2005 Chevrolet Colorado Cruise Control Problems

TRAVELLING I-270 IN DUBLIN, OHIO AROUND 2PM AT APPROXIMATELY 70MPH WHEN TRUCK ENGINE DIED. THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS AND RADIO WERE STILL OPERATIONAL. PULLED TO RIGHT SIDE OF HIGHWAY AND ATTEMPTED TO STOP. THE BRAKES WERE LOSING POWER, BUT THERE WAS ENOUGH TO SLOW AND THEN STOP. DASH INDICATED 'REDUCED POWER'. UPON PULLING OFF ROAD, WIFE CONTACTED AAA, WHILE I LOOKED UNDER HOOD FOR ANYTHING OBVIOUS SUCH AS BATTERY TERMINALS LOOSE OR ANY PLUGS BEING UNPLUGGED. NOTHING APPEARED OUT OF ORDER, I GOT BACK INTO TRUCK AND IT STARTED. I TOLD WIFE TO TELL AAA WE WOULD ATTEMPT TO MAKE IT HOME, APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS AWAY. THROUGH THIS ALL, THE TRUCK HAD STOPPED RUNNING 6 MORE TIMES BEFORE WE GOT HOME. IT RESTARTED AFTER SITTING A FEW MINUTES EACH TIME.TRUCK WAS TOWED TO LOCAL CHEVY DEALERSHIP. AFTER A FEW DAYS, RECEIVED CALL TRUCK WAS REPAIRED. THE PCM (POWER CONTROL MODULE) WAS REPLACED. WHEN I GOT INTO VEHICLE THERE WAS A SHEET OF PAPER ON TRANSMISSION HUMP EXPLAINING WHAT A REFURBISHED PART IS (NHTSA DOC#2). I GLANCED AT IT AND THOUGHT IT WAS MISTAKE SINCE I WAS CHARGED $500 FOR THE PART ALONE. TOTAL COST WAS $772.36 (NHTSA DOC#1). WHEN I GOT HOME I REVIEWED THE PAPERWORK, SAW THEY HAD INSTALLED A USED PART AND IMMEDIATELY CALLED. THEY SAID A NEW PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. I CONTACTED GENERAL MOTORS (NHTSA DOC#4 & NHTSA DOC#5) AND THEY WERE NO HELP. I ALSO CONTACTED AC DELCO AND THEY CONFIRMED THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE AS NEW. I THOUGHT MANUFACTURERS WERE REQUIRED TO MAKE PARTS AVAILABLE FOR VEHICLES 10 YEARS AFTER PRODUCTION STOPPED. THE TRUCK IS 10 YEARS OLD, BUT PRODUCTION OF THAT GENERATION STOPPED IN 2012.

THE CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED WORKING. I PAID LITTLE ATTENTION TO THIS AS IT DID NOT IMPAIR THE OPERATION OF MY TRUCK. LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT MY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING EITHER. THIS WAS DUE TO A BRAKE LAMP SWITCH FAILURE. A RECALL WAS ISSUED BY CHEVROLET IN 2006, AND MY VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. IN 2010 MY CRUISE CONTROL WENT OUT AGAIN. I KNEW FROM THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS WAS A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE AND CHECKED MY BRAKE LIGHTS. THEY WERE NOT WORKING. IT WAS THE VERY SAME PROBLEM. THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH HAD WENT BAD AGAIN. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET AND THEY REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR, SITING "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR". THE LOCAL DEALER DID PAY HALF OF THE REPAIR AS A COURTESY. NOW, IN 2012 THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH HAS WENT OUT AGAIN AND MY LOCAL DEALER IS TALKING WITH CHEVROLET TO TRY AND GET THEM TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. WE WILL SEE IF THEY STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT AND TREAT A LOYAL CUSTOMER RIGHT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET COLORADO. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. HE HAD TO KICK THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IN ORDER FOR IT TO RETURN TO ITS NORMAL POSITION. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 42,000.

I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT A RECURRING 'STUCK THROTTLE' PROBLEM I HAVE EXPERIENCED WITH MY 2005 CHEVROLET COLORADO LS CREW CAB Z71 4X4 WITH A 3.5 LITER I5 ENGINE AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. *TR ON 6/28/06 WHILE SLOWING AND TURNING INTO A PARKING SPOT, MY ENGINE RACED TO FULL THROTTLE. I NEARLY CRASHED INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, BUT WAS BARELY ABLE TO APPLY ENOUGH BRAKE PRESSURE WHILE TURNING OFF THE KEY. THE DEALERSHIP TOWED IT IN, COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS, AND BLAMED THE FLOORMATS. ON 8/28/06, WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, I FELT MY TRUCK LURCHING AND OBSERVED THE TACHOMETER AT ABOUT 1300 RPM. I CHECKED TO SEE THAT MY FOOT AND FLOORMATS WEREN'T TOUCHING THE THROTTLE IN ANY WAY. I SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, WHERE THE RPMS JUMPED TO 3,000, AND BACK TO DRIVE WHERE THEY DROPPED DOWN TO THE NORMAL 700 RPM IDLE SPEED. I CAREFULLY DROVE TO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP. THEIR PAPERWORK INDICATES THAT NO ENGINE FAULT CODES WERE FOUND, THE THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE WAS RESPONDING PROPERLY TO COMMANDS, AND THERE WAS A SOFTWARE UPDATE AVAILABLE FOR IDLE CONTROL PROBLEMS -- WHICH THEY INSTALLED. FOR THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF, I DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY OTHER INSTANCES OF THIS PROBLEM. THEN, ON 3/3/08 THE ENGINE SUDDENLY RACED AGAIN WHILE PARKING. ON 3/31/08, I WAS SLOWING IN A STRAIGHT LINE AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND EXPERIENCED THE THROTTLE RACING UP ON ITS OWN. I WAS ABLE TO FORCE THE TRUCK TO A COMPLETE STOP, SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, AND THE REVS DROPPED BACK TO NORMAL IDLE. I AM WRITING TO NHTSA TO REPORT THE PROBLEM, INQUIRE IF OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR ISSUES, AND ASK FOR DIRECTION ON MY NEXT COURSE OF ACTION. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHEN CRESTING A HILL THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL OVER ACCELERATE BY 3 TO 4 MPH. THE MOMENTUM CAUSES THE ACCELERATOR TO DISENGAGE, WHEN IT RE -ENGAGES THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES AS MUCH AS 15 MPH MORE THAN THE SET SPEED. THE HILL DOES NOT HAVE TO HAVE A DECLINE FOR THE ACCELERATION. THE OWNER'S MANUAL STATES THIS COULD HAPPEN AND THE BRAKE SHOULD BE APPLIED AFTER CRESTING THE HILL. THE DEALERSHIP WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND DETERMINED IT IS AN ANOMALY IN THE PROGRAMMING OF THE COMPUTER. OTHER MODEL YEAR VEHICLES WERE DRIVEN AND THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED IT HAPPENED WITH THOSE VEHICLES. THE BRAKES SLOW THE VEHICLE SOMETIMES, BUT THE CRUISE CONTROL MUST BE DEACTIVATED TO COMPLETELY REMEDY THE PROBLEM.*AK UPDATED 02/07/06. *JB