2001 Chevrolet Impala complaints

IN THE PAST 6-8 MONTHS, MY 2001 CHEVY IMPALA STARTED TO SHOW THE OBVIOUS SIGNS OF INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAKS (SLUDGE ON OIL CAP, BROWN RESIDUE IN COOLANT OVERFLOW RESERVOIR, SMALL COOLANT PUDDLES ON ENGINE). AT 71,000 MILES I RECEIVED A QUOTE AT A GM DEALER FOR THE FIX...$900.00. THE DEALER SAID HE DOES ONE A DAY ON THESE GM 3.4 ENGINES. AS A SIDE, MY WIFE'S VENTURE, SISTER'S VENTURE AND FATHER IMPALA ALL HAVE THE FAULTY INTAKE MAIFOLD COOLANT/OIL LEAK. AFTER SPEAKING WITH GM, THEY AGREED ONLY TO PAY FOR THE TWO BOLTS, A GASKET AND A SMALL TUBE OF SEALANT. THIS PAST WEEK, THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON AND I STOPPED THE CAR AT THE NEXT PARKING LOT. IT STALLED THERE AND NEVER STARTED. AFTER A TOW, THE MECHANIC ATTEMPTED TO FILL IT WITH OIL AND RUN IT. WITHIN SECONDS IT FLOWS OUT THE OIL FILTER AND THE FILTER AND/OR FILTER GASKET RUPTURES. AFTER CHECKING THE OIL PUMP AND OIL PUMP SENSOR, HIS DIAGNOSIS IS FOR AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. HE CLAIMS THAT THE SLUDGE FROM THE ANTIFREEZE HAS BUILT UP, AND A CAM BEARING HAS BEEN DAMAGED, RENDERING THE ENGINE IRREPLACEABLE. I CURRENTLY HAVE ,MULTIPLE OPTIONS, THE CHEAPEST OF WHICH IS $3,500.00. WE ARE A GM FAMILY, MY FATHER RETIRED FROM GM. WHY CAN'T GM FACE THE FAULTY DESIGN FLAW OF THE MANIFOLD GASKETS AND COOLANT PROBLEMS? *TR

THE TRACTION SYSTEM WAS ACTIVATING FOR NO REASON. SERVICE ABS LIGHT CAME ON IN VEHICLE. DEALER REPLACED LEFT WHEEL HUB, INCLUDING SENSOR. PROBLEM RECURRED THE DAY AFTER AND THE WRONG ASSEMBLY WAS INSTALLED, THE CORRECT ASSEMBLY WAS INSTALLED. ONE MONTH LATER PROBLEM RECURRED. DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS A LOOSE CONNECTION ON WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLY. SEVEN MONTHS LATER PROBLEM RECURRED. DEALER NOW SAYS THE RIGHT HUB ASSEMBLY NEEDED REPLACING, AS WELL AS THE TRANSMISSION SOLENOID. REPAIRS HAVE NOT BEEN DONE FOR THE LATTER BECAUSE WE WANT DEALERSHIP TO REPAIR FREE OF CHARGE.*AK

VEHICLE SHUTS OFF RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING, I HAVE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD, AND THE CAR WILL RESTART. THERE IS NOT ALWAYS A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD, THIS CAR SHUT DOWN ON ME IN A SNOW STORM IN THE SIERRAS, IN THE DARK I WAS LUCKY TO FIND A PLACE TO PULL OFF AND RESTART. THIS CAR IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AT THIS TIME. THE DEALER CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM AND JUST WANTS TO START REPLACING PARTS, VERY EXPENSIVE. THE COMMENT FROM THE DEALER WAS IF THE PART WE REPLACE DOES NOT FIX THE PROBLEM THE WE KNOW THAT WAS NOT THE PROBLEM. I HAVE NO PROBLEM PAYING TO REPAIR THIS CAR IF THEY CAN TELL ME WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, I DON'T WANT TO START REPLACING PARTS GOOD PARTS @ $500.00 A POP BECAUSE GM CAN'T FIND A PROBLEM,RIGHT NOW I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR BECAUSE SOME CAN BE HURT OR KILLED. *JB

