What To Do When Your Chevy Tahoe Radio Stays On

by Spork Marketing

It’s common for the Chevy Tahoe to have radio issues. In some cases, the radio doesn’t produce any sound. In other cases, the radio won’t quit working.

If your Tahoe’s radio won’t turn off when you open the door or turn off the vehicle, you came to the right place. We’ll go over some of the things you can do to troubleshoot this issue.

1. Check The Retained Accessory Power (RAP) Switch In The Driver’s Door

RAP relay

The most common reason a Chevy Tahoe radio stays on is a bad RAP switch. The RAP switch in the driver’s door allows the radio and windows to keep working when the ignition is off. These accessories can keep working usually about 10 minutes after you turn off the ignition or until you open the driver’s side door.

The RAP switch connects to the body control module (BCM) via a relay. The switch pops in and out. When the driver’s side door is closed, the switch stays in. When you open it, it pops out. The BCM uses the switch’s position to either leave the radio on or to turn it off. When the RAP switch is popped out (as soon as you open the door), the BCM turns off the radio.

Under normal circumstances, the RAP switch lasts the lifetime of the vehicle. It’s not always the case, though. Sometimes the RAP switch fails to pop out. When that happens, the BCM never gets the message that prompts it to shut off the radio.

So the first thing you want to do is check the RAP switch. If the switch looks fine, the issue may be with the RAP relay. So be sure to check the relay too.

If you find that the RAP switch is bad, you need to replace it ASAP. You don’t want to drain the battery by leaving the radio on. While you wait for a replacement RAP switch, you can try to fix it temporarily. You can do this by spraying WD-40 into the switch and then pushing the switch a few times. This may work for a while, but you should still plan on replacing the switch.

2. Check The Body Control Module

Chevy tahoe bcm

Image Credit: Nestor

Sometimes the BCM may be the reason your radio is staying on. When the BCM fails, it can’t receive a signal from the RAP switch or send a signal to the radio to shut it off. If your BCM fails, you’ll notice a variety of other obvious symptoms, such as:

  • Warning lights flashing
  • Drained battery
  • Difficulty starting the engine
  • Electronics working intermittently, such as the radio, lights, and gauge cluster

3. Reset The Radio

radio reset

Image Credit: ChevroletForum

If the RAP, BCM, and all the connectors are fine, the radio may be the issue. Maybe something went wrong with the wiring within the radio that caused it to not respond appropriately.

Perform a hard reset to see if this fixes the problem. If not, you would need to either repair or replace your radio. Whatever route you decide to take, we can help. We offer radio & screen repair services, as well as OEM replacement radios. This replacement radio for 2008-2009 Chevy Tahoe vehicles is one of our best selling replacement radios.

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