Stability System Disabled/Engine Power Reduced

[NotJLB]

This is probably the most dangerous thing that's ever happened to us in a vehicle, & I can't believe a car manufacturer would actually incorporate a feature like this.

Feature? Huh?

In hectic Florida traffic our new-to-us, one-owner, 100K mile, 2004 Escalade ESV went into Stability System Disabled/Engine Power Reduced mode, with the TC warning light also on. This is our second Escalade of that generation, 6.0 L, AWD, and we've never had that before.

We have been driving this platform Yukon/Escalade/Tahoe for 300,000 miles, and this is a shocking first for us.

60 MPH to 40 MPH without warning!!!!! Other drivers flipping us off, us crossing our fingers and limping, left-turning across two lanes of oncoming 60 MPH traffic. The car behind us, assuming we would be moving normal speed, almost got creamed.

We've driven this car about 1800 miles, last week 1200 miles from Missouri to Florida.

It could have been worse; we were within 5 miles of home, and made it. But, this is crazy dangerous!!!!!

 

[nonickatall]

That is really unbelievable that a car manufacturer build a car, where only 18years later a technical system has a failure...

Why don't you just switch of the system, with the switch right to the climacontrol panel?

 

[B-train]

Did a power cycle fix the issue?

I've done the whole put er in N while coasting and do a quick restart to clear a glitch. It's can be sketchy depending on how much traffic you're in - and I know what you are referring to in FL. DAMN are there a lot of people down there!! LOL

 

[NotJLB]

Yeah, do this, do that . . . .

I did quite a few of those coasting, restarts, trying to time traffic lights, in five miles. It really did not want to restart at all, especially when we had that left hand turn across two lanes of traffic.

Like other forums, with shocked/panicked GM SUV owners of the same vintage, there seems to be enough solutions/answers to keep me searching for awhile.

Maybe I did not state what I believed to be obvious, that after owning and driving this platform for 300,000,and never having had this issue, I had not idea how to handle it. My wife was with me, and she always knows the answer to everything, and she did not for this!!!!! Go figure.

& that having a vehicle go from highway speed to 40 MPH in crazy Florida traffic is not a safe feature, regardless of anything else. What if it had happed on I-75, when the vehicle approaching from behind was doing 120?

We have never had a serious message in a Message Center. Now that we know this can happen, it will always be there, wondering if it's going to happen again, and when.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I'm sorry to read that you experienced this issue. But, having driven this platform for 300,00 miles without any significant issue like this, I'm thinking that you've been fortunate with this platform.

 

[NotJLB]

I'm sorry to read that you experienced this issue. But, having driven this platform for 300,00 miles without any significant issue like this, I'm thinking that you've been fortunate with this platform.

Yes we have been. Thanks for understanding.

(stuff unrelated to the problem deleted.)

 

[Fless]

Have you read all the codes to see what the underlying cause of this might be?

 

[NotJLB]

Yes.

P0220 Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor Switch

&

P2135 Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor Switch A/B voltage Correlation

The same codes mentioned on another forum.

Just going out on a limb here . . . if it's the throttle pedal, I'm guessing disabling TC and SS would not resolve it.

 

[NotJLB]

Maybe way off base . . . this vehicle has pedal positions as part as the Driver 1/Driver 2 settings, and I moved them a bit when I set Driver 1. That was 2000 miles ago.

 

[NotJLB]

My mechanic from up north knows what the problem is:

Standard Ignition 9 Terminal Accelerator Pedal Sensor​

https://www.oreillyauto.com › detail › std0 › aps106




Find the right Standard Ignition 9 Terminal Accelerator Pedal Sensor for your vehicle at O'Reilly Auto Parts.

 

[Scottydoggs]

throttle body and or the pedal can cause this. they need to communicate, if they cant, all you said happened can happen.

 

[NotJLB]

I will look at the pedal assembly tomorrow, but if it's similar to the '07 Silverado pedal assembly replacement video, it's an easy peasy DIY.

The sensor is all part of the assembly, with a typical electrical connector. Click off the old, click on the new.

But, being an Escalade, and being a Platinum, who knows.

That pedal assembly is $64 at O'Reilly, available in one day, and the replacement is a 30 min task.

 

[B-train]

Pedal problems aren't super common luckily, but I know of two 2500hd pickups that had glitchy pedals. One did weird stuff with how it ran, the other had dead zone right off idle and ran fine for another 100k. Guess it just depends on how they fail.

 

[Fless]

A decent scanner can graph both of those at the same time and compare, watching for glitches and dropouts.

 

[NotJLB]

When I picked it up at O'Reilly's (ordered online and picked up 2 hours later), the guy behind the counter knew exactly what it was, and what had happened to us, without me saying anything. He said it happened to him on I-75 at a very-busy Sarasota exit. He agreed that a feature that shuts a vehicle down without warning is scary stuff, extremely dangerous, and should never happen.

There's a difference between aging, failing parts and stupid engineering.

 

[NotJLB]

Oh oh! First issue. The old assembly has what appears to be a speedometer cable coming down from above, on the right, and the replacement assembly does not. Both assemblies are the same shape, with the electrical connector to the left, and above. So, I'm stumped.

 

[NotJLB]

If anyone reads this thread for advice, just buy the sensor and switch out from the old one, and don't replace the pedal assembly. I got the assembly and it's the wrong one. I have adjustable pedals and that assembly is much harder to work with, much more expensive, and probably not available anyway. I have it all switched out, by putting a new sensor on it, but, and it's a really big but, I cannot get what appears to be a speedometer cable to seat, so that I can get that to slide down where it needs to be, to twist the locking thingie.

The assembly that was recommended, and that I bought, does not have that speedometer cable assembly.

Also, I had to buy $40 worth of extensions and swivel sockets to get the top nut of the pedal assembly back on.

I've given up for today, tomorrow always being full of hope.

 

[NotJLB]

A funny thing happened on my way to O'Reilly's, to return the $40 of excess crap they sold me yesterday.

A guy from O'Reilly Corporate called and said I was right, it is an error in their online catalog to not show that the pedal assembly I bought was for a vehicle Without Adjustable Pedals. He apologized for the horrible day I had yesterday, and this morning, and is sending me a gift card for notifying them of their online catalog error.

I'm hoping the gift is for Famous Dave's, but it will probably be for O'Reilly's.

He also apologized for the inhospitable, condescending attitude of the employee who treated me like a total dufus, when I'm really just half a dufus. Fell free to try to run me down . . . I check here every now and then.

I have some other hints about how to do this task, so you won't have to find them on your own, after trying the wrong way on a few things.

 

[NotJLB]

Let me emphasize that if you DIY this fix, 1. you replace just the sensor, and not the entire pedal assembly, and 2. make sure you get the correct sensor, either for adjustable pedals or not adjustable pedals.

Not all online catalogs are worded correctly.

 

[NotJLB]

Same thing again today:

P0120: Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor Switch

P2135: Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor Switch A/B Voltage Correlation

Wife was driving alone, and made it home.

This could get annoying.