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HAD A REFERENCE NUMBER FROM FILING A COMPLAINT WITH THE CHEVROLET MOTOR DIVISION 71-489286337. THE TURN SIGNAL STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT ANY REASON. JUST AS THE CONTACT WAS CHANGING LANES THE TURN SIGNAL STOPPED WORKING. A SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP TOLD THE CONTACT THAT HE SHOULD TURN THE HAZARD SIGNAL ON AND OFF AND THAT THE TURN SIGNAL SHOULD WORK, AND IT DID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TURN SIGNAL FAILED INTERMITTENTLY.THIS WOULD INDICATE THAT THE HAZARD SWITCH FAILED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE BOTH 70000.*AK UPDATED 04/05/07. *JB

MY SECURITY LIGHT STAYS ON ON THE MESSAGE CENTER. THE DEALER CANNOT FIND CAUSE OF PROBLEM (CODE). I CAN START THE CAR SO FAR WITH NO PROBLEM. THE LIGHT PROBLEM STARTED AFTER NEW BATTERY WAS REPLACED IN JUNE 2006. I HAVE FOUND GM TSB 04-08-47-003, NO THANKS TO GM' S CUSTOMER RELATIONS. IT STATES THAT BCM'S MAY BE NEEDLESSLY REPLACED, WHEN PROBLEM COULD BE LOOSE WIRE TERMINALS OR CODES THAT HAVE TO BE RESET AFTER CHANGING THE BATTERY. I HAVE READ MANY INSTANCES OF THIS OCCURRING AND THINK IT REQUIRES A RECALL. CUSTOMERS MAY BE PAYING FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE BCM, WHEN IT IS NOT REQUIRED. I HAVE CALLED THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF GM CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY SAY THAT THEY CAN'T HELP ME! IF YOU CAN GET A COPY OF THE BULLETIN, READ IT! IT COULD SAVE YOU SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS! *NM

THE BATTERY ON MY 2001 CHEVY IMPALA WAS DEAD, SO I PUT A BATTERY CHARGER ON THE BATTERY AND WHEN I WENT TO START THE CAR, NOTHING HAPPENED. I WAITED 2-4 MINUTES FOR THE BATTERY TO CHARGE AND TRIED TO START IT AGAIN. AS SOON AS I TURNED THE KEY, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD EXPLODED INTO ABOUT 10 PIECES THROUGHOUT MY GARAGE. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL GM DEALERSHIP TODAY AND AM STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM THEM. *NM

THE TURN SIGNALS ONLY WORK INTERMITTENTLY ON A DAILY BASIS. WE NEVER KNOW IF THEY WILL COME ON OR NOT. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE JULY, 2006. *JB

MY 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA STARTED THIS PROBLEM ABOUT A MONTH AGO. OBVIOUSLY, IT IS ANNOYING, BUT IT CONCERNS ME MOSTLY DUE TO THE SAFETY ASPECT. I BELIEVE I HAVE DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM BY MY RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AS WELL AS FINDING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE 2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM ON THE INTERNET FROM OTHER OWNERS. MY TRIPS TO MULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS AND REPAIR SHOPS HAVE PROVED WORTHLESS. THE CAR WILL FAIL TO START AT TIMES. THE SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON. AFTER 10 TO 15 MINUTES IT WILL START AND RUN GREAT. IT APPEARS TO BE A PASSLOCK SECURITY PROBLEM THAT WILL BE VERY COSTLY TO REPAIR. I BELIEVE GM SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL SO THE CONSUMER DOES NOT HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED. THE CAR CRANKS OVER FINE AND THE BATTERY IS NEW, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE NO FUEL GETTING TO WHERE IT IS SUPPOSED TO GO. PLEASE RESEARCH AND I AM SURE YOU WILL FIND THAT OTHER IMPALA OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I DID NOT SEE A RECALL OUT ON THIS PROBLEM YET. *JB

