NHTSA Complaint #10282942 — 2002 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500

WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS ON THE INTERSTATE, I EXPERIENCED FULL POWER LOSS. WITHOUT WARNING, THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED IN NEUTRAL. ENGINE TURNED, JUST DIDN'T FIRE. NO SPUTTER, NO DASH LIGHTS, JUST AN INSTANT SHUT DOWN. I PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROADWAY, PUT IT IN PARK AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. FORTUNATELY, THIS EXPERIENCE WAS ON AN NOT SO CROWDED AND STRAIGHT SECTION OF THE HIGHWAY. I FEAR THIS COULD HAPPEN IN A TURN, IN AN INTERSECTION, OR ANY SITUATION WHERE THE LACK OF POWER STEERING COULD LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. THIS ISSUE IS THE LATEST IN A FEW RELATED. WHAT STARTED A COUPLE MONTHS AGO AS INTERMITTENT FAILED ENGINE STARTS, HAS PROGRESSED INTO INTERMITTENT ENGINE STALLS. INITIAL PROBLEMS WERE START RELATED. THE VEHICLE WOULD MAKE A NORMAL STARTING SOUND, BUT JUST NOT FIRE. IT WOULD THEN START NORMALLY ON THE SECOND OR THIRD ATTEMPT. I SEE A RECALL FOR THE 2001 VERSION OF MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE/ENGINE TYPE, AND AN INVESTIGATION OPENED ON THE 2002 MODEL. THIS HAS TO BE RELATED. THE CHEVROLET DEALER FAILED TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE THIS WEEK AND DID NOT RECEIVE ANY CODES POINTING TO THE ISSUE. THEY WILL NOT BLINDLY REPLACE PARTS ON A HUNCH, EVEN WITH THE CAR BEING UNDER A FULL EXTENDED WARRANTY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. FORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET STALLED IN A CRITICAL SITUATION. *TR