Very Hard 1-2 shift, Service Stabilitrak Light

[seabas22]

I had the stabilitrak unicorns visit again 2 weeks ago which turned off traction control and killed the RPM gauge, and did the crazy gear shifting, and would also kill the engine sometimes. I brought it to the dealer and they couldn't get it to act up, and only found a issue with the engine crank sensor, replaced it and reloaded the computer software. It's been ok since then although my traction control turned off by itself yesterday as I parked the vehicle. There's also something making noise behind the lower dash when I make turns, sounds like something rolling around against the plastic. The engine also idles a little funny and will jump up/down a few RPM occasionally.

 

[chevyboy23]

Well I guess I can join the club. Stablitrack and service brake system light came on. It's the 3rd time that it happened. It usually goes away by the am. Off to the shop I go.

 

[minkwonee]

EDIT>

Well, so I was wrong... it wasn't the battery. EXACT same problem came back about 3 days later. It seems clear that the Stabilitrak is some sort of low power issue. Went even as far as replacing the alternator, but that didn't fix it either. I'm already over $1000 in parts and labor, and nothing's worked. I'm going to have to take it in to the dealer, which is the scariest thought of them all.

Wish me luck! I will follow up with results.

Question:

Does your stabilitrak light come on at random times, or is it almost exclusively during coasting and then applying brakes, like it does mine?

*****************************************

CHECK YOUR BATTERY!!! I've had the exact same stabilitrak, traction control issues for serveral months. I also had an issue with revving issues at around the 2000rpm, and hard rev after decelerating, making a turn, then accelerating.


ODB II checks have shown issues ranging from, throttle body sensor (which I replaced), Mass Air Flow sensor (which I replaced), O2 Sensors, Running Lean, etc.... Even after replacing parts, there have been no improvements.

Read on the forums here that battery could be an issue. For me, the BATTERY WAS THE ISSUE!! Got the battery checked, and it was only at 8Volts and 120Amps... very low. I never thought to check the battery since I never once had any issues regarding it. So I changed the battery, and EVERYTHING went away. It runs absolutely perfect again.

Hope this helps some of you.

 

[minkwonee]

Any luck?

---------- Post added at 08:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:58 AM ----------

Well I guess I can join the club. Stablitrack and service brake system light came on. It's the 3rd time that it happened. It usually goes away by the am. Off to the shop I go.

Any luck with this repair?

 

[LoHoe]

My 2007 Tahoe has the Stabilitrack and traction control off/service light that comes on the screen whenever I am riding but I havent really noticed a different in the way it handled

 

[Stumperxxx]

Clunk from 1-2

Hey guys has anyone figured out the traction control off stabilitrac off then a clunk from 1-2 gear? It happens usually on wet days, driving down hills or idleing. Can someone please help me out and not try to say its a battery. Or atleast confirm the wheel speed sensor is the fix.

* Im not bringing it to the garage yet because it's past warranty and 2 yrs ago they said it was fine (due to the fact the code doesn't stay around) the shop rates are 245 a hr so someone please help.

 

[Ben]

Hey guys has anyone figured out the traction control off stabilitrac off then a clunk from 1-2 gear? It happens usually on wet days, driving down hills or idleing. Can someone please help me out and not try to say its a battery. Or atleast confirm the wheel speed sensor is the fix.

* Im not bringing it to the garage yet because it's past warranty and 2 yrs ago they said it was fine (due to the fact the code doesn't stay around) the shop rates are 245 a hr so someone please help.

Make sure your intake tube is attached to the throttle body. If there is no air flowing over the mass air flow sensor it will cause this issue. It has happened to me. Fixed it immediately.

 

[seabas22]

Hey guys has anyone figured out the traction control off stabilitrac off then a clunk from 1-2 gear? It happens usually on wet days, driving down hills or idleing. Can someone please help me out and not try to say its a battery. Or atleast confirm the wheel speed sensor is the fix.

* Im not bringing it to the garage yet because it's past warranty and 2 yrs ago they said it was fine (due to the fact the code doesn't stay around) the shop rates are 245 a hr so someone please help.

