2013 Tahoe - Stabilitrak issue

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expredator

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First off, I saw that there are numerous threads posted about the Stabilitrak/Traction control mysteriously turning off and the display showing the "Service Stabilitrak" and "Service Traction Control" signs. I know there are a million different reasons why this might happen. I was hoping someone could narrow down the issue based on the following observations:

- Only those two signs go off, no check engine light, no ABS sign, no reduced engine power sign
- Really happens randomly. I used to get it on a daily basis a few months ago, then nothing for a few months, and recently again almost daily. When the car is not in use, the signs reset
- I always happens when I drive out from a parking position or like 5 seconds after I drive out. Never happens when I've already been on the road. Feels like the signs tend to go off when I am taking a turn from the parking position or turning when I leave the parking area. That is to say, I did not notice the signs going off by turning on the car and driving straight forward or reverse.
- Steering wheel sensor: I was not able to trigger the signs by turning the steering wheel all the way in either direction. Tried it multiple times. Does that mean the steering wheel sensor is not the culprit?
- Wheel sensors: I pulled and pushed the wires on either side, and was not able to trigger the signs. Does it mean it's not the wheel sensors?
- Brake fluid: Just a little below Max level. Though I was ready that increased water content in the brake fluid from condensation can cause Stabilitrak issues? Is that true? How can I go about that?
- I read that a bad battery or a battery that is not able to deliver charge consistently can cause this. The battery charge has always been in the normal range, though recently I noticed once that the level was at the very lower range of normal (still normal though) and then later went back up to like the middle area of the range. Not sure if that means anything at all. I am not sure how new the battery is or if the previous owner had replaced it. On that note, ever since I bought the car last year, I have had a USB adapter in the cigarette lighter position plugged in at all times with a charging cable for my phone. Nothing connected to the adapter when I am not driving. Does that adapter pull any significant charge from the battery when the car is not in use, if at all?

It's a 2013 Tahoe LTZ with 88k miles. I don't have a Tech2, so have not been able to do more sophisticated diagnostics. Thank y'all!
 

wjburken

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First off, I saw that there are numerous threads posted about the Stabilitrak/Traction control mysteriously turning off and the display showing the "Service Stabilitrak" and "Service Traction Control" signs. I know there are a million different reasons why this might happen. I was hoping someone could narrow down the issue based on the following observations:

- Only those two signs go off, no check engine light, no ABS sign, no reduced engine power sign
- Really happens randomly. I used to get it on a daily basis a few months ago, then nothing for a few months, and recently again almost daily. When the car is not in use, the signs reset
- I always happens when I drive out from a parking position or like 5 seconds after I drive out. Never happens when I've already been on the road. Feels like the signs tend to go off when I am taking a turn from the parking position or turning when I leave the parking area. That is to say, I did not notice the signs going off by turning on the car and driving straight forward or reverse.
- Steering wheel sensor: I was not able to trigger the signs by turning the steering wheel all the way in either direction. Tried it multiple times. Does that mean the steering wheel sensor is not the culprit?
- Wheel sensors: I pulled and pushed the wires on either side, and was not able to trigger the signs. Does it mean it's not the wheel sensors?
- Brake fluid: Just a little below Max level. Though I was ready that increased water content in the brake fluid from condensation can cause Stabilitrak issues? Is that true? How can I go about that?
- I read that a bad battery or a battery that is not able to deliver charge consistently can cause this. The battery charge has always been in the normal range, though recently I noticed once that the level was at the very lower range of normal (still normal though) and then later went back up to like the middle area of the range. Not sure if that means anything at all. I am not sure how new the battery is or if the previous owner had replaced it. On that note, ever since I bought the car last year, I have had a USB adapter in the cigarette lighter position plugged in at all times with a charging cable for my phone. Nothing connected to the adapter when I am not driving. Does that adapter pull any significant charge from the battery when the car is not in use, if at all?

It's a 2013 Tahoe LTZ with 88k miles. I don't have a Tech2, so have not been able to do more sophisticated diagnostics. Thank y'all!
Get a good scan tool and see what the codes are that are driving the message. When the message shows up, see what it says. That will help you narrow it down faster than anything else.
 

solli5pack

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You're going to need a scanner or else it will just be guesses as to what's happening. Sometimes the trucks computer will store a code related to the issue but not set off a check engine light. Pretty common issue is if the engine is running poorly for whatever reason it will set off those alerts. Might be worth it to try Auto Zone for a free scan and see if any codes show up on the report.
 
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expredator

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Ok so I do have an OBD2 scanner, it just didn't occur to me to use it if there is not check engine light.

No codes stored. This time I was able to trigger the lights by turning the steering wheel. Took a 1.5 turn and both signs went off. Guess it's the steering wheel sensor, no? Still no code in the OBD scanner though. Do I need a different scanner?
 

Geotrash

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Ok so I do have an OBD2 scanner, it just didn't occur to me to use it if there is not check engine light.

No codes stored. This time I was able to trigger the lights by turning the steering wheel. Took a 1.5 turn and both signs went off. Guess it's the steering wheel sensor, no? Still no code in the OBD scanner though. Do I need a different scanner?
Yes. OBDII only covers codes required by the federal regs - mostly emissions-related stuff. You need a scanner capable of reading other modules such as the Body Control Module (BCM) to be able to see the codes triggering your Stabilitrak warning. Many of us have a Tech2 clone which is a dealer-level tool but only costs $300 or so from chinacardiags.com. Some cheaper units will also do the job of reading codes from the other modules. I also have this one that I take on road trips when I don't want to carry the whole Tech2 kit:

 

Sparksalot

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Ok so I do have an OBD2 scanner, it just didn't occur to me to use it if there is not check engine light.

No codes stored. This time I was able to trigger the lights by turning the steering wheel. Took a 1.5 turn and both signs went off. Guess it's the steering wheel sensor, no? Still no code in the OBD scanner though. Do I need a different scanner?
I have one of these from Blue Driver. It reads all codes, plus lets you reset.

I was able to diagnose the steering position sensor as causing my issues.

 
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expredator

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I have one of these from Blue Driver. It reads all codes, plus lets you reset.

I was able to diagnose the steering position sensor as causing my issues.


This is pretty cool. I think I will go with this one and report back here what the problem was!
 
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expredator

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Ok so got the BlueDriver today and it is showing me 3 codes: C0253, C0710 and C0455. Looks like the Steering Wheel Position Sensor is the culprit. Do I have to replace it or is there a way to salvage it? From what I saw on YouTube, it's not too hard to replace.

Thank you guys for the suggestion to get this cool device!
 

Geotrash

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Ok so got the BlueDriver today and it is showing me 3 codes: C0253, C0710 and C0455. Looks like the Steering Wheel Position Sensor is the culprit. Do I have to replace it or is there a way to salvage it? From what I saw on YouTube, it's not too hard to replace.

Thank you guys for the suggestion to get this cool device!
Gotta replace it. And it's easy to mess it up by not having everything aligned just right. And for comic relief there is no way to recalibrate the thing on this platform once you install it if it was tweaked even a little bit.
 
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expredator

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Gotta replace it. And it's easy to mess it up by not having everything aligned just right. And for comic relief there is no way to recalibrate the thing on this platform once you install it if it was tweaked even a little bit.

What does that mean for me? Do I have to take the car in for alignment?
 

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