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Problems with 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On average, the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 starts to “feel” problems with the ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and its various aspects after 72 022 miles.

Components Affected by ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Issues

We have classified the 111 complaints from 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 about ELECTRICAL SYSTEM into the following categories.

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 62 12V/24V/48V BATTERY 2 IGNITION 1

Recently reported ELECTRICAL SYSTEM problems on 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. while starting the vehicle, the driver and passenger side air bags deployed without warning or impact. there were no injuries. the contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. while driving, the radio, air conditioner, and instrument panel gauges stopped operating. the contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and checked the vehicle. while driving, the service air bag warning indicator illuminated. the contact called price kia (1390 richmond rd, charlottesville, va 22911, (833) 394-8325) and was informed that the vin was not included in a recall. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failures. the failure mileage was 20,000. *tt

Used aux port to charge cell phone. with in seconds smoke starts coming from dash. after containing fire i removed dash cover to find that the power wire that controls aux port and obd2 port had over loaded and caught fire with caused internal damage to all electrical and internal dash. after doing complete walk through i noticed in fuse box under the hood that the fuse that controls 2 auxs had melted down. right fuse was installed before electrical fire. during time of incident vehicle was mobile in town on public roads. after cab of pick up started filling with smoke i pulled over and used chemical fire extinguisher to smother flames.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. while driving approximately 5 mph, the wiring harness under the steering wheel caught fire and melted. in addition, the windshield wipers started functioning independently and the radio stopped functioning. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the contact stopped the vehicle in the middle of a residential area and exited the vehicle. the contact's husband used his shirt to extinguish the fire. the dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact called the manufacturer and was informed that a specialist would call her back. the approximate failure mileage was 138,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. when the vehicle was started, the heater fan activated and an odor of burnt plastic emerged from the vents. the vehicle was shut off and then restarted. the vehicle was driven to the contact's house. in addition, the digital climate control system reflected the entire time and the area around the vents became really hot on the dashboard. the vehicle was not diagnosed by a dealer or an independent mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 152,000.

I had just driven to the local walmart to get supplies before the freezing rain and ice got here. it was 15:50, about an house before the friday night after work christmas rush would be rushing home. after starting my truck, and letting it warm a little so the heat from defroster would melt the ice and clear the fog on the windows which enables me to drive safely. it is also against state law to drive with unclear windows. well, to make a long story short, my 5 speed manual select blower switch does nothing. when i bought the truck, i told them speeds 4 and 5 don't work. i know from past experience that the resistors can go out. they would not fix. well now, all are out. i managed to get a little hot air on windshield but decided it was unsafe to drive and returned to get truck the next day. after googling "blower motor fan relay switch" i was amazed at how many people have had this problem for decades. before i retired, i worked for at&t as a technician. we deal with corroded wires and electronic equipment damaged by water on a daily basis. after removing the resister module, it was very obvious it was damaged by water. not only that, it was designed to be protected from water by having two seals, one foam, one rubber built into it. of course these were probably placed into the module by a machine because you could they didn't fit properly into the slots they were designed to fit it. not only that, the wires that were suppose to be sodered (sp) to the resistors must have been done by a machine as well, you could see the two components were pressed together by something not done by a worker, and no soder (sp) was visible. on top of that, after testing one of the resistors, which tested good., the wire that was suppose to be making contact with the resister was testing open, meaning bad connection. whoever made this module for gm is at fault. this is a fire hazard. *tr

Speedometer not displaying correctly. gauge sits at 30mph while at stop and while driving goes to 70+mph. turning the truck off and on does not fix problem. contacted chevrolet to see if there was a recall on this. there was no recall although i am seeing that there are other chevy silverado owners that have made complaints. local chevrolet dealer states approximately $600.00 to fix. have not fixed as of today. i feel this is a a safety issue that gm/chevrolet needs to fix.

He hvac blower and resister went out causing a wiring harness to melt- a burning plastic smell and smoke filled the cabin. the wiring harness melted. vehicle was in motion with occupants when this occurred.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that the instrument panel fractured. the contact was unable to read the gear positions. the manufacturer was notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 81,000. ....updated 08/29/16 *bf

Intermittent loss of 1st gear/truck starts in 2 or 3rd gear/intermittent trouble codes p0758 and p0740 then codes clear/extremely dangerous when moving into traffic from a stop/ don't know when truck will stall or fail to pick up speed/transmission shops say can't help until codes are set/emailed chevrolet regarding problem/ vehicle has 45000 miles and is not due for service on the transmission until 50000 miles/trucks transmission should not start failing at only 45000 miles/ chevy's response is vehicle past warranty period not responsible for repairs

