crash after ECM replacement

**mbaker** · 07-04-2014, 04:30 AM

2007 Aveo began stalling during driving last week- had it towed to shop and dx with ECM needing replaced. Following ECM replacement, the car had intermittent difficulty starting, thus returned it to the shop. Today they replaced spark plugs and coil, had the Aveo hooked up to diagnostics machine and the car engine reved and accelerated on its own to 90mph without the gas being pushed. Worker with quick reaction pulled the emergency brake and stomped on the brakes, but the acceleration was so intense he had to crash the car into a wall in order to stop it. They are questioning if the ECM was not programmed correctly (purchased from GM and installed after GM programed it...) or if the diagnostic machine may have sent codes to the ECM which caused the acceleration. Thankfully no one was injured. Car likely totaled at this point. ECM is being sent to GM to assess if it was correctly programed or not.... has anyone had any similar situation? Our Aveo is not part of any of the current recalls...

**petrified.rabbit** · 07-04-2014, 12:31 PM

WOW, I am not even sure how to respond. First glad you were not in the car when it happened.

The only thing I can think of that might have caused this is some sort of user error. Depending on If the car was being driven while doing some of the available tests scan tools have, like cycling the throttle on the drive by wire, (which my can tool can do to look for even change of resistance.) or possibly a number of other potential other tests or things could cause similar running issues, but on my personal scanner no others would cause an acceleration.

My only hope for you is the garage's insurance is covering it.

The current recalls about the keys turning off are simply idiot america. A decade or two ago they could tell people not to hang all that stuff on their key ring and be done with it. GM replacement keys went from the rectangular hole to a round hole over time, (i have a cavalier with a round hole) but it is the weight of the key ring that turns off the ignition. Anymore you have to make large repairs and huge payouts instead of just telling people to have only the ignition key in the ignition. My 68 VW beetle had the same issue. The key was triangular shaped and the key hole was on the end of the triangle. 4 keys on a key ring would turn the car off if i hit a pot hole.

See how the key hole was move to the "middle" of the vw emblem. On the original key i had it was on the blank end of the key..

**camopaint0707** · 07-04-2014, 03:55 PM

this isn't really a forum issue. This is a You need a lawyer and file a lawsuit with GM issue.

**petrified.rabbit** · 07-04-2014, 04:55 PM

thats true. But i still don't think this is a GM issue either, it would be very interesting to see how an ecu could be accidentally programmed to accelerate a car like that. Aside from using the toyota floor mat/poorly cast plastic gas pedals as an example, there is no reason for the car to be crashed. EVEN at full throttle, you could put the car in neutral and hit the brake, it would blow up the engine, but not drive you into a wall. Or even shutting the car off all together.

There is something else going on here as if it was just an ECU error, the car wouldn't have made it out into the street or out of the garage bay, it would have hit something in the stall as it went full throttle inside the shop.

**thankful_ragamuffin** · 07-04-2014, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit

thats true. But i still don't think this is a GM issue either, it would be very interesting to see how an ecu could be accidentally programmed to accelerate a car like that. Aside from using the toyota floor mat/poorly cast plastic gas pedals as an example, there is no reason for the car to be crashed. EVEN at full throttle, you could put the car in neutral and hit the brake, it would blow up the engine, but not drive you into a wall. Or even shutting the car off all together.

There is something else going on here as if it was just an ECU error, the car wouldn't have made it out into the street or out of the garage bay, it would have hit something in the stall as it went full throttle inside the shop.

I'm with rabbit on this. As a matter of fact, I'll call the shop's story B.S. An Aveo to "suddenly" accelerate to 90 mph would take close to thirty seconds - don't need "quick reactions" to deal with that. Hitting a wall at 90 mph in an Aveo - likely with no seat belt as techs usually don't wear them to keep the belts clean - is not something you walk away from. ECM's are typically programmed in car by the installing shop so no GM involvement there. I think the shop is covering up the truth.

**Ronnie Mund** · 07-08-2014, 04:04 PM

I had ECU problems within my first 10k miles on my 06 aveo. I took it to the DEALERSHIP. New ECU, 150,000 miles later no problems. I'd never trust some Joe Bob and Rob Joe backwoods mechanic shop to work on my car. You get what you pay for and in your case you got a couple rednecks who totaled your car over a rather simple repair. IMO that shop came up with the LIE OF THE CENTURY.

**camopaint0707** · 07-08-2014, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by Ronnie Mund

I had ECU problems within my first 10k miles on my 06 aveo. I took it to the DEALERSHIP. New ECU, 150,000 miles later no problems. I'd never trust some Joe Bob and Rob Joe backwoods mechanic shop to work on my car. You get what you pay for and in your case you got a couple rednecks who totaled your car over a rather simple repair. IMO that shop came up with the LIE OF THE CENTURY.

I'm totally the opposite. Joe and bob usually have been working on cars since they were 6. I'd trust them more. And more to not rip me off.

**Daox** · 07-08-2014, 06:18 PM

My two cents are with Rabbit and thankful_ragamuffin. The Aveo doesn't suddenly accelerate to 90 mph. And, if it did, just shift to neutral and turn the key off!