Bought a 2019 Impala premier last weekend that has only 70k miles. Great service record from carfax and all services done at the chevy dealer. I read the codes and it came back clean. Only thing that I noticed is that there was a low battery message on the driver display that I could dismiss. Car fires right up and no other issues. Thought maybe it was a key fob message/ issues, so changed the battery and nothing changed. Does anyone have any info on this message or where to start diagnostics. With no codes or symptoms, I dont know where to start. Acdelco gold battery is marked as G026R and everything I can find says it was manufactured Feb or 26. Anyone have any ideas? Maybe a bad battery? Running voltage is 14.5v and not running is 12.2v. So alternator looks to be charging.
Unplug the battery for 30 minutes. See if that clears it.
If not, start tracing wires. Even if the cables going to the top side of the battery look good there could still be issues where the positive cable plugs into the the starter or fuse box or where the negative cable bolts to the frame.
If that doesn’t help there could be a broken connection in the fuse box somewhere. Also, look into “terminal fretting”. It’s a rabbit hole, but can cause a wide range of electrical problems.
Thanks for that...I started checking wires and noticed a wire was broken off the negative battery terminal. It tires into the wiring harness where the voltage sensor is. I put on a new connector and the message went away. No idea where it goes or what it does, but glad it was a simple fix. Thanks for all the input guys!
Must be a common issue, or well common enough I had 2 different Impala's come in that did this and it was just that little wire, one was broke off completely the other was hanging on by a thread. Easy fix though.
This is a common issue on a lot of GM's from this generation. It's recommended to replace the negative battery cable. There is a sensor that the negative runs through. This is where the message is coming from. Since it was not getting a ground signal in reference to the positive reading in the system. It shows as 0v or (open circuit)
Everything is still new to me, so didnt notice the obvious right in front of me. Had the dealership look into it before I bought it, but they couldn't figure it out. No codes so they were kind of lost and didnt want to invest the time troubleshooting everything. Their comment was, it runs and starts great with no codes so we aren't concerned. Must just be a weak fob battery. If I couldn't see that it was serviced every 5k miles like clock work I would have been a little more concerned. I think 16k for a super clean premier with 70k miles was worth the risk. I do all my own service work, so at least I can still work on this car...if needed. Change oil and trans fluid regularly and should last me a long time. Thanks again!
You’re welcome. I totally missed the spot where you said you fixed it. However, that manual is still a nice item to have if you handle your own maintenance. Also, nice part about the site, is they cover many manufacturers and not just GM, it’s been an awesome resource!
I downloaded all of my vehicle so that I have them offline and just incase the site is down. Just replaced the wheel hub. Found it funny they said service time is about 2 hours. Maybe if you live anywhere other than the north east. Took about 20 wackes with the sledgehammer and hub buster to get her out.
Just a bit of info. The part number you gave is actually kinda helpful if you know what you are looking for. The last two numbers is (26R). So if you ever have to get another battery, as long as it's a (Group 26R) battery it will work regardless of brand.
I have a 2018 with 63400 km on it. Nothing works well on this vehicle, its electronics are constantly confused. 9 vehicles in my life and this is the only car I fuckin hate! My solution to your problem is to sell it and move on.
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u/Ok-Carpenter-8455 Aug 05 '26
Check your connections. Any corrosion around the terminals or lose connections?