NHTSA Complaint #10966092 — 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500

WHILE DRIVING ON A FOUR-LANE HIGHWAY TOWING OUR 15,500 LB FIFTH WHEEL, SUDDENLY, WITHOUT ANY WARNING, WE HEARD RATTLING, LOST POWER, AND THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. THE NOISE AND LOSS OF PROPULSION, POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES ALL OCCURRED WITHIN ABOUT 2-3 SECONDS. GRATEFULLY, THE DRIVER HAD THE FORTITUDE TO IMMEDIATELY BEGIN PULLING ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE SLIGHT DOWNWARD SLOPE ON WHICH WERE WERE DRIVING. LUCKILY, WE WERE ON A STRETCH OF ROAD THAT WAS NOT INCLINED, NOT IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE WITH BARRIERS, NOT IN A SNOWY MOUNTAIN PASS OR IN OTHER INCLEMENT WEATHER, NOT IN THE LEFT LANE PASSING, ETC. HAD ANY OF THESE FACTORS PREVENTED US FROM SIMPLY PULLING ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, THE POTENTIAL FOR A LIFE THREATENING ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT. THE CHEVROLET/GM SERVICE CENTER CONFIRMED THE BOSCH CP4 HPFP SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE, DESTROYING THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM OF THE TRUCK. GM IS COVERING PART OF THE REPAIR COSTS (TRUCK IS AT 119,705 MILES), BUT OUR BILL WILL REMAIN SUBSTANTIAL. RESEARCH OF DIESEL, TDI, AND OTHER FORUMS DOCUMENT THIS PROBLEM AS WELL-KNOWN AND BROADER THAN THE EXISTING 9 COMPLAINTS IN THE NHSTA PUBLIC DATABASE AND THE INVESTIGATION OF VW/AUDI. SOME PEOPLE ARE EVEN REPORTING MULTIPLE FAILURES. THE MOST COMMON BELIEVABLE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES SEEMS TO BE A MISMATCH OF LUBRICITY SPECS BETWEEN THE BOSCH CP4 AND THE DIESEL FUEL IN THE U.S. PLEASE OPEN AN INVESTIGATION, AND ORDER GM, FORD, VW, BOSCH AND OTHERS TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. ALSO PLEASE MANDATE, TO THE EXTENT YOU'RE ABLE, REIMBURSEMENT TO THOSE OF US PAYING FOR REPAIRS TODAY. I HAVE READ, BUT HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONFIRM, THAT VW EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 120K MILES. THIS SEEMS LIKE A MINIMUM (MORE IS BETTER) STEP, AND IT SHOULD BE RETROACTIVE.