Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - FUEL PUMP | ||||||
| DP10001 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 01/07/2010 | ALLEGED FUEL TANK LEVEL SENSOR FAILURE | |||
| Mr. billy hayes of old hickory, tn, petitioned the agency in a letter dated november 27, 2009. the petitioner requests that nhtsa open an investigation into the performance/reliability of the fuel level sensor installed in model year 2005 chevrolet trailblazer vehicles. the petitioner alleges that the fuel tank level sensor is defective and could result in a subject vehicle running out of fuel, stall, and being rear ended by another vehicle.odi will evaluate the petition for a grant or deny decision. | ||||||
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER | ||||||
| DP10001 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC | 01/07/2010 | 05/23/2011 | Fuel Level Gauge System Failure | ||
| The office of defects investigation has received 668 complaints alleging inaccurate fuel gauge reading while driving in model year 2005-07 chevrolet trailblazer, gmc envoy, buick rainier, and saab 9-7x vehicles.of the 668 complaints, 58 incidents were alleged to result in a vehicle stall.of the 58 stalling incidents, 43 complaints reported stalling because the fuel level reading indicated more fuel availability than what is actually in the fuel tank. one complaint alleged a vehicle crash after the vehicle stalled while exiting the interstate, became disabled, and was struck from behind.summarily, the complaints show an apparent increasing trend, with most complaints received within the past year.a preliminary evaluation has been opened to assess the scope, frequency and potential safety consequences associated with the alleged defect. | ||||||
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - STORAGE - FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM | ||||||
| DP10001 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC | 01/07/2010 | 05/23/2011 | Fuel Level Gauge System Failure | ||
| The office of defects investigation has received 668 complaints alleging inaccurate fuel gauge reading while driving in model year 2005-07 chevrolet trailblazer, gmc envoy, buick rainier, and saab 9-7x vehicles.of the 668 complaints, 58 incidents were alleged to result in a vehicle stall.of the 58 stalling incidents, 43 complaints reported stalling because the fuel level reading indicated more fuel availability than what is actually in the fuel tank. one complaint alleged a vehicle crash after the vehicle stalled while exiting the interstate, became disabled, and was struck from behind.summarily, the complaints show an apparent increasing trend, with most complaints received within the past year.a preliminary evaluation has been opened to assess the scope, frequency and potential safety consequences associated with the alleged defect. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | |||
| 02/03/2009 | 43000 | ||
| In february i was driving home with my 5 year old daughter on the thruway, when suddenly the car stopped working. i luckily pulled over to the shoulder but had to wait there in the dark, terrified that we would be hit from behind, as it was dark. imagine my surprise when i found out the car was simply out of gas! the gas gauge did not read empty but that was the problem!! since that time i have run out of gas several more occasions, once with 5 children in the car at night. gmc is not issuing a recall and it needs to be done now!! this is a safety issue not only for the driver of these vehicles with the faulty sensor, but other drivers on the road also. something needs to be done. | |||
| 10/04/2010 | 44000 | ||
| With no advance warning, the fuel gauge started reading empty immediately when tank was filled. possibly related or not, the flap in the fuel filler neck disappeared about the same time the problem started. once the problem began, the fuel light would come on when the car was started and would stay on constantly. the check engine light is always on as well. as fuel level decreased sometimes the guage would apparently read correctly (e.g. below 3/4 tank). stopping or starting sometimes caused the guage to fluctuate; often the guage goes up and down several times a minute. over the last eight months the condition has worsened and the guage often reads empty, with occasional swings up to approximately correct level (estimate based on miles driven since filling tank). however, the guage never went below 1/8 tank, even though it was less than two gallons from empty in a 24-gallon tank. | |||
| 07/21/2011 | 60000 | ||
| I am the owner of the gmc envoy denali, 2006 model vehicle. the gas tank sensor after a fillup began to malfunction. specifically, the tank was filled, however, the gas tank fill indicator remained on empty. the failure of the sensor has caused the check engine light to come on and remain on. | |||
| 05/20/2011 | 65000 | ||
| 2006 envoy denali check engine light came on fuel gauge stopped working properly. dealer says it is the sending unit. if this is common shouldn't there be a recall. | |||
| 04/15/2010 | 74000 | ||
| Gmc envoy denali xl 2006 fuel guage issue. 1st incident - fuel guage showed 1/4 tank gas available while travelling in i-70 il when vehicle ran out of gas while travelling at 65mph passing semi truck. other vehicles behind me had to react to immediate slow down of our vehicle. managed to successfull pull over to verge of road without incident. not realizing fuel guage was faulty a week later similar situation occured - ran out of gas as i was pulling up to an intersection - lights had just turned red and i was unable to apply enough pressue to brakes as we were heading downhill that i went through red light and 2 cars had to take evasive action to avoid crashing in to me. 2 young children in car at the time of incident. realizing there was an issue - entire fuel pump system was replaced - total cost over $800. | |||
| 05/16/2011 | 55000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 gmc envoy denali xl. the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. the fuel gauge also fluctuated between empty and full andwould not provide an accurate reading. the dealer was informed of the fialure and the contact was awaiting a service appointment. the manufacturer was not aware of the failure. the current mileage was approximately 56,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 55,000. | |||
| 05/16/2011 | 55000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 gmc envoy denali. the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. the fuel gauge also fluctuated between empty and fuel and it did not provide an accurate reading. the dealer was informed and the contact was awaiting a service appointment. the manufacturer was not aware of the failure. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current mileages were approximately 56,000. the approximate failure mileage was 55,000. bw | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 88000 | ||
| My fuel level sensor is failing to tell me the true amount of fuel left in the tank. i often says that the tank is empty but many times it changes from 3/4 full to 1/2 full and sometimes back up to full then empty. i replaced the fuel level sensor and is now working. i do have the old sensor available. 2006 envoy denali xl | |||
| 02/26/2010 | 42000 | ||
| About 4 months ago, at around 42,000 miles, after filling up the fuel tank, the fuel gauge started fluctuating from full to empty. for a few months this would only happen when the fuel tank was above | |||
| 10/15/2009 | 40000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 gmc envoy denali. the contact stated that in october 2009, he noticed that the fuel gauge would flutter and register that it was empty when he added gasoline to the fuel tank. after consuming five to seven gallons of fuel, the fuel gauge would begin working normal until the it was time to add the maximum amount of fuel in the tank. the check engine light also illuminated and the heater would blow cold air on the driver side and hot air on the passenger side. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the sending unit in the fuel tank was replaced and the heater was reprogrammed; however, the heater still did not function properly. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was approximately 40,000. the current mileage was approximately 46,000. | |||
| 02/03/2009 | 49000 | 1 | |
| After filling gas tank, fuel gauge did not operate properly, going from empty to full repeatedly. check engine light came on also. *tr | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY | |||
| 08/26/2007 | 21000 | 1 | 08/31/2005 |
| While driving, check engine light came on. fuel tank gauge started to continually shift from whatever state the fuel tank was in to empty then after some time revert back to normal fuel capacity at the time. contacted onstar for a diagnostic and they stated there is a problem with the fuel sending unit. *jb | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER | |||
| 02/18/2010 | 75678 | ||
| Gas gauge fluctuates making it impossible to know the amount of gas left in vehicle. vehicle has run out of gas on highway several times. gas sensor is faulty according to dealer. | |||
| 05/24/2009 | 75264 | 1 | |
| Gas gauge goes from empty to full repeatedly, regardless of fuel level. very common on all gm suv's manufactured in 2006. leads to vehicles running out of gas when drivers believe they have a half or quarter tank of gas, etc... *tr | |||