2023 Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon Batteries Drained After Software Update
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General Motors unveiled the all-new 2023 Chevy Colorado and all-new 2023 GMC Canyon last year, pulling the sheets on a long list of updates, changes, and upgrades for the two midsize pickups. Critically, many 2023 Chevy Colorado and 2023 GMC Canyon owners have complained on social media recently about an issue that causes the batteries in their pickups to lose charge. Now, GM Authority has investigated the issue – this is what we found.
Apparently, this new issue affecting the battery in the 2023 Chevy Colorado and 2023 GMC Canyon has only appeared in the past few days, including this past weekend. The root cause of the issue is believed to be a failed software update that leaves the infotainment system hanging, thus draining the battery until it’s dead. Both pickups are equipped with over-the-air software update capabilities.
GM Authority reached out to Chevrolet for an explanation. A GM spokesperson said that General Motors was looking into the issue, but did not provide any further details.
At this point, it’s unclear if this issue affects only some trim levels of the 2023 Chevy Colorado and 2023 GMC Canyon, or all trim levels. It’s also unclear if the vehicle build date is a factor.
One social media user claiming to be a GM tech said that the issue is related to a radio software update failure that leaves the radio locked in recovery mode. This individual suggests going into the system settings, then the update preferences menu, and turning off both the “download updates in the background” and “download updates via Wi-Fi when available” options in order to prevent the radio software update from performing and, if it fails, draining the battery.
The 2023 Chevy Colorado and 2023 GMC Canyon represent the first model years for the latest third-generation of each respective pickup nameplate. Both pickups are also equipped with the GM Global B electronic architecture.
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I had the same battery/electrical problem on my two week new 2023 Chevy Colorado . Towed it to the dealership, waiting for their response…. who pays for towing?
I’m in for the class action lawsuit I understand not the dealerships fault but I’ve been without my truck for a week n no loaners I was told Friday a modular has now been fried n could take 2 days 2 weeks or 2 months I’ve called GM customer service n GM customer care n that’s a joke I can rent a vehicle on my own n then get reimbursed but can’t be over $50/ day n no one in my area has any rentals to do rental for indefinite time went to dealership today n sales manager didn’t even know about the issue but did tell me if it’s as many with issues it will be months till I get my truck !!! Come on GM step up to the plate
Damn that’s crazy
So you do have access to a rental car…
Good luck with that lawsuit.
Not filing lawsuit n after a week I now have loaner from dealership and was told they may have my truck for months
An immediate solution is to turn off Quick Startup under Settings>System>Quick Startup. This will let the system shut down when the vehicle is off rather than pulling constant power.
Glad I found this thread, picked up my new 2023 Chevy Colorado July 19, today (July 23) battery was dead as a doornail. Tried recharging with my very old charger, 10 amp limit. The charger kept tripping it’s internal breaker. Jump started it from another car, needed to leave the car running for 15 minutes to get enough charge to start the truck. CEL was illuminated, kept truck running for several minutes. Found this string and turned off automatic updates by wifi and in the background. Turned off truck and restarted 10 minutes later. Started fine and CEL was off. Will call dealer tomorrow to see if they know anything about it. Will also disconnect neg terminal to hopefully reset any gremlins hidden within…
Update – have not disconnected negative terminal, battery was fully charged this morning, truck started with no problems. Have called OnStar who had no clue about the problem, called my dealer where I will get the truck serviced. The tech/service manager I talked to had heard about the OTA updates causing hangups and discharging the battery. I need to send them my VIN but he said there is no service bulletin yet. He did mention that they regularly check the vehicles in inventory for battery level and charge them if necessary. Have read in another forum that the problem is related to the download being performed and hanging, not the actual downloaded software which is why turning off downloads may remedy the problem
Lol all my downloads are off / still dying
Rr535:
Unfortunately for the Colorado, I think you can only shut off the ‘info’ updates but not system updates.
That is obviously a horrid situation to be in.
With my LYRIQ, I think I have it configured to ask permission for ANY update. I of course refuse everything and I am sure I will CANCEL my recall update this upcoming Wednesday for my 2021 bolt euv until everybody else has had it done first, in view of GM’s hopelessly incompetent IT department.
If you’re still having this issue, turn off Quick Startup under Settings>System>Quick Startup. This will let the system shut down when the vehicle is off rather than pulling constant power.
