Several modern GM vehicles are now equipped with over-the-air (OTA) software update capabilities, providing customers with essential vehicle software patches and other features completely wirelessly. Unfortunately, these OTA capabilities can potentially lead to problems, as GM Authority covered previously. Now, we’re taking a closer look at the methods by which GM dealers and technicians are instructed to handle potential OTA issues.
For those readers who may have missed it, some GM owners have reported issues wherein their vehicle battery is drained following a failed software update that leaves the infotainment system hanging. The issue has been reported affecting the 2023 Chevy Colorado and the 2023 GMC Canyon as well as the Cadillac Lyriq.
Now, in a new report, GM TechLink has outlined how technicians can diagnose OTA update concerns. The GM TechLink report indicates that when a 2021 through 2024 model-year Buick, Cadillac, Chevy, or GMC vehicle downloads a software update, the infotainment screen will display a message indicating as such, prompting the user to accept and install the update. The prompt will only appear if requirements for the battery State of Charge (SOC) and Outside Ambient Temperature (OAT) are met. Notifications are not provided when software is downloading. Downloads may occur incrementally between driving sessions.
Software installation does not require the customer to be present, but does prevent the vehicle from being driven. Installation times can vary.
Some of the concerns with GM OTA updates may include a no-crank condition due to a depleted battery. Additionally, the radio may remain on for up to 11 minutes after Retained Accessory Power (RAP) is cancelled, while an intermittent condition at start-up may present a message that reads “Important Update … Download Resuming” on the infotainment screen. Additionally, the Vehicle Update screen may show that the OTA Update has failed, or that the OTA Update will not complete.
These issues could result in the OTA update hanging in a pending or download state. GM technicians are advised to reset the OTA Update and clear the messages. This can be done by charging the vehicle battery (while testing that the battery is still good) and confirming that the vehicle will start and run. Next, the technical will go to the Vehicle Settings in the infotainment system and verify that an OTA system update is available under the Vehicle Updates section, recording the campaign number displayed.
The vehicle should then be moved to a location with good cellular service, the ignition should be turned off. The tech will exit the vehicle and lock the doors. The tech will then contact the GM Technical Assistance Center (TAC) and create a Dealer Case Management (DCM) ticket. TAC will send the VIN to Engineering for a reset. Once the confirmation is received from TAC, the vehicle will need to remain undisturbed for two hours, with the battery SOC remaining above 70 percent.
After two hours have passed, the vehicle will need to be started in order to verify that there are no longer any update messages shown, and that there are no excessive parasitic battery draws.
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Comments
No, this is how they handle it:
They send a signal. It fails. It kills your battery. The vehicle is towed to the dealer. The dealer installs the update and charges the battery. Update completed.
Just a note on battery charging. The negative charger clamp should never be connected to the negative battery post on any late model GM vehicle. The clamp should be connected to the ground stud that is provided on most models or a good clean chassis ground.
The reason for this is that for Over The Air (OTA) updates, as well as the ambient temperature requirement (-10C or above), the battery State Of Charge (SOC) minimum of 70% must be confirmed by the system before allowing the updates to install.
This is confirmed by LIN Bus using the B110 battery sensor module (integral to the negative battery terminal).
If the charger is connected directly to the terminal, it bypasses the sensor module and requires approximately 4 hours with the ignition off to re-learn.
For owners faced with an OTA update failure that has resulted in a dead battery, the method of charging described above will save down time at the dealership.
1st time for my 2023 z71 colorado since bought mid june. Battery dead 3wks after buying truck jump started took to dealer couldn’t duplicate problem got truck back.
2nd time Sep15th went to start truck battery dead jump started and message saying brake system failure true brake pedal pushed to floor barely made it to dealer. Per gm service bulliten now out charge battery do global reset cleared all dtc codes everything seem to work again got truck back.
3rd time next morining Sep 16 went out to start truck battery dead and now no dash lights won’t turn on and infotainment system won’t turn on. Dealer told me now it is possibly a signal gateway module not communicating with other modules. That was yesterday. Haven’t heard any status update today Sep 19th truck still at dealer.
This should never happen on brand new truck I don’t care about all the excues they come up with better get it together Gm.
Hello GM,
Not every know how to handle your NEW OTA car.
Please fix your OTA update and go thru test bench before roll it out to your cars.
This is just not inconveience, I work in the aviation certification, this type of roll out, is a sign, showing the test benching and bug testing program wasn’t throughout, please don’t roll out update OTA, if this is not working.
IMO, if these updates are important enough, don’t go thru OTA, have it done at the dealer.
Tesla had lots of similar OTA problem before, its a painful process in order to tune out a perfect roll out.
GM you still have a long way. But don’t validate your tester beta with customer car.
Another total mess from GM. No wonder Kia is outselling GM..Mary needs to be fired.
