tv just stopped in highway towing tt

[mangchibike]

I was returning 12 days of trip past sunday traveling I95 South and traffic was bad, going less than 20 mph and going through construction zone and i hit little bump and soon after i hit it tv just lost power and going uphill w/o speed, i block the right lane and made traffic much much worse. Trooper came and did not want me to call Geico for Emergency roadside service since it takes more than hour, so regular tow turck came and he called his brother-in-law for his pick-up truck that has 2" receiver and towed seperately. After they towed off highway and paid $250 (next exit towed less than .5 mile) they ask me what happen and i explain they found out that fuel pump fuse was blown and replaced one inside tv. My tv is 2 months old 13 chvey suburban 2500 that has about 3500 miles on it. So, i was able to come home after 2 friends came picked all passengers.
So I went to dealer where i bought the tv to find out and 3 miles away from the dealer it stopped again. Same situation, exit ramp off highway, road was bumpy and lost power again. This time i had some speed and was able to park safely. Towed to service dept. and today they called and it was short wire that caused it.

Question
1. Is this extremely rare case happening like this?
Short wire means it was touching something??
2. when ur tv broke down while towing tt, do u towed them seperately or heavy duty tow can handle both? (gieco agent was confused, and i ketp telling him it's tt and he reply what class a or b)

I had to cancel trips for 2 upcoming weekends..
I still feel bad that i blocked the highway with brand new tv..
Thank you replying in advance.

[Wildcat63]

If you are causing a traffic hazard and your roadside assistance can't get there before a tow truck contacted by Law Enforcement you have to get towed by who shows up. Save the receipt and in this case submit it to GM with the warranty repair. Some of the tow trucks that get called from AAA and other insurance companies may take a couple of hours. You can't leave a major Highway blocked like that just to save the person blocking it a tow charge.

Wildcat

[mlts22]

Older Fords had an impact switch in the passenger kick panel that had to be manually taken out and reset.

Newer Fords just need to have the key turned off and on a couple times to reset the fuel valve.

That is almost freakish, because I very rarely hear of problems with Suburbans. Usually those things go through insane amounts of abuse.

[facory]

While towing through downtown Atlanta during rush hour my TV quit. I was able to coast to under an overpass and safety. The repair garage thought that a hot object like a brake pad had fallen off a vehicle ahead of me and got caught up between the wiring harness and floor under the truck. It burned through the wiring harness and cut power to the engine. The insurance company ended up totally the vehicle because no one could find a replacement wiring harness.

[facory]

While towing through downtown Atlanta during rush hour my TV quit. I was able to coast to under an overpass and safety. The repair garage thought that a hot object like a brake pad had fallen off a vehicle ahead of me and got caught up between the wiring harness and floor under the truck. It burned through the wiring harness and cut power to the engine. The insurance company ended up totally the vehicle because no one could find a replacement wiring harness.

[mangchibike]

Dealer asked me to send a receipt today and GM service rep will call me monday with answer... I think they were waiting the cause too.

[Bmach]

If not installed correctly then why not go after them for reimbursement? I know I would be. Be nice but insistent about it.

[mangchibike]

Thanks for replying.
GM doesn't have that sensor swith.
Since I was blocking right lane, trooper wanted to move it asap.
Reimburing issue.. GM still not sure..but not about the money..more of principle since it turned out to be that wire hardness was not properly install (not long enough) under the frame where the suspention goes and when I go over a bump the bushing was touch the wire that caused fuel pump fuse go out.
They have fixed under warranty and there is no chance it's going to happen again according to dealer.
It did little bit discourged me..but I just made a reservation for next weekends.

[RoyB]

On my Ford Expedition I had a few years back this fuel pump kill module was behind the kick panel on the passenger side. There was a RESET switch there as well... This was all described in my truck manual...

Roy Ken

[uzikaduzi]

maybe your TV was made at 4:45 on a friday... i had a headgasket go once (83 suburban) and we just kept stopping and re-filling the radiator to get it home. and i had a tire blow once on a horse trailer although that was because someone had hit something with the aluminum fender flares and it was rubbing the tire... i should have looked over the trailer before taking off but it was late and i was tired and didn't want to have to be doing what i was doing

[skipnchar]

How often it happens depends entirely on what you drive, how it's maintained and how lucky you are. ANY vehicle can break down and any vehicle can be repaired. It SHOULDN'T ever happen but obviously it sometimes does. I've towed over 100,000 miles since retiring 10 years ago and have been "dead in the highway" twice. Fist time was a dead battery which failed while in the back country of Wyoming. Replaced the battery with the twin 6 volt batteries from the trailer and was on my way again.
The second time was when I was forced off of the road by someone of little intelligence trying to pass and NEARLY having a head on collision. This caused me to take to the ditch and really crunched a trailer axle. It cut a tire in half and bent spindle badly enough that the spare tire would not turn over. Limped 75 miles into Corpus Christi on three trailer wheels.
Overall not TOO bad a luck but not perfect.

[BurbMan]

SprinklerMan wrote:
There is a switch somewhere on the vehicle , it is designed to turn off the fuel pump in case of a roll over or hard accident , they can be set too sensitive and will shut off the fuel after hitting a bump .

That's only on Fords, GM does not use a switch like that.

Surprised that you had an issue with the wiring...in the 12 years we have had our Suburban, we've never had a problem with the wiring. Dealer should have fixed it for free under warranty, but I don't think you will get reimbursed for the towing. Overall the truck has been a very reliable tow vehicle, so don't be discouraged by this one little incident.

I use Good Sam Roadside assistance because they will tow the truck and trailer if necessary. Never had to use it but subscribed after my camping buddy spent $500 to have his Expedition and trailer towed off of the NJ Tpke when the transmission blew...and he was on the shoulder by the toll booth.

Agree with 6.7, the last thing you want to do is be stuck in the right lane on 95 coming down through the Bronx. If you were on a wide enough shoulder would be one thing, but stuck on the highway needs to be addressed ASAP.

[6_7_tow_rig]

APT wrote:
If it's your money, you should have picked how it was towed.

Your issue is rare. I have towed my TT about 3500 pounds with essentiall the same TV. Your truck in under warranty. Let a dealer resolve the problem.

Those run-on sentences make my head hurt. 🙂

I am sorry that you are having troubles in the middle of the prime RV season. Hopefully they are repaired and you can continue to enjoy RVing!

Unfortunately thats not true. When we get a broken down motorist thats blocking a major road and causing a traffic hazard we do not allow the owner to call their insurance or AAA. They take too long. If I waited an hour for AAA to come pick up a vehicle in the middle lane of I-75 in rush hour traffic the interstate would be backed up for hours after the vehicle was removed and countless other rear enders as a result. Thats why the city contracts with a tow company that is close. In the signed contract they are to respond within 15 minutes anywhere within the city.

[Dick_B]

One time when we were towed the driver winched the vehicle up onto the tilting bed and hitched the trailer onto the ball of the tow truck. Another time we had to have the driver tow the two separately.

[Drum]

It doesn't read to me like it was a "roadside" problem, but more of a "middle of the road and causing a major traffic jam" kind of problem. I'm thinking that in a situation where a traffic obstruction is causing dangerous conditions or a traffic jam, then the troopers can order whatever assistance is necessary to clear the obstruction as fast as possible. It just is what it is, and the roadside assistance couldn't get the job done fast enough in this case.

They only towed to get the mess off the highway so at that point, I'm sure the roadside assistance could have been used.

To answer another of the OP's questions, I don't believe it would be safe to tow the TV and TT while connected together. They are a separate tow. I have a plan that will tow both my TV and TT separately for up to 200 miles because of that possibility.