Problems with 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The speedometer doesn't work properly. i can be at a red light at complete stop & it states i am doing 60, when i accelerate it goes to 100, when i know i am only doing 10-15 mph. i am 70 years old on a fixed income. i never received anything about a recall and i now have around 102,000 miles on my truck. i can not afford to replace a defective part for $500- $600. gm should have to replace these at full cost!

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. while driving at unknown speeds, all the instrument cluster warning indicators flashed. after parking the vehicle, it caught on fire. there were no injuries and a police report was not filed. the fire department was called and extinguished the fire. the local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 128,000.

Fuel gauge and temp gauge stopped working at the same time. stationary.

Instrument cluster panel gauges quit working. truck has little less than 14,000 miles on it. through internet search discovered that a special service bulletin was issued but did not receive one. noticed that it only covers 7 years or 70,000 miles for gm to replace. i am well under the 70,000 miles and feel that it should be replaced by gm. speedometer was the first gauge to quit working. all service on vehicle has been performed by gm dealership to date. do not understand why i have to repair this at my own cost.

2004 chevrolet silverado ls 1500 instrument cluster and heater electrical failures. it is a known problem that the stepper motors in the instrument cluster are guaranteed to fail resulting in not knowing what speed you are going or any other gauge such as fuel, temperature or oil pressure. gm refused to fix problem when still under warranty. i fixed the first 2 stepper motor failures myself, now at 268,xxx miles there is a problem in the ignition switch which leaves me with no function of the instrument panel and loss of hvac blower function. it is now winter here in michigan, vehicle problems started when it was winter when the speedometer and fuel gauge failed the first time. now, the heater fan and instrument cluster have failed at the same time! the law requires a speedometer! this should be made a mandatory replacement of all instrument clusters regardless of miles or age of the vehicle. 2004 chevrolet silverado ls 1500 that has the failed instrument cluster and heater blower problems. as a gm stock holder i demand action be taken to replace instrument clusters in all affected gm vehicles at no cost. as it stands now, i will not buy another gm product if this problem is not rectified at no cost to me!. loyal gm customers that have bought gm vehicles almost exclusively should have these problems resolved at "no cost" regardless of mileage or age of the vehicle mileage. i am the original owner of the vehicle affected. i am also a native born american citizen. lets kick gm's behind!

I was driving my truck to a friends house and all of a sudden my cages started going crazy they showed that my truck was overheating and when i stopped its wasn't overheating the the air conditioning started to get hot and then cold and stopped. know none of the cages work. two weeks again my wife and i went to breakfast and when i went to turn the ignition off it wouldn't turn off so i had to leave the vehicle running after breakfast we went home and i disconnected the cables and the truck turned off . then the next morning i hooked them back up and it started by it self. i am a 77 year old senior and i cannot believe that this is happening . i would like help in trying to figure this all out it sounds like defects to me i have always owned silverado trucks and never has anything like this happened.

A month or two ago the heating system stayed blowing while in off position and even while the car was turned off, kept killing the battery so it had to be disconnected. rear window will roll down at start up. radio will squeal at start up and had to be turned on or off from the center console. this week the air bag light came on and check tire. periodically the service stability light will blink on. today the wipers will not turn off. very worried that it will accelerate, catch fire or shut off while driving. we have an apt for repair on monday. is the electrical panel a category included int he recalls? *tr

The dash instrument cluster failed and does not read a correct temperature nor does the oil gauge read correctly. the temperature gauge read that the temperature was above the highest reading on the gauge. there is a clicking sound within the instrument panel continuously. the vehicle was taken in for evaluation at a service station, they ran a diagnostic and determined that the instrument cluster is failing and its readings are not correct. it will require replacement. *tr

The dashboard digital command center (language, odometer, trip meter, warning messages) does not display odometer, trip meter or warning messages. the language switches from english, french & spanish without allowing for a selected language. mileage is not able to be displayed at all. *tr