How about the dealer just hard plug into the port on the car and update, clear all codes, give car back. Oh, wait a moment, They took those ports out didn’t they in the interest of not allowing home mechanics to do their own repairs. Isn’t this what the right to repair laws are about? Bah Humbug. Sometimes the new ways are not better for the owner of the car.
No, you need to do some research before making unfounded comments.
The very same 16 pin OBD 2 port that has been fitted to GM vehicles beginning in 1994 on a handful of OBD 1 vehicles , is still fitted to every GM vehicle and used for diagnostics.
All on-board diagnostics on Vehicle Intelligence Platform (VIP) models is communicated via DLC pins 6 and 14.
Unlike some manufacturers’ vehicles, GM networks and other OBD needs accessed via the Data Link Connector, can be accomplished by anyone with a capable scan tool, information and ability.
However, it’s a whole lot more complex than just having these resources. Thank the government and EPA mandates, for driving vehicle technologies to the point where technicians without training and necessary diagnostic skills find it challenging.
It all begins with emissions and extracting the maximum from fuels with minimal tailpipe pollution and overall vehicle emissions from component off-gassing and more.
The stark reality is that the ability to use service information and tools has gone well beyond the mediocre reading, comprehension and abilities of some, who could routinely replace spark plugs or do a driveway brake pad slap and think that they could do it all.
Well I guess the port will still be physically there but not accessible unless they (OEMs) allow it. Can’t post the link but Google it, ” Access Denied: NHTSA Instructs Automakers to Ignore Massachusetts Data Access Law”. These are tied together in the bigger picture.
Whether wirelessly or plug in OEMs have restricted our ability to repair or fix (as shown they can’t fix it wirelessly).
Anyways, thanks for posting the history of the ports. If I miss read the article the facts stand that they don’t want folks messing with anything on modern cars.
Martin S. Great comment. Stay tuned for electric vehicles where you will pay a per mile use fee.
Hi David. Out here on the west coast in BC Canada (aka California North), I’ve lived through hybrid and EV inception and execution for many years at the sharp end of these technologies.
FWIW, the price of electricity here is about the lowest in Canada, except for Quebec. So, EVs are numerous and survive in all types of weather, all be it like their gasoline or alternate fuelled counterparts, are less efficient in extreme weather conditions.
On my daily short 42 km (26 mi) round trip commute to and from work, I am in a traffic or see oncoming traffic counting approximately 20 vehicles in total, Teslas, Volts, bolts, Ionics, Leafs etc.
I’ll be retiring from the workforce shortly, but if I were to continue working for some years to come, a Bolt or similar would suit my commute very well due to having a charger on site.
However, as good as my 2023 Sierra Elevation L3B is on fuel (9.1L/100km best and average ~12L/100km and verified at the pump), there is a disparity in fuel costs compared with EVs that share the roads and are able to enjoy lower cost home or workplace charging.
Can we expect some form of user cost for EVs at some point? I would think so, because lost tax revenues for highway infrastructure will need to be recovered somehow.
I certainly don’t have the answers or any bullet-proof predictions as to how this will all settle down years from now, with the intended saturation of the market with EVs. It’s going to be an interesting ride along which some will choose to embrace and others not. That’s life!
Interesting in that the Department of Defense, US Army, specifies minimal electronic controls on their vehicles for reliability in the field. Engines and vehicle systems for the Army have significantly reduced electronics for operational availability, performance and ease of maintenance. Why would you not want anything else?
GM, automakers, equipment and farm machine makers such as Caterpillar, Deere, IH Case, Komatsu, Hitachi, etc., are designing their products to require owners to exclusively source support from their dealers and factory to enhance their revenue streams. Self repair and service is a dirty word to them. The new strategy is keep em captive throughout the life of the product. $$$
My 2021 corvette battery was drained and damaged due to OTA . Stranded, had to purchase a new battery. GM opened a case and refused to reimburse cost of battery. Car less than 2 years old at the time.
I now refuse all OTA updates.
This is very interesting ! My truck battery died July 15 towed to dealership and they did what GM told them to and they have fired a modular for my dash there is no ETA when the part will get here so I had my truck 4 weeks to the day when this $hitshow started ! GM customer service has now moved my case to the delayed parts customer service and they will email me once a week about the progress if you want to call them you need to schedule a call! my original email said if the truck is financed they could help but no help for me who paid cash!!!! GM NEEDS TO STEP UP !!!! I want out of this nightmare
Over the air should be stopped until they figure out the glitches. Typical GATF.
(Great American Test Fleet) if you haven’t retired from GM already that term may be unfamiliar
Hi Martin: The general public is being suckered in many ways like never before. Examples: Our currency is fiat backed by intangibles. Inflation is out of control. Retail store shopping for groceries is self check out, self bagging. Hotels/motels charge overnight parking fees and resort amenities fees. Airline seating is jam packed and uncomfortable, single baggage fees, crummy little snacks served on long flights. Self pumping of fuel at outlets. Garbage franchise fast foods. Sugared beverages and flammable drinks. Recreational high priced Cannabis, and lung clogging vapors. Insane post Covid restaurant prices, I could go on and on.
