NHTSA Complaint #10422115 — 2002 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 2500

VEHICLE STALLS AT HIGH RATE OF SPEED, HIGHWAY DRIVING, TRUCK HESITATES AND JERKS, AND COMES TO THE NEAR POINT OF STALLING, AND LOW SPEEDS, VEHICLE DOES THE SAME, HESITATES, AND JERKS, STALLS, ALL SYSTEMS FAIL. STARTS BACK UP UPON SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL. MECHANIC SAYS IT IS THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR ON THE 8.1 L 8100 SERIES MOTOR, THE SAME MOTOR THAT IS IN THE 2001 MODEL SILVERADO, SIERRA, AND SUBURBANS THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL. LOCATION IS IN THE BACK OF THE MOTOR MAKING IT NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO CHANGE OUT WITHOUT MAJOR ENGINE REPAIR WORK, REMOVING INTAKE MANIFOLD AND OTHER COMPLEX THINGS, TO REPAIR AN APPARENT $60 PART. DANGEROUS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO INDICATION THAT THIS IS HAPPENING AND HAPPENED ON A VEHICLE THAT HAS BEEN CARED FOR COMPLETELY. ALSO, DANGEROUS DUE TO THE SIZE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TASK OF STEERING IT TO A SAFE PLACE WITH NO POWER BRAKES OR STEERING, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. MECHANIC SAYS PART IT ALMOST 100% PLASTIC AND CAN SUCCUMB TO HIGH AND LOW VARIATIONS IN TEMPERATURE AND BREAK DOWN IN COMPOSITION. WHICH, IT HAS DONE IN THIS TRUCK, AGAIN WITHOUT NO WARNING, AND NO APPARENT COST EFFECTIVE REPAIR. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE RECALL SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO THE 2002 MODEL YEAR AS WELL AS THE SAME 8.1 L MOTOR WAS INSTALLED IN THE CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 2500 TRUCK (BY THE WAY, THE VEHICLE WAS BUILT IN 2001), WHICH, OTHER THAT THE DIFFERENT BODY STYLE HAS THE SAME CHASSIS AND MOTOR AS THE SUBURBAN. VERY DANGEROUS FOR A WOMAN, WHO CANNOT OR DOES NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH TO STEER A 7,000 POUND TRUCK THAT COMPLETELY STALLED AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED.