I have a 2010 Dodge Avenger, 4 cylinder, I have been having issues with the Electronic Throttle Control warning light since the beginning of November. The lightning bolt light will come on for a just a couple seconds and my car will lag (go into limp mode while the light is on) once it goes off the car runs normal. Its been doing this every time I drive it since November. I drove it yesterday and I was at a light turning onto the ramp to the highway, once i gave it gas, the lightning bolt came on and the car would not go, the lightning bolt was flashing this time, i pulled to the side of the road, the car acted like it was going to die, so i turned it off. I re-started it and it ran fine the rest of the way. I took it to Advance Auto parts and there was two codes showing up, P0572 - Cruise Control Brake Switch and P2072 - Throttle Actuator Control.

I am at a loss here, I don't have the money to take it to a garage and I don't have the money to try repalcing random parts hoping it will fix it.

Anyone with any information on what I need to do to fix this issue, it would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

Why did you drive it for over 2 months without getting it looked at ?


If the throttle body has malfunctioned bad enough, you may have taken out the ETC portion of your PCM too. I have to replace about 30% of the ones I do throttle body on because people ignore it.

 

Rachel1873,

I'm sorry to hear about your recent concerns. In some cases, the P2072 can be set in extreme cold temperatures if the PCM indicates the throttle plate is stuck or obstructed.

Did your concerns coincide with a steep temperature drop in the area? A dealer would be able to efficiently pinpoint the root cause.

 

Why did I drive it for two months? I drove it because it's the only car I have and I have two kids and a full time job to go to to support my kids...I don't get child support or any type if assistance so if I don't go to work i lose everything. The car has never broke down on me and did not run. - so does that answer why I drove it??

Im just looking for any information to tell me what I might need to do to fix my car....as I said earlier I don't have the money to take it to a garage and I do t have the money to replace random parts
hoping it will fix it.

Thanks for any advice I can get.

 

Well you probably just doubled or tripled the repair by not doing anything about it. If not yet, you will. It's unfortunate you focused on one small part of the reply instead of the bulk of it. Forums are not a replacement for diagnostics, but you're likely looking at minimum... throttle body maybe a PCM also.

 

5 months - no issues after replacing the throttle body.

 

I am joining this club as well, We have had very cold weather in MI lately (-20F) and it's been going on. Otherwise it hasn't been doing it. If it's TB icing I'm not going to panic and spend a bunch of $$ to replace the TB.
TNTech- I fix my own stuff if at all possible (jeep owner), can I replace a TB without having computer work done?

 

Yes, it should be fine. The location they're in makes them vulnerable for gunk buildup and for condensation to run down and freeze. The t-bodies are fine, the location is what makes them fail early. If you keep them cleaned periodically, you won't have problems.

 

I wondered about the intelligence of placing low in the front of the engine. I also wonder about the intelligence of the thermostat housing but no one will talk about a repair for that. I will remove and clean the TB this weekend. I did it this summer so I guess it's time again.
Thanks TNtech.

 

Engineers find ways to shove crap in a specific space....then they roll with it. Ha..that's about the only logic I can come up with. It's been that way since day one.