The air conditioner stopped working and there was a slight burning smell. the air conditioner was turned off and the vehicle driven home without incident. upon inspecting the system, the blower motor resistor was found to have a burnt appearance and slight odor. *tr

Stopped to get gas. truck was idling went to shut ignition switch off. key comes out without locking steering. went to start truck and when running could pull key out of ignition and still running. never had this issue with a vehicle before. ignition switch is does not always turn without jiggling(intermittent). similar ignition switch not turning without jiggling on my 2007 saturn vue([xxx]).i believe this is a safety defect peculiar to gm ! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr updated 09/29/2014 *js

Everytime i drive on the interstate my speedometer reads the wrong speed, or quits working entirely. the tachometer does not even work at all. speedometer reads wrong in winter time, freezes after i hit a bump in the road. usually requiring me to turn off the engine to reset it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated the while he attempted to accelerate after a stop, the vehicle stalled and caused the contact lose control of the vehicle. the vehicle veered into the left lane and crashed into another vehicle. the contact sustained injuries to the face, neck and right hand. a police report was not filed. the vehicle was destroyed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 130,000. the vin was not available. updated 04/29/14*lj

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that the speedometer malfunctioned and provided an erroneous reading of 30 mph when the contact was actually traveling 60 mph. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for a diagnostic test or repairs. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure and current mileage was 68,000. updated 02/11/14*lj the vehicle was repaired, at a local repair shop. updated 02/12/14

I realize that this vehicle is well out of the 3 year 36,000 mile manufacturer warranty. but lately with how rapidly this truck with less than 70,000 miles seems to be falling apart on me its just really been frustrating. i've only had the vehicle out of the shop less than two weeks for front wheel bearing/ abs sensor repair when my speedometer completely went out. most of the time speedometer is reading 0 mph occasionally it will flutter between 5-10 mph. reading online i see gm extended their speedometer warranty to 7 yrs/70k miles. just very frustrating general motors. i can only imagine what this what this repair will cost. in the past year alone the repairs that were made to this truck with less than 70,000 miles have been... front wheel bearings,sway bar(links/bushings), inner/ outer tie rods( both sides), upper/ lower a arms (both sides), new brakes/rotors( all the way around) , a front end alignment with my new tires. this is a 2 wheel drive 1500 truck not a 2500 4x4 that was used to plow snow with for years. no idea why the whole front end of my truck was so rotted out to the point everything needed replaced. not for a truck with so few miles on it. and now this. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that the instrument panel malfunctioned and all of the gauges provided inaccurate readings. in addition, the anti-lock system would engage independently and without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the anti- lock braking system needed to be cleaned and the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage was 44,800. updated 3/28/14*cn *tr

Speedometer on the instrument panel stopped working. *tr

I bought my 2004 used with 116,159 miles on it. i noticed the blower motor for the a/c and heater would act up on its own and thought it was just the auto climate control it has. i smelled electrical wiring burning at different times but could not find anything burnt in the wiring after inspecting the wiring under the dash and hood. on feb. 25,2014 i went to the grocery store and when i shut my suburban off the blower motor stayed on. i tried turn the key on and off but the motor stayed on. i went in the store and when i came out 1/2 hour later the blower motor was still running. now every time i turn the suburban off the blower keeps running so i had to pull the fuse out so it would not run the battery down. i googled the problem and found that this has happened to several other vehicels. after finding out the part that is defective is called a blower relay resistor module i called the parts store to get the part. they said they could not get the part and to try the dealership. the chevrolet dealer had the part and i asked if there happened to be a recall on the part. they wanted my vin. # so they could check my suburban and said that my suburban was not included in 'that' recall. that sound alittle weird the way he said it so i got on the web and checked myself. there is a recall # 10240 that describes the exact same problems with other 2004 suburbans that is happening with my suburban to the "t". it said in the recall that the problem could cause a fire. does someone need to die before the recall is expanded to vehicles,the same make,model and year is included!!!!!! *tr