Update direct from my service department at my dealership:
My Canyon went in on Friday for the issue being discussed here.
The current understanding from GM is that some computer in Detroit that sends the software updates WAS constantly “pinging” vehicles and causing the onboard computers in our trucks to “wake up.” Everytime is woke up, the battery drained to dead. Apparently, there was NEVER and software update to be downloaded. This explains the answer to at least two issues presented here:
1) Turning off the auto updates didn’t do anything because there was no update. The GM computer was just pinging away.
2) Those of you that have done the “remove negative battery terminal” or have gotten a new charge on your battery only to have it die right away again anyway… it is because the computer at GM keeps pinging you vehicle.
I am due to get my truck back tomorrow and I have been told “that the problem is fixed in Detroit.” We shall see I guess.
Has anyone else heard anything along these lines?
I have not heard anything further from my dealer, my truck continues to be ok. I did look at update history and there were no entries recently so I tend to believe your dealer. I did have problems with my bluetooth connection so I removed my phone from memory and the only way I could enable to button to add a phone was to disconnect the neg terminal and reconnect it. Everything seems to be acting normally now
I purchased my canyon back in July. When I go to my app on my phone, it says there’s been no updates. I have turned off all of updates on the info system I had a problem with the SiriusXM radio not working and when I got out of the vehicle, sometimes the horn would blow I disconnected the negative battery cable for an hour, and everything seems fine I will keep you posted but just like you guys I do have a remote battery pack to jump the vehicle just in case that is pretty pathetic.
Hi I’m reaching out to any Colorado owners who still have their trucks at dealership for dead battery ota update issue Mine has been there since July 17 n GM customer service is non existent Would like to know what other owners are being told Thank you
Hi Christine. Glad to hear from you. My Trail Boss went dead. I bought it on June 21st. The next day I tuition to a car wash and after they rolled it out of the car wash I had an “Power Steering failure notice. I drove it to the dealer which couldn’t fix it. I needed to take it to a trip from Az to California. The message went away.
The famous week of July 19-26 my battery went dead two days in a row. I went back to my dealership in Phoenix and they didn’t have a clue. The managed to “finish “ the stalled update but of course that update doesn’t include any “fix “. My Back up camera doesn’t work and when I tow my Travel Trailer there are all kinds of errors msg. My integrated brake controller from Chevy fails every 3-5 minutes while towing. I am returning to Ca. Tomorrow and I have an appointment there with a Chevy dealer. I saw them two weeks ago but there was no bad codes so they couldn’t do anything for me. This time I can leave it for a week. Talking to Chevy is a joke. They all claim to know nothing about it. I showed both dealers the GM Athority article and they just scratch their heads.
I wish that GM Authority didn’t stop reporting this lack of progress from Chevy they were all we had.
Bottom Line. I do now have 2800 miles on the truck. No backup camera and no uninterrupted trailer braking. My number is 561-702-1819 if you want to chat. I have no faith in my beautiful truck.
Wayne not sure how you are making out with your truck but I got mine back 4 weeks ago tomorrow n today the battery is dead again!!! The auto updates were turned off this is a nightmare never knowing if your truck will start I think I’m going to go the lemon law route in my state if you purchase a new vehicle n it’s at the dealership for an accumulative 30 days you get your money back or new vehicle so not so sure I want a Chevrolet anymore 😞😡
Happened to me this morning on my 2 week old Canyon with 346 miles. If we all force GM to provide at their expense a tow to your dealer (Oaks GMC in Kansas City MO is great) at some point the cost to GM in dollars, customer complaints and lost customers will hopefully force them to correct their problem. Or am I just hoping that they acutely care.
Sheldon Happened to me today for the 2nd time called roadside assistance GM will pay for that but I’m thinking I’m going to start the Lemon law with GM I had my truck for 4 weeks then it was at dealership for 4 weeks n I would had it back for 4 weeks tomorrow I had auto updates turned off It’s a great truck I love it but I can’t be dealing with this every 4 weeks
This happened to me too. Yesterday my truck drove great, but today my truck wouldn’t start. The battery was drained. My husband jump started my truck and all kinds of warnings kept popping up. I couldn’t get it in reverse or shift at all. Finally, I did a factory reset and the infotainment reset. A few minutes later I could drive it and recharge the battery. I turned off the updates on wifi and the background updates. The truck seems to work now, except there is a check engine light. Thank you for everyone who posted here. It really helped. It is upsetting to spend $45,000 of my hard earned money to buy reliable transportation and still get stranded. This is my second issue with the computer. The first time we left for a 1,000 mile trip to Yosemite with my new camper, the GPS and Apple Play quit working too. The dealer told me to do a factory reset and a day or two later it worked again. I think there is a problem with the software updates.
