Problem Reports

The crankshaft position sensor may fail. Symptoms of this are: The engine will crank—but not start—especially when the engine is warm. The car may start again if it is left to cool off, but it may run roughly or have poor performance.

The ESP and BAS warning lights may illuminate due to a failed brake light switch. Replacement of the failed switch should correct this concern.

Leaks may develop from the differential cover and/or seals on high mileage or older vehicles. Our technicians recommend a complete reseal of the differential unit if these leaks are addressed.

A malfunctioning HVAC blower motor regulator can cause the blower motor to operate below the requested speed or not at all. Updated regulators are available; the blower motor and cover need to be replaced at the same time to upgrade the system.

The bushings for the shifter lever wear out to the point where they break and fall out. This causes excessive movement (loose feel) in the shifter lever and a clanging-type noise when changing gears.

Failed spark plug wires and/or ignition coils can cause intermittent misfires (rough running); the Check Engine Light may also illuminate. Diagnoses of the ignition system will be necessary to determine which components are at fault.

High mileage vehicles may develop a leak from one or more of the transmission oil seals.

An engine oil leak may develop from the oil level sensor. Replacement of the leaking sensor will commonly correct this concern.

PSE system, voice control module, or Tele Aid module failure can cause a lack of audio. These same modules can also cause dead battery conditions when they fail to "time out." Many electronic control modules are active even when the engine is off. If these modules stay active, they will drain the battery, which is why they have a timer built into the modules. The timer shuts down the modules after a preset amount of time (timing out). If a module does not time out, it will stay active and drain the battery.

An engine Oil leak may develop from the PCV vent housing on the valve cover and/or the inspection plate on the front of the engine.

The rubber bond in the harmonic balancer can decay, which causes the balancer to move and work its way toward the timing cover. If the balancer comes into contact with the timing cover while the engine is running, it will fracture and damage the cover and potentially other surrounding parts. The harmonic balancer should be inspected at every service.

When the engine is running, but the vehicle is not moving, a rattle heard from beneath the vehicle could indicate that one of the exhaust catalytic converters has failed. The substrate (the internal part of the catalyst that reduces emissions) can loosen and bounce around inside the canister section of the converter—the defective unit will need to be replaced. If this problem is ignored, the substrate can break down and reduce to a size that plugs the outlet pipe, which will cause a sudden loss in power.