2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKED TWICE WITHIN 45,000 MILES, HAD TO HAVE VEHICLE SERVICED TWICE FOR THIS INTAKE ISSUE, WHICH INVOLVED MISSING WORK. BAD ENOUGH I CAN'T AFFORD THE REPAIRS, BUT THEN I HAVE TO MISS WORK AS WELL. LOW COOLANT LIGHT COMES ON CONSTANTLY AND VEHICLE OVER HEATS. I HAVE HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED, RADIATOR REPLACED, WATER PUMP REPLACED AND HAVEN'T ONLY OWNED THE CARE FOR 3 YEARS. I AM REBUILDING THE ENTIRE CAR! I'VE OWNED 7 CHEVY CARS BUT NONE AS BAD AS THIS. I WILL NEVER,EVER,EVER BUY ANOTHER CHEVY. *TR

WHILE TURNING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO THE OFF POSITION THEY DON'T GO DOWN. THEY SAY IN THE UP POSITION. *TR

RIGHT PASSENGER HEATED SEAT OVERHEATED AND CHARRED LEATHER SEAT COVER BEFORE I NOTICED A BURNING SMELL. I'VE REMOVED FUSE TO THIS SEAT, BUT MY SEAT IS RUINED. MY LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER SAID HE HAS HAD THREE OTHER GM VEHICLES TO DO THIS AND EVEN CAUGHT ONE MAN'S COAT ON FIRE LAYING IN THE SEAT. BUT , HE SAID THERE WAS NO RECALLS ON HIS RECORDS FROM GM. NOW I'M STUCK WITH A FIVE OR SIX HUNDRED DOLLAR REPAIR BILL IF I HAVE IT FIXED. I CAN'T TAKE FUSE OUT FOR DRIVER,S SEAT, AS IT ALSO CONTROLS ANOTHER FUNCTION ON CAR. NOW I'M AFRAID IT WILL OVERHEAT AND I'LL BE BURNED LIKE SOME OF THE OTHERS I'VE READ ABOUT ON THE INTERNET. SEE WWW.CARSTATS.COM/SAFETYSTATION.ASP. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNED A 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 25-35 MPH IN FOGGY WEATHER, THE DRIVER DROVE AROUND AN S-SHAPED CURVE AND CRASHED INTO AN EMBANKMENT. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND THE DRIVER WAS KILLED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT HAS PICTURES. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 90,000. UPDATED 4/16/08 *CN

VEHICLES TURN SIGNALS STOP WORKING INTERMITTENTLY AND SOMETIMES WILL NOT ALLOW THE HAZARD LIGHTS TO WORK. THIS POSES A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK - I WAS STOPPED IN A DARK UNLIT AREA WHEN MY VEHICLE BROKE DOWN AND VEHICLES WERE UNABLE TO SEE MY CAR OR MYSELF. *TR

LOW BEAM LIGHTS WENT OUT. AFTER READING OTHER COMPLAINTS FROM THIS WEBSITE HTTP://WWW.CARSMART.COM/CONTENT/RESEARCH/FORUMS/INDEX.CFM/ACTION/POSTS/FID/136 I DECIDED THAT SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE AT GM IN LINE OF A RECALL. THIS CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT WHEN YOU ALL OF A SUDDEN DON"T HAVE ANY LIGHTS. AND IF YOU DRIVE WITH YOUR HIGH BEAMS ON YOU CAN BLIND ONCOMING DRIVERS. MY CAR IS A 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA. *TR