TURN SIGNALS FAIL SPORADICALLY SINCE DEALER REPLACED BODY CONTROL MODULE. DEALER DOESN'T THINK NEW BCM IS PROBLEM BUT CAN'T FIX TROUBLE FOR SURE UNTIL THERE IS A COMPLETE FAILURE. *NM

MY VEHICLE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION RUNNING ROUGH, NEARLY STALLING, AND A 0742 CODE BEING ACTIVATED. THE CAR HAS 123,000 MILES ON IT, SO IT IS WELL OUT OF WARRANTY. A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REBUILT AND QUOTED A PRICE OF $1400 TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION. I KNOW THAT THE CAR HAS A GREAT DEAL OF MILEAGE ON IT, BUT I EXPECT A LITTLE BIT MORE FOR THE MONEY I PAID FOR THE CAR. AFTER LOOKING ON THIS WEB SITE AT THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS AND PROBLEMS PEOPLE ARE HAVING WITH THIS CAR/TRANSMISSION, AND SEEING THAT THE 4T65E TRANSMISSION IS USED IN OVER 20 GM CARS, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT GM TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS BEFORE IT COSTS THE AMERICAN PUBLIC THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS? ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO PUSH GM TO MAKE THIS PROBLEM RIGHT WOULD BE APPRECIATED. IF YOU CANNOT THE ONLY THING I WILL DO IS BUY JAPANESE.*JB

THERE IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF OIL IN THE COOLANT IN MY 2001 CHEVY IMPALA. KNOWING JUST A LITTLE ABOUT INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES PROBABLY AN INTAKE GASKET LEAKING. FOR A CAR WHICH HAS BEEN VERY WELL MAINTAINED WITH UNDER 80,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER THIS WAS ALARMING. HIGH ENGINE TEMP AND A SLUDGE IN MY MOTOR ARE THE OBVIOUS CONSEQUENCES. WHO KNOWS WHAT THE LONG TERM AFFECTS WILL BE. THE CAR IS NOW AT THE MECHANICS AND ALREADY I AM LOOKING AT 700 TO 1,000 DOLLARS WHICH I DO NOT HAVE TO REPAIR. *NM

NO ACCIDENT HAS OCCURRED AS OF YET. THE CAR STOPS WHEN I AM AT STOP SIGNS AND RED LIGHTS. IT HAS EVEN STOPPED WHEN ON THE INTERSTATE AND I HAVE GONE FROM 70 MPH TO 0 MPH IN LESS THAN 60 SECONDS. *NM

REPEATED BROKEN WINDOW MECHANISM IN TWO SEPARATE CHEVROLET CARS IN THE PAST TWO YEARS. *JB

I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH MY 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA REGARDING THE PASSLOCK SENSOR, WHICH IS PART OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. THERE'S A SERVICE BULLETIN OUT ON THE PART. I'VE CONTACTED GM AND THEY OUT RIGHT TOLD ME THAT THEY WEREN'T GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT MY PROBLEM BECAUSE MY CAR HAS TOO MANY MILES ON IT. I HAD THE PART REPLACED WITHIN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF PURCHASING THE CAR BRAND NEW. I HAD IT REPLACED AGAIN ON 11-10-05, WHICH TOOK A YEAR AND A HALF TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. NOW I AM HAVING THE PROBLEM AGAIN. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET TODAY AND THEY REFUSED TO EVEN HELP...WOULDN'T EVEN OPEN A COMPLAINT FOR ME. THEY'RE SAYING THAT NO ONE ELSE IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM, BUT I'VE RESEARCHED FORUMS AND IT APPEARS THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. I DON'T FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THIS REPAIR DONE AGAIN SINCE IT WAS DONE 11 MONTHS AGO. I'M IRRITATED AND I WOULD LIKE A RESPONSE FROM SOMEONE AS TO WHAT WILL BE DONE. *NM