Noticed upper brake light on while parked in driveway. truck wouldn't start. truck wouldn't accept an extended jump. truck towed.mechanic found the under dash fuse box melted in two different places. truck needed new fuse box. plugs and interior wiring harness. no modifications to the electrical system had been made to this vehicle. parts have been saved. $1,745.00 to fix. i see many reports of electrical fires in gm, chevy products on the web with no apparent action to force a fix. vehicles are being destroyed, severely damaged, people and property endangered because they are apparently using cheap, inferior grade products. people would not mind paying a few dollars more to ensure they won't die in a fire or have their house burn down. i'm not a fan of government regulations but if these company's won't voluntarily do the right thing perhaps the government has to mandate specific gauge wiring and contacts. thanks *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that the speedometer gauge fluctuated at initial start up and whenever driving over an extended period of time. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

While slowing down and letting off the gas while making a turn the truck started speeding back up, braking did stop the truck and no revving occurred. after breaking to a complete stop and letting of the gas the truck would start moving forward as if the gas is being applied-speeding up gradually. put the truck in reverse and same thing happened. turned truck off and back on the problem did not persist. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. after starting the engine, the speedometer would erroneously increase to 75 mph. once the vehicle began to accelerate, the speedometer would increase to and remain at 100 mph until the engine was turned off. the cause of the failure was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 61,300.

While driving speedometer reads wrong but odometer is ok? stop and turn off it works ok for a time. try to start sometimes it will crank other time it don't gm extended the warranty to cover the dash panel but did not notify me or anyone that i know of i found it online after time had expired (speedometer) and will also control engine cranking . *tr

Whether vehicle is in motion or at idle, the "climate (duel) control on driver's side suddenly stops blowing cold air and blows pure hot air. this beyond the operator's control. however, when the ignition is turned off and restarted, air conditioner starts blowing cold again but sooner or later will begin blowing hot. there is nothing that the operator does to cause this to happen, but it is very frustrating and embarrassing when it happens while driving. by the way i had a 2004 chevrolet silverado that done the same thing. this is happens any time the control is set to cool.

Tl* the contact owns 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500.the contact stated that the gear shifter was not illuminating. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 77,500 and the current mileage was 78,000.

I bought a 2005 silverado from my mother, and she bought the truck off of a used dealer lot purchasing for 12,500 four years ago. since then the truck has had an air bag sensor replaced and it once again showing the air bag needs serviced, which can be very dangerous to truck owners in situations of a crash. was told they go out commonly. the truck has also had an abs issue since it was purchased on the lot, we sent it back to be fixed, and the issue was never solved, it has been looked at by three technicians. this is also a public safety hazard if the abs causes the brakes to fail. the truck also has numerous electrical issues, such as the gear selector does not illuminate, in which case someone may not be able to determine what gear they are in and cause an incident, the headlight, tail light, brake light, and marker lights are always blowing bulbs, the dash cluster doesn't always want to illuminate either, this could cause a crash especially at dark when you cannot see the rpm, speedo, oil press, temp, or any other gage present. *tr

The heater blower would not turn off which drained the battery. now both parts need to be replaced. according to chevrolet, this part was a recall item if made from a certain manufacture. apparently, our part was a different manufacturer which is why we didn't get the recall notice. since our part failed, perhaps, it is a design defect or the other manufacturers were delinquent during the assembly process as well. please investigate to see if we may qualify for a recall on this part. *tr

Drove into the garage and parked. a loud explosive noise came from the truck and fumes began funneling through the hood of truck. quickly turned off ignition and got out of vehicle. in a few minutes garage was full of intense flames. the heat was so intense it blew open the door into the house and burned/melted the laundry equipment and three rooms, and the second car in the garage, sending smoke damage throughout the entire house. vehicles melted and everything in them and in the garage- mower, snow blower, small equipment and more, was totally destroyed. the firefighters were able to contain the fire to areas identified above. there was extreme smoke damage throughout the entire house. *tr

Ignition switch is getting harder and harder to get the key to turn. *tr

Instrument cluster panel (shift indicator) stopped illuminating. all other items work in cluster. its so dim you cant tell which gear your in. (there is a recall but we were told we were not covered). the entire cluster must be replaced. and you can only get the part at the dealer because they need to the vin and mileage on the vehicle. 2. one of the main brake lines burst..yesterday 10-16-2013 while my wife was driving with my son. i am told all the lines must be replaced because they are all corroded. *tr

Vehicle's gauges were not accurate. the speedometer would be working fine then it would gradually go to 0 when i was driving. rpm would be at 6 and then gas gauge would quit working. cluster had to be replaced. chevrolet manufacturer gave me a discount of $75 to replace. this item should be classified as a recall as it was a matter to safety and there were other chevrolet vehicles that had the same problem at dealership. *tr

