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Electrical system

2004 GMC Envoy Electrical problems

Owners have filed 166 complaints about the 2004 GMC Envoy's electrical system with NHTSA - 44% of all its complaints, most recently on December 17, 2025. They describe 1 crash, 4 fires and 1 injury. Dead batteries, warning lights, wiring, alternators, infotainment and electronic module failures.

Complaints
166
Recalls
0
Crashes
1
Fires
4
Injuries
1
Deaths
0

Electrical complaints

Electrical systemFire

The contact owns a 2004 GMC Envoy. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, the contact noticed that the front passenger's door was on fire. The contact stated that he arrived home just in time and noticed the fire. The contact stated that, because it was raining, the contact's wife had powered the window up; however, the contact noticed that the window was down when the fire occurred. In addition, the contact stated that the fire was blazing, and after the fire was extinguished, the...

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smoke was still visible. The contact extinguished the fire. The contact disconnected the battery. In addition, the contact stated that it could have been a huge fire because the fuel tank had just been refilled prior to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,295.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11705548
Electrical systemLights

Headlight's,taillight's,turn signals stop working whenever they want.It's pretty scary to lose your headlight's when your driving at night.There's nothing i can do about it,except to sit wherever it happend and wait for them to come back on.My wife was following me one day and told me my brakelight's and turn signal stopped working and started to work again,she said this happened a couple time's at the same red light.There a couple of thing's (electrical)inside the vehicle that don't work anymore but i really dont...

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care about them.To get the odometer to work i have to knock pretty hard on the plastic cover that cover's the instrument cluster,sometimes it stay's on,most of the time it wont stay on.The DIC (driver control center) doesn't work anymore.I cant even get to it.The speakers on the left side of the vehicle dont work anymore.I thought i would tell you about the inside also because it could be part of the problem.All of this happened when i was driving home from my daughter's two night's ago.I bought this vehicle about three or four's year's ago,and i had no problem's with it untill the other night.The person i bought it from is a good friend of mine.He said he never had a problem with it,plus i have been in this vehicle countless times,that's why i bought it. Thank you.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 11478324
Electrical systemSeats & seat beltsFire

Front passenger seat caught on fire from the seat heater. The vehicle parked and turned off. It was parked in a high school parking lot while my daughter was in school. We contacted gmc, but they said it there was nothing they could do. There was something that went wrong for it to just catch fire. Can you help us in anyway at all.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Seats · Unknown or otherNHTSA 11288638
Electrical systemLightsBrakes

My dash panel gauges began failing one by one. My headlights will sometimes not come on after starting the car with the headlight switch on auto. A flick of the headlight switch in and off, does not make the headlights come on. Sometimes they come on after driving around, and then will go off without touching the switch. Now, my side brakelights will not operate correctly when the brake pedal is pressed. Only the third brake light illuminates.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Service brakesNHTSA 11258245
Electrical systemAirbagsBody, doors & structure

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 gmc envoy. While the vehicle was parked, the tailgate latch and motor failed. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the tailgate motor failed and needed to be replaced. The contact also stated that the air compressor failed to inflate the air bags evenly. The vehicle was taken to w-k chevrolet buick gmc cadillac (located at 3310 w broadway blvd, sedalia, mo 65301, (660) 826-8320), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the vin was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Air bags · StructureNHTSA 11186598
Electrical systemAirbagsBrakes

The abs light stayed on after the fact I had the breaks serviced a few years ago. The airbag light has been on for about a year. Now my break light stopped working, I replaced the fuse and still not working and now the headlamps stopped working. They only work on high beam.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Air bags · Service brakesNHTSA 11105041
Electrical system

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 gmc envoy. Upon entering and starting the vehicle, the speedometer displayed a reading of 45 to 90 mph and the tachometer displayed a reading of 1 1/2 rpms. The contact stated that the failure occurred mostly during the winter months. The contact also stated that the battery charging alert displayed incorrectly as well as the fuel gauge. While driving various speeds, the speedometer displayed incorrectly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that...

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malfunctioning magnets and the cluster needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the speedometer was replaced, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic who informed the contact that the circuit board and instrument panel needed replacement. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11066486
Electrical system

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 gmc envoy. The contact stated that the vehicle's electrical system stopped the vehicle from starting. There were unknown warning indicators illuminated at the time of the failure. The vehicle was towed multiple times due to failing to start. An independent mechanic stated that there was a cable disconnected, but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure occurred again and the vehicle was taken to jessup auto plaza (68-111 e palm canyon dr, cathedral city, ca 92234, (760) 328-9999). The...

