What is "Service Vehicle Soon Light"?

My 05 Equinox has had "Service Vehicle Soon Light" on 3 times since last week with only 2,400 miles driven. Last week after the light turned on, I took the car to the dealer and gotten a code P2701 (Throttle) and they said if the same code happens they will replace the whole throttle body... Yesterday, the light was on (on/monrning and off/evening) and I made it to the dealer after 5PM and they advised me to come back today. This morning, the light was on again but the GM technician failed to read any code. Becase of no code, they refused to service my car and sent me away feeling extremely unhappy...

According to my manual, "Service Vehicle Soon Light"-This light will come on if you have problems that may require the vehicle to taken in for service.

This light is different from the "Change Engine Oil Light" and "Check Engine Light" which also on my dash and they are off. Can some one educate me on what the light means? I asked the 3 different technicians at the local GM dealership and none can answer me.

First, the service engine soon light being on is telling you that there is a problem. It is tied into the vehicle's powertrain control module(PCM) or engine control module(ECM). You also have a transmission control computer which may or may not be physically part of the PCM. There is a computer for the body/chassis which encompasses the security system(if equipped), the entertainment portion(radio/DVD), and Heating/Ventilation/AirConditioning. The body computer should not trigger the service engine soon light however. Your vehicle has On Board Diagnostics, Generation 2 (OBDII). This means that it has the ability to process information, reconize faults, store those faults in the form of a code, and freeze frame information. Freeze frame information is information about the enviornmental situation when a trouble code was set. For example, if your P2701 code was set, then freeze frame information would explain what was happening at that moment. It allows the technician to recreate the problem and see if the code would set after a repair has been made. The computer may indicate that the engine was running at 1575 RPM, coolant temperature was at 142 degrees, the throttle position sensor indicated 18 percent throttle, and the whole system was operating in Open Loop mode when P2701 was set. There are many more items that are listed in freeze frame information, but the few I gave are the most common, though there are many more parameters that can be stored. I hope this gives you a little more information about whats going on. But here is my personal opinion: For one, I looked up that code P2701 and could not find it anywhere, however, that does not mean that it is not a valid code. Just double check that P2701 is in fact what the dealer pulled. Anything from P1000 on up is manufacturer specific. I just didn't think that OBDII "P" codes had reached into the 2000's yet. Highest I'd seen was like P1968 Check out www.troublecodes.net for more information. As for how you can get these codes, you need to have an OBDII scanner. The problem is that the scanners that are sold through your local parts stores, only have the ability to read codes and erase them. They are the bare bones scanners. To access the full system you have to have the dealer GM Tech 2 scanner or its aftermarket equivalent like Snap-ON, Matco, or OTC. Also you need to check to see if there are any Technical Service Bulletins(TSB's) that apply to your vehicle, the dealer should have information on this and most of the time should be addressed free of charge as long as your vehicle is still under warranty. You can also check your VIN at this GM website to see if there are any outstanding computer updates available to you. http://calid.gm.com/vci/VINEntryPre.do Hopefully you can get to the bottom of this, because you should not be having problems this early in your ownership of your new car. Post what you find out. Oh and last your Change Oil light is different from your Check Engine light. Your owners manual should tell you what the procedure is to reset your Change Oil light. If I can be of any more help, feel free to shoot me a private message. -Chris 96 Z71 5.7L All Stock

The Service Engine Soon light is new on many '05 models. It tells you to that repairs MAY be needed soon, as compared to the Check Engine light that says repairs ARE needed. The engine may be limited in power or speed with the Service Engine Soon light is on. The SES light is an attempt to head off emissions problems which may be on the way.

even though the light goes off, it should store the error code in the PCM,so when the tech scans then the it should pick up the error code.

Had many fine GM vehicles over the years, and some not so fine. Can't help but notice that dealer service has really gotten poor in recent years, especially in the large multi brand GM dealerships. Seems like they could care less about lower priced vehicles problems. I'd suggest asking around and finding another dealer. If they come through for you, get your routine service there also and build a relationship. Or call the GM 1-800 number in your owner's manual and raise the roof.

Mine comes on every 5 thousand miles, meaning it is related to the oil filter / changing. You need to reset it every time you get an oil change. Most places do not know how to do this, but it is pretty simple. You turn the key on your ignition so that your radio comes on, but not far enough to start the engine. Then press the gas petal 3 times. The check engine light will begin to flash. When it does that just turn the ignition to off and remove the keys, and now the sensor is reset.

Would "service vehicle soon light" on due to reminder of oil change? Nothing was wrong in the driving. It should be different from "service engine soon light". If we ignore it, would anything be going bad? Anybody has any experience? Thanks.