I HAVE A 2001 CHEVY IMPALA AND IT HAS BEEN LEAKING ENGINE COOLANT FOR SOMETIME NOW. WE PUT THE REQUIRED DEXCOOL COOLANT TO REPLACE THE LOST, BUT IT JUST KEPT ON LEAKING. WE TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC TO REPAIR IT AND HE INFORMED US THAT IT WAS LEAKING FROM THE INTAKE GASKET DOWN ONTO THE SPARK PLUGS AND IT WAS DAMAGING THE SPARK PLUGS. HE SAID DON'T PUT DEXCOOL COOLANT INTO THE CAR AGAIN BECAUSE IT JUST DAMAGES THE GASKETS. HE SAID I CANT TELL U HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE HAD TO REPAIR THIS SAME THING ON CHEVROLET VEHICLES. TOTAL REPAIRS $749.43 . THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THIS. NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE DEXCOOL COOLANT BUT BECAUSE OF THE GASKETS. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ANY SPEED THERE WAS A BANGING NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN ACCOMPANIED BY A VIBRATION. THE BANGING AND THE VIBRATION BECAME GRADUALLY WORSE WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED TO EITHER SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPACKED. THE SHAFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY REPLACED, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. UPDATED 9/22/2006 - THE FUEL TANK SENDING UNIT WAS REPLACED. THE FUEL INJECTOR UNIT WAS REPLACED INTAKE GASKET LEAKED. *NM

TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *NM

POWER TRAIN FAILURE: FIRST SIGN OF PROBLEM WAS HARSH SHIFTING, HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND FILTER CHANGED, STILL HAD SAME PROBLEM. BEFORE I FOUND THE SERVICE BULLETINS ON THIS PROBLEM THE PLANETARY GEARS GOT CHEWED UP BY A BROKEN PIECE OF METAL, HAD TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION $1800. FILED COMPLAINT WITH GM, SINCE I DID NOT HAVE IT REPAIRED AT A DEALER (FOR TWICE THE PRICE) THEY WOULD NOT HELP. NOW I HAVE A 2001 MONTE CARLO SHOWING THE SAME HARSH SHIFTING. THE TRANSMISSION HAS BE FLUSHED BY THE DEALER AND THEY PUT AN ADDITIVE INTO THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO HELP THE STICKY VALUE PROBLEM, DID NOT WORK. THERE IS A PATTERN HERE AND GM WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. *NM

(1) I WAS DRIVING ON 2 LANE UNDIVIDED STATE HIGHWAY ON A CLEAR DAY WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL AND FELL ASLEEP WHILE DRIVING. MY WIFE AND I WERE THE ONLY OCCUPANTS. I WOKE ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT 65 MPH. I STARTED BRAKING (ABS BRAKES) I THINK WE SLOWED TO ABOUT 50 MPH BEFORE HITTING THE BLUNT END OF A GUARD RAIL. THE CAR IMPACTED ABOUT 6 INCHES RIGHT(DRIVERS SIDE) OF CENTER ON THE FRONT. SEAT BELTS WERE IN USE. THE CAR HAD SPUN 170 DEGREES CLOCKWISE AND COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND THEN I LOOKED AT MY WIFE FOR AN INSTANT WHEN HER AIRBAG WENT OFF CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY MY AIR BAG. (2) THE FAILURE OF THE AIRBAGS RESULTED IN SEAT BELT RELATED STRAINS AND SOFT TISSUE INJURIES FOR MY WIFE. I RECEIVED A BRUISE ON THE CHEST. (3) SO FAR NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. THE INSURANCE COMPANY SOLD THE CAR TO A USED AUTO PARTS YARD. I WAS ABLE TO TRACK IT DOWN AND I BOUGHT THE COMPUTER MODULE THAT WAS UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT. I WITNESSED THE REMOVAL. I WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AT CONTACTING CHEVROLET. *JB

THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM WOULD ENGAGE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AT LOW TO MODERATE SPEEDS. THIS OCCURRED ON DRY PAVEMENT AND SEEMED TO EXTEND THE LENGTH OF TIME NEEDED TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE HUB AND SENSOR. THE PROBLEM RECURRED. THE HUB AND SENSOR WERE ADJUSTED. THE PROBLEM RECURRED. THE DEALERSHIP HAD TO REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. OLD PARTS WERE NEVER OFFERED IN RETURN. THE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. *JB

THE TURN SIGNALS ARE INOPERATIVE IN NORMAL DRIVING MODES, I CAN NOT SHOW INTENT OF LEFT OR RIGHT SIGNALING. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THE SIGNAL ASSEMBLY AND THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH WAS THOUGHT TO BE DEFECTIVE AND REPAIRED FOR A COST OF $557.00. WITHIN A DAY, THE SIGNALING PROBLEMS SURFACED AGAIN AND WAS THEN SCHEDULED FOR A FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS FOUND TO HAVE A DEFECTIVE HAZARD WARNING SWITCH, AT A REPAIR COST OF AN ADDITIONAL COST OF $149.79. THIS IS EXTREMELY A LOT OF MONEY TO PAY FOR A DEFECTIVE PART, AND HAS CAUSED MUCH HARDSHIP. PLEASE REFER TO 2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU RECALL, NHTSA: 03V327000 AND AUTO RECALL DATE 20030828. I AM FORMALLY REQUESTING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE ON THIS MATTER. *JB

2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. POWER STEERING HARD LINES ON PASSENGER SIDE NEAR RADIATOR HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY SEVERED BY THE ATTACHING FENDER WELL COVER PLATE. CAR HAS 89K MILES. BOTH HARD LINES WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. IT APPEARS THAT OVER TIME, THE COVER PLATE RUBBED INTO THE HARDLINES AND PUNCTURED THE LINE RESULTING IN COMPLETE RESERVOIR DRAINAGE. CAR VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER FOR MY WIFE WHO WAS ABLE TO GET HOME. *NM

TURN SIGNALS WORK SOMETIMES...SOMETIMES NOT. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THEY WILL OR WILL NOT WORK. *NM

I AM HAVING PROBLEMS STARTING THE CAR. ABOUT ONCE EVERY 2 WEEK IT JUST WILL NOT START. I HAVE HAD THE BATTERY REPLACED TWICE IN ONE YEAR. IN THE WINTER YOU CAN TURN THE KEY NOTHING HAPPENS BUT ON THE FLIP BACK IT WILL START,. NOW THIS SUMMER IT JUST WON'T START AND I STILL HAVE ELECTRIC. THEN SOMETIMES IT WILL GO INTO A VERY HIGH IDLE AND I TURN IT OFF AND RESTART IT TO FIX IT. WHAT DO I DO? *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE'S RIGHT TURN SIGNAL DID NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN ACTIVATED. BOTH TURN SIGNALS DO NOT FUNCTION AT TIMES. THE SIGNAL MALFUNCTIONS INTERMITTENTLY. THERE WAS ANOTHER VEHICLE MADE BY THE SAME MANUFACTURER WHO HAD A RECALL FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED BUT HAS NOT RESPOND TO THE CONTACT'S CONCERNS.

TRACTION CONTROL RUST ON WHEEL SPEED SENSOR GM RECALL NUMBER#05068 WHY WAS MY VEHICLE'S NOT LISTED ON RECALL 2001 IMPALA LS 51000 MILES. *NM

2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA LS 3.8L: BODY CONTROL MODULE FAILURE AT 60,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT 90,000 MILES. CAR WILL NOT START; VEHICLE AND DRIVER STRANDED. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT, IT MADE A ROUGH NOISE AND FELT AS IF IT WERE DRAGGING. THE NOISE WAS MORE NOTICEABLE AT 5-10 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER WHO DISASSEMBLED THE STEERING SHAFT AND ADDED GREASE. THE PROBLEM HAS NOW RETURNED AFTER 40,000 MILES AND THE DEALER RECOMMENDED ADDING THE GREASE UNDER REGULAR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. HOWEVER, THE UNIT IS SEALED AND THE CONTACT DOES NOT UNDERSTAND WHY GREASE NEEDED TO BE ADDED A SECOND TIME. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO ALERTED. UPDATED 6-27-2006 - *NM