I fixed the problem with my new 2023 Chevy Trailboss by applying the tips on this page. My truck wouldn’t start. I jump started it and charged the battery. Then, it wouldn’t go in reverse or drive. I did a factory reset on the computer. I deleted the infotainment system data. Then, I changed the settings to not update over WiFi, and not update in the background. The truck became driveable. I drove it 10-15 minutes to charge battery. The check engine light was still on. The next day I drove it further and the check engine light went off. Thank you everyone for taking the time to leave comments.
My battery drained 3 times. 1st two times, in July, I charged battery, thinking I left something on. But then I saw software issue circulating online. Took to Dealer and they did a draw test and of course found no issues. The 3rd time, in Sept., had it towed to Dealer so they can experience the issue themselves. They’ve reached out to” Engineering” and was told that the transmission module is causing the battery to drain. So they ordered a new one. Waiting on its arrival and see if it’s the cause.
Hi All,
Have a 2023 Canyon (Bought it end of May), hadn’t driven it for about 3 days. Tried to start it and all kinds of warnings kept popping up but didn’t start. Tried a second time then pretty much everything went blank. Nothing on the speedometer screen but a message popped up on the info screen saying. “Update Failed. See dealer to restore system”. Yes it is a dead battery now. I was able to jump start it but still nothing on the speedometer screen and the info screen still saying. “Update Failed. See dealer to restore system”. Let it run for about 20 minutes then shut it off and restarted. Started ok but info screen still has the message. Pulled it back in the garage and set up an appointment at the dealer for next week. The message stayed on the screen all night even though the truck wasn’t running. Of course that will continue to run the battery down. I disconnected the negative battery terminal and put a charger on it. Battery is fully charged now but won’t hook up the negative terminal till I am ready to take it to the dealer. I did talk to a dealer and they said they had just gotten a new service bulletin for this issue about 10 days ago. Said they had a Colorado with this issue they plagued them for a month. They said the new fix seemed to work. Guess I will find out next week. Thanks all for the previous comments.
Thanks for the update Bill. The dead battery problem just restarted again last week or so.
Just the people who took the time to share and was aware of this website posted about 15-20 already.
Most of the Chevys that responded all had a repeat of the same problem of last July.
Please let us know what your appointment holds. Thanks Wayne.
Thanks to all for details of this issue. Although its good to hear that I’m not the only one with the issue its sad that we have new vehicles that leave us sitting and no fault of our own. I’ll certain follow up with my results and any other information I gather along the way.
Sorry but a little behind in posting my update.
Here is some history of what I did before I dropped it off at the dealer. (Note the battery was fully charged without the terminal being connected) Sunday night Oct 1st I re-connected the negative battery terminal to see if it would start. Truck started fine but still blank speed odometer screen and the radio screen still has the “Update Failed” See dealer for restore system”. I did back it out of the garage for a few minutes and put it back in. Was afraid to drive it due to no gages. Shut the truck off and the “Update Failed” See dealer for restore system” was still on the screen.
Disconnected the negative terminal again. Monday evening Oct 2nd I re-connected the negative terminal and started the truck. The dash started to populate with GMC logo then finally the speed odometer screen came up. The “Update Failed” message when away and the radio screen came back to normal. Everything looks normal on the dash other they the service engine light was on.
Dropped it off at the dealer for its Tuesday appointment.
Got the truck back from the dealer this afternoon Tuesday Oct 3. Seems to be ok. Drove it to work today (Wednesday) and ran a few errands; all seems good as of today. Hope it stays that way.
Here is what the paperwork said.
Started TAC Case and was informed by TAC to reprogram 6 modules. Attempted to program modules and scan tool would not communicate with BCM. Contacted techline and found computer being used for scan tool info was not up to specs. Used a different computer and was able to connect to all modules that required programing. Here are the items that they updated: Started TAC Case, BCM programing SPS#, Serial Gateway module SPS#, EBCM SPS#, Camera SPS#, T Case SPS# and Tec SPS#. Each has an SPS number but pretty long numbers to post.
Hope this info helps others.