NHTSA Complaint #10593888 — 2005 GMC SIERRA

CRANK VEHICLE TURN CORNER , MESSAGE ENGINE POWER REDUCED, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED, TURN AROUND RETURN 200 FEET TO HOME, CHECK ALL FLUIDS CONNECTIONS TURN OFF IGNITION, UNABLE TO START ENGINE, LET SIT, UNABLE TO START ENGINE, DRIVE WIFE TO WORK OTHER VEHICLE, RECHECK ALL FLUIDS CONNECTIONS, REFILL COOLANT, CRANK ENGINE, COOLANT DISCHARGE ON OVERFLOW LINE ON COLD ENGINE, KILL ENGINE WOULD NOT START, GO TO AUTOZONE GET EXTRA COOLANT AND NEW GAS CAP. RETURN COOLANT LEVEL OK. INSTALL NEW GAS CAP, ENGINE HARD TO CRANK LIKE VAPOR LOCK OR NO FUEL TO ENGINE. CRANK ENGINE, LET RUN, KILL ENGINE. UNABLE TO CRANK, RETURN TO WORK, RETURN IN 3 HOURS, REINSTALL OLD GAS CAP, CHECK FLUID LEVELS, OK. CRANK ENGINE LET RUN FOR 5 MINUTES, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STILL ON, WAIT ONE HOUR, CRANK ENGINE BACK TO NORMAL CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OFF, ENGINE RUN OK, DRIVE SHORT TEST DRIVE. UNABLE TO OPERATE VEHICLE SAFELY FOR 6-8 HOUR PERIOD, UNSURE IF VAPOR LOCK, BAD FUEL, FUEL FILTER, BAD PLUGS, COIL ON PLUGS, LOOSE PLUG WIRE, ETC. NEVER HAD ANY ENGINE PROBLEMS IN THE PAST. ONLY INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER FAILURE, AND STEERING CLICK KNOCK THAT WAS FIXED BY DEALER. RESEARCH PROBLEM ON INTERNET, IT APPEARS THIS IS A THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR FAILURE THAT GMC HAS IDENTIFIED AS A SAFETY PROBLEM AND MADE A SPECIAL EXTENDED COVERAGE FOR 2008 TO CURRENT YEAR VEHICLES OR TEN YEARS OR 120000 MILES. FROMRESEARCH ON COMPUTER, IT APPEARS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF COMMENTS REGARDING THIS LOSS OF POWER AND ENGINE STOP. I AM OLDER MAN AND REACTED WITH CAUTION AND WAS NEAR MY HOME. HAD I BEEN ON A BUSY STREET OR HIGHWAY A CRASH OR INJURY WOULD MOST CERTAINLY OCCURRED WITH THIS DISABLED VEHICLE THE CAUSE. I HAD NEVER IMAGINED THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ME NOR HAD I HEARD OF IT FROM ANY MEDIA SOURCE OR DEALER MEMOS. I AM HESITANT TO DRIVE ANY DISTANCE OR ON CERTAIN HIGH TRAFFIC ROADS DUE TO THIS PROBLEM RECURRING. *TR