spontaneous front and rear brake failure on a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500 lt pickup truck. i was pulling up to my driveway and applied the brakes. the pedal went to the floor and i tried to pump the brake with no success. no prior brake level or abs or proportioning valve warning lights were indicated. i applied the emergency brake and came to a stop. once i parked the truck i noticed brake fluid dripping down below the driver's door. i crawled under to discover that all four steel brake lines were completely rusted and fluid was steadily coming out. a large puddle under the truck had accumulated over a short time. i noticed that the fuel lines were also severely rusted in the same area. i am 65 years old and have owned many vehicles over my lifetime (including classic cars), but i have never had a brake line rust as bad as these. i am extremely lucky that i wasn't on an interstate highway and had to make a quick stop for traffic ahead. more seriously than the rusted lines is the fact that no prior warning was given before total failure. dual master cylinders and isolated front and rear lines did not perform as designed. i have been on the internet today and understand that this is not an isolated problem. i can just imagine other people/families who will not be as lucky as me if this continues without something being done to warn and correct the situation. this should be on the news and gm should be involved and resolving the issue. thanks *tr

When turning on the the air conditioner smoke came out of the vents. changed actuator, it burns out immediately, air still does not work. recall on this part/product and prince chevrolet in valdosta, ga was unable to fix the problem. keeps shorting out. do not want my truck to catch fire. still have no air! *tt

I have owned several chevy silverados and have had good experiences so far. i noticed back in 2013 that my fuel gauge was not registering correctly - needle gone crazy. all the other gauges were perfect. the diagnosis was a bad fuel sensor and the entire dashboard cluster had to be replaced. (over $500) i just continue to reset my tripometer when i fuel up now rather than spend that much money. the dealer said it was a common problem with dashboard concerns. maybe some defective parts????? anyways, since then i have replaced the brakes, the front struts, the water pump, and recently the entire brake lines at $1200 due to severe corrosion. still have not replaced the dashboard cluster as i am waiting for the next failure. my other trucks did not seem to fail as much as soon. may be looking at that new aluminum f150 soon. *tr

Speedometer stuck at 70mph and stayed that way for a few days. after multiple starts of the vehicle, the speedometer eventually worked its way back to zero. it's now happened again. after contacting gm, they told me to take it to an authorized shop for a diagnosis, which i did and they confirmed it was the issue that gm issued the contract adjustment for, but since it has now expired, there is nothing they could do for me. so why did they ask to have the truck taken in for an inspection? the vehicle now has 66,000 miles on it and i'm very displeased with the customer service. *tr

The vehicle will not start and the security light flashes showing that there is a passlock system problem. the system sensor thinks that it has been tampered with and shuts down the starter. after some period of time usually about 30 minutes it will reset and the vehicle will start again. as time goes by the problem becomes more frequent and the time of reset takes longer, until at some point it will not start at all. chevy refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem with their passlock system, but a little research on the computer shows that it has become a common problem. being stranded may not seem like a big deal, but in severe weather conditions, or medical emergency it can be life or death. since chevy refuses to acknowledge a problem they don't send out information to their shops about how to fix the problem so consumers are spending huge amounts of money on unnecessary parts and labor. this is the third electrical problem my vehicle has had, i am concerned about the entire electrical system going up in flames. *tr

Various gauges intermittently fail. tachometer reads correctly only part time. ampmeter does not work. speedometer either reads incorrectly or not at all. etc. entire instrument panel needs to be replaced to safely operate this vehicle. we were never informed of a recall on this unit, mechanic believes that one may have been made. this vehicle was taken to the dealer--a chevrolet dealer--early in our ownership--a new vehicle--with a request to investigate the cluster. we were informed they knew of no problems and said the unit was good. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph the speed odometer failed to operate. the malfunction recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. there was a recall issued by the manufacturer pertaining to the electrical system; however, the vin was not included. in addition, the gear lever would not shift into the four wheel drive position. the heater blower functioned in only two of the five settings. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 93,000. ...updated 07-10-13 *bf the consumer stated a mechanic advised the failures were electrical issues. updated 7/17/2013 *js

