NHTSA Complaint #10173197 — 2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY STALLED, RESULTING IN THE ENGINE TO QUIT. SINCE OUR TRUCK HAS A STANDARD TRANSMISSION, THE DRIVER SIMPLY "POPPED" THE CLUTCH AND THE ENGINE STARTED. ABOUT 10 MILES LATER, THE ENGINE STALLED SEVERAL MORE TIMES CAUSING THE ENGINE TO QUIT AGAIN FORCING US TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER. WE CHECKED THE BATTERY CABLES, BUT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE ENGINE STARTED, BUT CONTINUED TO STALL. WHILE IN NEUTRAL,THE RPM'S WERE JUMPING OVER 3000 THEN FALLING BELOW 500. AT THE SAME TIME, THE BATTERY GAGE WAS READING NEARLY NOTHING. NO WARNING OR CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS EVER APPEARED . SINCE WE WERE IN ANOTHER STATE 500 MILES FROM HOME, OUR ONLY CHOICE WAS TO CONTINUE UNTIL WE COULD FIND A GM MECHANIC. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO STALL AND MISFIRE FOR ANOTHER 60 MILES. SINCE WE WERE A MERE 702 MILES OVER OUR FACTORY WARRANTY, THE DEALERSHIP TOLD US WE WOULD HAVE TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, AND THE NEXT OPENING WOULD BE IN 8 DAYS. INSTEAD,WE WERE ABLE TO FIND A LOCAL MECHANIC SHOP, AND IN A MATTER OF MINUTES THE MECHANIC FOUND THE CAUSE OF THE STALLING TO BE A WIRE THAT PLUGS INTO THE COIL PACK. HE CALLED THE GM DEALERSHIP FOR A REPLACEMENT, AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD HAVE TO BE ORDERED FROM THE MANUFACTURER AND IT WOULD TAKE A WEEK OR MORE TO ARRIVE. THE MECHANIC TOLD US THE FACTORY WIRE WAS NOT NECESSARY, HE COULD SIMPLY SPLICE INTO THE WIRE TO FIX OUR PROBLEM. SINCE STAYING AN ADDITIONAL WEEK WAS NOT AN OPTION, WE AGREED TO HAVE THE MECHANIC FIX THE WIRE BY SPLICING IT. WE BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE SIMILAR STALLING 10,000 MILES LATER. THERE ARE 2 WIRES THAT ENTER THE SAME CLIP THEN PLUGS INTO THE COIL. THE CAUSE OF STALLING THE SECOND TIME WAS THE WIRE OPPOSITE OF THE ONE REPLACED BEFORE. THIS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THERE MAY BE A DEFECT IN THE COIL ITSELF, OR MERELY LOW-QUALITY WIRES INSTALLED BY GM. *NM