[GTMan74]

I purchased a white 2009 Chevrolet Traverse LTZ AWD on December 31, 2008. I have 2,500 miles on the odometer currently. I went out to rum some errands this morning and the Traverse would not start - no cranking, just a click. I then noticed all of the dash lights were starting to dim fast. I called roadside assistance and got a jump start. I drove over to the dealership immedately after that so they could take a look.

The service advisor had asked if I noticed any problems with the car recently. I ran out for lunch yesterday and noticed the parking assist alarm was going off despite having the car in drive. I thought it was odd but just blew it off as a glitch because the alarm eventually stopped. When I got home I always back my Traverse into the garage. The parking assist did the alarm as I got close the garage wall like usual. I shifted into park and the park assist alarm continued to sound for a good 10 seconds after putting the car into park. It finally stopped and I didn't think much more of it.

The dealership found a service bulleting that applies to all the lambdas (saw Outlook, Traverse, and Acadia for sure on the bulletin) with navigation radios and the park assist. I didn't get to read the bulletin but it actually references a problem that can occur if the park assist alarm/chime has been sounding. The service advisor said in certain scenarios the navigation radio does not fully power off and thus causes a drain on the battery. He loaded a software update for the navigation radio that is supposed to correct the issue. The advisor mentioned I was the first to their dealership to present with this issue.

I would have loved to read the whole bulletin but didn't get the chance. My service record shows "Reprogrammed the navigation radio with the latest calibrations per PIT4771A. I am passing along in case anyone runs into a problem with a dead battery. I know how some dealerships don't always find these service bulletins. If I run into any more problems I will be sure to post an update.

 

[09Enclave]

This has been discussed before on the other forums, and perhaps on another thread here.  so, I'll have to call:  :repost:
But I liked your story, none the less.
I am glad I don't have the NAV radio in my Enclave, it sounds like those things are nothing but trouble.  Are they Delco units, or some outsourced company that supplies them to GM?  So far, I've not had a dead battery, and my Enclave sometimes sits up to a week, so this must be isolated to the NAV units.

 

[ramjet]

I've never seen it discussed in this forum and while I do frequently read the other lambda forums, I wouldn't expect most new Traverse owners to do the same.

But to the subject: interesting to me because I've had two occasions where the parking assist alarm has sounded and wouldn't shut off without shutting down and restarting the car. But I don't have the nav radio. Anyone else experienced this?

 

[09Enclave]

I've never seen it discussed in this forum and while I do frequently read the other lambda forums, I wouldn't expect most new Traverse owners to do the same.

But to the subject: interesting to me because I've had two occasions where the parking assist alarm has sounded and wouldn't shut off without shutting down and restarting the car. But I don't have the nav radio. Anyone else experienced this?

Yes, mine would do that when there was ice on the sensors in the bumper. Or, your bumper could be very dirty...try washing it off if that's the case. One more thing to try, in the DIC (driver information center), you can turn off the rear parking assist if you want, for the reasons I mentioned...if it's real dirty or has ice on it and you don't want to hear it going off for a while, then just set it to off.

 

[wtyer]

Does anyone know if they have to take the Nav out of the dash to do this? Or do they just plug in to the computer and do it?

 

[stumpk]

My Traverse has 10k miles on it and 2 days ago I jumped in for a road trip and the car was dead! Only sat for 12hrs. I got a feeling this will not be the last time it's dead. I'm gonna contact my POS dealer and see what they can do for an update. I do not have any issue w/ the rear assist on it and I do have the Navi unit.

 

[myrtleman]

I've got two pieces of advice to prevent a dead battery in the Lambda series vehicles. First, always lock the doors with your remote keychain after exiting vehicle. Second, if your in reverse prior to shut down, place in Park for at least one minute before shutting down. These two actions wil assure that two computer systems will not bite you in the ass if your parked for longer than a few days. I've had dead batteries but not since I've adopted these habits. If you explain this to your service dept. they will look at you like you just stepped out of a flying saucer and like you have 3 eyes and an antenna on your head. But lets face it, what the **** do they know? My experience is they don't know squat! But they do know how to get your carpet and leather seats greased up. Try this, it's free and nothing to lose.

 

[medman]

Okay...I am stumped...why??...lol

 

[rbarrios]

Im pretty sure myrtlemans train of thought is
with the computer having time to recognize the new information...
and then properly going to 'sleep' once the vehicle is shutdown.
Myrtleman- did you also have the NAVIGATION option?
there is a known bug that NAV units- and parking to close to a wall where the park assist senses this- somehow remains on- and drains the battery....

 

[myrtleman]

Rbarrios, thanks for the remarks. No, I do not have Nav. I have only the stock stereo system. What I find interesting is that since I have had the new car it has sat for several days on several occassions. But, on the occassion the battery went dead it was the very first time I did'nt lock the doors with the remote and let it sit for 6 days. Also because I was in the garage I backed up a bit before shuting it off to maximize thr room in front of the car in the garage. Now I'm not the only one with this theory. There's a post on another disscussion board from a guy who has had Caddies and Corvettes that have a history of dead batteries. He swears that locking the doors before the computer puts everything to sleep keeps the parasitic draw to a mimimum during long periods of inactivity. BTW my owners manual says to diconnect the negative lead to the battery during periods of infrequent driving to reduce the drain on the battery. So there must be a draw they are aware of. Who knows what they mean by "infrequent driving". Meanwhile, time will tell if these ideas will work. I'll keep you posted on my adventures. Thanks again.

 

[09Enclave]

So, leaving the doors unlocked is bad for battery drain? Also, you say use the keyless....what about using the power lock on the door itself...any difference? Still hard to believe that having the vehicle locked (or locked via the remote) would cause different results, but nice tips..if they work, doesn't hurt to try.

 

[mojomatt]

Hi,

We had our 2011 Traverse for about 2 weeks and had a dead battery after it sat for about 30 hours. Just prior to shutting the vehicle off prior to the 30 hour non-use period, it was backed up and immediately shut off. So, there may be merit in the theory mentioned above about backing up and immediately shutting off the engine not allowing the backup sensors to properly shut down and consequently draining the battery. Hopfully GM will have a fix for this in the future.

 

[quantum]

About 2 weeks ago I started parking my Traverse in the garage. I back my Traverse in, because my garage is a bit on the low side, and if I drive in going forward, I can't open my rear hatch completely because the garage door is right above. If I back in, then the rear hatch is past the over head garage door.

Anyways, I usually just back it in, backup sensors beeping like crazy because of all the 'obstacles' in my garage, plus the width of the garage door causes the sensors to go off. Once I'm in, I place it in park and shut off the engine. There is no more that 5 seconds between shifting from reverse to park and then shutting down the engine. Also, now that its in the garage, I don't look the doors.

So far, the longest the Traverse has sat in the garage without use is 72 hours straight. The temps have been cold too, between -5*C and -20*C, so that is pretty hard on the battery too. I have not had any starting issues. I did notice a slight hesitation on the idle in the first 5 seconds or so, but its cranked over very strong, definitely no batter drain.

I will keep an eye on things though, I'm glad that I stumbled across this thread. At least if it does happen to me, I will remember what I read here.

 

[cgim5804]

Hi,

We had our 2011 Traverse for about 2 weeks and had a dead battery after it sat for about 30 hours. Just prior to shutting the vehicle off prior to the 30 hour non-use period, it was backed up and immediately shut off. So, there may be merit in the theory mentioned above about backing up and immediately shutting off the engine not allowing the backup sensors to properly shut down and consequently draining the battery. Hopfully GM will have a fix for this in the future.

Did you leave anything plugged in such as a radar detector, DVD, etc.? The one annoying feature is that it keeps power to the power plugs even with the car off so if anything is plugged in and on, it's going to kill the battery.

 

[mojomatt]

No, nothing was plugged in. The exact scenario was this... car was pulled into the garage frontways and turned off. An hour or so later the car was started, backed up a foot or two and shut off. 30 or so hours later the battery was dead. It may have had nothing to do with backing the car up but it sounds plausible. If I test this theory out again I'll be sure to post back with my results. Cheers.

 

[quantum]

Maybe what caused the issue was that the car only ran for 30 seconds or so? Maybe the startup procedure wasn't fully complete before the shut down occured? I know my Traverse goes into high idle for about 30 seconds or so on cold startup, mean while I'm sure the computer is doing all sorts of startup diagnostics on the vehicle. Maybe something got hung up?

 

[rbarrios]

I figured theyd have fixed this for 2011.... but here you go...

2009-2010


Acadia, Enclave, OUTLOOK, Traverse - EI09060 - Engine no crank/no start due to discharged battery/parasitic current draw


do this----Reprogram the IPC or heated seat module


Dont do this----Do not replace the battery


ref # 09-06-03-002F


Intermittent Battery Draw

Some customers may comment on an intermittent battery draw concern. This applies only to vehicles with a navigation radio and rear park assist. The radio may stay powered up if the rear park assist alarm is going off when very close to an object (continuous chime) and the ignition key is turned off before the chime cycle completes. This happens due to a software anomaly in handling the chime. Even when the conditions are right, this is an intermittent concern, and is hard to duplicate.

Two different bulletins have been released to address this condition, depending on model and year.

PIT4770 applies to 2007-08 Acadia and Outlook U3R UZR and 2008 Enclave U3R UZR with navigation radio and rear park assist.

For these vehicles, engineering is aware of this concern and is working on a software fix. Information will be updated when a fix becomes available.

PIT4771A applies to 2009 Enclave, Lucerne, Traverse, Acadia and Outlook with navigation radio and rear park assist.

For these vehicles, reprogram the navigation radio with the latest calibrations in TIS. Under the operating system there is a calibration titled "New software to correct continuous chime and potential battery run-down condition".

 

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

Quantum,

I have read your post about your dead battery issue that you have experienced.

Rbarrious has provided some great information for you to ponder over. However, if you need further assistance with this situation or other situations that you may encounter with your Traverse, you can contact Canadian Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center. Their toll free telephone number is: 800-263-3777. Their hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 7:30am - 11:30pm and Saturday 7:30am - 6:00 EST.

Have a great Monday!
Michelle P., Chevrolet Customer Service

 

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

mojomatt,

Have you had the battery die on you since you have posted to this thread?

Michelle P., Chevrolet Customer Service

 

[09Enclave]

Quantum,

I have read your post about your dead battery issue that you have experienced.

Rbarrious has provided some great information for you to ponder over. However, if you need further assistance with this situation or other situations that you may encounter with your Traverse, you can contact Canadian Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center. Their toll free telephone number is: 800-263-3777. Their hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 7:30am - 11:30pm and Saturday 7:30am - 6:00 EST.

Have a great Monday!
Michelle P., Chevrolet Customer Service

Quantum did NOT have a dead battery....