,if you missed it. Is about ONE thing. General Motors Stabilitrak safety issues. People dying,or having a REALLY good shot at it. Anything other ,should be buried in some other thread. I have, like MANY others. A full sized tank that rolls down the road pointed at other helpless families,that is NOT safe to be in or around.End of story. The FAULT? An engine that uses oil,fouls plugs,ruins lifters,and ultimately destroys itself,throwing codes that activates and deactivates,LOTS AND LOTS of systems on it's own. And THAT, is WHY we are all hear. NOT to hear how amazing you are,how underpaid you are,or how far you can bully beatdown a good person on the internet . Since you are underpaid, And I mean that sincerely, I truly think you should go be a GM lawyer. You have the flare :) Did it REALLY make you feel better, proving that I do indeed, NOT have a laser alignment rack in my front yard?? Seriously. Tearing me down and trying to discredit someone personally,in a thread where people ABSOLUTELY SHOULD HAVE DIED.. MANY,MANY,MANY TIMES.Really,,,do you FEEL BETTER NOW cardoc? You WREAK of GM,,,The stench is terrible. I have NO care, WHO this is passed onto cost wise. RIGHT IS RIGHT> Wrong is wrong.These vehicles should either be FIXED to the end of their life cycles,NO questions asked,,or bought back by GM.. End of story. Zero questions. No gray area.And if you will argue ANY of this. ONE word. God help you. You are so far jaded, you need a break. :( HOW,can you as a human being. Sit by and read about families ending up straddling the edge of cliffs,ending up dead engine in freeway traffic around tractor trailers repeatedly,engines dying, brakes locking,brakes not working, steering locking,steering not working,and some how DEFEND<ANY PART OF WHAT IS TAKING PLACE HERE!?? You can most likely have the last word. I have no time to argue with you. THIS,,and THIS exactly, is why I did most certainly have a chip on my shoulder coming in. NOT just because I have watched and dealt with GM over the past decades on problems that CLEARLY were world wide recall candidates,but because of presumably decent people like yourself, DEFENDING and somehow seeing ANY parts of this filthy story that is ok?? Good luck .
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    Thanks for letting me have the last word. ;) When the career evolves into one where the pay and benefits and above all respect are on par with what is available to people in other careers, then and only then will it attract higher quality candidates on a regular basis. As it is right now a dealer tech assigned to repair your car would get paid one amount for the work as a customer pay repair, but the moment GM stepped in and took over any of it the techs pay for the same work would be cut by a third or more. (Yea I know some think that isn't the consumers problem but it sure sounds like you have a problem with the way things are right now) They call this "flat rate" and there isn't anything flat about it. Do you want to see a trade where all of the techs could handle the stabilitrak and other more complicated systems efficiently? Then the points that I am making have to be addressed. My guess is that things are going to get a lot worse before they start getting better. The only thing yet to be discovered is just how bad it really will get to be before it finally starts moving in the right direction.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well that all makes sense, but as atc007 states, he has a problem right now, and can't really wait for a reformation of the auto technician profession. I'd rather see Doc print out a rational approach to this problem for the dealers, if they can't handle it.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742

    Well that all makes sense, but as atc007 states, he has a problem right now, and can't really wait for a reformation of the auto technician profession.

    I'm not sure anybody can. If you take the right candidate today, send them to a four year school that would make them ready to apprentice as a technician. They would be a solid worker in about six years and from that point, and would take yet another ten to truly master the trade. That is provided that they are committed to continuing to study even after that point because there really isn't a finish line because of how fast everything changes.


    I'd rather see Doc print out a rational approach to this problem for the dealers, if they can't handle it.