I started my truck and turned the air conditioner on its highest setting while i loaded my two children into their car seats. i had one of my children in their car seats and was putting the second one in his when i smelled smoke and quickly realized there was smoke blowing out of the vents. i got my boys out of their seats and shut the vehicle off. i opened the doors and searched for something to extinguish flames. after grabbing the garden hose and returning to the truck i noticed that there was smoke coming from under the dash but i didn't see any flames. i waited to see it the smoke was getting worse but it wasn't. i opened the hood and nothing was smoking in the engine compartment. i felt around the console and noticed that there were a number of areas that were extremely hot. a day later i tried to see if i could find the location of the fire. i discovered that anytime i had the air conditioner on and the blower on above level "3" something would begin to smoke. before this problem with the air conditioner occurred all of the lights on my instrument panel would periodically turn off while i was driving. there are definitely some major problems with the electrical wiring on this vehicle. i hate to think what could have happened if i didn't catch the problem in time. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that the instrument panel lighting system failed; therefore, the contact was unable to know how fast he was driving and unable to see or read any of the gauges. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. the dealer stated that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 143,000 and the current mileage was 147,000.

There is a safety recall on the shift lever indicator but my truck was not included and i have that exact sam issue. i cannot tell what gear my truck is in why isnt my vehicle included? my vehicle was stationary and gradually started to fade at start up.

The speedometer is erratic, displaying 40, 50, 80 mph running, sitting still in park. then will peg to 130 mph when driven. later, it will eventually correct itself after cranking 4, 5, 8 times and work properly temporarily. then repeat. this is a common, known problem with these gauge clusters and chevrolet div. refuses to fix at no cost because the truck is outside the timeframe stated in "special policy # 07187", but it meets the mileage and vin criteria. to the best of my knowledge, the truck did not fail during the stated timeframe. cost of the repair is $560 and i believe chevrolet should fix it at no cost to the owner. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that while driving various speeds, the contact noticed that both the fuel gauge and speed odometer readings fluctuated. the failure occurred sporadically. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the vehicle had not been repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

While using a 12v air pump plugged into the cigarette lighter outlet with the vehicle off and no key in ignition, it shortly stopped working. soon after smoke starting coming from behind the dash trim. i quickly disconnected the battery and pulled off the front trim housing the cigarette lighter to find the wire's insulation melted. i then looked for the fuse for that and found it to be melted as well. the fuse was rated at 15a, and the correct fuse recommend by gm. after pulling the fuse, i reconnected the battery and had no more smoke. using a continuity tester, i checked both wires for, and confirmed, short to ground on both. the entire line of wires going back to the fuse box may be just as melted and thus still shorting to ground. *tr

With the heater on high (setting 5), the fan stopped blowing heat. i then set the blower to setting 4, and the fan worked fine. as soon as i then put the fan back to 5, i would hear a click but the fan would not work at all. i then began to fiddle around with the connector that is under the passenger side dash which powers the fan. if i move the one wire around, the fan would intermittently work while on setting 5. i unplugged this connector from the blower motor, noticed that the one wire seems as if it was causing a short (the wire was somewhat black from over current). i removed the pin from the connector, recrimped and soldered it. worked fine until a few weeks ago when the fan once again began to stop only on setting 5. i am assuming that the problem is once again the connector that goes to the blower motor powering the fan resistor. i saw a few reports of this on here about vehicle fires all of which point to this connection being bad. so i thought i would submit this as well due to the vast amount of issues i have had with this truck. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that while driving 75 mph, he noticed in the rear view mirror that the vehicle was on fire. he pulled over and noticed that wires on top of the gas tank were the source of the fire. the fire department was called and extinguished the fire. the contact had plans to have the vehicle towed to a dealer. the manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileage was 93,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. while driving approximately 45 mph with the heater activated, the contact noticed that smoke emitted from the air vents. the vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the engine was turned off. the contact inspected under the dashboard and observed that the wiring harness was melted. there were no flames visible. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

The service airbag light came on,and i had it checked,was told the front sensor was bad. called the chevy dealer and was told they only have to be replaced if in a crash. i've had wiring problems and a recall on the blower wiring. i think chevrolet should have to check into the problem,because on the internet there are a number of owners with the same airbag problem. sounds like a safety issue to me. chevrolet said for a price they will check it. they make it sound like it's the owner's fault, and the more money they can get the better. sounds like their motto is (money before safety) something needs to be done to help the consumers. *tr

In june 2012 while driving the speedometer went back to 0 when going 65 mph. since that incident it happens periodically. additionally the tachometer doesn't register rpms accurately for over two years, also sometimes goes to 0. i was never notified of a recall and have owned truck since 2006. the speedometer is a major safety issue. *tr

Driving down the road and the cab filled up with smoke. it smelled like burning rubber. i had to evacuate my youngest son and found that the wires on the blower/resistor where on fire. there seems to be a known issue with this and i am surprised that nobody had been killed so far. looks like the recall was done in canada? http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2005/chevrolet/silverado/electrical_system/problem.aspx. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that the speedometer would read inaccurately while the vehicle was shut off and while driving on the highway. both the dealer and manufacturer were notified, but denied any assistance with repairs of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximately failure and current mileages were 57,000.

