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Continuous trouble with check engine light, braking system, battery

1.2K views 22 replies 8 participants last post by  GM4ever  
#1 ·
Looking to see if anyone else is having the kind of trouble I’m having. 2024 Colorado TB. A couple months ago, the CEL would keep coming on every week or so, then clear after a day or two. Prior to taking it to the dealership I finally saw a message stay on the dash long enough to the effect of “brake system failure, max speed 255 mph”. Dealership ran a bunch of tests and came back with a battery test failure. Tech said it had zero CCAs on the tester (not sure how that’s even possible with it starting fine, but I work in IT not auto mechanics so I’ll just smile and say ok). Replaced the battery under warranty and all seemed well…until this morning, 3 weeks after my service appointment. Same brake system warning followed by the CEL. Being completely aggravated, I took it to the dealership with the light on. It’s sitting there now waiting for the next finding.

On top of that, it has to go to the body shop next week to get the weak roof issue identified in TSB 23-NA-209. The roof actually has a dent in it from a car wash dryer. I mean, I like my truck but this is a major pain.
 
#2 ·
What's the steady state charge of your battery? 2 hours after a load it should be 12.6V to 12.9V. If you don't have a voltage meter you can put the truck in Service Mode to check the battery voltage. I had to install a battery maintainer on my truck but since doing so all my electrical issues are fixed.
 
#3 ·
Your Battery is not getting fully charged
How often is your truck driven?
How long is it driven when it is driven?

It takes at least 20 to 30 Minutes of Driving for a Battery to Recharge after Starting Up
You might need to get a Battery Charger/Maintainer to make sure you battery fully charges

Also your Brake Booster and Master Cylinder Both are now using Electrical Power
So, not enough charge in the battery
Will cause issue for the brake system
 
owns 2017 Chevrolet Colorado Z71
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#5 ·
My truck was made in June and I bought it in November so it sat somewhere without the battery being charged for 5 months. I have many vehicles and I'm retired so the truck sits a lot and when I do go somewhere it's less than 4 miles. I already had the maintainer on my generator battery so I bought the leads for the truck and swap it back and forth. When I first hooked it up the battery needed to be charged every night. After 3 months it only needs to be charged up once a week now. There are numerous parasitic draws on these trucks including the security, the internet connection, looking for a remote start signal from the app or the remote and looking for an OTA update. It even has a humidity sensor that moves vent doors when the truck is off. I'm retired and have nothing better to do than mess with my toys. These batteries start to sulfate when they're not charged to 12.4V. I understand your position but my own thought is GM (I'm a retired GM Engineer) is going to be replacing a lot of batteries under warranty and owners will be afterwards. Just a thought.
 
#7 ·
After doing a few months of checking my own truck, I can tell you the battery voltage drops .2 volts every day from just having the security turned on.
The updates don't work once the battery has dropped 30% from steady state of 12.6 to 12.9V . While that doesn't make the truck undrivable and it will start ... it's not good for the life of the battery as they start to sulfate at 12.4 volts. I'm a long retired GM Engineer and it aggravates me to death.
 
#15 ·
Glad it is sorted out
Thanks for updating
 
owns 2017 Chevrolet Colorado Z71
#16 ·
The starter requires ~200 amps. These are 800 CCA batteries (will supply 800 amps for 30 seconds at 0 degrees Fahrenheit and maintain more than 7.2 Volts) . Or, ~1000 CA.
A good battery and new starter will allow a vehicle to start with only 9.6V.
The trucks have a Battery Maintenance Mode when the Security is on. It shuts down all the parasitic draws except the Security.
If the battery gets low enough where the Security won't work the alarm will go off. You'll get an email if you've set it up to do so.
 
#22 ·
Just recently had this happen to me last week. On Thursday I went to the parking lot to turn in my truck and it took longer than normal to turn over and I got these same error messages you did. In the days/weeks prior I was also getting little strange messages but they went away in seconds. This time I had a CEL and the brake system code as well. The dealer said my battery was not holding sufficient power anymore (12 volts) so they replaced it and it’s been smooth sailing for the last 5 days. I have been turning off auto stop-start and I turned off auto updates let’s see if the problem is gone.