    There are techs that can handle it and do a fine job with this technology, there just isn't enough of them to go around. Meanwhile the pay plans and working conditions abuse the good faith that these people put into their careers to become as good as they are and if that doesn't change there isn't any reason to expect that they will remain techs anyway.

    atc's car problems would just be a "normal day in the office" for me from the technicians side of the work, but he would never even get in the door when he tried to carry in his own parts. If someone pulled the google the price stunt on additional work as was described, that would be a deal breaker too and they would be immediately excused from the premises. Time and again people try and twist things like the car needing to be aligned when the struts were installed as just a money grab and that is totally false as it was in this case. It's popular for some consumers to pull tricks like that and then blame the shops if they end up disappointed with the outcome. It's a lack of knowledge and experience by other consumers that makes behavior like that allowable.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yes, ok, bringing your own parts to the party is not cool, I agree. But apparently, your alleged gifted technicians have disappeared in his part of the country.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742

    But apparently, your alleged gifted technicians have disappeared in his part of the country.

    When you understand what has been going on for the last few decades it shouldn't be a surprise that qualified techs are hard to find. The problem is that it is going to take decades to correct the situation.

  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    While bringing your own parts to a repair facility may save you a bit of markup, I doubt it saves all of it and I think you then hand the shop an excuse if something goes wrong since they are no longer a "systems" provider on your job.
  • atc007atc007 Member Posts: 8
    Code reader resulted in Multiple cylinder misfire. Was hoping for a specific cylinder. Guess I'll throw all new plugs at it .
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    berri said:

    While bringing your own parts to a repair facility may save you a bit of markup, I doubt it saves all of it and I think you then hand the shop an excuse if something goes wrong since they are no longer a "systems" provider on your job.

    If something goes wrong with carry in parts the law is still on the consumers side and shops have been sued and forced to warranty parts that they didn't even sell. That has been explained to us as being some kind of an implied warranty. In several cases the vehicle owner made the claim that the shop (tech) somehow damaged the component or assembly during the installation. While that's possible the rub is that it doesn't have to be proven, only alleged and the shop loses even if the claim is a total fabrication. So basically if the shop management is dumb enough to install carry in parts, then they will eventually get what they deserve.

  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    edited August 2015
    atc007 said:

    Code reader resulted in Multiple cylinder misfire. Was hoping for a specific cylinder. Guess I'll throw all new plugs at it .

    No testing? Do you know why you shouldn't replace the spark plugs alone?

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited August 2015

    While that's possible the rub is that it doesn't have to be proven, only alleged and the shop loses even if the claim is a total fabrication.

    You can even win at court but you'll never get your time (or all your attorney fees) back.

  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    stever said:


    You can even win at court but you'll never get your time (or all your attorney fees) back.

    Don't forget what can happen with the internet today (yelp) on top of that. Even if you won in court (doubtful) you lose everywhere else so you would be further ahead to take the loss. That's why the best approach is to straight up say no to carry in parts.

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited August 2015
    Seems like auto mechanics lost in the court of public opinion decades ago.

    GMs Stabilitrak problems are helping either; people keep posting about them (as @berri said) and there seems to be several different causes, none of which are cheap or easy to track down.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    edited August 2015
    There are many different issues that can cause the stabilitrak system to be disabled. Virtually anything that can impact the PCM's ability to control engine power and torque to the wheels, as well as problems with the antilock brake control system, airbag system (yaw sensor) steering system (steering angle sensor), and the four wheel drive component issues can all result in the engineers having the software shut the stabilitrak system down. It all follows very clear logic to those who have made the investment in study time to be ready to troubleshoot the robotics in the car at that level. As part of understanding how it works it's a good exercise to examine it from the perspective that the stability control system on most cars doesn't exist as a stand alone item. It is software that is running in the background of a handful of vehicle systems working in concert with each other that creates the ability to have that system.

    Seems like auto mechanics lost in the court of public opinion decades ago.