MY TURN SIGNALS DO NOT RUN PROPERLY. THEY WORK AND SOMETIMES THEY DON'T. THE HAZARDS WORK THEN THEY DON'T'. AT TIMES WHEN YOU MOVE THE TURN SIGNALS BACK AND FORTH OR YOU TURN THE HAZARDS ON AND OFF, IT MIGHT MAKE THE TURN SIGNALS WORK OK, I HAVEN'T HAD ANY TURN SIGNALS THAT WORK CORRECTLY FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED TO EITHER THE LEFT OR RIGHT A LOUD POPPING NOISE IS HEARD. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT JOINTS WERE WORE OUT. THE DEALERSHIP DOES NOT HAVE A REMEDY FOR THIS PROBLEM.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE SECURITY LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT CAUSE. AFTER THE ILLUMINATION OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START UNTIL THE ENGINE RESTED FOR 15 MINUTES OR LONGER. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. UPON INSPECTION THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE AIR BAG SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULES (SDM) EXPERIENCED A MEMORY ERROR. THE SDM WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL, # 00V244000, REGARDING THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TURNING TO THE LEFT AT LOW SPEEDS THE ANTILOCK BRAKES ACTIVATED AUTOMATICALLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP IN TRAFFIC. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE TRACTION CONTROL DEVICE WAS DEFECTIVE AND HAS REPLACED IT FOUR TIMES, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSIST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.*AK

I HAVE A 2001 IMPALA WE BOUGHT NEW. IT HAS 62,379 MILES. I TOOK IT IN FOR A BRAKE JOB LAST MONTH FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE COMPANY I USE HAS A GOOD REPUTATION IN TOWN. THEY TOLD ME AFTER THE FIRST TURNING OF THE ROTOR WHICH THEY DID THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH METAL LEFT TO TURN AGAIN. THAT SEEMS RIDICULOUS. ALSO, THE CAR AT TIMES WONT START AND HAVE TO LET IT SIT FOR 10-15 MINUTES BEFORE IT WILL START. I HAVE READ A LOT OF REVIEWS ON VARIOUS SITES AND IT SEEMS THIS IS A VERY COMMON COMPLAINT. I CAN'T AFFORD TO THROW OUT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS JUT HOPING THAT IT WILL BE FIXED. I HAVE HEARD ANYTHING FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH GOING BAD TO THE PASSLOCK ANTI THEFT SYSTEMS ERRORS AND OR THE BCM MODULE GOING BACK. ALSO SOMEONE SUGGESTED THAT I MIGHT JUST NEED TO GET A NEW KEY CUT AS THE OLD WAS HAS GOTTEN WORN AND THE ANTI THEFT DEVISE IS THINKING THAT SOMEONE IS TRYING TO STEAL THE VEHICLE. *JB

I OWN A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA WITH A STEERING PROBLEM. THE DEALER "REPAIRED" THE STEERING MECHANISM TWICE UNDER WARRANTY AND NOW I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THE STEERING MAKES A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE WHEN TURNING, OR GOING SLOW. AFTER 3 TIMES I HAVE NOW CONCLUDED IT IS ALSO CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH MY BRAKES AND TIRE WEAR. I GET A STEADY VIBRATION AND THE STEERING FEELS LOOSE. I HAVE REPLACED BRAKES, ROTORS AND TIRES. PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS. I BELIEVE IT IS DANGEROUS. IT FEELS LIKE I WILL LOSE CONTROL OF MY CAR. I NOTICED THERE HAVE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME CLUNKING NOISE AND WOULD APPRECIATE A RECALL FROM GM. *JB