Bought my truck new in 2004 as my retirement vehicle. i have only 42,000 miles. i had my instrument cluster replaced two years ago under a dealer warranty due to a defective speedometer. within the past week my transmission has randomly slipped from a dead stop as well as double clunked from a dead stop. most recently, the ac is randomly blowing out hot air. i should have bought a golf cart instead. since the truck is now 7+ years old it is no longer under warranty. i'm hoping the transmission does not completely shut down and leave me stranded while driving down the freeway on a hot summer day. note: i was a victim of the us fidelis extended warranty scam. *tr

The heating unit melted to the wire harness and the heating dont work looks like to started to catch on fire but quickly stoped working and now the electrical is unkown if there is damage and no heat to the truck and could very easly catch the whole truck on fire. *tr

My vehicle read 0 mph when i am driving at any speed. there are times it will shoot to 120 mph and others it will be in between regardless of my actually speed. additionally, the gas gauge goes past full when i am near empty and vice versa. sometimes the gas gause sticks in the middle so i never know exactly how much gas i have. this is a safety issue as i have been pulled over for going over the speed limit when my gauge told me i was doing the speed limit. additionally, i have ran out of gas on a major highway because my gauge told me i was 3/4 full when i was on empty. i know after searching the internet that this problem was a special circumstance and vehicles who were less than 80k miles or got fixed prior to july 2011 then they were covered. however, nothing was done for the vehicles after that date. there are several others gm owners with trucks ranging from 2003-2007 with the same problem and we are being forced to have this problem fixed out of pocket for over $500. this is a major safety issue and all of the vehicles should have been recalled. i never received any notice on my car and was told by gm that the dealer didnt submit the new owner information despite me buying from a gm dealer. i am asking the nhtsa to enforce this saftey issue and recall these vehicles to be covered by gm no matter what the mileage is. http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f11f710 http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2004/chevrolet/suburban_1500/?q=&page=3 http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/chevrolet-tahoe/t7ievbbfpjqiqhnvg http://www.carcomplaints.com/chevrolet/suburban/2004/electrical/speedometer_stops_working.shtml http://www.justanswer.com/chevy/14i3b-2004-suburban-speedometer-doesn-t-work-sticks.html *tt

The speedometer on my silverado does not show the proper mph figure. it varies from 0 mph to 40 mph no matter at what speed i am traveling. this is especially dangerous when traveling the mass pike as i have no idea how fast i am going. around city driving it usually stays at zero with an occasional spurt to 60. i cannot find a recall from chevrolet regarding this type of problem but there should be. this is a manufacturing problem. *tr

Well i have problems with my speedometer for a time ot worked and then stopped and so on but now since august it has stopped working together and i'm afraid of driving because i don't know how fast i am going. *tr

2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. everytime the vehicle is driven, the air conditioning changes from hot to cold on the driver's side. i have to stop, turn off vehicle, and restart the vehicle in order for the air conditioner to work properly. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. while driving various speeds, the contact noticed that the speedometer failed to display a correct reading. the failure occurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who informed the contact that the failure was contributed to the faulty instrument panel cluster. in 2007, the manufacturer sent a letter to alert the contact of a defect with the speedometer however, no recall was issued. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 98,000. updated 03/14/12*lj updated 04/10/12 updated 05/03/12

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated whenever the brake pedal was engaged both rear brake lights failed to function. in addition, the odometer and oil pressure gauges would not operate. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. consumer writes in regards to recall problem *tgw the consumer stated gm acknowledged a possible defect with the 2003 models, but not his model year. *jb

The speedometer at times doesn't work or is way past 120mph when going any speed. when going 30 mph shows 80mph or the other way around. you never know how it will work. *kb

For no apparent reason system just failed and for the cost of the vehicle that is terrible. *tt

