General Motors Corp.: Engine and Engine Cooling
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Apr 8, 2009 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 1,497,516. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 1,497,516 MY 1997-2003 BUICK REGAL, MY 1998-2003 CHEVROLET LUMINA, MONTE CARLO AND IMPALA, MY 1998-1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE, MY 1997-2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 3.8L V6 NATURALLY ASPIRATED ENGINE. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH DROPS OF ENGINE OIL MAY BE DEPOSITED ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD THROUGH HARD BRAKING.
The risk
IF THE MANIFOLD IS HOT ENOUGH AND THE OIL RUNS BELOW THE HEAT SHIELD, IT MAY IGNITE INTO A SMALL FLAME AND MAY SPREAD TO THE PLASTIC SPARK PLUG WIRE CHANNEL AND BEYOND INCREASING THE RISK OF AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINES FRONT VALVE COVER AND FRONT-VALVE-COVER GASKET WITH NEW PARTS OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN AND REMOVE THE ENGINES PLASTIC COVER AND PLASTIC OIL-FILL-TUBE EXTENSION, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2016. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR HTTP://WWW.PONTIAC.COM OR HTTP:WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
28 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Buick Regal | 101 | 5 | 14 | 5 |
| 2003 Chevrolet Impala | 695 | 8 | 32 | 32 |
| 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 158 | 9 | 18 | 10 |
| 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix | 106 | 7 | 37 | 5 |
| 2002 Buick Regal | 117 | 5 | 23 | 2 |
| 2002 Chevrolet Impala | 795 | 7 | 32 | 38 |
| 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 230 | 7 | 24 | 11 |
| 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix | 330 | 7 | 96 | 19 |
| 2001 Buick Regal | 187 | 8 | 48 | 5 |
| 2001 Chevrolet Impala | 742 | 10 | 67 | 33 |
| 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 276 | 8 | 31 | 13 |
| 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix | 308 | 10 | 106 | 14 |
| 2000 Buick Regal | 184 | 10 | 30 | 12 |
| 2000 Chevrolet Impala | 818 | 10 | 73 | 49 |
| 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 233 | 8 | 35 | 12 |
| 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix | 461 | 9 | 162 | 10 |
| 1999 Buick Regal | 246 | 8 | 44 | 8 |
| 1999 Chevrolet Lumina | 103 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 125 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue | 256 | 8 | 14 | 11 |
| 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix | 412 | 8 | 125 | 13 |
| 1998 Buick Regal | 302 | 7 | 41 | 7 |
| 1998 Chevrolet Lumina | 223 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 100 | 5 | 8 | 13 |
| 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue | 510 | 8 | 39 | 19 |
| 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix | 499 | 8 | 60 | 19 |
| 1997 Buick Regal | 136 | 8 | 19 | 3 |
| 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix | 810 | 9 | 108 | 34 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 09V116000.
Full record for the 2003 Buick Regal → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →