NHTSA Complaint #10135343 — 2002 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500

2002 CHEVROLET 2500HD W/ 8.1L GASOLINE ENGINE: THE FAILURE OF THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR ON THESE ENGINES APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. THIS SENSOR FAILED ON MY TRUCK AT ONLY 30K MILES! I KNOW OF TWO OTHER '02 TRUCKS W/ THIS ENGINE THAT ALSO HAD THE SENSOR FAIL AND MANY OTHERS HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED WHILE DOING RESEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM! THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM LIES IN THE FACT THAT THE TRUCK SUDDENLY STOPS RUNNING FOR NO REASON AND YOU LOSE ALL POWER FOR THE BRAKES AND STEERING. AT TIMES IT WILL RESTART WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS ONCE YOU SHIFT TO NEUTRAL, BUT OTHER TIMES IT MAY NOT RESTART FOR A DAY OR MORE. THIS WAS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME SINCE I TOW A 10K LBS. FIFTH-WHEEL WITH THE TRUCK! MY TRUCK STOPPED RUNNING FOUR TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF TWO WEEKS AS A RESULT OF THIS PROBLEM. EVERYTIME WAS WHILE TRAVELING IN TRAFFIC, WITH ONLY ONE OF THE TIMES WHILE BEING STOPPED AT A LIGHT! MY TRUCK IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO THE TIME LIMIT OF 36 MONTHS EXPIRING. TO HAVE SUCH A PART FAIL WITH ONLY 30K MILES ON THE ENGINE IS OUTRAGEOUS. ONE OF THE OTHER TRUCKS I KNOW OF HAD THE SENSOR FAIL AROUND 55K MILES. SAME PROBLEM, IT WOULD JUST STOP IN TRAFFIC OR WHEN PULLING OUT OF A LIGHT OR STOPPED TURN. AGAIN, A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE!!! THE COSTS TO ME TO REPAIR MY TRUCK FOLLOW: AC DELCO REPLACEMENT CRANKSHAFT SENSOR - $69.26 TOW CHARGES TO TOW TO JOSEPH CHEVROLET, CINCINNATI, OH - $58.85 LABOR DUE TO THE ORIGINAL SENSOR BREAKING IN THE BLOCK! - $336.54 TOTAL COST TO REPLACE THE SENSOR AFTER ONLY 30K MILES! = $464.65 AGAIN, I HAVE TO REPEAT HOW LARGE A SAFETY ISSUE THIS IS ON THESE TRUCKS!!! THE ENGINE JUST STOPS FOR NO REASON AT ANY TIME, HIGHWAY, SLOW MOVING, STOPPED, ETC. IT MAY RESTART, BUT THEN AGAIN IT MAY NOT FOR MANY HOURS! THE TRUCKS WITH THESE ENGINES IN THEM ARE GENERALLY TOWING LARGE TRAILERS BEHIND THEM. THIS COMPOUNDS THE SAFETY ASPECT OF THE PROBLEM. *JB