2011, <11k miles, dead in driveway

[AmazinglySmooth]

I bought a 2011 Yukon XL Denali demo in December with 7k miles. Today, it was dead in my driveway. Tried to jump it, and it wouldn't crank. With the other battery connected, the electronics did work, but otherwise it was dead. Roadside assistance picked it up on a flatbed and took it to the dealer.

Fortunately, it is under warranty, but electrical shorts can be very tricky to find. I hope the dealer can fix it.

 

[Big Bad Allis]

Sorry to hear that. Please keep us posted.

 

[awray]

Bad starter? Would be rare on such a new vehicle but crazy things can happen.

 

[AmazinglySmooth]

Bad starter? Would be rare on such a new vehicle but crazy things can happen.

Dealer claims it was a bad battery, but I'm not accepting that until they look into the rest of the electrical. The tow guy tried to jump it with a jumper box and it showed <12V when connected. The interior lights were dim too. I think the battery died early because of a "short" somewhere.

 

[SCMODS]

I've had two cases in my car ownership history where a battery totally failed without warning (in once case I could not even jump start the vehicle) and in both cases replacing the battery solved the problem with zero further issues. Stay positive.

 

[soulsea]

Stay positive.

And grounded.

 

[2007tahoe]

These trucks can do some crazy thing when the batt goes dead. My 2007 is on its third batt. It died in a parking lot about 4 miles from my house back in december. I jump started it and drove it home so I could take the batt out and go get a new one. On the way home the dash was lit up like a christmas tree. All my warning lights where on like check eng, trac control, ect. It was also in limp mode so it would not go over 2k rpm because it had a bad miss. I put a new batt in it and have not had a prob since. New cars are funny like that. My neighbor has a camry and the radio was out for months so they took it to the dealership, no trouble starting. The service rep said I know what's wrong replace the batt. They did and radio works fine now.

 

[soulsea]

My truck has a huge gap in the engine bay behind the driver's side headlamp ... its shape almost seems intended to receive a second battery in there. I wonder if it's worth doing.

 

[Big Bad Allis]

Every time I open my doors whether I touch anything or not it seems like there a lot of electrical business going on. Sounds like a CD changer changing discs. It that normal?

 

[soulsea]

That's the Nav DVD loading up sounding like a 1996 Gateway.

 

[Big Bad Allis]

That's the Nav DVD loading up sounding like a 1996 Gateway.

.

Thank you!

 

[domin8]

Dealer claims it was a bad battery, but I'm not accepting that until they look into the rest of the electrical. The tow guy tried to jump it with a jumper box and it showed <12V when connected. The interior lights were dim too. I think the battery died early because of a "short" somewhere.

My 2006 Cobalt SS Supercharged was on its 3rd battery when I traded it. The 3rd battery was the first one not supplied by the dealer. It had been in there for a few trouble-free years when I traded it.

Additionally, the battery in my Tahoe (MY2007) is not a factory battery, and came that way when I bought it used. Just something to think about.

My truck has a huge gap in the engine bay behind the driver's side headlamp ... its shape almost seems intended to receive a second battery in there. I wonder if it's worth doing.

Imo, Yes. I did it. It's very simple. Ground it to the engine block and ran the positive to the jumper box on the positive side of the battery on the passenger side. Recommend making sure you have the 160 amp alternator.

 

[soulsea]

Is there a glovebox code to check to see if I have that alternator on my truck?

---------- Post added at 05:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:12 PM ----------

Check that ... I looked up my truck's sheet and it's standard.

Thanks Connor.

 

[domin8]

No problem. Glad I could help.

 

[GM Customer Service]

AmazinglySmooth,

I'm sorry to hear of the trouble with your Yukon XL Denali. Please keep us posted.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me.

Louis
GM Customer Service

 

[AmazinglySmooth]

Got a call from the dealer. They claim that the DVD player is pulling current when car isn't running. The plot thickens...

 

[AmazinglySmooth]

Dealer claims the DVD went into "logic mode" which drew down the battery. I'm skeptical. I will pick it up next week.

 

[edgaranah1]

Maybe they are right. I remember reading somewhere that they had the same problem when playing the DVD while the truck was off. But since your DVD was off then I would be a little skeptical to believe it.

 

[AmazinglySmooth]

Maybe they are right. I remember reading somewhere that they had the same problem when playing the DVD while the truck was off. But since your DVD was off then I would be a little skeptical to believe it.

Dealer couldn't tell me how it got into "logic mode" nor could he tell me why the battery was so drained after just 20 hours of sitting that the lights were dim and a second battery couldn't jump it.

 

[domin8]

I think the interesting thing here is that the battery protection mode, which is suppose to kill power when truck senses that battery drain is too great, didn't function in this scenario.