Fuel System Malfunction - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Indiangivr · 04-30-2012, 08:05 PM

Has anyone else had an issue with a fuel system malfunction? I purchased my 2012 Camaro (convertible) in January, and it is now in the shop for the 4th time with this same issue. They can't figure out what's wrong with it and it has been in the shop a cumulative of 14 days. The check engine light comes on, it runs really rough, won't accelerate, and turns off even when you are in motion. After the last 'repair' the technician drove the car 300 miles before giving it back to me to see if the problem would happen again. It made it a month until today when it occurred again. I love the car, but I certainly don't have any confidence in it at this point. The dealership has asked me if I would consider trading it for a new one. Any advice on trading it vs. going thru the lemon law process for a refund would be appreciated. I paid cash for the car, so there is no financing involved. It was a gift 'to me, from me' when I completed treatment for breast cancer, and it has been a huge headache starting 2 weeks after the purchase. Definitely NOT the experience I was looking for!

edgehead2000 · 04-30-2012, 08:53 PM

Funny that you mention this issue.

Three weeks ago was the first time I experienced it. The first time I started the engine it was really rough and gave a check engine light so I turned it off for a few minutes to calm itself; the second time was the same so I once again relaxed and called onstar which is when they said "fuel management system" and thought 'oh boy' here it goes with gm. Finally the third time it started and surprisingly it started but cleared the engine light so I ran to the dealer on a Saturday when they said something along the lines of 'throttle body recalibration'. (I honestly don't think they even looked at my engine since there was no evidence of fingerprints in the engine bay).

Fast forward to today and it happened again but gave a 'service stabilitrac' and 'engine performance decreased!' alarms on the dic. Once again, third time was the charm and again onstar said 'fuel management system'. On my way home this evening, the engine light cleared itself which makes it all the harder to prove our stories!

Long story short, I'm taking the day off to have them thoroughly analyze it tomorrow and I will show them your story as well. What's funny is that when I had the 2011 LLT engine in my last LS, I never once had any issues. I'm sure that there are more of us LFX owners out there with the same issue but aren't voicing their concerns.

What basis did they give for offering you to trade your car? I might have to explore that with the dealer cuz I feel it will most definitely happen again.

edgehead2000 · 04-30-2012, 09:29 PM

Btw, my car has 12000 miles on it and is bone stock, uses 91 octane and has had oil changes every 4500 miles.

edgehead2000 · 05-01-2012, 07:52 PM

Well, dealer said it was once again the throttle body and that they will replace the part when it arrives from Denver Wednesday morning.

Honestly, I'm not holding my breath that this will fix the issue but if it does, then great! We will see what the cards hold a month from now... I just don't want to be stuck paying for a vehicle with this problem.

Chevrolet Customer Svc · 05-01-2012, 08:14 PM

I'm sorry to hear that both of you are having these issues. Indiangivr, could you message me with any and all details that you may not have posted here? I'd like to look into this for you. edge, if this most recent repair does not resolve this issue for you could you also do the same. I hope to help the both of you.

Jeff Morris, Chevrolet Customer Service

Indiangivr · 05-03-2012, 12:56 PM

The dealership said they want to make this right, and had me select another car. I could not have asked for them to handle it any better!

edgehead2000 · 05-04-2012, 10:17 PM

Great news. Glad you were able to do that.

Just got mine back tonight and forgot how much I love it. Really hoping the new throttle body does it cuz I really don't want another HHR rental lol.

04-30-2012, 08:05 PM	#1
Indiangivr Drives: 2012 Camaro Convertible Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Georgia Posts: 2	Fuel System Malfunction Has anyone else had an issue with a fuel system malfunction? I purchased my 2012 Camaro (convertible) in January, and it is now in the shop for the 4th time with this same issue. They can't figure out what's wrong with it and it has been in the shop a cumulative of 14 days. The check engine light comes on, it runs really rough, won't accelerate, and turns off even when you are in motion. After the last 'repair' the technician drove the car 300 miles before giving it back to me to see if the problem would happen again. It made it a month until today when it occurred again. I love the car, but I certainly don't have any confidence in it at this point. The dealership has asked me if I would consider trading it for a new one. Any advice on trading it vs. going thru the lemon law process for a refund would be appreciated. I paid cash for the car, so there is no financing involved. It was a gift 'to me, from me' when I completed treatment for breast cancer, and it has been a huge headache starting 2 weeks after the purchase. Definitely NOT the experience I was looking for!

04-30-2012, 08:53 PM	#2
edgehead2000 2016 Camaro 1LT 2.0T Drives: Nemesis Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 844	Funny that you mention this issue. Three weeks ago was the first time I experienced it. The first time I started the engine it was really rough and gave a check engine light so I turned it off for a few minutes to calm itself; the second time was the same so I once again relaxed and called onstar which is when they said "fuel management system" and thought 'oh boy' here it goes with gm. Finally the third time it started and surprisingly it started but cleared the engine light so I ran to the dealer on a Saturday when they said something along the lines of 'throttle body recalibration'. (I honestly don't think they even looked at my engine since there was no evidence of fingerprints in the engine bay). Fast forward to today and it happened again but gave a 'service stabilitrac' and 'engine performance decreased!' alarms on the dic. Once again, third time was the charm and again onstar said 'fuel management system'. On my way home this evening, the engine light cleared itself which makes it all the harder to prove our stories! Long story short, I'm taking the day off to have them thoroughly analyze it tomorrow and I will show them your story as well. What's funny is that when I had the 2011 LLT engine in my last LS, I never once had any issues. I'm sure that there are more of us LFX owners out there with the same issue but aren't voicing their concerns. What basis did they give for offering you to trade your car? I might have to explore that with the dealer cuz I feel it will most definitely happen again. Last edited by edgehead2000; 05-01-2012 at 07:56 PM.

04-30-2012, 09:29 PM	#3
edgehead2000 2016 Camaro 1LT 2.0T Drives: Nemesis Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 844	Btw, my car has 12000 miles on it and is bone stock, uses 91 octane and has had oil changes every 4500 miles.

05-01-2012, 07:52 PM	#4
edgehead2000 2016 Camaro 1LT 2.0T Drives: Nemesis Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 844	Well, dealer said it was once again the throttle body and that they will replace the part when it arrives from Denver Wednesday morning. Honestly, I'm not holding my breath that this will fix the issue but if it does, then great! We will see what the cards hold a month from now... I just don't want to be stuck paying for a vehicle with this problem.

05-01-2012, 08:14 PM	#5
Chevrolet Customer Svc Drives: GM Vehicles Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Michigan Posts: 9,328	I'm sorry to hear that both of you are having these issues. Indiangivr, could you message me with any and all details that you may not have posted here? I'd like to look into this for you. edge, if this most recent repair does not resolve this issue for you could you also do the same. I hope to help the both of you. Jeff Morris, Chevrolet Customer Service

05-03-2012, 12:56 PM	#6
Indiangivr Drives: 2012 Camaro Convertible Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Georgia Posts: 2	The dealership said they want to make this right, and had me select another car. I could not have asked for them to handle it any better!

05-04-2012, 10:17 PM	#7
edgehead2000 2016 Camaro 1LT 2.0T Drives: Nemesis Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 844	Great news. Glad you were able to do that. Just got mine back tonight and forgot how much I love it. Really hoping the new throttle body does it cuz I really don't want another HHR rental lol.