It just accelerates for no reason!!!!! TAHOE IS POSSESSED!!!!!

[ausand]

I have a serious problem with my 2001 Tahoe (2 wheel drive LS with a 5.3L engine - auto trans). I sit at a traffic light and it will just accelerate hard for about 2-4 seconds without me touching the gas pedal!!!! Then I have to hit the brake pedal really hard which makes the ABS kick in resulting in a brake pedal that grounds (almost like the brake line was just cut!) TOTALLY FREAKS ME OUT!!! WHAT THE F?!?!?!

It's happened twice already!!! I took it to the mechanic and they said nothing is wrong with it. Can you imagine sitting at an intersection and your Tahoe just takes off on you? Please tell me there is a logical explanation for this and the car is not possessed. I may have to burn it! :adr:

Maybe this has something to do with it?

The "ABS" and "Traction Off" lights keep coming on and off. Is this a separate issue or are they connected or is my HOE just POSSESSED!

HELP! I'm thinking of bringing in the Catholic Church into it. Aren't they accustomed to these things? Maybe they have a forum I can post to for an exorcism prayer or two!

I'm not kidding! Please I need to know if this is some type of electrical or mechanical failure. I don't want to be sitting at a light and a semi-trailer rolls down the road and my tahoe decides to kill me!!!! Or I kill someone at a cross walk!

 

[bparker]

 

[Rollin Thunder]

The return of Christine. sounds like you have some enemys dude. the hoe just wants to help. :smilielol:

not sure dude. other than that i would be freaked out too. :wow:

 

[jey_]

Might want to try a different mechanic.

A few things come to mind:
- MATS - do you have any floor mats that might get under there and get caught on your accelerator? This is especially a concern if you have those all-weather mats or something aftermarket.
- Cruise Control - is it off, do you ever use it, etc? I've seen cruise control act up on GM cars. Being intermittent it might be hard to diagnose, but you can pull the fuse on the cruise control and see if it ever comes back.
- Sticking Throttle - With the car off get under there and check the action of the accelerator pedal - it should work smoothly. You can check the throttle cable under the hood too, it should be a spring action also and return to original position with a smooth action.

And the next time that happens at a stop, don't panic. Grab the key, turn counter-clockwise and shut the car off! Then you won't go anywhere and you're safe.

 

[speedr1023]

I would be looking into an alternator issue, at least the battery, probably it's going bad. I had a similar problem with my P/U where it just started going on its own. I have also felt the throttle stick in the truck, but that is different.

 

[ausand]

Thanks for the replies. I got a little info. Apparently this model does not have a throttle cable. It has two sensors. One on the gas pedal and one on the throttle body. So the throttle is electronic and not driven by cable. Good thinking GM! What the f?!?!?

Now that makes more sense! I thought it was cable driven like most cars so I was completely freaked out!

I'm definitely trying a different mechanic. Maybe just do it myself since they can never find the issues....

Well if anyone has had this issue and can tell me what circuitry needs to be replaced/fixed, it sure would save me a lot of diagnostic time!

As for enemies, maybe I'll tie a nice big bow on my hoe in front of their houses with the keys in it

I could just get a donkey :kngt:

Thanks all!

 

[jey_]

Ugh, I didn't realize we had drive by wire throttle. No wonder I hate the action on the accelerator so much on the Tahoe.

If you're going to diagnose this yourself you probably will need a Factory Service Manual handy. Is it throwing any codes? Could be a complete failure of the throttle position module - we had ours go out under warranty and replaced completely.

 

[road1will]

So the throttle is electronic and not driven by cable. Good thinking GM! What the f?!?!?

That's nothing new, and very common. Its not just GM.

 

[Rollin Thunder]

That's nothing new, and very common. Its not just GM.

alot of cars are drive by wire. even the Honda Oddthing.

 

[ausand]

Thanks jey,

I decided to replace ALL the components that have anything and everything to do with the throttle. I really don't want to risk it. I can handle dying but I really don't want to mow down a family at a crosswalk. I'm not going to prison for someone's design stupidity.

I'm even seriously considering just getting rid of it and buying another SUV (with a throttle 'cable'). Would be interesting to see how many models these days use this method.

I'm also writing the CEO of GM and his management staff directly (GAUD I love the internet!). This is an extremely serious safety issue and design flaw. I'm sure they know about it. It really wouldn't suprise me if there have been fatalities with this issue. I'll post a responce if I get one......

I had no idea most cars are drive by wire road1 and rollin.....maybe I'll just get myself a nice 66 fastback and not waste my time with CEO's that probably don't give a s#%*.

 

[radkon]

Throttle by wire is not new, has been used in the Vettes for years. If the pedal or TB lose signal, the system is supposed to go into a limp mode not a full throttle mode. I would suggest taking it to a GM dealer for a service scan. Your local mechanic probably doesn't have the tools or experience needed to service the system.

 

[ausand]

Firstly, no one at GM customer service nor the CEO or his office wrote me back about this issue. Luckily I can track my correspondence on these forums about the problem!

Here we go again. Today I was at a major intersection waiting for the 55mph cars to go by and the Tahoe just accelerated into the intersection. I slammed on the brakes and turned right as fast as possible (I was going right anyway). Thank god no one was in the right lane the car drove me into or I'd be toast, and I don't even want to think about what would have happened to my pregnant wife and 1 year old who were also in the car at the time.

So it seems the last time this happened replacing the left front wheel hub/bearing assembly made probem go away. That makes absolutely no sense though. There are no wires there to cross and no sign of any type electrical. It's all mechanical. Replacing the hub again isn't a problem but I don't think it fixes the problem.

I also had it at Chevy/GM dealership for a smog issue 2 months ago and had them run though the entire vehicle's systems and they said there's nothing wrong with it at all. The smog issue was a system not triggering.... activated after a short road trip and fixed that smog problem.

Back to the acceleration. So this is the 4th time it has happened to me and my wife experienced it twice. All times while stopped and all times identical in nature. In drive, foot on brake, sudden surge forward, you brake hard, abs kicks in, brake pedal goes all the way down, car accelerates for about 2-3 seconds then stops accelerating and goes back to idle.

I can't imagine we're the only people that own a 2001 Tahoe that have this problem.

Any thoughts? GM won't give me the time of day on it. They completely ignore me on this specific problem and they acknowledge all other non safety related issues.

 

[NJTahoe]

I have a 2001 Tahoe 5.3 also, I just picked it up almot 2 weeks ago and I don't have that problem but I have a throttle cable. honestly I would be careful driving the Tahoe around if I were you.
What exactly is going on when it starts accelerating on it's own?
The only thing I can think of is to check the Air intake. I had a problem with an explorer that I had and the it had a leak and while sitting at the light on the pedal it would rev a little but not enough to start going while I was on the brakes. A buddy of mine was a mechnic at ford and he fixed it for me.

 

[Black on Black]

When your stopped at an intersection, just put it in neutral until its green..until you fix the problem