Purchased a used (had previously been gmc exec's) 2005 gmc envoy in september 2005. Since january 2007 we have experienced multiple issues with the vehicle. We have had problems such as the headlights dimming on and off while we're driving, the airbag sensor saying off even when my wife is sitting in the passenger seat, and the driver side power seat would move up, but wouldn't move forward or backward. However, the biggest problem and safety issue has been the vehicle shutting off while in the middle of driving it. There have been numerous occasions where we have been on back roads, rush-hour freeway traffic, etc. And the vehicle shut off, lost all power including power steering and you can't pump the brakes-you have one shot to hit the brakes. Last thursday, march 6, 2008 this happened to us 5 times in one day!! My wife was on her way home from a job interview and the vehicle shut off on her 3 times. Then, it shut off on her again when she was driving to pick me up from work. On our way home it shut off for the 5th time that day and it did it in the middle of heavy, rush-hour traffic on the railroad tracks! This is an issue that needs to be fixed. We keep this car in tip-top shape, properly maintained. It is barely 3 years old and having these types of problems is not right. Gm needs to issue a recall on this asap. This needs fixed immediately...and apparently this is happening with a lot of, if not all, envoys. One envoy...that could be a fluke, but more than one, even just 2 is a duplicate problem and should be recalled.
2005 GMC Envoy electrical complaints
Page 7 of 7: complaints 161 to 183 of 183, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I purchased a 2005 gmc envoy in september 2005. In the past year (since january 2007, at least), I have experienced several problems with my vehicle. The first problem is with the headlights. Everytime I have driven the vehicle the headlights appear to dim/flicker and then return to normal. This has resulted in oncoming vehicles turning their bright lights on me thinking my brights are on when in reality my headlights are dimming and then returning to normal. The second problem concerns the passenger side airbag. Anytime a certain weight limit is met or exceeded the airbag sensor is supposed to switch to on, but there have been several occasions when someone was sitting in the passenger seat and the airbag sensor hasn't recognized it. Third problem, driver side power seat failure. There have been several instances when I have tried to move the driver seat forward, but nothing happened. The motor sounded like it was grinding and wanted to move, but the seat would not move forward or backward. The most extreme problem to date has been with the vehicle completely shutting off without warning while in the middle of driving and then not starting or even turning over at all. Every single day for, at least, the last month when I go to start the vehicle it fails to start and it takes a minimum of 1 hour to get it started. One instance in particular when the vehicle shut off without warning was while my wife and I were on the freeway. Without warning the vehicle shut down and we were forced to pull onto the shoulder. We sat there for almost an hour in temperatures of 13 degrees trying to get the vehicle restarted. There have been countless complaints and reports of other envoy owners experiencing these same problems. Some dealers have actually said that these failures/problems are normal!!!! What!?!?! Are you freaking kidding me?! Since when is it considered "normal" when so many envoys are displaying these same problems?
Speedometer malfunctions showing various speeds. The needle gets stuck for a moment while the car speeds up. The needle will also stay at one speed while the car slows down, thus giving no true reading of speed at any given moment.
Speedometer stopped working correctly.
2005 gmc envoy doors and windows failed to open. Consumer states that the doors and windows failed to open. He also states that the vehicle would not start when his wife tried to start it.
Reported earlier gas odometer broke when fueling vehicle on 2 seperate occassions, first time fixed, then again while fueling gas, it broke. Failed to mention my problems with the speedodometer. It was fluctuating all the way up, then all the way down irratically before it dropped down to the middle.
2005 gmc envoy - since purchase, the headlights will dim when driving at night; seems to happen after first starting the vehicle. The battery gauge will drop down to under 11 volts when this occurs. The dealer has tightened the ground connections and replaced the alternator twice; after returning the vehicle to the dealer a third time, I was told that this is "normal". The vehicle is now out of warranty with 50k miles and the problem still exists.
Since I purchased my vehicle in august of 2005, I have experienced dashboard lights and headlights dimming at intermittent times. I reported this to the dealer ,where I purchased my vehicle at various times. Each time it was serviced, I am told that they were unable to locate any problems with the vehicle.
