Trouble With The Brake/Shift Interlock Relay Switch.

Ok. I am getting ready for hurricane Matthew, so I dont know when i can reply or answer anyone. Power is bound to go off and on. So i wanted to post my question while I have power.

(I know many on here have had this happen 1 or 2 times. I am talking it happening A LOT. A constant reoccurring problem.) Did anyone else have this?.......

My brake relay switch keeps blowing out. The ignition works just fine. No problem there....that I know of. Now this 'brake relay switch' is blowing out at 1 week intervals!!! It is a $10-15 part, install takes 5 mins. BUT something is causing it to blow out all the time now. It has gone from yearly, to now it just stopped working after only 1 week! It was 2 weeks before that. Has ANYONE had this problem, so I can direct Chevy in the right direction when I am able to have it 'diagnosed',....to figure out why it keeps 'blowing out'. I dont know what a diagnosis will cost, so if I can tell them others have had this same problem, and tell them where to look, OR that I can look for myself, and try a DIY fix??? So..has anyone had this problem?

My battery went dead on me 3 weeks ago, I opened up the 'Maintenance Free Delco, 30 month warranty battery' I took off the 2 top caps, and 3 of the cells were nearly totally dry! (It was on its 27th month), so I guess it was going to die soon, and I drive SO little, I don't charge it up either. Even after filling them all up, and running the car around for a while to 'charge it', it was dead, so I replaced it with a 5 year maintenance free battery. So thats fixed.

That might have explained the last relay blowing out, but now it has a fresh battery in it, and this morning it was working fine, as I am going to go buy hurricane supply junk. Then it doesn't work this afternoon, then it goes back to working now,...I tried it repeatedly. But I of course dont trust it now.

So...any leads would be a great help. Is it as simple as a fuse hidden away someplace in one of the fuse boxes, that I could replace?? Maybe going bad or has a short that I can replace a fuse or fuses that controls that relay. Or is it some complicated thing that only a mech. or the dealer can fix? IF I can find others, or even ONE other person that had this issue, it would help. My Aveo is the 2006 LS Hatchback. I JUST hit 36K miles. No problems shifting while driving, or any tranny issues at all, no other problems. Ok...I hope someone out there has had this issue and can lead me in the right direction.

IF 'Petrified Rabbit' happens to read this, can you or another mech. in here, tell me which system should I have my mechanic or Chevy 'diagnosis'?? You know how much they can run, from $40 to $200 just to 'diagnosis' a problem. So..if I can tell them which system to look into, or even better tell them the EXACT thing that is causing the problem, it would be a GREAT help. Thanks for any help guys/gals. Back to hurricane prep!!

Just to be clear, we are talking about the switch at the pedal? Or the relay in fuse box under the hood?

If it is the relay under the hood, replace the switch. Check the ground in the trunk, its under the interior of the trunk, near the taillight. There is a wire that is bolted to the body. If that is loose, corroded, or broken fix that. You could also check the bulbs, sockets, and tail lamps for frayed, burnt connections, etc.

If it is the switch on the pedal assemble. You might need to check all those other things as well. The switch might be blowing because too much power is going through it. A short to ground. Check the relay.

The issue with the diagnostics you will have is this is all most likely wiring issues. Something is shorting out the switch, either too much power from the source, or not enough resistance in the circuit.

Hey guy: It is the switch/relay that is under the dash, behind the brake pedal. I have replaced next to all the rear light bulbs a few months ago, nearly all of them went bad one after another, as i replaced one, another blew out...I think i replaced 3 of the 4 bulbs?

I never would have thought that the rear lights would have anything to do with the relay switch. But they all work now, and have not blown out since replacing them, they were all old. And that was months ago, (and about 3 relay switches ago). The relay is now working fine...again! I had to move my car for this storm, and it 'clicked' as usual as i stepped on the brake. No problem. So now it is working again! IF it matters. It SEEMS to make a much louder 'click' sound when I step on the brake pedal, meaning I can hear that it IS working, it is unlocking the 'brake/shift lock'....it seems to get louder each time they change it, and I can feel the 'click' in the shifter itself, with my hand on it, as i push on the brake.

I recall it being much more of a quite/gentle 'clicking' sound, over the years, when it lasted with no problems for 9 years? But for the past 3-4 replacements, you can hear and feel that relay switch being activated when i step on the brake pedal. It use to be VERY quite,now it is very loud. I thought they finally made one that would last years again,but maybe it is getting a ton of power, and it is making it loud???
I even pointed this out to my Chevy service writer, the same guy I have seen for 11 years now, amazing!, (same guy), that... 'i can hear and feel the relay working as i step on the brake, and then the next time i get in the car, minutes later, it isnt working!'

He never says anything about it being loud being a problem. Just that it obviously needs a 'diagnosis' to find out why it keeps blowing out. I know it needs it to, but i was hoping that maybe, someone, especially YOU, might have the answer, or have encountered this problem before. I check the rear lights frequently, to be sure they all work...I dont want a ticket. I only have to replace the damn headlight bulbs...'Silverstars' frequently, and this set is now a year old. I REALLY dont drive at night almost at all. so they are lasting this time! But they burn out fast. So it could be a short in a rear bulb connection? I just look for rusty wires?

There is a fuse/relay in the fuse box in the engine compartment? Is it labeled 'brake' or Shifter, or what? Do you know? Thanks Sorry...which side is this ground wire in the back? and is it under the carpet back there, or along the rear wall or where? Is it a wire screwed down to the floor? Or something more 'complicated'

Well, the switch is always pressed. Until you push the brake pedal, and release pressure on the switch, turning it on. So if it sticks, then the taillights won't work. That might be your problem. If the switch is clicking, then it might be a releasing "pop" of a stuck switch.

The ground wires are on the back panel, (where the hatch latches). They are near the taillights, on the inside of the car. You need to remove a few push in clips, and then pull the cover back. There is a bolt with a wire going to it on each side. These are you grounds. I would carefully unbolt the wires, clean them with baking soda and a wire brush, then clean the spot they contact on the car.

I can't say this is the exact problem you are experiencing, but it is a common failure point.

The fuse box should have an a good explanation of what each fuse is, the taillights on your 04 might have the fuse under the dash. I can't remember.

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Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit

The ground wires are on the back panel, (where the hatch latches). They are near the taillights, on the inside of the car. You need to remove a few push in clips, and then pull the cover back. There is a bolt with a wire going to it on each side. These are you grounds. I would carefully unbolt the wires, clean them with baking soda and a wire brush, then clean the spot they contact on the car.

I can't say this is the exact problem you are experiencing, but it is a common failure point.

The fuse box should have an a good explanation of what each fuse is, the taillights on your 04 might have the fuse under the dash. I can't remember.

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Thanks guy. I have an '06', not an '04' hatchback. I will try to get to these grounds. I have lost so many of those 'push in pins clips', i am holding my hatch interior cover on with Gorilla tape as it is! Lost all of them. Once they come out, they fall apart. Still need to find the right size and buy a bag. I am sure Chevy will charge $10 a clip!

So is this problem actually preventing you from shifting out of Park?

Does the Aveo have a mechanical override? I'm sure it does - most autos that I've seen have a very small tab or cover near the shifter that you pop off that gives you access to push a mechanical switch to over-ride the lockout. Just FYI in case you ever get stuck, it's good to know where it is and how it works. Had to use it on my dad's car recently because he killed his 12v, so the interlock wouldn't work and the car was nosed into its parking space and we needed to roll it back to jump start it.

Thread unlocked! Sorry about that, FlaAveo5.