NHTSA Complaint #10760697 — 2010 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN

8-10-15 DRIVING ABOUT 35 MPH WITHOUT WARNING VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. NO POWER STEERING OR BRAKES. WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF ROAD WITH DIFFICULTY BUT SAFELY. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WAS ABLE TO START AFTER A MINUTE AND DROVE IMMEDIATELY TO JACK WILLIAMS CHEVROLET IN ST. AUGUSTINE FLA. THEY DIAGNOSED A BATTERY THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED (NO INDICATION OF CHECK ENGINE CODE ON RECEIPT JUST BATTERY TESTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED) DROVE FOR A WEEK WITH NO PROBLEM THEN LEFT FOR MY HOME IN PENNSYLVANIA. IN VIRGINIA AFTER REFUELING AND ABOUT READY TO GET ON THE INTERSTATE THE SAME THING HAPPENED! THIS WAS A MUCH MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. WITH NO POWER, BREAKS OR STEERING I MANAGED TO GET SAFELY OFF THE ROAD. AGAIN I WAS ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE AFTER A MINUTE AND BEING A SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH NO DEALER SERVICE AVAILABLE I DECIDED TO RISK THE REST OF THE DRIVE HOME. THANKFULLY I MADE IT AND ON MONDAY I CALLED CHEVROLET DIRECTLY TO ASK THEM WHY THE FLORIDA DEALER MIS-DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM, ASKED WHY THIS HAPPENED AND IF THERE WAS ANY RECALLS OR SERVICE BULLETINS. THEY DIRECTED ME TO SUTLIFF CHEVROLET IN HARRISBURG, PA. I DID GET A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AFTER THE SECOND FAILURE BUT THE LIGHT WAS OFF BY MONDAY. THEY READ A P0601 CODE AND REPLACED AND REPROGRAMED ECM. (ENGINE CONTROL MODULE I BELIEVE). THE COMPLAINT AGAINST THE DEALER IN FLORIDA IS FILED WITH CHEVROLET BUT I AM FILING THE INCIDENT WITH NHTSA BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THIS COMPUTER FAILURE WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. I CANT IMAGINE WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO A YOUNG OR LESS EXPERIENCED DRIVER IN THIS SITUATION. FRANKLY HAD THAT FAILED AT THE POSTED 70 MPH POSTED SPEED LIMIT ON THE INTERSTATE WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC FOR ME AS WELL.