    Yea, but blaming all of the techs of today for the sins of some others only serves to perpetuate the problems at a time when that's the last thing the consumer ultimately needs. When consumers and yes even shops can't find techs that can handle relatively simple systems like stabilitrak, they are reaping what they have been sewing.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Even more logical would be to have the PCM tell the owner (and the tech) just what module went flooey. Couldn't OnStar email or text that info to the owner?
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    If it could, then it would be doing it.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    It's feasible but I don't think it's possible to do that right now while the car is "on the run". Perhaps a car could be designed to be parked and put into some kind of powered-up diagnostic mode and the PCM could do a series of pass/fails.

    Doc has a point. I mean, let's say in my part of the world (an area that can post $145/hr shop rates) that it takes the tech 4 hours to track down and remedy the Stabiltrak problem and by golly, it was a loose connector that got corroded.

    So the bill is $580 + $7 for parts. The consumer is not going to like that bill.

  • junktahoejunktahoe Member Posts: 1
    We have a 2007 Chevy Tahoe LTZ that we bought used. Prior to owning it I have always bought GM products; however, I will probably never buy one again. Within a week of owning it the stabilitrak off/system off started. After spending more and more money on repairs I searched the Web to investigate the issue and learn that it is probably more uncommon for the 2007-2009 Tahoe to NOT have the stabilitrak system issue. I have also learned that the true resolution to the issue is never posted other than many completely different theories and a lot of wasted time by the dealers and money by the Tahoe owners. I have read many forum posts inquiring about a class action law suit. Anyone with the information about a true resolution  or the class action suit please help. Thank you 
  • eda2006tahoeeda2006tahoe Member Posts: 2
    Own a 2006 Chevy Tahoe and never had any issues with stabilitrak system until local and reputable shop replaced motor after 212,000 miles. Engine from Jasper. The stabilitrak system alert and T/C light intermittent and constant. Alert triggered 5 times last night after I picked up and shop. This was the 3rd, maybe 4th, time the shop has had it to diagnosis and it has stayed in the shop for as long as 10 days or more. Just dropped $1,200 plus on the last attempt as they replaced the ABS Control Module and Flash ABS Control Module. I started reading this post when it started but do not have the time today to go through all 10 pages of comments. Has anyone come up with a solution or is it hit and miss and simply changing out computer modules until the money is exhausted? I look forward to feedback. Thank you.
  • eda2006tahoeeda2006tahoe Member Posts: 2

    Own a 2006 Chevy Tahoe and never had any issues with stabilitrak system until local and reputable shop replaced motor after 212,000 miles. Engine from Jasper. The stabilitrak system alert and T/C light intermittent and constant. Alert triggered 5 times last night after I picked up and shop. This was the 3rd, maybe 4th, time the shop has had it to diagnosis and it has stayed in the shop for as long as 10 days or more. Just dropped $1,200 plus on the last attempt as they replaced the ABS Control Module and Flash ABS Control Module. I started reading this post when it started but do not have the time today to go through all 10 pages of comments. Has anyone come up with a solution or is it hit and miss and simply changing out computer modules until the money is exhausted? I look forward to feedback. Thank you.

    PS...this issue started immediately after the rebuilt engine was installed.

