Throttle is stuck, it is electric

JEFFREY JOHNSTON

MEMBER
2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU
2.2L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
231,700 MILES

I had to stop in the muddy grass because my throttle stuck and the more I pressed it to try and unstick the throttle the faster it went. Can you tell me why my throttle stuck but now it is working why? I have put fuel treatment Lucus valve and injector cleaner and I have sprayed carburetor cleaner in the throttle body and wiped out gunk. I keep the oil changed and I had just put a new air filter in it. It was towed to Chevrolet dealer for three recalls no recalls on my throttle body, so why is it doing this?

1 Reply

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
12,968 POSTS

There are a couple reasons it could stick. One would be that carbon has built up in it enough that the throttle blade is sticking. That can be removed using throttle body cleaner and some small brushes to scrub the bore clean. Another reason may be that the throttle controller on the throttle body is starting to fail, usually this will set a code but not all the time. If you have access to a scan tool that has bi-directional control you can test for codes as well as use it to verify that the throttle body and the throttle position assembly in the car is operating correctly. Also check that a floor mat or anything else is not moving around and causing the pedal to stick.