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technician was unable to locate a failure and the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure occurred again. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 72,338.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11054000
SuspensionElectrical systemBrakes

Nothing but this has been nothing but trouble since I bought for that dealership. Guy from todd wenzel grand rapids michigan. I had just back into the shop several times they will not do anything about it she's just used to going ever since I bought this car and your is something wrong with the engine itself it cuts out car smells like something burning I do not feel safe in this car and I still owe on it I like to report todd wenzel buick to the better business bureau they're lousy people thank you also sent all this information gmc and have not got anywhere

Filed Incident Suspension · Electrical system · Service brakesNHTSA 10986085
Electrical system

Dashboard and gauges kept malfunction speed odometer reading incorrect had to replace also rear door burned out very costs very high.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Unknown or otherNHTSA 10946425
Electrical systemLights

Ac plug to fan motor burnt/melt, daylight/headlight connectors melted multiple times had them replaced 3 times each side... Cluster/ radio/ac lights burning out lights out on different areas from illumination to gages to radio and ac control button lights head lights went out while driving so did cluster, radio and ac lights had the cluster replaced by dealer while under warranty back in 2013 over cluster shortening, had my radio replaced as well by dealer same time

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 10860906
Electrical systemLightsBody, doors & structure

I was in the highway tail lights weren't working in was headed to idaho due to that im still in north dakota also like a month ago I was pulled over in the city for no back lights it's happen 4 or 5 times two on a 15 hour road trip.Tailgate has open twice once in city and on highway now it doesn't shut at all its been like that for 5 months now and it started to not want to open or close the roof part as well it sound as if its jam.I worry about my safety and public as well. Just paid over 2400.00 For rebuilding...

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trany,power steering,and my gear shift as well it would not shift it snap off.Transmission went out 6 hours before I got to my destination.It was towed to a trany shop around nov.12/2015 Picked up feb.23/2016 Hoping they would fix all the rest of defects it has. You name it this envoy has it or has had it from headlights bulb being replaced every so often and melting were light bulb goes, a/c and heater don't work properly driver side is hot and passenger cold or vice-versa. The passenger back sit I would not know.Midwindow doesn't work it doesn't roll up or down or that latch that comes down to haul stuff as well it doesn't work. When I roll my power windows my headlight and engine idle powers goes down as if there is an electrical problem.I've invested on this envoy a week later when I drove it out of the yard. I have all my receipts from professional mechanics.Its been a bad experience.I hope my trany doesn't go out after I'm done fix all this other problems. I read after someone had rebuild the trany 13 months later he had the same problem again with his envoy. It's not safe to operate a vehicle with so many issues especialy with no back lights going from good to not working.Every time I have to be checking if I have my rear lights are working or in front and also my front low light I have no visibility what so ever.They are so dull.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lighting · StructureNHTSA 10859854
Electrical systemLightsDriver assistance

Cluster want power up properly at start up. Warning lights give false information. And now radio sometimes want play correctly. Ac fan want work on all speeds also at times. I looked up recalls and there was one 03v096000 but it did not cover my year. You can get different displays giving bad information on every start up.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Electronic stability control (ESC)NHTSA 10806785
Electrical systemEngine & coolingFuel systemFire

Vehicle was being driven on a two way highway at approximately 55 mph. Vehicle lost engine power while driving and the gas pedal lost resistance and went to the floor. Vehicle was steered over to the side of the road. While the vehicle was steered over to the side of the road, check engine and other dash lights started flashing chaotically. White smoke started coming from under the hood. Within a short time, white smoke turned into black smoke and then flames started to appears. The fire under the hood eventually continued to grow until it completely burned the engine compartment most of the first two rows of the interior before the firemen arrived and were able to put out the fire.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Engine · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 10786885
Electrical systemEngine & cooling

One day my sunroof worked and the next day it would not. It was stuck in the in the open position (not fully open, but when the front end raises an inch or so). I took it to a gm certified mechanic and they said I would need a whole new assembly and quoted me $2,100. The dealership and gm notified me that they would not help me with this defect at all. My car is in excellent condition with only 85,000 miles on it, but it is only worth $5,000 and I paid over $14,000 for it in 2009 when I bought it from a gm...

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dealership. I cannot afford to lose $2,100 on this vehicle. And this is not the first issue that I have had. When I drove it home from the dealership the whole instrument panel failed. They fixed that. Then a year later, when I was driving home with my new born, the entire car shut down while in motion going 45 miles per hour. The dealership said that it was a problem with the computer and the warranty would not cover it, but it would cover a restoration of the computer. Then when I went to get my vehicle the refused to let me take it until I paid $200. My vehicle has shut down while driving since that and can barely maintain idling at traffic lights at times. Now back to the sunroof, after not being able to afford to fix it the mechanic took out the sunroof and just set it in the frame so at least water would not get in when it rained. However, it is just sitting in there and can easily be lifted out and may even get blown out on the freeway. When exactly will this become a safety hazard? When my sunroof blows off on the freeway and causes a fatal car accident? Or when my car completely shuts down on the middle of the freeway and my children and I get killed in a pile up? Gm has been convicted of neglecting to recall vehicles with safety issues recently. Clearly, gm refuses to protect its customers. Please help protect consumers and do something about this.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Unknown or other · EngineNHTSA 10781781
Electrical systemAcceleration & cruise control

THE CRUISE CONTROL IS INTERMITTENT. *TR

Filed Incident Electrical system · Vehicle speed controlNHTSA 10702390
Electrical systemAirbagsSeats & seat beltsCrash

: No air bag/[ deployment failure] front/ side/ rear [ side designed to deploy in rollover or side impact crashes] air bag's failure / deployment complete roll all four sides landed back on wheels. I was slammed onto left driver side window left side face broke the window and glass and dirt filled vehicle seat belt failure: left/drivers only rolled four times landed back on all fours I flailed around head butted the passenger as the force over took my body onsite officer acknowledged the indications...

