2001 Chevrolet Suburban: sudden loss of power

Filed Nov 12, 2010 · Electrical, Fuel system · 143,000 miles · WY

First incident: veh. Would crank but not start. Turned out to be fuel delivery fuse. Replaced, and ran fine for several weeks. Second incident: driving at approx. 55 MPH, vehicle lost power, started sputtering as if out of gas although it was 1/4 full. Unable to exceed 25 MPH due to little/no power. Was towed to autoparts store, cleared codes, veh ran fine for about 2 days, then lost power. Towed home. Looked up info on internet, found recalls for fuel pump. Called local chevy dealership, inquired about recall, was told that recall was only on half-ton suburbans and since mine is 3/4 ton, it was not covered by recall. I replaced fuel module myself and discovered the covering of the wires inside the fuel module assembly had melted, allowing the bare wires to rub against each other, shorting out the fuel delivery system (which likely caused the blown fuse to begin with). I am very upset that my suburban is not covered by the recall, even though it is virtually the same system as what is in the the 1/2 ton suburbans, and the same problem exists (as evidenced by not only my own experience, but many others' experiences as well). I am extremely disturbed that under the right circumstances, fuel vapors, plus spark of bare wires touching, could ignite, causing fire and/or explosion. Possibly with my family of six in the vehicle.

Filed Nov 6, 2008 · Engine · 139,000 miles · TX

Car stalled suddenly at 40 MPH, losing power steering in traffic. After a few minutes the car restarted. Intermittently stalls. While gm has recalled 2001 suburbans for crank position failures in this year model, my particular VIN number was not covered by the recall. I purchased replacement part and corrected the problem. Gm refused to reimburse. Very dangerous situation. No wonder gm is in decline with the lack of response to a very strange and dangerous engine stall with absolutely no warning.

Filed Dec 14, 2007 · Engine · 116,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet suburban. While driving 55 MPH, the engine completely shut off. The entire vehicle lost power. Prior to the failure, the check engine light flashed and the vehicle would not exceed 55 MPH. The vehicle would not restart and was towed. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 116,000.

Filed Oct 6, 2005 · Engine · 39,000 miles · PA

My 2001 chevy suburban 2500 lt has 52000 miles it is burning oil on long trips. It has been in the shop four times for this. Chevy does not want to pay for this problem because it is not a recall as of now. They want my private warranty to pay for this. I also have a fifty dollar deductible that I must pay. There is a tsb on this which I have a copy of. I also think the engine sounds like it has a slight knock. I was told there is a recall on the brakes for rust corrosion which it has been two weeks and I have not received my recall. I am afraid to drive this car. About four months ago, I was driving this vehicle and it would just die. I would lose all power . It was very hard to steer it to the side of the road. Luckily I never had anyone behind me or they would have slammed into me. It was in the shop for this twice. The first time they said it was probably the oil filter so I picked it up and it did it again. I told the service manager I was afraid to drive this truck and if something happens to my family I would sue them well the second time they found the problem it was something with the fuel injector. I am very dissatisfied with this truck and I also feel chevy is not backing their truck.

Filed Mar 8, 2005 · Engine · 90,000 miles · MD

While making a u-turn the vehicle stall. Condition causes loss of power assist and power brakes. No incident has occurred due to this issue. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified. *nm

Filed Oct 4, 2004 · Seat belts · 15,000 miles · NJ

1)front passenger seat belt locks up. No one would wear seat belt due to problem. Mechanism replaced by dealer 4 times, still not working. Dealer aded an extension to seat belt and that prevents it from locking. *ak 2)parking brake never held vehicle, started to go all the way to the floor. Dealer states thats normal. Took in at 15,000 and 25,000 miles with same problem. At 37,000 miles they want to charge me $800.00 to replace rear rotors and brake pads. Refused to pay them for repair, took it to a tire repair shop and paid $630.00. Rotors were falling apart. This is a very dangerous situation it seems the parking brake stays on even when release. 3) sudden loss of power steering and all lights on dash go on while driving at any speed. Headlights also dim off and on. Alternator wiring replaced. Two months later same thing, wiring replaced. Leave dealer and happens agian on the way home. Now alternator and wiring replaced.

Filed Jul 7, 2004 · Fuel system · 55,000 miles · TX

While driving 60 MPH vehicle lost power . As a result, consumer had to engage the vehicle into neutral and coast over to the side of the road. Dealer stated that fuel injection system malfunctioned.

