2007 Tahoe Battery Draining

[Boomer23]

My 2007 Tahoe battery drains every time I have the automatic tailgate open. Once its open, I have to manually bring it down because the buttons on the remote will not work. By manually bringing it down, could this have caused something electrical to break? I thought the battery was draining because of dome lights, but after checking all the lights, I came to the conclusion that it was the tailgate. Anyone else encounter this?

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

The first thing that I would do is locate the fuse that is in the tailgate circuit and remove it. If the battery still drains, then you know that the source of your issue is elsewhere. If the battery does not drain, then you've isolated the offending circuit, and you can obtain a wiring diagram from AllData or another source that @Fless can point you to, in order to see what is on that circuit, and what could be causing the battery drain.

 

[Fless]

How long does it take to drain the battery?

Check the link below and confirm that you're in the section for your vehicle, or re-select using the links at the top of the browser.

By removing the fuse that controls that liftgate motor you may be able to jumper an ammeter in-circuit, but one of those looks like a 30A fuse so not many DVMs would handle the full load if the motor was operated. Either fuse socket might show a lighter draw while the liftgate is open, if that's the cause of the battery drain.

Trunk / Liftgate Lock — 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe 2WD V8-5.3L Service Manual | Operation CHARM

Detailed repair manual for the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe 2WD V8-5.3L.

charm.li

 

[Boomer23]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

The first thing that I would do is locate the fuse that is in the tailgate circuit and remove it. If the battery still drains, then you know that the source of your issue is elsewhere. If the battery does not drain, then you've isolated the offending circuit, and you can obtain a wiring diagram from AllData or another source that @Fless can point you to, in order to see what is on that circuit, and what could be causing the battery drain.

I will look into that this afternoon is time allows, if not, for sure by Wednesday evening. Thank you for your advice. I'll make sure to post a picture of my Tahoe.

 

[Boomer23]

How long does it take to drain the battery?

Check the link below and confirm that you're in the section for your vehicle, or re-select using the links at the top of the browser.

By removing the fuse that controls that liftgate motor you may be able to jumper an ammeter in-circuit, but one of those looks like a 30A fuse so not many DVMs would handle the full load if the motor was operated. Either fuse socket might show a lighter draw while the liftgate is open, if that's the cause of the battery drain.

Trunk / Liftgate Lock — 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe 2WD V8-5.3L Service Manual | Operation CHARM

Detailed repair manual for the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe 2WD V8-5.3L.

charm.li

its takes about 20 mins or so to drain the battery. but now that I think about it.. I do recall sitting in my Tahoe, waiting for my daughter to get out of school and I had the radio playing (vehicle off, only stock radio playing) and that too drained the battery. that had never happened before. SMH.... also, not sure if this has anything to do wtih this, but I also need to recharge my A/C. thats another thing I need to work on.

 

[Fless]

How old is the battery? No matter, have it load tested.

 

[swathdiver]

My 2007 Tahoe battery drains every time I have the automatic tailgate open. Once its open, I have to manually bring it down because the buttons on the remote will not work. By manually bringing it down, could this have caused something electrical to break? I thought the battery was draining because of dome lights, but after checking all the lights, I came to the conclusion that it was the tailgate. Anyone else encounter this?

A wore out battery could do this. Check the wiring going from the liftgate to the body for chafing or breaks.

Do you have access to a Tech-2 or a bi-directional scan tool to check BCM codes, check the battery's state or charge and run a parasitic draw test?

 

[Boomer23]

A wore out battery could do this. Check the wiring going from the liftgate to the body for chafing or breaks.

Do you have access to a Tech-2 or a bi-directional scan tool to check BCM codes, check the battery's state or charge and run a parasitic draw teI

A wore out battery could do this. Check the wiring going from the liftgate to the body for chafing or breaks.

Do you have access to a Tech-2 or a bi-directional scan tool to check BCM codes, check the battery's state or charge and run a parasitic draw test?

I will have the battery checked out to see what state its in. I'll also check the wiring from tailgate to the body for any breaks. Thank You for the recommendations.

 

[Boomer23]

How old is the battery? No matter, have it load tested.

I'll have it tested to see what state its in. Thank You for your help, much appreciated.

 

[West 1]

Yep, I agree with those already answering. Sounds like your battery is toast but you need to verify to make sure. The AGM batteries are bad for this type failure. They show 100% power right up to when they fail and have zero power. Check it out, hope it is just the battery.