  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    I.P.C.O. Input, Processing, Communication, Output. Have them pull codes from every module on the car, and post them along with which modules are generating each code. Some codes will only be generated by one module, while others can be generated by several modules and all of that will need to be known in order to choose a starting point for the diagnostics.
  • ColoradoChevyColoradoChevy Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 Tahoe LTZ/Z71 - just experienced some of the "classic" stabilitrak symptoms, especially the hard shifts, poor running, constant alarms. Decided to swap to E85 to maybe clean things up a bit - car had a terrible time making the switch. (It's important to wait to switch fuels when the other type is almost gone and then you have to drive enough to empty the fuel lines and let the engine sense the swap, then turn it off and on a couple times to let it re-map to the new fuel. Not as effortless a fuel swap as they lead you to believe. ) E85 didn't make much of a difference.
    Dealer did diagnostics (for free since I bought it there?) and discovered the fuel pump was under pressure and the fuel mapping had gone to extremes trying to maintain power when the pump couldn't deliver. Replaced pump, reset everything (several times) - now runs with no stabilitrak alarms.
    The mechanic said part of the problem lies in the architecture of the electronics. For physical reasons, several diagnostic circuits are channeled thru the same alarm pin on the chip and they can interfere with each other (probably oversimplifying here).
    So the engine timing was screwy because of the low fuel pressure (and the E85?) and it affected stabilitrak and the tranny (really? The fuel pump bothers the tranny?) and that gave multiple things a rash. In my case, fixing the FP and then resetting the chip (alarms and engine fuel mapping) several times seems to have solved the problem. Two weeks and 2 tanks of E85 later, so far so good.
  • placechplacech Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2010 Chevy suburban LT currently with 140k miles. Almost 3 years ago I had a stabilitrak problem that was a computer misfire. It was under warranty and a new battery solved the problem. I rented a car while being fixed and sure enough a customer of the rental company was there complaining his stabilitrak went out. Fast forward to this week. The lights went on again Sunday morning with no recent issues at all. I had it flat bedded to the dealership and they just called saying they *think* it's the cam issue and want 5500-6500 to fix it. WTH? I have a close friend whose Tahoe had the same problem and they had to junk it. I paid way over 50k for this car 66 months ago. This is insane! I definitely want to start a lawsuit against GM. Has anyone gotten anywhere on that? Also: recommendations on what to have the dealership try before I blow 7k? 
  • mkfresnomkfresno Member Posts: 1
    edited December 2015
    Hi ..i my 2007 tahoe z71 has the exact same issue.i was driving on a high way when all of the sudden  the message "stabilitrak disabled"/ "service stabilitrak"/ "service traction control" engine light blinking and hard shift on the 2nd and 3rd, engine shaking when stoped...and NO one can tell me what the he'll is the fix...!!!!!NO GM can know what is causing this so at least I can fix this problem...and no I can't just pay and did pay the dealer so they will tell me we don't know. ...!!![Email removed]
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    There is apparently no one single "fix", and that's the problem.
  • Darknite132218Darknite132218 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 Avalanche. A month ago I had to replace the ops, the tps, and injection cleaners and a few other things to take care of a check engine light at the dealership at the tune of about 3k. Today I go to start my vehicle and now I have the same issues as most of the other posters Stabilitrak needs servicing Traction control off. Rough idling and hard shifting from 1 to 2 gear. My question is has anyone been able to resolve this issue or do i need to park my truck? I'm hoping that someone has been able to get resolution to this.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    There's no one answer to it unfortunately. What might solve it for truck A won't for Truck B.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    And I suppose GM is sticking with it's Stabilitrak for it's new or updated 4wd models they are revealing.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Hopefully with new engineering so that a defective cigarette lighter doesn't set it off ! B) /sarcasm
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    edited January 2016
    berri said:

    And I suppose GM is sticking with it's Stabilitrak for it's new or updated 4wd models they are revealing.

    Yes they are. Pretty sure Toyota is keeping their VSC system too even though my daughters Rav4 which recently set a P0420 (catalyst efficiency) resulted in both the check engine and VSC lights coming on. Then again that's the way these systems work. If there is a problem with the engine controls, the VSC (vehicle stability control) system also shuts down as a reaction to the engine control problem. Diagnose and fix the engine control problem and the VSC system resumes normal operation. Stabilitrak works the same way. Off hand I can't think of any of the manufacturers who don't have similar systems and similar scripted failure strategies.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    GM's system seems overtly sensitive. Do you agree Doc?
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    Not really, and especially not after Toyota's alleged run away issues when everyone was pressing for them to make changes to disable the engine if the brake and throttle are pushed at the same time (among others).

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yeah but that was unproven. This is a bright light shining in your face.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    edited January 2016

    Yeah but that was unproven. This is a bright light shining in your face.