Filed Feb 29, 2004 · Electrical · WA

While driving at high speeds (65 MPH), the electrical system shuts down without warning. Lost of engine power, power steering, power brakes,etc. This has happened twice in 6 months. The problem is the ECM-b fuse blowing. The dealer says that everything checks out and that it is a random problem. I can't imagine putting my wife and four kids in a car that shuts off with no warning.

Filed Feb 10, 2004 · Electrical · 31,518 miles · CA

We have a 2001 chevrolet suburban. Starting in september 2003, when the gas level got to 1/2, the gas gauge would drop to empty and the low fuel light would go on, then the light would go off and the gas gauge would go back to 1/2. This happened intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealership october 20, 2003. They said they tested, inspected and returned the vehicle to me on october 22, 2003. They said they could not find anything wrong and could not get it to fail again. On october 26, 2003, the same thing happened only the vehicle "shut down" without warning. It could not be re-started and the vehicle had to be towed to a dealership, there they" replaced pcmb fuse blown and fuel system circuit had a short to ground, found wires at module burned. They replaced fuel module, fuel pump relay and fuses". On january 12, 2004, the vehicle again "shut-down" without any warning. It restarted in about 20 minutes. I took the vehicle to the dealership and they have been driving it for about four weeks, but can find nothing wrong with it and it has not shut down again. They have not done anything to fix it as the problem is "intermittent" and the problem of shutting down could not be replicated. They can find no specific cause. The dealership wants me to pick up the vehicle tomorrow, february 12, 2004. There is no advance warning when the vehicle shuts down causing loss of power to brakes, steering and all other components. This is a potentially disastrous problem, a very serious safety issue and could be life threatening.

Filed Jun 14, 2003 · Brakes, Steering · 58,000 miles · FL

While driving at highway speeds power steering and brakes fail, resulting loss of power steering and brakes simultaneously. This is due to the failure of the power assist and power steering pump. This is the second time these components have been replaced. This was first noticed and replaced in january 2002. The second time occurred in february 2003. On 6/11/2003 the vehicle again showed indications of a problem with the brakes and steering. The brake pedal began to pulsate, and a high-pitched whine could be heard when turning the steering wheel. The vehicle also experiences problems when braking over rough road, such as rumble strips. As this is a third problem with these critical components, the safety of this vehicle is in question. The last visit to the dealer was said to be loose bolts on the power steering gear box. The power assist design is a known problem with this vehicle. I have spoken with service writers, service managers and have read other reports concerning other incidents like I experienced with this vehicle.

Filed Mar 26, 2003 · Engine · CA

Vehicle shuts off on freeway with no advance warning causing loss of power to brakes, steering and all other components. Incident happened on more than one occasion. Dealer could not duplicate or repair problem.

Filed Feb 13, 2003 · Brakes, Steering · 58,821 miles · FL

I am writing to complain about the second failure of the "power assist" feature on my 2001 chevrolet suburban. The first failure occured during january of 2002, and the power steering pump was replaced at fox chevrolet dealership in laurel, md. In the 2002 event, I experienced a high pitch whining and vibrations in the steering, as well as the brake pedal. In effecting this repair, chevrolet replaced the power steering pump. During the latter part of november 2002, the high pitch whining and vibration returned. I took the vehicle to bill seidle's chevrolet in clermont, fl in november of 2002, and was told that there was nothing wrong with the steering or braking system. Unfortunately, they were wrong. On tuesday evening, 2/4/2003, while driving with my seven year old, the same high pitch whining, and pulsing in the brake pedal returned. This time it resulted in the total loss of power steering and brakes while exiting a local highway system in the orlando area. Fortunately, I was driving as it took quite a bit of strength, to steer and stop the vehicle after the loss of the power assist system. At what point does the failure of such a critical part of this vehicle get labeled as a defect in this system. The failure of this system, could have caused injury to me and my family (son). Had my wife been driving this truck, the result may have been gravely different. I purchased this vehicle because of the reputation for durability in the industry, with the expectation of purchasing a quality vehicle. I am now fearful of putting my family in this vehicle after a second failure of this critical system. I am requesting that I be contacted as soon as possible by someone that can address my concerns. I am concerned about placing my family in a vehicle that has had the power steering/braking system fail twice.