2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

MY 2000 CHEVY IMPALA DECIDES NOT TO START ON SOME DAYS. AT FIRST, IT WAS VERY INFREQUENT AND NOW ITS HAPPENING MORE AND MORE OFTEN. WHEN I TURN THE KEY TO START MY CAR, THE ONLY THING THAT HAPPENS IS THE SECURITY LIGHT TURNS ON. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES THE MY CAR SUDDENTLY STARTS UP AGAIN. FROM WHAT I READ ONLINE AND ON YOUTUBE, THIS PROBLEM IS NOTORIOUS WITH A LOT OF GM VEHICLES. NOT A LOT OF MECHANICS KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND I DONT HAVE THE TIME OR MONEY TO HAVE IT SERVICED MULTIPLE TIMES. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS OBVIOUS MALFUNCTION. I KNOW THAT MY NEXT CAR WILL NOT BE A GM.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE STARTED THE VEHICLE AND ALLOWED THE ENGINE TO RUN FOR A FEW MOMENTS. THE VEHICLE THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE. THERE WERE NO OCCUPANTS WHEN THE FIRE OCCURRED AND THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 123,000.

OIL AND COOLANT (ANTI-FREEZE) IS EVAPORATING OR BEING BURNED UP. AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ONLINE, IT SEEMS THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE MATERIAL USED BY CHEVY WITH REGARD TO A GASKET CALLED A PLENUM THAT IS LOCATED IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THE GASKET WARPS UNDER HEAT AND AGE AND ALLOWS COOLANT AND OR OIL TO ENTER THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHICH EVAPORATES. WITH THE AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS I FOUND ONLINE, THIS SEEMS LIKE A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE CHEVY IMPALA 3.8L V6 TYPE 2 ENGINE. GM SHOULD REPLACE THE INFERIOR MATERIAL USED WITH A SUPERIOR METAL GASKET. THIS ISSUE SEEMS LIKE IT COULD CAUSE A FIRE IN THE ENGINE. I ALSO READ THAT THIS ISSUE CAN CAUSE OIL TO BE BURNED. GM USED A CHEAP GASKET TO SAVE MONEY BUT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN COOLANT AND OIL IS BEING BURNED UP INTERNALLY AT AN UNUSUAL SPEED OF TIME. THE SECOND UNKNOWN ISSUE IS, WILL THIS CAUSE A FIRE? *TR

ABOUT WEEKS BEFORE THE INCIDENT, MY CAR SEEM TO MISFIRE. THE CAR WAS PARKED FOR 3 DAYS. WHEN TRIED TO START IT, THE ENGINE EXPLODED AND CAUGHT FIRE. THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND MOTOR OIL COVER AND SOME OTHER ENGINE PARTS EXPLODED OUT OF CAR. WHEN CONTACTED GM AND MENTIONED THE INCIDENT, NO ACTION WAS TAKEN BY GM AND THE REFUSE TO TAKE ANY ACTION OR ACKNOWLEDGE ANY RESPONSIBILITY. IT APPEARS THAT SAME ENGINE HAS ISSUES WHICH CAUSED A RECALL ON APRIL 14, 2009. THE SYMPTOMS/CAUSE ARE DESCRIBED AS: "GM RECALLED 1.5 MILLION VEHICLES WITH THIS ENGINE ON APRIL 14, 2009 DUE TO RISK OF FIRE FROM ENGINE OIL LEAKING UNDER THE VALVE COVER GASKETS ONTO HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLDS. THE FIRE COULD SPREAD TO THE NEARBY PLASTIC SPARK PLUG WIRE RETAINERS ON THE VALVE COVER AND THEN TO THE REST OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. GM FITTED THE AFFECTED VEHICLES WITH REDESIGNED SPARK PLUG WIRE RETAINERS.[3] THESE ENGINES WERE NOTED FOR HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE PLASTIC UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD CRACKING AROUND THE EGR PASSAGE. THE ENGINE WOULD THEN VAPOR LOCK. " I DID TAKE MY CAR TO DEALERSHIP TO TAKE CARE OF THIS RECALL BUT IT APPEARS THAT IT DOES NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND IT STILL EXISTS AND MY CAR IS TOTALED. BUT GM HAS TOLD ME THAT ACCORDING TO TEXAS LAW IT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ISSUES AFTER 4 YEARS FROM THE PURCHASE DATE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AND HIGH BEAM ON, THE HEADLIGHTS TOTALLY GO OUT. MOVE LEVER ON STEERING COLUMN TO ACTIVATE LOW BEAM, THE LIGHTS COME BACK ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED A NUMBER OF TIMES AND IS VERY SCARY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT COOLANT WAS LEAKING OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE LOWER PLENTUN WAS MELTING AS A RESULT OF IT BEING TOO CLOSE TO THE MOTOR AND RECOMMENDED HAVING THE COMPONENT REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 126,000.

INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE SINCE REACHING 17,669 MILES. I HAD IT REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY THE FIRST TIME AND HAVE PAID FOR IT TO BE REPLACED AFTER THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY RAN OUT. THE SHAFT CONTINUES TO MAKE CRACKING NOISES WHEN TURNING THE VEHICLE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A PART DEFECT SINCE A LOT OF PEOPLE ONLINE HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE. I HAVE HAD THE SHAFT REPLACED THREE TIMES AND IT LAST ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE IT STARTS TO MAKE A CRACKING NOISE. THE POWER WINDOW REGULATOR IS A DEFECT IN THIS VEHICLE BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. I HAVE HAD THE REGULATOR REPLACED FOR ALL FOUR WINDOWS AND NOW I AM STARTING TO HAVE TO REPLACE THE REGULATORS AGAIN FOR ALL FOUR WINDOWS. THE REGULATOR REPLACEMENT IS EXPENSIVE ($400+ FOR EACH WINDOW). *TR

WHILE DRIVING THIS CAR IT WOULD JUST STALL OR DIE AS IF SOMEONE HAD REACHED OVER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF AND WOULD NOT START FOR A FEW DAYS. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS CAR TO TWO MECHANICS AND NEITHER WERE ABLE TO STOP THE PROBLEM BUT TOLD ME THAT DIFFERENT PARTS WERE THE CULPRIT, SO 800 DOLLARS LATER I HAVE REPLACED THE FUEL FILTER, FUEL PUMP, CRANK SHAFT POSITION SENSOR, MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR,REPLACED THE BATTERY, TESTED THE ALTERNATOR, TESTED THE FUEL INJECTORS BOTH HOT AND COLD, TESTED THE IGNITION MODULE AND STILL THE CAR DIED LEAVING MY CHILD AND I STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY IN COLD TEMPERATURES. I THEN CALLED A GM DEALERSHIP WHOM SAID ANOTHER 120.00 JUST TO LOOK AT IT AND SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM . THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! *TR

TRANSMISSION OVERDRIVE SHAFT SPLINE IS STRIPPED PREVENTING THE OVERDRIVE FROM BEING USED. I BOUGHT THIS CAR FROM A NEIGHBOR JUST NOW, BUT THIS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM OCCURRED AT LEAST 2 YEARS AGO WITH APPROXIMATELY 110,000 MILES ON IT. I JUST HAD THE EXACT TRANSMISSION ISSUE CONFIRMED NOW. *TR

COOLANT LEAK AT GASKET BETWEEN BLACK FRP (FIBERGLASS REINFORCED PLASTIC) UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD / PLENUM AND METAL INTAKE MANIFOLD NEAR THROTTLE BODY. NHTSA 10006144. *TR