Problems · by component

2004 GMC Envoy exterior lighting problems

60 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2004 GMC Envoy cite exterior lighting, 8% of all 718 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 2 recalls on this component.

Complaints
60
8% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the exterior lighting

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Headlight's,taillight's,turn signals stop working whenever they want.It's pretty scary to lose your headlight's when your driving at night.There's nothing i can do about it,except to sit wherever it happend and wait for them to come back on.My wife was following me one day and told me my brakelight's and turn signal stopped working and started to work again,she said this happened a couple time's at the same red light.There a couple of thing's (electrical)inside the vehicle that don't work anymore but i really dont care about them.To get the odometer to work i have to knock pretty hard on the plastic cover that cover's the instrument cluster,sometimes it stay's on,most of the time it wont stay on.The DIC (driver control center) doesn't work anymore.I cant even get to it.The speakers on the left side of the vehicle dont work anymore.I thought i would tell you about the inside also because it could be part of the problem.All of this happened when i was driving home from my daughter's two night's ago.I bought this vehicle about three or four's year's ago,and i had no problem's with it untill the other night.The person i bought it from is a good friend of mine.He…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 9, 2022Electrical system, Exterior lightingODI 11478324
“I WAS DRIVING IN THE CITY AT NIGHT TIME AND MY LOW BEAM LIGHTS QUIT WORKING. I DID NOT NOTICE IT RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE OF THE STREET LIGHTS. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AND PUT MY HUSBAND, DAUGHTER AND MYSELF AT RISK.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 28, 2020Exterior lightingODI 11366788
“WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS GO OUT COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING. VEHICLE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING IN CITY AS WELL. HIGHBEAM HEADLIGHTS WORK WHEN SWITCHED ON AFTER LOW BEAM STOP WORKING. CANNOT LEAGALLY DRIVE WITH HIGHBEAMS ON ALWAYS. MY ENVOY IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND IS DEALER SERVICED EVEN THOUGH IT HAS HIGH MILEAGE. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR 2006 AND UP FOR THIS TYPE ISSUE, WHY WAS THE 2004 MODEL YEAR NOT LOOKED AT? THERE ARE OTHERS THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH LOWBEAM HEADLIGHTS. FUSEBOX UNDERHOOD IS LABELED TO CONFUSE OWNER AND RELAYS NOT DESCRIBED WELL IN OWNERS MANUAL. THERE IS NO RELAY LISTED FOR LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. HEADLIGHT DRIVER MODULE IS A KNOW FAILURE COMPONENT. GM ALSO CHANGED ONSTAR TO DIGITAL SYSTEM LEAVING GM CARS LIKE MINE WITH ANALOG ONSTAR UNSERVICABLE AND REQUIRES EXPENSIVE UPGRADE. HEADLIGHTS GOING DARK WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT IS A DANGER AND VEHICLE SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO FALL UNDER RECALL FOR 2006 MODELS AS WELL. SLIGHT ACCIDENT, RAN OFF ROAD INTO DITCH AND CAUSED LIGHT DAMAGE. VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN, BUT NEEDED SOME REPAIR.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 3, 2019Exterior lightingCrash reportedODI 11265946
“MY DASH PANEL GAUGES BEGAN FAILING ONE BY ONE. MY HEADLIGHTS WILL SOMETIMES NOT COME ON AFTER STARTING THE CAR WITH THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON AUTO. A FLICK OF THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH IN AND OFF, DOES NOT MAKE THE HEADLIGHTS COME ON. SOMETIMES THEY COME ON AFTER DRIVING AROUND, AND THEN WILL GO OFF WITHOUT TOUCHING THE SWITCH. NOW, MY SIDE BRAKELIGHTS WILL NOT OPERATE CORRECTLY WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS PRESSED. ONLY THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATES.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 26, 2019Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Service brakesODI 11258245
“THE HEADLIGHTS ARE EXTREMELY DIM - ALWAYS HAVE BEEN. FOUND OUT IN MARCH FROM A COLLEGE CLASS THAT THERE WAS A RECALL I WAS UNAWARE OF (NEVER SAW MAIL ABOUT IT). ANYHOW, A 2004 VEHICLE IS ONLY GETTING OLDER AND ITS LIGHTS ARE A HUGE LIABILITY. MORE CURIOUS AS TO WHY THERE'S A DEADLINE FOR A RECALL (IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH A VEHICLE THAT IS SOLD THEN IT SHOULD BE FIXED - ESPECIALLY IF IT PUTS OTHERS AT RISK).”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 14, 2019Exterior lightingODI 11207494
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 GMC ENCLAVE XUV. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55 MPH, THE LOW BEAM LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHERE THE FAILURE WAS NOT DUPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED FOUR TIMES WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS ABOUT 186,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 18, 2017Exterior lightingODI 11023937

Showing 6 of 60 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

2 recalls on this component

Exterior lighting: headlights

Free remedy

CERTAIN MAXZONE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES, DEPO BRAND, P/NO 335-1120L-AS, SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. DURING PRODUCTION THE LAMP HOUSING SHAPE DEFORMED DISTORTING THE ASSEMBLY ANGLE OF THE REFLECTOR AND INFLUENCED THE AIMING POSITION. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

Exterior lightingReported Feb 26, 2007NHTSA 07E014000

Exterior lighting: turn signal

Free remedy

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE DRIVER WISHING TO SIGNAL A TURN BY MOVING THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL LEVER, (UP OR DOWN) MAY CAUSE THE FRONT MARKER/TURN LIGHTS AND REAR TURN LIGHTS TO FLASH IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO HAZARD WARNING, RATHER THAN FLASHING ON THE DESIRED SIDE ONLY.

Exterior lightingReported May 5, 2005NHTSA 05V198000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Oct 30, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.