It's been well over 6 months(10K miles) now, and I haven't had this issue since the crank sensor was replaced. Before that it was an absolute nightmare, the transmission would go haywire being in wrong gears and would shut itself off randomly. The problem started with the service stabilitrak light coming on every blue moon, and then the 1-2 clunk, and then it just got worse and worse. I couldn't find any connection to driving conditions, highway speed, stop lights, wet, hot, cold, dry didn't make a difference. Only way I could get the truck running again after it shut off was to pull fuse #46 and reseat it after 30 secs or so which would get me anywhere from another few blocks to a few miles.

 

[UcanthavemyYukon]

Oh blessed be this TYF site. I'm new here and I am having the same problem with my 2007 Yukon XL. My stabilitrak light comes on when I start the car and doesn't go off at all. After the 1-2 clunk, it runs extremely hard with a knocking in the engine. After scanning for codes I came up with a P0301 cylinder one misfire code and checked the compresssion and changed all the spark plugs and wires but the truck still runs bad and the stabilitrak light still comes on. My warranty is expired and I did put it in the shop a couple of years ago for the same problem but I am at a loss of what was repaired. I have read here that it could be various problems from front end tire sensors (and my Yukon is due some new tires and a alignment) to valve sensors to the egr valve itself, so out to the garage I go to do some more checking and possibly finding a solution to my problem(s). Any advice from you guys would be helpful!!

 

[lowexpo]

Well add me to the list. My '07, while on vacation, did the traction control/stabilitrac crap. Very hard 1-2 shifts. Battery is 6months old. Guessing still no definate fix I'm guessing??? I'm 350 miles from home hoping this thing doesn't take a dump on me. It was raining and about 200miles into trip when it happened driving at highway speed btw

 

[jstutz101]

Not sure if this helps but I have a 2007 Siverado 2wd that had a similar problem with the "Traction Active" turning on when accelating from a dead stop. Long story short the trouble was a front wheel hub assembly. When the sensor goes bad the truck thinks it's stuck and engages the traction control.

The bearing was fine but the sensor was bad. For some reason replacing just the sensor won't fix the problem (tried that). The good news for do-it- yourselfers is its not to hard to replace the hub.

Good Luck!!!

 

[minkwonee]

I'm all fixed up!.... finally

I realize this won't apply to everyone, but here's my story:

It turns out my stabilitrak light was coming on due to a "lean" signal. The signal triggered codes for my throttle body sensor and mass air flow sensor. I went ahead and replaced both of those, but no improvement. It's sad, but the problem was my K&N air filter was dirty.... that's all. Had it cleaned and the signal went away, and it has been running smoothly since.

As for the high revving and bad shift between 1-2, I realized it mostly happened on uphill slopes, and on right turns. Later found out that my left motor mount was completely shot. I went ahead and replaced both motor mounts, and now that problem has also gone away.

Hope this helps some of you.

 

[lowexpo]

Well cranked truck for first time in a couple of days and it would barely run. Idling below 500 with surging. Id remembered reading Ben's post, that Ben guy is pretty smart for an Auburn fan hahaha. Checked my intake connection at throttle body and the grommet had a small gap where the tube had came loose. Tube still looked attached. Reattached tube and cranked truck and idles fine with no indicator messages. Drove to store and it drove normal. Guess ill see on the drive home but pretty sure it's fixed. I'll repost when I home.

 

[nukstr]

Fixed "service stabilitrak & traction control", "hard shift 1-2", "stabilitrak off,

FINALLY FIXED, "SERVICE STABILITRAK & TRACTION CONTROL"
DIAGNOSTIC PROBLEM:
"SERVICE STABILITRAK",
"SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL",
"HARD SHIFT 1-2 GEARS"-(STABILITRAK TURNING OFF-CLUNK NOISE)
"STABILITRAK OFF",
"TRACTION CONTROL OFF"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAUSE:
FUEL WAS 45% ETHANOL @ 85-(COSTCO GAS)-COMPUTER WENT INTO LIMP MODE CAUSING (AFM) TO GET STUCK AND NOT RESET COMPUTER.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOLUTION:
DRAINED & CLEANED GAS TANK-
CHANGED FUEL FILTERS (*ONLY IF NEEDED)
CLEANED INJECTORS-
RESET COMPUTER-
FILLED GAS TANK WITH NO ETHANOL- (http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp)
TOTAL AMOUNT WITH TAX: $444.86
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REFERENCES
(STABILITRAK CLUNK NOISE): http://chevroletforum.com/forum/sil...21/2010-silverado-stabilitrak-question-47580/
(AFM)-Definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Fuel_Management
(ETHANOL): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_ethanol_fuel_mixtures
(GAS STATIONS WITHOUT ETHANOL): http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp

 

[tundrayetti]

I wanted to post the solution to my issue. The more solutions everyone has, the better off everyone will be when diagnosing their issue. However, let me also say that there CAN be multiple solutions to the same problem(s). So this may or may not be YOUR problem.

I was experiencing the following with my 2007 Tahoe two weeks ago:
Stabilitrak OFF light on
Service Stabilitrak notification
Service Traction Control notification
Check Engine light on
Hard shift from 1st to 2nd gear

Long story short, I'm a decent mechanic, but I'm in the Coast Guard and am currently deployed in Afghanistan. This happened while I was home on my two-week vacation, and I didn't have time to fool with it. So I decided to take it to the dealer.

NOTE: ALWAYS request your old parts when having a mechanic work on your vehicle. SOME of these places, as you may know, will take advantage of you.

My problem ended up being a bad exhaust lifter on the #1 cylinder. The spring had seized and was not operating properly. See the picture, and notice the one lifter that doesn't look like the others.

Don't fool yourself. A problem like this CAN cause ALL of the symptoms I listed above. Vehicles these days are ALL electronic and everything is computer based. When one problem occurs, it can cause a plethora of other problems.

Lifter replacement is not a basic endeavor. The cylinder head has to be removed for starters.

It's not cheap either. It cost me $2,150. However, the good news is, my vehicle was repaired in 48 hours and was back to being a dependable vehicle for my family, prior to my return to Afghanistan. Sometimes a peace of mind is worth the cost.

Good luck

 

[Keanen55]

I think my 2007 Yukon XL has now beat the record for any car I have owned for the amount of problems and service we have had to perform: an oil consumption issue that according to GM is normal (1.5 quarts every 3k miles), bad wheels sensors, remote start problem, alternator, a window switch and finally- an issue that began about a year ago that seems to be occurring more frequently lately.

The transmission shift lever on the column will sometimes lock, not allowing to move from PARK, as if I don't have my foot on the brake petal, despite having my foot on it. Then, after lifting my foot off the petal and back down again it, and wiggling the lever a bit, it will allow me to shift. Simultaneously the "service stabilitrac" and "service traction control" warning lights appear until I turn the car off again and it sits for 5 minutes. The first time it happened it went many months without issue, then it happened 3-4 more times about 3 months ago. Until recently I had just assumed it was due to me shifting the vehicle into drive too quickly after starting the vehicle. Within the past two weeks however it has happened 10-12 times, including three times today. I am now concerned since each time this happens the lever remains locked and we cannot put the car into drive.

I'm having the exact same issues with my 2010 now. I'm getting frustrated because my 2007 Denali was full of gremlins like this as well!!

 

[Clean07Burb]

My "Service Traction Control/Service Stabili-Trac" light just came on along with a hard 1-2 shift while coming down my driveway. I was able to get it to go off by pushing and holding the traction control button for about ten seconds. It then came back on about two minutes later along with a random hard 1-2 shift. Just ddisconnected the battery about 30 minutes ago in an attempt to reset everything. I'm going out to reinstall the negative terminal and see if the problem returns immediately, over the next day or two, or not at all. I'm hoping for the latter! I'm wondering if something got wet that shouldn't have, as this occurred on my way home, about 10 minutes after a thorough car wash.

 

[wjs03]

Same issue here.
2007 Yukon XL
Intermittent "Service Traction Control/Service Stabili-Trac" light with a hard shift from 1st to 2nd. Everything goes back to normal after 2nd gear. Mostly happens at idle.

 

[Keanen55]

Happened to both of my Tahoe's. Both times was a bad speed sensor. Good luck.

 

[Goodinblack]

So this light comes on for any myriad of problems????