Vehicle has intermittent throttle problem that causes the throttle to surge and the headlights to go dim to bright and dash lights to go dim to bright. This condition happens intermittently, and the dealership states there is no problem. This condition is most dangerous when driving in confined spaces such as parking lots. I have taken this problem to the selling dealership four times since july 2006 and continue to be told there was no problem.
There are 3 consistent problems with my 05 envoy. My lights flicker and battery gauge goes down suddenly this happens about once a month. Upon exiting my truck I always get a huge shock!! The knobs on the sides of my front seats keep coming off, I have had one replaced before now they are both off and missing, they must have fell out the door one day.
Tl*- the contact owns a 2003 gmc envoy. The headlights, dashboard, and tail lights flashed randomly at any speed, this failure started in october of 2006. The weather and time of day were not factors in the failure. The dealership said that the failure was normal. There were tsbs for the failure, as well as for several others. The fuel neck had been replaced twice due to a design change. The seal around the licenses place holder came loose and had to be replaced. The brake pedal was squeaking, the contact took vehicle for service on three occasions, and replaced the serpentine belt twice, an airbag sensor, the rear wiper arm, the oxygen sensor twice ,the first time at 7000 miles. There were cruise control failures, when the contact tried to accelerate it hesitated and then surged. The weather stripping on the rear doors has been repaired three times. The ABS would skip on a bumpy road and would not engage. At one point the contact could smell fuel in the passenger compartment and vehicle had very poor gas mileage, the dealer stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle, but air valve became stuck and would not close. The rear door hinges squeaked. This winter it won't go to full voltage until a minute elapsed after the vehicle has been started. The original failure mileage was 3829, and the current mileage was 23700.*ak the brakes were inoperative, the belts squeaked, there was a problem with the ABS, the air bag light illuminated, the cruise control didn't work properly, the rear wiper would only wipe the middle of the back windshield. A new fuel neck was installed. Updated 03/15/07.
There have been numerous occasions when the lights on the vehicle flicker and dim. This has been noted to occur most frequently when driving in high humidity conditions. The voltage gage jumps approximately 6 volts. The vehicle has been to the dealership for this issue, but I was told that the problem could not be recreated.
At the beginning of nov there was two occasions that I got into my vehicle and while I was driving to work my headlights and the lights in the dash board would dim and flash every time I let my foot off the accelerator. The gauage to the battery would drop down pass the half point.and I would here clicking in my steering column,this is something that has been going on.I told the gmc dealerabout this,they could not duplicate my concern at that time. He gave me a #02-06-03-008a form and told me it couldnt be fixed. I am very upset by this I am driving a defective SUV. I am afraid of going out to start my SUV and it not start.that is one of the problems it could have.
I have an '05 gmc envoy slt. I've only owned it six months, since nov '05. I've dealt with flickering headlights and dash lights until just a couple of months ago. I had that issue looked at while installing step rails. I was told this was a typical issue with envoys and they only needed to 'tighten' some bolts. When I initially mentioned the problem I also commented that I would get the 'shock' of my life while exiting the envoy and asked if it could be a grounding issue but they said no. Anyway. The problem was solved for a few days but it started all over again and it gets worse as time goes on. Before I took it in the first time it was so bad I could feel the engine surge in unison with the flickering of the headlights and dash lights. I feel this could be an extreme safety issue since it involves the headlights and it more noticeable in the dark hours.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving uphill at no particular speed, the engine stalls and operates at a reduced speed. Additionally, the headlights intermittently work at night and the gas gauge provides an incorrect display of the proper fuel level. Although the vehicle was seen by a dealer numerous times, the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. The consumer stated the electrical system is faulty. The left front window dropped the lights became dim and the battery failed. Updated 04/06/06.
I was driving home from work entering the freeway on ramp. The ramp is controlled by a signal and I was waiting my turn when the engine failed. I was coasting downhill into another car when I hit the brakes and there were no brakes. I bumped the car in front of me damaging the front grill and hood of my car. Submitted the car to the dealer for evaluation of an electrical problem. The dealer has been unable to duplicate.