    What??? You do realize that proven or not Toyota had to make changes that cause the engine to depower much more aggressively than originally designed as a safety feature, right?
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    Just posted..... What were the odds of that?

    http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b15_1452781371
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Toyota just wanted to get out from the mass hysteria, and I don't blame them. But these GM owners with Stabilitrak issues are not hysterical. They have a real problem.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    Haven't found one yet that I couldn't figure out and repair.
  • tahoebentahoeben Member Posts: 1
    Been having the same issue with 2008 Tahoe. 130K miles. "Stabilitrak disabled" "service stabilitrak" "service traction control." Reduced power. Tried restarting and that didn't do the trick. Kept driving it home on reduced power and then the power went back to normal but engine light stayed on. Just took it to mechanic. Trouble code was P0304. They traced it to a cylinder plug wire not on properly, causing arching down the side of the plug. They installed a new spark plug in cylinder eight. $223. Drove home...so far so good (knock on wood). I'll report back if it happens again. Good luck.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well at least you got a pretty good hint with a P304--once you know it's cylinder #4 you can find out what's missing from that cylinder---spark, fuel or compression.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,742
    edited March 2016
    There are some details that aren't quite adding up here.
    tahoeben said:

    Been having the same issue with 2008 Tahoe. 130K miles. "Stabilitrak disabled" "service stabilitrak" "service traction control." Reduced power. Tried restarting and that didn't do the trick. Kept driving it home on reduced power and then the power went back to normal but engine light stayed on. Just took it to mechanic. Trouble code was P0304.

    It's good to this point. As stated many times the Stabilitrak system shutting down is the result of a failure in one of the sub-systems that it relies on, and the Stabilitrak warning itself should not be the main focus of attention. A misfire would cause the PCM to not be able to control engine torque correctly so the result is the system warning as commonly described. But this next part needs to be investigated closer.
    tahoeben said:



    They traced it to a cylinder plug wire not on properly, causing arching down the side of the plug. They installed a new spark plug in cylinder eight. $223. Drove home...so far so good (knock on wood). I'll report back if it happens again. Good luck.

    P0304 is a misfire in cylinder #4. If the plug wire wasn't on correctly and caused arcing the correct repair isn't to just put the wire back on like it might have been years ago. That arcing causes a carbon track to form on both the plug and the wire that reduces the strength of the insulation. Today's lean burning engines take a lot of voltage to fire the spark plug. Any compromise in the secondary insulation can allow spark to jump outside of the cylinder and that results in a misfire, even if it is just random for now. It's important to understand this because misfires destroy the catalytic convertors, so you want to avoid them as much as you can. Always make sure that the car is properly serviced when it needs a repair, which leads to this detail.Spark plugs and wires (coil boots on coil on plug systems) should be replaced together as complete sets when service is required. Trying to do just one or the other leads to carbon tracking that damages both components. That results in misfires, which of course can then result in catalyst failure.

    Lastly. If the misfire was cylinder #4, what was going on that they replaced the spark plug in cylinder #8? Is that a misprint?



  • 4x44x4 Member Posts: 114
    I'm having this issue now..I've had throttle position sensor replaced, throttle body cleaned, gas pedal sensor replaced, brake sensor replaced, new cats installed and truck still will suddenly lose power. Last thing I'm trying is replacing mass air sensor...I cleaned it yesterday...

     Did it to me today on I-10 and shut down me down speed wise..had to pull off the road ..cranked truck 4 times in a row to rough idle and loud- rattle with no acceleration possible...5th time it cranked and ran fine...

    The door locks will click when it's about to shut down...my mechanic said maf was next on the list but I feel like it's the harness going into tps...I hate problems like this 





  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Your mechanic might be in over his head here---and yes, this type of problem can be tough. Seems like a lot of guesswork is going on here, which might end up costing you more than if you went directly to a specialist in auto electronics who could track this down first time.
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