NHTSA Complaint #10394019 — 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 2500

2002 CHEVY AVALANCHE 2500 WITH 8.1 ENGINE DIES WITHOUT WARNING AT DRIVING SPEED. THE BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON, AFTER THE VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN, BUT NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, NO PROBLEMS WITH ALTERNATOR OR BATTERY CHARGE. NO SPUTTERING OR SLUGGISHNESS, NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. THE VEHICLE JUST SHUTS DOWN. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THERE IS NO POWER STEERING AND NO BRAKES FOR THIS 7K POUND VEHICLE! SOMETIMES, ONCE PULLED OVER AND SHUTTING EVERYTHING OFF AND TRYING TO RESTART IT WILL RESTART IMMEDIATELY, SOMETIMES IT TAKES UP TO 10 MINUTES OF TRYING TO CRANK IT INTERMITTENTLY BEFORE IT WILL RESTART. IT HAS DONE THIS TWICE IN THE LAST THREE DAYS AND A DOZEN TIMES AT RANDOM INTERVALS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS I HAVE READ ON THE INTERNET OTHERS FROM WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND MOST LIKELY SOLUTION SEEMS TO BE THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR WHICH SOME SAY HAS BEEN RECALLED ON THE 2001 MODEL ENGINE FOR THE SILVERADOS, BUT CANNOT FIND ANYTHING FOR THE SAME 2002 ENGINE. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND FRIGHTENING ENOUGH AT "NEIGHBORHOOD" SPEEDS, BUT CONSIDERABLY MORE SO AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS AS THE VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN, LEAVING THE DRIVER UNABLE TO STEER, BRAKE OR IMMEDIATELY RESTART THE VEHICLE LEAVING IT STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE! *TR