When they get everybody into electric vehicles there will be a per mile fee download for road maintenance, public safety and road infrastructure. My call, .70+ cents per mile. Meanwhile, as now, the Asians will be eating our lunch by filling container ships with goods destined for Walmart and Amazon. As you increase demand, pricing goes up. Gosh, a crummy three layers of bread and and two thin slices of beef with a little lettuce and a small gob of secret sauce, Big Mac is nearly six bucks, in some outlets over six. So stay tuned for a future rude awakening on increased Kw per hour costs. Just look at the insane real estate prices in California and as you call it, California North, British Columbia, with droves of homeless on the streets. We are in confusing times that we cannot pattern from historical trends. In the meantime the UAW is seeking a 40% raise for their rank and file in their next contact.
Hi David. I completely agree. We’re currently “living the dream” pretty much exactly as you alluded.
I have long held the belief that a new tax will be introduced at a specifically targeted time, once the predicted sales volume of hybrid and EVs has achieved a specific level of saturation and the relative point of no return.
Furthermore, I expect that to avoid any appearance of impropriety to the layperson, a newly introduced tax will be applied broadly to all motor vehicles, disguised as a necessary attempt to “save the planet”.
I do work in a unionized environment in education, but we have not had a new contract since April 2022. The wage increases typically over three year periods have been small in the past and the earning potential is significantly lower than working in the trade as a technician, by $25-$35K/annum.
It is a chosen career path change that suits my needs, but not one that many can currently afford to take, given the high prices of everything you listed from housing to food.
To look at the Port of Vancouver dock strike and workers whom I believe have just ratified a wage increase from $136K to $162K/annum (median), is hard to digest when many families make less than half of that wage.
We’re living in a world gone completely mad and out of control. Hang on, it’s going to be quite a ride!
Does GM pay for towing vehicles back to the dealership for the OTA problem in July 2023?
Issues with my NEW 2023 GMC Sierra SLT, with 745 miles, HVAC fan speed lowers by self on every startup, stays lowered until you manually speed it up, even when 100 degrees outside, HVAC heat comes on by self, passenger window auto up fails, side mirrors auto return feature does not work properly, DIC message says key fob not found-even when key is right there, plus other issues….
This morning, 2 Sept 2023, my 2023 GMC Sierra SLT, system message on screen said update available, so I let it update, took about 5 minutes. Said it was fully updated.
I still have all the same issues listed above. NOT GOOD with a $63K vehicle.
My Chevy dealer in Waco, TX wouldn’t even look at the OTA update or battery because I was over 36,000 miles without me paying them $200. I refused. If Chevy is sending out OTA updates that cause problems then service should look at the issue for free. I even diagnosed the problem with this article for them. They were extremely rude and completely wasted my time. I paid to replace the battery myself. Praying that the update will fix itself and I won’t fry another battery. Thanks a lot Chevy!
I had the battery drain in july and it just happened again today (sept). I have never recieved a message on my dash about an update.
Same time frame for 2023 z71 colorado Jeff A.
This happened to my Colorado in July and spent 29 days at dealership happened again Sept and it’s at dealership now I have started the lemon law process and 5 hrs after I started it GM called me so now they are sending a field tech out . she said they are most knowledgeable 😂 I can understand the first time but not every 4 weeks and that’s what it has been for me
My 2023 Z71 has a dead battery now! Chevy vehicles are now totally unreliable !!!!!
WHEN IS CHEVY GOING TO UPDATE THE SCREW UP FROM THE LAST UPDATE, WHERE THE BLOWER STOPS AND STILL HAVE NO WIFI IN 2022 TAHOE . ITS A CRAP SHOOT IF THE RADIO WILL WORK EACH DAY I START VEHICLE , EVERYTHING WORKED FINE UNTIL LAST UPDATE IN AUGUST 22
i may have found something for gm to look at, when the blower motor switches to low speed, if i open rear hatch the blower blows super hard and speed lowers with hatch closed
I have a 2016 Duramax. Battery kept dying. The ota update is hanging up. Why is GM sending updates without permission? Does GM cover the cost for the update?
Went to drive my 2023 Colorado Trail Boss to work yesterday morning and doors wouldn’t unlock. Used the key in the remote to gain entrance and the truck was dead as a doornail. Son had to drive me to work, wife had to drive out to get me after work. Put a charger on the dead battery and the infotainment system says “Failed Update, see dealer for restore.” I never authorized this update. Now I have to miss work this morning to have my car towed to the dealership and pray they can fix their f up so I don’t have to Uber to work. This is beyond ridiculous, unacceptable and infuriating.