power folding mirrors

Dunn · January 3, 2021

So my passenger side mirror wont fold all the way.....Even since it was new, I saw the way mirrors folded in I thought to myself it was kind of weak and slow and would probably not last long. I just had that feeling, 5 months later sure enough the passenger side wont close all the way.....My issue, is I know I can take it to dealer to have it fixed for free but if they put same crappy gears or whatever back in its going to be same thing.........is there another solution for this? I cant imagine mine is only one or even the only year for this to be a problem....

is there an aftermarket version that is better than OEM?......i hate going to dealerships, for anything and really dont want to go back for same issue later on.

Edited January 3, 2021 by Dunn

kylant · January 3, 2021

i think there is a way to "reset" them. look in the manual

my driver side one is considerably slower than the passenger. I will have them look at it at the first oil change

Z45 · January 3, 2021

The pass side mirror has a longer arc to travel so it will never park at the same time as the drivers mirror. There is a reset procedure, check the owners manual for instructions. Basically as I recall its manually folding them that will reset them, can't recall if one or more time it needed.

kylant · January 3, 2021

17 minutes ago, elcamino said:

The pass side mirror has a longer arc to travel so it will never park at the same time as the drivers mirror. There is a reset procedure, check the owners manual for instructions. Basically as I recall its manually folding them that will reset them, can't recall if one or more time it needed.

makes sense, but my passenger side closes significantly faster

Z45 · January 3, 2021

39 minutes ago, kylant said:

makes sense, but my passenger side closes significantly faster

Maybe its the opposite way......I was just in the car wash yesterday and never paid attention.

Enough · January 3, 2021

Might be worth a shot to contact these folks:

https://www.gruvenparts.com/shop-by-car/gm-truck

They made placement motors and gears for earlier generation of the trucks. Pricey, but beat plastic parts hands down.

Dunn · January 3, 2021

thanks, yeah i dont really care which closes or opens faster as long as they both do, ill check manual and also the link above if it goes that direction.....

Shawn T · January 8, 2021

On 1/3/2021 at 7:14 AM, elcamino said:

Maybe its the opposite way......I was just in the car wash yesterday and never paid attention.

Correct it's the opposite, passenger mirror arc is less as the angle to the body is less. My driver's side mirror always takes longer to fold/unfold. With that said if you use the fold in/fold out function from the key fob sometimes the driver side mirror does not fold all of the way out or in. I have addressed this at the dealer and they stated that the motor voltage and current read correctly it's just something that I have to live with unless I wanted to pay for it. I found that if you hold the lock/unlock buttons while doing this until the mirrors are about halfway through the cycle, the driver's side usually makes it. Seems chinsie on an $80k truck but, I guess I "have to live with it".

Dunn · January 9, 2021

they should have the metal gears.....Its just the game, they make the most on higher trims and totally see why, profit to cost ratio is 10 to 1....whateves, I could tell from day 1 they wouldnt last, just looked so cheap/slow way they worked.....whole day wasted taking a new truck in for something that shouldnt even be a issue in first place....

Edited January 9, 2021 by Dunn

20gmctruckguy · January 10, 2021

I am having the same issue with mine. It seems that the driver side will only fold in about 2 inches before stopping when using the lock button on the key fob. Seems to work better if the truck is running and i use the button on the door panel. I also noticed that if I "help" it fold with a slight push it will go all the way. Almost like the hinge is too tight and there is not enough power in the motor to get the job done. Wonder if there is a way to lubricate the hinge?

Dunn · January 10, 2021

i reset them per manual and all is good.......they made a loud popping noise so just fyi, manual says totally normal

Basketcase · January 20, 2021

Just had mine replaced under warranty yesterday as my warranty is almost up. My passenger side was intermittent for a while for how far it would close.. Then started only going half way all the time. Took it in, they said it failed and would be replaced under warranty. I didn't argue. The dealer did tell me though that GM just issued a notice saying the warranty for all mirrors will need to be applied for and approved as of Feb 1. I guess they are replacing too many of these things because they are a low build quality.

I do believe they will fail again though just based on their design...

MaverickZ71 · January 20, 2021

Been that way for many years. The dealer will not take the mirror apart and play with gears--they will just replace the entire mirror assembly, which requires removing the inner door panel. As long as it gets power and folds at all, they will call it good. Reset it according to the owner's manual and learn to live with it, or have it replaced. FWIW, just had the passenger mirror on our '09 Silverado replaced with an OEM-style aftermarket unit (don't know what brand--the body shop did it), and it folds faster, quieter, and smoother than the OEM GM part ever did.

6.6HD · January 22, 2021

On 1/3/2021 at 7:45 AM, kylant said:

makes sense, but my passenger side closes significantly faster

I had the same issue. I took it to dealership. Its a bad motor in the mirror. They replaced the entire drivers side mirror. They both close at same rate now.

kylant · January 22, 2021

34 minutes ago, 6.6HD said:

I had the same issue. I took it to dealership. Its a bad motor in the mirror. They replaced the entire drivers side mirror. They both close at same rate now.

thanks for the info.

my truck is due for the 1st service. i was going to have them look at it then