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seat belt friction burns all on around neck and shoulder traumatic brain injury torn rotator cuff shoulder issues/ also bladder damage as the driver's side seat belt failed to lock during crash dealer should have been cited for seat belt failure worst things of all time ...It was a test drive engine stall failure : at high speed/ heard noise and boom lost all power steering loud noise loss of power/ I had no ideal at the time thought possible blow out and indicated such to the responding officer electrical - also brake light turn signal failure/ appears to be functional lights signals/ but are not working on the outside others don't see signals or brake lights . I was sited for btw gm should be responsible as well dealership all the recall and complaint's, incident reports accidents and gm major ignition issues....Engine failure while driving/ erosion and many other vehicles. *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical system · Air bags · Seat beltsNHTSA 10691276
Electrical systemLights

Parked the vehicle in a parking garage so I know the lights were working when we went in. As we were leaving approximately 3 hours later, the low beams would not come on at all. Had to run high beams; had several people look at the fuses, replaced bulbs, etc. But they could not find the problem. A couple of weeks later just before I was taking it to a dealer to look at the problem the low beams began working again. Approximately two months later the exact same thing happened only this time I heard a faint noise...

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from the engine compartment and smelled a burning (seemed electrical) aroma for a few seconds when I realized the low-beam lights were not working again. After a week or so the lights came back on again. *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 10676142
Electrical system

Speedometer erratic. Stays at 120mph at all speeds until vehicle is not driven. Driven again, does not work at all or is erratic showing multiple speeds. As an example, freeway speed of approximately 70 speedometer will read 0 at times, 40 at times or even may read 120, very erratic. *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10663716
Electrical system

My speedometer stopped working. It used to either stay on 0 or go up to 90. I have been stopped several times for speeding because I can not determine my speed. Since that broke, I have also lost all of my other instruments, including gas... I ran out of gas on route 495 in the middle lane going about 60 mpg!!! Thankfully I did not panic and was able to get my flashers on and move into the slow lane and then to the break down lane. I have had many people tell me this is a recall on the gmc pick up trucks but not the envoy!!!! Does someone need to get killed in order to have this corrected? *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10653983
Electrical systemLights

My 2004 gmc envoy has 90,000 miles and the headlights and tail lights keep flickering when I start it. And when driving down the road they flicker. The gauges on the dash for the charging system goes up and down. I have had it to a chevy dealer 4 times know, first time they told me the throttle body needed cleaned. They did it. Picked it up and then it was just as bad. Took it back and they ran test and said it has to do with a plug for the secondary air injection system. They replaced it. Still doing it. They told...

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me there is no fix for the problem know they tell me my secondary air pump air is bad and needs replaced. There has to be a fix for this problem. I cant spend money that don't fix the problem I afraid to drive it at night.Going down my driveway the lights went all the way out and back on. Anything you can do or tell me what I can do will help. Thank you *tr

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 10641556
Electrical system

This vehicle has and had major electrical issues since new. Instrument cluster replaced at my expense at 75000 miles. Now door locks intermittent. Won't open or lock by remote. Rear wiper goes out when door locks stop. Rear door lock out also. Can lock doors from inside and manually lock driver door but rear hatch will stay unlocked. This is a safety hazard especially at night at a mall or even in my driveway. Someone could enter my vehicle and hurt someone in my family when locks are out. In my driveway they could...

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get access to my garage door opener and enter my house. I shouldn't have to remove my garage door opener everytime I enter my home. I think this is a very serious security issue for my family. I'm retired and can't afford the repair. I've seen this all over the internet but no fix from gm. *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10640091
Electrical system

Failure of the drivers door module. Power windows work, but nothing else.. No driver 1/2 option buttons, not heated seats.. *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10637359
Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

Vehicle is stuck in park, on the dash board it show the vehicle in reverse. Instrument cluster is not working properly, tach gauge not reading correctly. Temperature gauge does not work at all. Forward air vents do not work all. *Tr

Filed Incident Power train · Electrical systemNHTSA 10621171
SteeringElectrical systemEngine & cooling

Stopped at street like, light went green started to move forward and car goes dead. No lights on dash, nothing showing, just stops abruptly. After a few moments tried restarting car and it came back on with check engine light. P0606 pcm failure code displayed. Could have been rear ended by semi truck behind me or killed if I was trying to turn left at intersection. *Tr

Filed Incident Steering · Electrical system · EngineNHTSA 10606588

GMC Envoy electrical complaints by year

Envoy electrical problems, every year

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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