Drivers side ac randomly blows hot air in my 2004 chevrolet silverado. if ignition switch is turned off and then restarted cold air blows again. *kb

We had received a letter for chevrolet about a recall the mileage on it was up to 150 thousand but the truck then was just about 6000 nothing was wrong 5/18/2013 the dash gauges went out the speedometer and tachometer failed first at about 79000 but now all the dash gauges did not work. we love our 200 silverado truck but have know way to fix it. lost the letter please send us one because the dealer does not want to fix it for us. help!!!! *tr

The speedometer began acting erratically. from 70 mph with the cruise control set, the indicated speed began to rise until the indicator needle hit the stop above 120 mph. when i stopped the vehicle the speedometer still read over 50 mph. after turning off the ignition, and then restarting the car, the indicator needle gradually worked its way back to the right indication. this problem recurs daily and creates a hazard, because i have no real indication of my speed, as well as the distraction of having to think about whether my indicated speed is accurate. *tr

1 issue is the ac runs hot on the left side and cold on the right. sometimes it will run all hot.. @. the dash board lights go off after i have started driving and i can not see the speed or anything on it. we had a recall on the harness a few year ago, around april 2011 or 2012 the truck would not pass state inspection at the time. i have replaced it twice already. chevrolet manufacture reimbursed us.

I own a 2004 chevy silverado and i'm having issues with the dash cluster odometer reading correctly. i feel it a safety issue when you can not tell how fast you are going while driving. if your caught going 20 mph above the speed limit, it's considered dangerous enrecliment. am i wrong? the odometer reads incorrectly every time i drive my truck. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that there was a large water leak in the vehicle in which he believed could possibly have been anti-freeze. the vehicle was not repaired. in addition, the speedometer malfunctioned and while parked, the speedometer indicated that the contact was traveling 90 mph. the vehicle was inspected by the dealer and they advised him that the head was fractured and the instrument cluster would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 85,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet trailblazer. while driving approximately 60 mph, the contact noticed that the driver side headlight failed. the contact replaced the bulb three different times but the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics where the mechanic advised that the headlight wires were melted and the headlight assembly would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 98,000. updated 02/27/15*lj the dealer stated the consumers instrument cluster needs to be repaired. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. while driving approximately 25-30 mph he noticed that the speedometer was not working properly. the speedometer displayed the incorrect speed. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for the failure. the failure mileage was 66,700 and the current mileage was 66,919. updated 02/18/11 *bf the consumer stated he contacted gm and they referred him to a dealer to have the speedometer fixed and is working correctly. updated 02/23/11

The gauges stopped working on the vehicle. the speedometer stopped working which caused me to get a ticket and next the gas gage stopped working and i ran out of gas on the interstate. *tr

Speedometer on my 2004 chevy silverado stopped working. as i have been doing my research this is a very common problem with thousands of people. chevy has offered to fix the problem for trucks under 70000. most problem happen after the number they selected. this is a safety issue. *tr

Ignition switch failure 2004 chevrolet silverado ... vehicle set codes p-2761, p-0740, p-0753, p-0758, p-0785 ... i researched failures and found to be related to transmission codes caused by ignition switch failure...further research indicates this has been a known defect and gm has a fix listed to its' dealers... this problem is not only related to chevrolet trucks but nearly all vehicles produced by gm. necessary parts were obtained and repair made....not done by gm...gm dealer wanted 845.00 to make repair...part cost 45.00, rest labor gm also made corrections to the faults during the 2005 model year. *tr

Instrument cluster ie( speedometer /fuel gauge ) failed or works partially. this problem has been ongoing for 2 years.final failure was 12-19-2010 . gm has refused to pay for the part replacement and the dealer that diagnosed the problem is requesting i pay for the diagnosis. *tr

Speedometer begins acting erratically. ranges from 20 -120mph regardless of actual speed. *tt

2004 chevrolet silverado dash gauges erratic-fuel and speedometer gauge do not function properly. *tr