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A 2001 CHEVY IMPALA. SHORTLY AFTER I NOTICE WHEN I FIRST STARTED THE CAR,THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE SHOWED THE CAR OVERHEATING, TOOK TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID THAT IT WAS NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. A FEW WEEK AFTER THAT IT QUIT WORKING ALL TOGETHER. SO I LOOK ON THE CAR STATS. COM AND FOUND COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM. SOLUTION I TOOK THE CAR TO REPEATABLE CAR MECHANIC .THE FIRST THING HE DID WAS TO TAKE THE RADIATOR CAP OFF, IT WAS FULL OF BROWN SLUDGE, HE SAID THAT GM TRIED TO SAVE MONEY BY PUTTING IN A $2.00 MANIFOLD GASKET IN ALL 3.4 ENGINES, THEY ALL FAIL BETWEEN 35,000 AND 40,000. IT COST $580. YOU CAN NOT REPLACE ONE GASKET YOU BUY ALL THREE IN A REPLACE KIT AND CHANGE THE OIL AND ANTIFREEZE. I FOUND OUT THAT THIS PROBLEM IS ROUTINELY MISSED. THEY JUST RESET THE COMPUTER AND THE GAUGE WORKS FOR A SHORT TIME THEN WITHOUT WARNING IT QUITS. MY MECHANIC SAID THIS IS SO COMMON HE HAS PAID FOR HIS CHILDRENS COLLEGE EDUCATION. GM DOES NOT COVER THIS COMMON FAILURE UNDER ANY WARRANTY. I WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE I BUY ANY GM PRODUCT. *NM

LOW COOLANT LIGHT STAYS ON - REPLACED FIRST TIME LOW COOLANT LIGHT STAYS ON - REPLACED SECOND TIME. *JB

REPORTED TO FAIRGROUNDS CHEVY THAT ALL THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS CAME-ON INTERMITTENTLY - AUG 12, 2005 WE HEARD A HISSING NOISE FROM THE DASH AREA AND THAT THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS STILL COME ON AS REPORTED EARLIER. THEY DETERMINED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS BAD. *JB

2001 IMPALA REAR DEFROSTER DID NOT WORK. THIS WAS CAUSED BY A LOOSE CLIP INSIDE THE WINDOW. *TS *JB

STEERING COLUMN HAS HAD CLUNKING NOISE THAT CAN BE HEARD AND FELT WHILE DRIVING. HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP ON DIFFERENT SERVICE VISITS. *JB

TURN SIGNALS ONLY WORK SPORADICALLY. 2001 CHEVY IMPALA. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING OVER THE PAST YEAR. THE DEALER CAN'T TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG. *JB

THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED AND WAS COVERED BY A GM SPECIAL POLICY. DUE TO THE FAILED CATALYTIC CONVERTER THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD ALSO FAILED RESULTING IN AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR BILL. GM WOULD NOT COVER THE COST OF THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD EVEN THOUGH IT FAILED FROM A KNOWN ISSUE. THE REPAIR BILL STATES, "UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILURE DUE TO CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE." *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHEN THE TURN SIGNALS ARE IN USE THEY WILL ONLY FLASH ONCE OR TWICE BEFORE THE LIGHT STAYS ON. THE CONTACT MUST PUSH IN THE HAZARD LIGHT SWITCH TO GET THE TURN SIGNALS TO FLASH ON AND OFF CORRECTLY. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. *AK DEALER REPLACED SWITCH HAZARD WARNING SWITCH. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED VEHICLE WOULD NOT START ON TWO OCCASIONS. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THERE WERE NO DASHBOARD LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, AND IT APPEARED AS IF THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. AFTER WAITING A DAY OR TWO THE VEHICLE STARTED. THE DEALER STATED THAT NOTHING CAN BE DONE UNLESS PROBLEM ORIGINATED AT DEALERSHIP. *AK VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. *AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE WHEEL SENSORS STOPPED WORKING, CAUSING ABS FAILURE. WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THERE WAS A GRINDING NOISE AND THE BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE WHEEL SENSORS, RESET THE CODES, REPLACED THE RIGHT AND LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARING ASSEMBLY, AND RESURFACED ALL FOUR ROTORS ON THE VEHICLE. THE REPAIR SEEMED TO HAVE CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. IN ADDITION, WHILE TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL THERE IS A CLANKING NOISE. TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 04-02-35-0048 DEALT WITH THE STEERING PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THIS PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED *AK.

