NHTSA Complaint #10018520 — 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

LAST YEAR MY TRUCK STARTED DEVELOPING A PAUSE IN THE ENGINE. I HAD MY LOCAL DEALER INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. THEY STATED THE FUEL INJECTORS NEEDED CLEANED SO THEY PUT IN AN ADDITIVE. THEY STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NORMAL AFTER 15,000 MILES. A LITTLE WHILE LONGER MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ME TO THE AIRPORT (TWO HOURS FROM MY HOME) DURING THE TRIP THE TRUCK STARTED MAKING THE SAME NOISE AND HAVING THE SAME HESITATION PROBLEMS BUT WITH A LITTLE MORE VENGEANCE. WHEN WE ARRIVED A THE AIRPORT WE HAD TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF SO THAT I COULD UNLOAD MY TRAVEL BAGS. MY WIFE TRIED TO START THE TRUCK TO LEAVE AND COULD NOT GET IT GOING. I HAD TO LEAVE TO CATCH MY FLIGHT LEAVING MY WIFE AT THE CURB WITH A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE. I DID GIVE HER THE INFORMATION FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. SHE CONTACTED ROADSIDE HELP AND THE TRUCK WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER. THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE STARTED AND FIXED SO THEY GOT MY WIFE A RENTAL AND ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE FOR THE DEALER TO FIX THE TRUCK AND I WOULD RETURN AFTER MY TRIP TO PICK IT UP. DURING THE TIME I HAD BEEN GONE I HAD FOUND OUT THROUGH MY WIFE THAT THE DEALER FELT THERE WAS A CRACKED BLOCK AND WOULD HAVE THE TRUCK FIXED FOR ME. ON MY ARRIVAL BACK IN INDIANAPOLIS I MADE MY WAY TO THE DEALER. THINKING I HAD A SOMEWHAT NEW ENGINE. IN FACT I WAS TOLD THAT THEIR PROGNOSIS WAS WRONG AND THAT IT WAS JUST A OXYGEN SENSOR THAT HAD FAILED. IT WAS GOOD AS NEW! WELL HERE I AM NOT EVEN A YEAR LATER AND HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. THIS TIME WITH ALL THREE KIDS AND MY WIFE IN THE TRUCK AND RETURNING FROM TOLEDO. 30 MINUTES ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AT NIGHT, UNTIL IT STARTED AND LIMPED IT HOME. *NLM