NHTSA Complaint #11234113 — 2019 GMC TERRAIN

THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED ON JUNE 22, 2019, WITH 19 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND HAD 1102 MILES ON IT WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. ON 19 JULY, 2019 MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 95 NEAR THE ROCKY MOUNT EXIT WHEN I PULLED INTO THE PASSING LANE TO GO AROUND SLOWER TRAFFIC (APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH). UPON PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR THE ENGINE RPM INCREASED, BUT THE VEHICLE'S SPEED DID NOT. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A VIOLENT SURGE (TO THE EXTENT THAT I THOUGHT I HAD BEEN REAR-ENDED) AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. AT THIS POINT, WE WERE STARTLED, AND CONTINUED UNTIL EXITING NC HWY 13 WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT OTHER THAN THE CRUISE CONTROL BECOMING INOPERATIVE AFTER THE INITIAL INCIDENT. UPON ARRIVING AT THE OUTSKIRTS OF GREENVILLE, NC WE ENCOUNTERED A RED LIGHT AND HAD TO STOP. UPON PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, THE ENGINE RPM ONCE AGAIN INCREASED AND ANOTHER VIOLENT SURGE WAS EXPERIENCED. AT THAT POINT, WE ENTERED A GAS STATION AND CALLED ONSTAR FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THE CAR WAS SUBSEQUENTLY TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP (BROWN & WOOD GMC) WHERE THE ON-DUTY MECHANIC DUPLICATED THE UNSAFE CONDITION. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS SO NEW, AND THEY COULD NOT CONTACT CORPORATE UNTIL MONDAY (JULY 22). I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP SATURDAY (JUL 20) TO GET A STATUS AND MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR A LOANER VEHICLE AND WAS INFORMED BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT THE ISSUE WAS WITH THE VEHICLE WAS EVEN WORSE THAN THE DAY BEFORE - I DID NOT INQUIRE AS TO WHAT THAT MEANT BECAUSE IT WAS PRETTY UNSAFE AND SCARY TO EXPERIENCE IT THE DAY BEFORE. I WAS NOTIFIED YESTERDAY BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE ISSUE IS A VALVE BODY, BUT THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE TO RECEIVE THE PART.