2012 Buick LaCrosse Leather Trim 3.6L VVT Gas Pedal Rubbing/Vibration?

[jonjon69691]

Hello all,
First, I'd like to say that I maintain my 2012 Buick LaCrosse Leather Trim Package 3.6L VVT vehicle with an oil change every 3,000 miles. Full synthetic & new oil filter.
Secondly, whenever I have to do a repair on my vehicle, I use GM OEM parts. AC Delco. Nothing cheaply made. I wouldn't disrespect my vehicle like that 🙂.
With that being said, my vehicle, when I cruise/drive on local roads @1500rpm, it has a shudder, rubbing and/or vibration in the gas pedal. To get rid of it, I must depress the gas pedal, then repress the gas pedal and accelerate faster to get rid of it. But, if I am on the highway going 60-65mph, there is nothing to feel. The vehicle shifts normally.
I believe it can be one of 3 things:
1]. Transmission going bad.
2]. ECM or PCM needing recalibration.
3]. If this vehicle has AFM [Active Fuel Management] when it turns off 2 cylinders, the Electronic Transmission doesn't know whether to shift up or down and is causing this.
I am leaning on #3 due to the fact that this happens 'only' when driving around 35-40mph, and I am no longer accelerating and/or just cruising. It doesn't do it when I am highway driving. It only happens on local city roads or lower than 45mph zones. [It fully shifts all 6 gears, np]
Does anyone have this same issue? If so, did you get it fixed? How did you deal with it? Is this normal? Or is it driving you insane as it is doing to me?
"I cannot find an answer any place"!!! Help me, please....

 

[jonjon69691]

I wanted to edit my last post. I don't have AFM [Active Fuel management] on my vehicle. But I am still having this problem with my LaCrosse. It's driving me "insane"!!!

 

[MelsRegal]

Do you have a check engine light on?
You only feel this in the gas peddle, not the steering wheel and not in the seat?

 

[jonjon69691]

Do you have a check engine light on?
You only feel this in the gas peddle, not the steering wheel and not in the seat?

No just the gas pedal and I have zero check engine lights on

 

[MelsRegal]

The pedal uses a sensor, no cable, so the sensor may be sending a poor signal to the engine at certain positions that you interpret as a vibration

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

There is a TSB Bulletin No.14582 September 2015 that may relate to your issue see attached file.

 

[jonjon69691]

The pedal uses a sensor, no cable, so the sensor may be sending a poor signal to the engine at certain positions that you interpret as a vibration

I have been paying extra attention to the steering wheel, and the rest of the vehicle. I only feel it in the gas pedal. I have read about the switch in the gas pedal. I also looked into the speed sensors on wheels. Maybe one is damaged? But if that were the case, it would be worse than what it actually is. Maybe it's the speed sensors coming out of the tranny? I even looked at my transmission tear down & rebuild. I can see the $$$ signs begin to flash before my eyes. GM doesn't make this car anymore. I'd hate to scrap it.

 

[jonjon69691]

There is a TSB Bulletin No.14582 September 2015 that may relate to your issue see attached file.

I appreciate you taking your time and sending me this bulletin, however, it does not apply to my current situation. My GM vehicle is only 8yrs. old come this June 2020 [manufactured date] but my mileage has surpassed the 120,000-mile allowed to have this issue corrected.
If you can come up with another solution, I would be more than happy to look into it. Thank you.
PS: That bulletin was a very, very interesting read. I shall pass it on.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

It wasn't to get it corrected for free as much as it described a problem "the throttle-position sensor may cause the engine to run rough, cause the
malfunction-indicator lamp and/or an engine reduced power message to illuminate, and reduce
the engine’s power" which is similar to what you described and might be something to have checked or at least put on the list of possibilities.

 

[jonjon69691]

It wasn't to get it corrected for free as much as it described a problem "the throttle-position sensor may cause the engine to run rough, cause the
malfunction-indicator lamp and/or an engine reduced power message to illuminate, and reduce
the engine’s power" which is similar to what you described and might be something to have checked or at least put on the list of possibilities.

The vehicle does not run rough nor any check engine lights on.

 

[MelsRegal]

I have been paying extra attention to the steering wheel, and the rest of the vehicle. I only feel it in the gas pedal. I have read about the switch in the gas pedal. I also looked into the speed sensors on wheels. Maybe one is damaged? But if that were the case, it would be worse than what it actually is. Maybe it's the speed sensors coming out of the tranny? I even looked at my transmission tear down & rebuild. I can see the $$$ signs begin to flash before my eyes. GM doesn't make this car anymore. I'd hate to scrap it.

Everybody on this forum is telling you it is the pedal sensor based upon your description of the problem.

 

[jonjon69691]

Everybody on this forum is telling you it is the pedal sensor based upon your description of the problem.

I have only had 2 people respond. Am I missing other posts? Either way, I will replace the Pedal Position Sensor ASA. Thank You for input.

 

[MelsRegal]

You should have a ASE certified shop look at the car rather than guess.

 

[jonjon69691]

I have no warrantee on vehicle. Everything comes out of my pocket. $95 hr. at GM Dealers near me. I cannot allow myself to pay someone else to do work on my vehicle. I’m a DIY type of person. TY for the thought though.

 

[jonjon69691]

So, I changed the Gas Pedal Position Sensor on my vehicle and "pfft"! Nada. Zero. Zip. The car still does the same 'ole thing. Still feel the rubbing/shuddering in gas pedal when driving at 40-45mph @ 1500rpms. The only thing I can think of is to have dealer reprogram my ECU and/or TCU to see if it needed some fine-tuning. These things need to be recalibrated at times due to changing of car battery and/or no power to vehicle electrical. If anyone else out there has the same issue as me, please let me know how you fixed it or at the very least had the problem rectified.

 

[VirtualVeritas]

I get a sensation that seems similar to yours and I hate it, but mine is not constant. I only feel it on certain roads, and its always the same roads. Must have to do with either the asphalt, or whats underneath (or not underneath) the asphalt. So, maybe its not even the car itself? If you only drive the same roads all the time, take a little drive to another town and see what happens.

 

[richardnewton]

The throttlebody on our 2.4L LaCrosse gets carboned fast. Cleaning that sometimes improves the throttle response.

 

[G-654537]

I have discovered the problem. The Torque Converter, when I hit overdrive, begins to slip due to transmission fluid being corrupted. I tried a product called “Shudder Fixx” and it stopped the issue dead in it’s tracks. I could NOT believe it! Look into it. I can literally swear by it!

 

[VirtualVeritas]

Well that's great for you and your totally inconspicuous product placement post Mr.Robot/ not original poster. GTF off our forum