It’s great having all these safety and security features in new vehicles. But every new gadget you add to a car or truck is one more thing that can go wrong. The Chevy Silverado’s anti-theft system is no exception, but, good news, you can usually fix it with a reset.
How do you reset the Chevy Silverado’s anti-theft system?
Insert the ignition key, put it in the on position, attempt to start the engine. With the key in that position, wait ten minutes. The security light will blink and go out. Turn the key off, and wait five seconds.
If that sounds complicated, don’t worry, we’ve got a YouTube video linked below to show you exactly what we’re talking about, and we’ll go over the process step by step. We’ll also cover other ways to address the problem if this fix doesn’t work.
A Look at The Anti-theft System
An alarm is great if you’re standing within earshot of your vehicle, and if the guys stealing it don’t outnumber you. An anti-theft system goes a step further by immobilizing the vehicle when it detects that someone’s trying to steal it.
These systems have probably saved millions of cars and trucks from being stolen. But the chips in these systems will deteriorate over time.
That, plus the software can be interrupted by dead batteries and power surges, so in older vehicles, these systems are just as likely to make you late for work as they are to prevent your truck from being stolen. Good thing it’s an easy fix.
How Do I Reset Anti-theft System: Chevy Silverado?
The problem: Your anti-theft system seems to think you’re a car thief, and it’s locking you out of your own vehicle. You try to turn the engine on, but it won’t startup. This is a simple computer issue, and can usually be solved with a system reset.
This fix has been tested on a number of 1999-2005 GM vehicles, the ones with the most anti-theft system problems, and it almost always does the trick;
- Insert ignition key.
- Turn it to the on position.
- Attempt to start the engine. If you’re having a problem with the anti-theft system, the engine won’t start, and the security light will start flashing.
- Leave the key in that position until the security light stops flashing. This should take about ten minutes.
- Once the light goes off, switch the ignition key to off.
- Wait about five seconds.
- Try to start the engine again. It should turn over with no problems now.
If you’re still not sure what we’re talking about, here’s that video we promised.
Photos: Chevrolet
