NHTSA Complaint #10508300 — 2008 GMC SIERRA

ON THE MORNING OF APRIL 11 WE HAD A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AT APPROX. 3:00AM. LATER IN THE MORNING AT APPROXIMATELY 6:30AM I FOUND MY 2008 SIERRA TRUCK RUNNING IN MY GARAGE WITH THE GARAGE DOORS SHUT. THE HEADLIGHTS WERE FLASHING AND THE GARAGE WAS EXTREMELY HOT DUE TO THE ENGINE RUNNING. THERE WAS A LOT OF WATER CONDENSATION ON THE FLOOR INDICATING THAT THE ENGINE HAD BEEN RUNNING FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS AT RUNNING TEMPERATURE. MY KEYS WERE IN THE IGNITION SO I OPENED THE GARAGE TO AIR OUT THE CARBON MONOXIDE AND TOOK MY WIFE'S KEYS AND TRIED TO STOP IT REMOTELY BUT IT WOULD NOT STOP. A FEW MINUTES LATER I WENT OUTSIDE AND CAME IN THRU THE GARAGE DOOR TRYING NOT TO BREATH THE FUMES. BY THEN THE TRUCK WAS NOT RUNNING. I FOUND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. WHEN I TOUCHED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OUT. THE SEAT PRESETS WERE MESSED UP AND THE CLOCK WAS SEVERAL HOURS OFF. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THE TRUCK WAS REMOTE STARTED. EVEN IF IT WAS IT SHOULD ONLY RUN FOR 10 MINUTES. THIS WAS A VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS SITUATION! CONTINUING ON WITH A SIMILAR SITUATION A YEAR AGO, THERE WAS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM COMING THRU. OUR NEIGHBORS HAD COME TO OUR HOUSE DURING THE WARNING SINCE WE HAD A BASEMENT. WE WERE ALL STANDING IN THE GARAGE WITH THE GARAGE DOOR OPEN AND OUR 2010 GMC YUKON STARTED UP LIKE SOMEONE TURNED ON THE IGNITION. THERE WERE NO KEYS IN THE IGNITION. THE ELECTRICAL STORM WAS ON-GOING WHEN THIS HAPPENED. WE SAW OUR NEIGHBOR LEAVE IN HER YUKON SO WE THOUGHT MAYBE SHE REMOTE STARTED HERS SO I FOLLOWED UP WITH HER TO SEE IF SHE HAD REMOTED STARTED HER CAR AND SHE HAD NOT. SHE TRIED TO REMOTE START HER CAR AND IT DID NOT AFFECT OURS WHATSOEVER. IT APPEARS THAT BOTH INCIDENTS SEEM TO BE STORM RELATED. IT IS A VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS SITUATION KNOWING THIS COULD HAPPEN WHILE WE WERE ASLEEP OR AWAY FOR A FEW DAYS. *TR