Need some advice- Tahoe Hybrid.
 

Long time reader/lurker, first time poster so thank you for any advice you can give me.
We have a 2009 Tahoe Hybrid that we purchased new. For the first 18 months we loved the truck and everything was good, then the problems started.
We have had a reaccuring issue where the truck will suddenly upon starting up, have a major electrical problem where the battery won't charge and the power steering doesnt work along with all the warning lights/alerts going off. We've taken it to the dealer at least 4-5 times for this and they cannot find a thing wrong. Generally by the time they work on it, the issue clears itself and the codes dont lead them anywhere. Based on the advice of Chevy, the dealer has recharged and regrounded the battery, changed out a wiring harness, etc and yet the issue continues when you least expect it. Fortunately everytime this has happened, I've been alone in the truck and able to wreste it to the dealer before the battery ran out(first time i had it towed in). However my wife and kids are the main user of the truck and if this happens to her when she is out away from home or traveling somewhere I have serious concerns on my famalies safety. In fact now my wife is so concerned about driving it, it's become useless to me as i bought it for her to drive.
I've had ongoing conversations with Chevy corporate and this last time it happened (2 days ago), I let them know that if they didnt get it fixed permanently I would have to go after the lemon law on it (we qualify under our state laws).
I really dont want to do that as we like the truck, but I can't have a vehicle that no one wants to drive and wastes my time taking it in and it sitting at dealer for a week at a time.
Any advice would be helpful.

Re: Need some advice- Tahoe Hybrid.
 

Hello markjacq,

I am sorry to hear about this experience! General Motors wants to ensure that you feel safe in your vehicle. I would like to look into this issue further for you. If you could private message me your name, address, phone number, VIN, vehicle mileage, and name of involved dealership, I can explore some options for you.

Jessica
GM Customer Service

Re: Need some advice- Tahoe Hybrid.
 

I'm really sorry to hear about this. Could you please private message me your SR#. Your safety is our utmost importance. I want to do further research on your case.

Thanks you,

Jessica L.
GM Customer Care

Re: Need some advice- Tahoe Hybrid.
 

Thanks Jessica- I will do that. I believe GM already has a case open from the last time this happened but I am simply at my wits end.

Re: Need some advice- Tahoe Hybrid.
 

make sure the dealer knows how to fix hybrids. there are only a few.

Re: Need some advice- Tahoe Hybrid.
 

Thanks. I have asked and the dealership always says yes, but who knows. Since I'm also working through chevy corp, I would assume they would have insight into this and recommend another dealer if they were not confident.

In the end, if you read lots of stuff on the web, you hear about these wierd "ghosts in the machine" issues with some tahoe hybrids. It's disappointing to say the least as we like the truck a lot. :cry:

Re: Need some advice- Tahoe Hybrid.
 

like you said you purchased it new, what type of oil did you use and fuel?

Re: Need some advice- Tahoe Hybrid.
 

Well we used regular gas (not premium) and regular oil as recommended by the dealer. The gas engine runs fine on the truck, it's the electrical system that's giving us fits.
The dealer called today and said they found some electrical bus issues and replaced some modules and its good to go. I'm going to pick it up tomorrow.
My wife is taking a road trip to pick up the kids at camp this weekend and she will take the truck. If she has issues, then I'm really done.

Re: Need some advice- Tahoe Hybrid.
 

A communication bus issue may be the culprit. Your vehicle has an Accessory Power Module, APM. The APM converts 300 DC to 12V and the 42V to run power steering. It has two DC-to-DC converters in it and is water cooled. Think of it as a 180 amp solid state alternator.

It needs 12V from that real big (thumb diameter) red cable to operate. It needs a wake up from a dedicated wire that runs inside to a dash mounted Gateway Module. It then needs comunication from the serial data bus to tell the 12V side how much voltage make.

No 12V input connection = NO 12V output charging and NO 42V steering assist.

No wake up signal = same.

No data communication and it should make 42V and a default 13.5V to get you along. And in the no data case... other modules should complain about it with codes.

Re: Need some advice- Tahoe Hybrid.
 

Hello markjacq,

I'm glad to hear that the dealership was able to resolve the issue! If you have any further issues or questions, please let me know.

Jessica
GM Customer Care