Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 GMC Envoy owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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 …
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. …
Parked the vehicle in a parking garage so I know the lights were working when we went in. As we were leaving approximately 3 hours later, the low beams would not come on at all. Had to run high beams; had several people look at the fuses, replaced bulbs, etc. But they could not find the problem. A couple of weeks later just before I was taking it to a dealer to look at the problem the low beams began working again. Approximately two months later the exact same thing happened only this time I heard a faint noise from the engine compartment and smelled a burning (seemed electrical) aroma for a few seconds when I realized the low-beam lights were not working again. After a week or so the lights came back on again.
The headlines turn off by themselves while I am driving at night. This problem has been going on since January of 2015. I have taken the vehicle to several shops, and even the dealer, but nobody knows how to fix the problem. Currently, the headlights only work in high beam. I drive with high beam lights and fog lights. Either way it is a safety issue. High beams can cause accidents. Driving with no lights can cause accidents. Lights shutting off while I am driving can cause accidents and/or death.
Ac plug to fan motor burnt/melt, daylight/headlight connectors melted multiple times had them replaced 3 times each side... Cluster/ radio/ac lights burning out lights out on different areas from illumination to gages to radio and ac control button lights head lights went out while driving so did cluster, radio and ac lights had the cluster replaced by dealer while under warranty back in 2013 over cluster shortening, had my radio replaced as well by dealer same time
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.
2004 GMC Envoy headlights would periodically dimm and go off during breaking. Without warning headlights failed with no indication. Repair at GMC dealer cost $130 for a "hdm relay". Very dangerous failure as no fuses failed, no lamps failed, but a hidden component failed which caused me to go off a highway at high speed at night.
Tl contact owns a 2004 GMC Envoy. The contact stated that the headlights illuminated independently when the vehicle was turn off. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
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.
I was in the highway tail lights weren't working in was headed to idaho due to that im still in north dakota also like a month ago I was pulled over in the city for no back lights it's happen 4 or 5 times two on a 15 hour road trip.tailgate has open twice once in city and on highway now it doesn't shut at all its been like that for 5 months now and it started to not want to open or close the roof part as well it sound as if its jam.I worry about my safety and public as well. Just paid over 2400.00 for rebuilding trany,power steering,and my gear shift as well it would not shift it snap off.transmission went out 6 hours before I got to my destination.it was towed to a trany shop around nov.12/2015 picked up feb.23/2016 hoping they would fix all the rest of defects it has. …
Related recalls
Exterior lighting › Turn signal
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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the suspect flasher modules with a new flasher module designed with sealed relays and more durable contact material inside of the relays free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2005.
NHTSA investigations
Loss of Headlights
The subject vehicles are model year (MY) 2002-2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, 2004-2007 Buick Rainier, 2003-2008 Isuzu Ascender, 2005-2009 Saab 9-7X, 2002-2004 Oldsmobile Bravada, 2003-2006 Chevrolet SSR, 2005-2009 Buick Lacrosse, and 2006-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix. This scope includes the Trailblazer/Envoy variants: 2002-2006 Envoy XL/Trailblazer EXT and 2004-2005 Envoy XUV.
Turn signal failures
By letter dated April 29, 2005, GM notified the agency that it is conducting asafety recall ( NHTSA recall no. 05V198 ) involving certain model years (my) 2003-2004 Isuzu ascender, Chevrolet trailblazer, GMC envoy, Oldsmobile bravada and my 2004 Buick rainer vehicles.the recall applies to vehicles built from April 2003 through November 2003 for a total vehicle population of 286,478.GM reports the directional/hazard…
Brake lamp failure
GM states that some brake/tail lamp bulbs can prematurely become inoperative due to malfunctioning brake/tail lamp sockets.on March 2, 2004, GM initiated a 6-year/72,000 mile special policy for 989,487 subject vehicles to inspect and replace the rear brake/tail lamp bulb socket assemblies.on April 4, 2004, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe04-032) based on consumer…
Headlight complaints in other Envoy years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2004 GMC Envoy?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the lights of the 2004 GMC Envoy, 11% of the model year's 367 complaints. The component named most often is headlights (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 GMC Envoy headlight problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 05V-198 (turn signal, May 5, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2004 GMC Envoy headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 86,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to lights problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.