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SUVs Pontiac Aztek Pontiac Aztek Electrical Problems
361 messages, Last post on Nov 06, 2009 at 4:11 AM
You are in the Pontiac Aztek Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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Replying to: spztek (Mar 17, 2009 1:54 pm) The reason being the reason GM/Pontiac stated at their web page for not recalling the Aztek & siblings is that none of the current ailments involved safety issues. But after reviewing your short list, & would luv to see the long version, I believe I have spotted several that would qualify as possible real SAFETY issues that may actually help get the ball rolling for getting a recall out to fix ALL THE DISCO ISSUES. 10) Dancing Queen - Fuel gauge (POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE CAR RUN OUT OF FULE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 80 MPH WITH OUT ANY WARNING. Will need more details on this problem) 09) Star Wars Theme - Flashing dashboard lights (POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THIS COULD HAPPEN AT NIGHT WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 80 MPH WITH OUT ANY WARNING.) 08) Hot Stuff - Temp gauge reading fine, car smells "hot" (POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE CAR COULD CATCH ON FIRE ANY WARNING & THE DOORS COULD LOCK YOU IN THE CAR AT THE SAME TIME  ). 07) Shadow Dancing - Gear selector lights don't work (POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE CAR COULD INADVERTANTLY BE LEFT IN GEAR WITH OUT NOTICE AT NIGHT.) 06) Turn the Beat Around - ABS (Another Beat System???) light stuck "on" (DEFFINATE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING IF THE ABS WILL ACTUALLY WORK IN AN EMERGENCY OR IF THIS IS JUST AN INDICATOR PROBLEM!!!!). 05) Macho Man - What it takes to open rear hatch 04) If I Can't Have You - No one else will turn my key 03) Don't Leave Me This Way - alternating on off headlights (DEFFINATE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING IF THE LIGHT WILL ACTUALLY WORK WHEN REQUIRED TO DO SO IN ORDER TO DRIVE SAFELY ON THE ROAD AT NIGHT ***A TICKETABLE OFFICENCE BY LAW*** OR IN AN EMERGENCY!!!!!). 02) Automatic Lover - May or may not leave "park" (DEFFINATE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE WHICH CAN CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH OR NOT WORK IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION!!!!!). And the number one all time song favorite of Joe... *drum roll* Y.M.C.A - Only place I'll be finding air conditioning! My AC finally gave up the ghost & quit working this week  . **disclaimer** There are smaller symptoms, but he only wanted to list the top ten. He was having issues about going into the hospital in the morning. I promised him I'd post his list in the unlikely event of a water-ditching, or I adhere to his DNR orders. If more people posted the Disco problems such as the MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES you touched upon in your list I bet there would be enough data to got the Highway Safety Division to get a recall issued due to safety concerns such as driving with intermittent head lights at night & vehicle will not stay in park or malfunctioning ABS/ABS indicator. If others are having these or similar safety issues related to the EBCM & start posting here maybe as a group we can get something done as far as getting a recall out to replace it. CharO |
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Replying to: spztek (Mar 17, 2009 1:54 pm) Gear shifter light is easy, I swiped this from elsewhere: 'There is a bulb under the shifter housing.I just replaced mine.THe bulb was 94cents at the dealer.There is a clip on the back of the gear shift knob.Pry that off and remove the handle.Remove your cup holder.Under the lower one is a screw and you remove that.Lift off the cover.the bulb is at the end of a wire and is a little tricky to twist out and replace.Seems an 8 year old with small hande would find it easy.Be careful with that dust cover boot or belt that goes around the shifter.I popped out the red plastic bar indicator and it's lost.I'll fashion another. It's easier to put stuff back with the shift handle removed since you can turn the housing upside down and you can get that dustcover belt back in the track' ABS light is quite often due to loose /corroded wire to wheel hub/bearing assembly. The lack of ABS working means the vehicle is working like the many thousands of others that don't have ABS and I would consider it a safter factor if there was no light to tell you it wasn't working properly. For the stuck in park thing, assuming it wasn't allowed to roll after putting it in park, it is likely an issue with the BTSI, a safety item that doesn't allow vehicle to start when in gear. If it fails, it is better to leave it stuck in park then to allow it to start in gear. For the hatch, if you don't hear the 'click' when trying to open with either the button or key fob, usually pulling the #28 fuse from underhood fuse box for about 20 secs works. If it does 'click' but not open without a little manual help in the winter I don't have a fix for that, but if it happens all the time a little turn counter-clockwise of the 2 bumper stops on liftgate usually resolves problem. |
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I'm pretty sure it's the whole BCM thing because I have other issues that are mentioned throughout this thread. I also have no odometer lights, and the dashboard flashes off and on at times. I did pull the #28 fuse, and while it worked, I had to hold in the button (inside) more than just the short push to make it work. That was the first time I was actually able to open the hatch without the fob. I've gone through three batteries in less than six months, too. The car sat from early Saturday morning until 0445 Monday morning. It started just fine. Three hours later, it was completely dead. Nothing was left on, or in the chargers. When I got jumped, the left headlight was out and the gas gauge was on the "H"! I drove it an hour before I stopped and let it sit for about 30 minutes. I turned the headlights on manually and then back to auto. The left lamp came back on and the gas gauge went back to just below a half tank. (Just when I was thinking I miraculously gained a full tank. lol) I've talked to the mechanic and I'm going to buy a new BCM online; he's going to put it in for me. If that doesn't work, I'm calling in my priest because the only other answer is total demonic possession.