2005 chevy silverado 1500. bought brand new at the end of march 2005. speedometer reads incorrectly. sometimes reads 120, sometimes reads 90, etc.etc.etc. my truck has just over 72,000 miles on it and is less than 7 years old, but misses the vin recall by 9570. this speedometer problem seems to be a popular complaint from what i see on the internet. shouldn't this recall be extended to higher vin numbers with the same exact problem??? *tr

I was operating the vehicle on the interstate. the speedometer showed 70 mph; however, everyone was passing me. i pulled over to investigate but the speedometer would not go lower than 30 at a complete stop. it did go back to 0 within a few a days; however, it is again showing 20 mph at a dead stop. dealers/mechanics have given me three different stories as to how to fix the problem. per a lot of other similar reports, this appears to be a defect with the vehicle and should not be at my expense. it is a severe safety factor. i've always been a chevy silverado man but i'm feeling disappointed in gm by not backing their product like they used to do. *tr

Battery went dead and i exchange with a new one. the air conditioner is blowing hot air. the air conditioner and all the electrical was working fine when the pickup was last driven which was about 3 weeks ago. i have been told that parts and labor will be in the $500.00. *tt

Noticed electrical burning odor while on long trip on interstate. occasionally operated the air conditioning, with blower on high. one week later, blower motor failed to operate on highest (5) setting. pulled 7 pin connector from blower resistor, found red wire and connector for high speed, burned/melted.

I own a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. i smelled burned plastic and my fan stopped working on #4 and #5 settings. i removed the resistor and saw the connections had overheated and melted. *tr

Blower motor speed controller resistor and relay wiring melted smell of smoke and electrical arcing damaged wiring and connectors causing danger to occupants from possible fire. blower runs with key off and fuse pulled out. battery dead, standing driver. economic ham from cost to repair by ripoff gm dealer refused to cover under the special offer warranty. *tr

My truck as dual ac controls, while driving the driver side air blows hot air while air conditioner is on. if you turn the truck off and then back on it fixes the problem for sometime 2min and sometimes 30 min. i know multiple people that have the same problem as me, i have seen hundreds of people on forums that have the same problem with the same truck and others such as the tahoe, avalanche, suburban of same year and different years. some forums that i have read stated that the truck could catch fire, i am very concerned about the situation, most people say that the parts to fix the problem are around $500 - $700, but this is occurring in hundreds if not thousands of gm vehicles. *tr

2005 chevy silverado 1500. after my vehicle was towed the speedometer stopped working. it reads 16 mph while stopped and stays 16 mph over whatever speed i'm traveling. chevy needs to do something about this. too many people are have the same issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that the heater fan resistor melted. the dealer diagnosed that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure was not remedied. the failure mileage was 100,000. the current mileage was 105,000. updated 09/28/11*lj the consumer stated there was no fire, but the insulation had melted off of the wiring going into the resistor on the hvac fan. updated 12/30/11

1. speedometer stopped working creating unsafe driving condition. 2. appears to be permanent breakage. 3. gm agreed to replace faulty part, but i still had to pay for labor. they agreed that the part is faulty yet still hold the customer financially accountable for their unsafe mistake. *tr

2005 chevy silverado 1500 pick-up. odometer failure. dealer wants $475.00.warranty per dealer not available as mileage too high. *tr

2005 chevrolet silverado gauge cluster is defective and is malfunctioning at 75,000 miles on the vehicle. creates an inability to determine speed or operation accuracy of the vehicle. no notice from gm concerning recall. my research indicates multiples of this defect occurring nationwide. *tr

Speedometer not working properly. does not read accurate speed. when needle starts to rise, the motion is not constant. the needle instead "ticks" up upon acceleration. *tr

Last week i smelled something burning in my truck. investigated and found insulation was melting off heater blower wires at plug under dash. three of the wires had a half inch of exposed conductor showing at pigtail. at same time, my heater fan switch quit working at the two highest speed settings. after researching this problem on internet, i had to replace blower resistor and wire pigtail. fan switch works now, but vent selector switch doesn't work now. melted wires could have caused truck to catch on fire. i have old resistor and melted pigtail. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that while driving the speedometer displayed an inaccurate speed on the instrumental panel. the vehicle had not been inspected by a dealer or repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 55,000. the vin was unavailable.

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