OUR 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA WAS LEFT IN AN APARTMENT BEHIND MY CHILDREN'S' APARTMENT IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA. WHEN THEY RETURNED FROM CHRISTMAS BREAK, THE BATTERY WAS DOWN AND IT WAS COLD OUTSIDE. THEY TRIED TO JUMP START THE CAR USING JUMPER CABLES FROM ANOTHER VEHICLE NEXT TO IT. MY DAUGHTER WAS IN FRONT OF THE CAR TO REMOVE THE JUMPER CABLES AFTER IT STARTED. WHEN MY SON TRIED TO CRANK THE ENGINE, IT EXPLODED ALL OVER THE PARKING LOT, SHOWERING MY DAUGHTER WITH BITS AND PIECES OF THE PLASTIC TOP OF THE ENGINE. MY DAUGHTER WAS SHAKEN UP BUT NOT HOSPITALIZED AND HER CONFIDENCE IN STARTING GM AUTOS IS "GONE." GM CLAIMS THAT THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE BECAUSE THERE IS 120,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION AND WILL NOT PROVIDE ANY SAFETY ADVICE ON STARTING THE VEHICLE IN THE FUTURE. THEY ALSO CONTEND THAT THE CHILDREN WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR BLOWING UP THE CAR BY STARTING IT WITH JUMPER CABLES, ALTHOUGH THE DEALER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT WAS STARTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OWNERS MANUAL. THERE SEEM TO BE UNRESOLVED SAFETY ISSUES HERE THAT GM DOES NOT WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR ADMIT TO. *TR

CAR RANDOMLY DOESN'T START. WHEN I FIRST GOT THE CAR(6 MOS AGO) I REPLACED THE STARTER HAVING NO IDEA THAT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING OVER AND OVER AGAIN TO MANY IMPALA OWNERS IF NOT ALL OF THEM. STARTED FINE FOR 2 WEEKS AND IT'S BEEN HAPPENING EVER SINCE. SOMETIMES WHEN THE CAR DOESN'T START IT TRIPS THE PASSLOCK AND I HAVE TO WAIT ANYWHERE FROM 10 TO 30MINS BEFORE IT RESETS IN ORDER TO TRY STARTING AGAIN. I'VE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR AND AT QUICK STOPS I HAVE TO LEAVE IT RUNNING TO BE SURE I WON'T GET STUCK THERE FOR 30 MINS OR SO. I'VE ALSO BEEN STUCK AT GAS STATIONS WAITING 10 TO 30 MINS(AT THE PUMP) FOR IT TO START AGAIN (VERY EMBARRASSING). AFTER ALL THE COMPLAINTS I'VE READ I'M AFRAID TO SPEND ANYMORE MONEY ON THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOCK ON THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT DOOR WAS INOPERATIVE. IN ADDITION, HE WAS UNABLE TO UNLOCK THE DOOR MANUALLY. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE DOOR LATCH AND LOCK ASSEMBLY. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 61,378. . UPDATED 02-14-08 *BF

RECEIVED 2000 CHEVY IMPALA AS AN INHERITANCE. WITHIN 2 WEEKS CAR AT TIMES WOULD NOT START. ALL LIGHTS ON DASH WOULD ILLUMINATE FOLLOWED BY THE YELLOW/ORANGE SECURITY LIGHT. THIS IS DUE TO A PASSLOCK PROBLEM WHERE THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM THINKS THAT SOMETHING OTHER THAN A LEGITIMATE KEY IS BEING USED TO TRY AND START THE CAR. MY SISTER HAD THIS PROBLEM AND AT TIMES WOULD HAVE TO TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION TO "ON POSITION" AND WAIT 10 MINUTES. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF RESEARCH I WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT TO RESET THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM THE KEY NEEDED TO BE LEFT IN THE IGNITION SWITCH IN THE "ON POSITION" THEN REMOVED AND REPEATED TWO MORE TIMES (3 TIMES, 30 MINUTES TOTAL). AFTER DOING THIS I HAD NO MORE PROBLEMS. MY ONLY PROBLEM IS THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT ARE NOT MECHANICALLY INCLINED, AND PLENTY OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO HAD THEIR VEHICLES TOWED AND FACE A DIAGNOSIS FEE (AND PLENTY OF TIMES MISDIAGNOSIS). ACCORDING TO ALL THE INFORMATION READILY AVAILABLE CHEVY/GM HAS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS AND I CONSIDER IT SHAMEFUL THAT THEY DO NOT ALLOW SOME KIND OF CONCESSION OR MODIFICATION SO THAT A CUSTOMER OF THEIRS WITH A LEGITIMATE KEY CANNOT START THE VEHICLE. *TR