(2005 envoy) about 1 month ago I noticed that my headlights were dimming while driving at night . This happened sporadically. When the lights dim, the heat slows down as well. The interior lights occasionally dim when this happens, too. My husband and I thought it might be the battery and started to look at the battery gage, while one of us kept an eye on the lights. This problem has happened about 7 times over the last month. Last week it happened about every 2 minutes while driving down the road. Very scary, as I thought the truck was just going to shut down. I took the truck to my gm dealer and the mechanic said that there is nothing wrong with the truck. The battery, alternator and wires were fine. He stated that with new vehicles and everything that is run in them this is normal. Although he also stated that he has never seen this problem before. Their computer told them that nothing needed to be fixed. We have no aftermarket products in the vehicle and the only things running were the heat and radio.
On the night of saturday (at 9 p.m.), december 10, 2005, I drove my gmc envoy slt to michael's. When driving through the parking lot, my daughter and I heard a loud grinding noise from the underside of the vehicle. We parked the car, turned off the engine, then turned the vehicle on again. Several icons that had never been displayed on the dashboard screen appeared, and my vehicle's clock reflected 12:00. The clock was set for the correct time initially, and never tampered . We shopped for 20 minutes and returned to the vehicle, started it up and again several icons appeared. The clock said 12:00 though it was 9:30 p.m. We drove through our neighborhood viewing some christmas lights for about 10 minutes. As I pulled onto our driveway and began breaking to stop the vehicle and and park it outside of our garage, it did not respond to breaking. When I pushed the brake pedal down harder, the vehicle continued at the same speed. I screamed that we were going to hit the garage door, and at that moment felt the vehicle accelerate although I had the brake pedal pushed down all the way. It slammed through the garage door, I quickly shifted into park and shut off the engine. My front and my daughter's front passenger door could not be opened and we smelled gas. My husband called 911 and emergency vehicles responded. They determined it should be safe but asked the furnace be turned down so that it would not cause any combustion and to keep the area ventilated.. The garage door was totally demolished, and drywall damages in several spots. A technician from overhead garage doors removed the remnants of the door. My daughter's car had minor paint and dent damage as it was in the garage already. Gm's roadside towing hauled the envoy onto a flatbed to take to the dealership. We explained the accident to gm when we contacted them for roadside assistance. The vehicle is now at our dealership, andy mohr, noblesville, in.
Dt: the contact stated the vehicle stalled without warning. The dealership stated the vehicle defaulted into third gear and will not accelerate. This was due to a computer problem. The dealership has been able to duplicate the problem, but was unable to find the solution.
When driving - interior and exterior lights flicker/blink.
I have a 2005 gmc envoy. While driving at night both the interior and exterior lights began to flicker periodically. I was following my wife home and she said that it was a huge distraction to her when she was driving. I took the vehicle to the dealer and they said that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. I have less than 400 miles on the vehicle. According to my friend, his 2005 trailblazer does the same thing. Nm
Dt: consumer owns a '05 gmc envoy and has difficulty towing a trailer within gm rates, gm states that his envoy can tow a weight of 5,800 pound capacity, however he feels the vehicle is unable to maneuver a travel trailer of 3,400 pound capacity. The consumer has been to the dealership twice for this. The dealer stated there was nothing they could do. Consumer has pulled the trailer with other vehicles and it pulls fine but when attached to the envoy there is a problem. Consumer feels it is not with the suspension of the vehicle but within the engine which is a v6. When pulling trailer for a distance as little as 2 miles the engine heats up, and he experiences a loss of speed and engine the bogs down to 30 MPH. Envoy is equipped with the 373 axle ratio and can not pull an enclosed 24ft travel trailer on it's 6 cylinder engine. The 2nd trip to dealer, the service manager did duplicate this problem and suggested the consumer needed a v8 engine. Also, there is a electrical problem that only occurs when the engine is running. Consumer gave examples of automatic door locks unlocking by themselves and the anti theft system enabling itself resulting in a shutdown of the vehicle. Took to dealer 10 times for this problem. Dealer could not duplicate problems. The dealer said gm would not authorize repair unless they could duplicate problem. Has contacted gm customer service at least 100 times for these issues without any luck. No repairs or corrections as a result. Consumer is still experiencing these problems as a result.
I was driving alone and the dash board light went out I and the 4wd light came on I could not see the speedometer. I pulled over and could not remove the key from car or put the card back into drive .the car shop had to reroute some wire but I don't have any aftermarket add ons.
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