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Replying to: spztek (Mar 18, 2009 5:03 am) In general for the fuel guage the sensor in fuel tank might be suspect, but on GM minivans there has been a problem with the c-305 connector involving water intrustion/corrosion that can cause this, perhaps it could cause a parisitic battery drain also, I don't know, but it may be a place to check. |
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I am having some of these issues, but not all. It started a few years ago, i was changing my headlight and after finishing i begun to hear a dinging noise inside (sounded like the door ajar warning). This noise would not stop until i unplugged the battery for a few minutes then plugged it back in. After that, every so often it would do it again and i would unplug the battery, plug it back in and it would stop again for a month or so. The dinging just stopped after one of the times and never came back. After a few more months my a/c stopped working on one of the speeds (don't remember which). After a few weeks, 2-3 it stopped all together. I popped the hood and started checking fuses in the fuse box and everything look ok, got back in the car and it started working again.....only on level 4 though. I thought i could live with this so i just ignored it thinking maybe the blower was going bad. The car would over heat every once in a while, but i have a slow antifreeze leak, somewhere...have yet been able to locate that, no smoke, no puddles, not in the oil, just gone but that is another story (car does smell hot though, even when not running hot) The major issue started a few weeks ago, when parking the car we would stop, put it in park and turn the key, but the key would not turn all the way off. it would stick at that first click that gives you battery power but not ignition (sorry, not a car guy). We would then turn the key once more to where it clicked but didn't start the care, through it in gear a couple of times and then we could get the key back all the way and out. The other day though that solution stopped working so i had to unplug the battery to get the radio and lights to go off and not to run the battery dead. I am at a lost, i have talked to several people and a couple think it is the ignition lock and other think it is the neutral park switch. after some reading, i am beginning to think it could be the BCM or the blower resistor assembly, since when i called the auto store they recommended that i replace the pigtail if i replace the resistor. This made me think there is something know wrong with it and maybe it is shorting out other items I dont know what to think though, does anyone have any ideas.....i don't want to spend a ton of money but i am still paying on the car so i have no choice but to fix it. 2001 pontiac aztek, not gt Front wheel drive no towing package windows, lights, and hatch work flawlessly.
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| 2002 Pontiac Aztek 3400 engine overheating, replaced coolant and thermostat; pressure test at dealer reveals cracked head gasket. Was there a recall on this engine? | |
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My wife just bought a 2001 Aztek. We've had it a week now. Yesterday evening she got in the thing to come home When she turned the key, the vehicle just went hay wire. Everything just started flickering, fluttering and going crazy. She tried cranking it a few more times and then the battery died. We were able to get her jumped off and she drove the car home.She pulled up to the house and turned off the car It wouldn't restart. The battery was still dead. I hooked our battery charger up to it and left it on all day. I noticed that the battery wasn't charging. The car still wouldn't start and every time i turned the key the car still just went ape-poop crazy. So I took a battery out of my own car and put it in hers. The Aztek then turned over and ran like a charm. Took the dead battery to Autozone and they confirmed that battery was D.O.A. I have been reading this forum, convinced someone out there has has ran into the same problem.I'm really glad the problem seems to be fixed (for right now) But I can't help worry that there's still something wrong with the Aztek to cause batteries installed in the thing to go bad. Is the computer modules going to go bad soon? I mean, when all this started happening I envisioned the worst case scenario that has happened to so many fellow Aztek owners here. I just couldn't afford a $1,000 repair bill so soon after coughing up the money to buy the thing. But boy howdy! do I just want to add my utter disbelief that a car can react so badly to something nothing more than a unchargeable battery with bad cells!
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Replying to: poorboymike (Mar 20, 2009 11:52 am) For the cabin fan issue, If you lost the slow speed first then second, ETC until only high worked, I would guess it is the blower motor resister assembly. If it didn't fail that way, it may be the HVAC cluster that has problem. For the coolant leak, if the lower intake manifold gaskets havn't been changd to newer part number, that is likely cause.
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Replying to: decompiler (Mar 22, 2009 8:30 pm) |
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Replying to: ray80 (Mar 23, 2009 3:38 am) My symptom was dissappearing coolant from the coolant recovery bottle with no fluid on the ground or any other exterior visible evidence. Never did see the contamination on the oil dipstick in either car, but it must have been there. |
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