NHTSA Complaint #10056953 — 2001 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN

WE HAVE A 2001 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. STARTING IN SEPTEMBER 2003, WHEN THE GAS LEVEL GOT TO 1/2, THE GAS GAUGE WOULD DROP TO EMPTY AND THE LOW FUEL LIGHT WOULD GO ON, THEN THE LIGHT WOULD GO OFF AND THE GAS GAUGE WOULD GO BACK TO 1/2. THIS HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP OCTOBER 20, 2003. THEY SAID THEY TESTED, INSPECTED AND RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO ME ON OCTOBER 22, 2003. THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND COULD NOT GET IT TO FAIL AGAIN. ON OCTOBER 26, 2003, THE SAME THING HAPPENED ONLY THE VEHICLE "SHUT DOWN" WITHOUT WARNING. IT COULD NOT BE RE-STARTED AND THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP, THERE THEY" REPLACED PCMB FUSE BLOWN AND FUEL SYSTEM CIRCUIT HAD A SHORT TO GROUND, FOUND WIRES AT MODULE BURNED. THEY REPLACED FUEL MODULE, FUEL PUMP RELAY AND FUSES". ON JANUARY 12, 2004, THE VEHICLE AGAIN "SHUT-DOWN" WITHOUT ANY WARNING. IT RESTARTED IN ABOUT 20 MINUTES. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE BEEN DRIVING IT FOR ABOUT FOUR WEEKS, BUT CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT AND IT HAS NOT SHUT DOWN AGAIN. THEY HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING TO FIX IT AS THE PROBLEM IS "INTERMITTENT" AND THE PROBLEM OF SHUTTING DOWN COULD NOT BE REPLICATED. THEY CAN FIND NO SPECIFIC CAUSE. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS ME TO PICK UP THE VEHICLE TOMORROW, FEBRUARY 12, 2004. THERE IS NO ADVANCE WARNING WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN CAUSING LOSS OF POWER TO BRAKES, STEERING AND ALL OTHER COMPONENTS. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS PROBLEM, A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND COULD BE LIFE THREATENING.*AK