Chevy Colorado: VSS – Circuit Malfunction

P0500 This OBDII code is used to troubleshoot the Chevy Colorado‘s Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS). The VSS sends a signal to the engine’s computer letting it know how fast that the vehicle is going.

It is responsible for controlling many car functions, including ABS and cruise control. This helps to control the transmission shifts as well as ABS and cruise control. It should be fixed as soon as possible.

Chevy Colorado P0500 Symptoms

The symptoms will differ depending on which model year you are using and any other circumstances. However, these are the most prevalent symptoms of P0500.

• Tempoometer failure– Without a properly working vehicles speed sensor, the speedometer will not register any speed. It’ll just sit at 0 MPH while you are driving. It's the Odometer It may not be possible.
• Cruise Control failure– When a vehicle is not getting a signal from the VSS, it’ll not let the cruise control engage. This makes sense since it can’t control the speed when it doesn’t know how fast it is going.
• Harsh Shifts It is possible for the transmission to shift in a different way than usual.
• Anti-Lock Brakes– The Colorado’s ABS may not work or could be compromised. VSS is one part of a large set of sensors which prevents the wheels locking under high break pressure.

Chevy Colorado. P0500

• Bad VSS– More often than not, when P0500 is thrown, replacing the Vehicle Speed Sensor will remedy the problem. These are Also, quite reasonable.
• Trouble with the wiring– Due to the location of the VSS, the wiring harness going from the vehicles computer to it can often become damaged and open/short out. The Colorado won't be able determine the VSS readings if this happens. You can look at the harness from a safe distance. It should be plugged in every step. Check to see if the wiring has become frayed. Here’s How to Check for a Short (YouTube).
• Tires– On some vehicles, P0500 can be thrown if the tires have been swapped to a size that is different from the factory setting.

P0500 is the main reason that the code has been thrown almost all the time. The ECM/PCM could be bad. It is important to not look at the first place, but instead the second.

Because of their location, it is possible for the wiring harness connecting to them to fail. Replacing the wiring harness without first inspecting can lead to a costly mistake.

Fix P0500

You should inspect the Wiring Harness first. After everything looks fine, you can take a closer look at VSS. Is there any visible damage to the VSS?

If you've done it before, or even earlier if you are lucky), you can go back to work. Good scan tool) it’s time to test the sensor and see if the VSS signal goes up and down with the vehicle speed. If it doesn’t, replacing the sensor could fix the problem. If it does, you’ll have to test the rest of the circuit.

Conclusion

It can be difficult to diagnose P0500 problems in Chevy Colorado. Don’t skip checking the wiring harness first. Have fun!