I TOOK MY 2001 IMPALA TO THE GM DEALER AT 23K MILES FOR A NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN, AT THAT TIME THEY SAID THEY HAD TO REPLACE AN INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT PLUS OTHER ISSUES NON RELATED. AT 73K THEY REMOVED THE SHAFT AND LUBED IT AND REPLACED LEFT OUTER TIE ROD FOR $510+. AT 98K MY FRONT WHEEL HUBS WERE REPLACED AND THEY REPLACED THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT AGAIN AND CHARGED ME $125 FOR THE SHAFT AND ANOTHER $975+ FOR THE REST. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR BACK TWO WEEKS LATER FOR YET ANOTHER STEERING PROBLEM THEY SAID IT WAS MY RACK AND PINION THIS TIME AND CHARGED ME $1083. THAT WAS TODAY, TONIGHT ON MY WAY HOME WITH MY WIFE, THE CAR DID THE SAME THING WHILE TURNING RIGHT ON AN EXIT RAMP. I CALLED 1-800-GM AND THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME EXCEPT OFFER ME A GM LOYALTY CERT GOOD FOR SOME $ OFF A PURCHASE OF A NEW GM PRODUCT. I HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL RETURNING TO THE GM DEALER EACH TIME WITH STEERING PROBLEMS (AND OTHER ISSUES NOT RELATED) EXPECTING A FIX AND OVER THE ALMOST 5 YEARS AND ALMOST 100K MILES AND MANY DOLLARS SPENT I HAVE LOST MY FAITH IN GM. *NM

AFTER A YEAR OF CLUNKING SOUNDS IN THE STEERING COLUMN, I'VE JUST TAKEN THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE. I WAS TOLD IN THE PAST THAT IT WAS NOT A PROBLEM. NOW THE SOUNDS ALL ADD UP TO $1500 IN REPAIRS, FOR A PROBLEM THAT I'VE FOUND 4 OTHER IMPALA OWNERS HAVE. NEEDED FOR REPAIR ARE STEERING GEAR, STEERING SHAFT, POWER STEERING PUMP, SERPENTINE BELT (OLD ANYWAY), AND ALL WHEEL ALIGNMENT (RECOMMENDED FOR THIS WORK). ALL TOTALING JUST UNDER $1700. MY AUNT HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM, IT WAS REPAIRED TWICE UNDER WARRANTY. TALKING ON BREAK AT WORK, FOUND OUT OUR COMPANY CAR (IMPALA) HAS THE SAME ISSUE, ANOTHER EMPLOYEES IMPALA HAS THE SAME NOISE. THIS IS A MANUFACTURER PROBLEM THAT THEY WILL NOT RECOGNIZE. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT RECEIVED A LETTER, BUT THIS WAS NOT A RECALL LETTER. THE LETTER STATED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS BEING REPLACED DUE TO THE END CONE INSULATION BREAKING AWAY AND BLOCKING THE FRONT OF THE FIRST CATALYTIC CONVERTER, AND PREVENTING THE FREE FLOW OF THE GAS. THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED BECAUSE IT WAS OVER THE MILEAGE LIMIT. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO 2 SEPARATE TRANSMISSION MECHANICS AND THEY TOLD HIM IT WAS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, AND NOT TRANSMISSION.*AK

THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE IS NOT WORKING CONSISTENTLY. IT WILL GO BELOW COLD SPORADICALLY. THIS WILL CAUSE THE FANS TO RUN CONTINUOUSLY AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON. THE CODES DO NOT MATCH THE PROBLEM AND THE HAYNES BOOK DOES NOT MATCH THE CAR EITHER. COOLANT LEAKS FROM INTAKE MANIFOLD, PROBABLY BAD GASKETS. *NM

DT CONSUMER STATED THE THERMOSTAT WENT OUT ON THE VEHICLE. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF THE ENGINE MADE A LOUD NOISE, AND THE FAN WOULD RUN FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. THE MECHANIC HAD FOUND OIL IN THE COOLANT. THE LOWER INTAKE GASKET, WATER PUMP, AND THE THERMOSTAT WERE REMOVED AND REPLACED. THE MECHANIC STATED WHEN GOING FROM WARM TEMPERATURES TO COLD TEMPERATURES THE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. *AK UPDATED 11/16/2005. *NM