NHTSA Complaint #11376713 — 2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV

INITIALLY MY FUEL GAUGE STOPPED WORKING. I ASSUMED IT FAILED AND WAS GOING TO HAVE IT REPLACED. THE FOLLOWING DAY WHEN I STARTED THE CAR THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND I THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FUEL GAUGE ISSUE. I WAS ON MY WAY TO DROP THE CAR OFF AT THE DEALER THE SAME DAY AND WHILE DRIVING A WARNING MESSAGE STATED THAT THE TRACTION CONTROL WAS INOPERABLE, IT THEN WENT INTO LIMP MODE. I BARELY MADE IT OFF THE HIGHWAY. WHEN I PULLED INTO A SAFE LOCATION I HEARD A POP UNDER THE CAR AND EVERYTHING STARTED SHUTTING DOWN. THE ENGINE STARTED SPUTTERING, EVENTUALLY QUITTING. I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND AFTER CRAWLING AROUND I NOTICED THE WIRING CLIPS HOLDING THE WIRE LOOM ABOVE THE FRONT DRIVE SHAFT HAD FAILED. THE WIRING LOOM HAS ENOUGH SLACK IN IT TO THEN WRAP ITSELF AROUND THE FRONT DRIVE SHAFT, FINALLY SNAPPING THE WIRES. A TOTAL OF 9 WIRES SNAPPED. THIS IS MOST LIKELY ONLY AN ISSUE FOR THOSE WITH AWD AS IT WAS THE FRONT DRIVE SHAFT THAT THE WIRES FINALLY WRAPPED AROUND AND CAUSED MULTIPLE SYSTEMS TO FAIL IMMEDIATELY. LUCKILY IT WAS DURING THE DAY IN AN AREA I WAS FAMILIAR WITH. HAD THIS HAPPENED AT NIGHT OR ON A TRIP, THIS COULD HAVE TURNED INTO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ISSUE. A MUCH MORE DANGEROUS ONE.