2006 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN I HAD TOO STOP QUICKLY AT A STOP LIGHT APPLYING THE BRAKES SIGNIFICANTLY ALL I DID IS SKID THE ABS NEVER WORKED AND NO INDICATION LIGHT CAME ON I THEN HAD TOO STOP SLOW IN THE SNOW SAME SCENARIO. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH DOWNHILL, THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED EXCESSIVELY WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE DRIVER EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY STEERING THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE BRAKE ROTORS. THE TECHNICIAN RESURFACED THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED PROPERLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 26,500. UPDATED 12/08/09. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKES PULSATED WHEN THEY WERE APPLIED. UPDATED 12/10/09

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE TO WORK IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF MAJOR MICHIGAN HIGHWAY (I-75). AS I HEADED INTO A RIGHT CURVE ON THE HIGHWAY, MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO MAKE A VERY LOUD SQUEALING NOISE UNDER THE HOOD AND MY STEERING WHEEL PULLED OUT OF MY HANDS, AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO PULL BACK STRAIGHT. IT BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER MY VEHICLE TO THE RIGHT, SO I PULL OUT OF TRAFFIC AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY, I SHUT MY VEHICLE OFF. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE CLOSEST CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP FOR AN INSPECTION. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE POWER STEERING LINE HAD BURST, CAUSING A RAPID LOSS OF POWER STEERING FLUID AND LACK OF VEHICLE CONTROL. THEY REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE LINE AT A TOTAL COST OF $438. I RELUCTANTLY PAID FOR THE REPAIRS AFTER FINDING OUT THIS DEFECT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE "GM CERTIFIED 100,000 MILE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY". WHAT I FAIL TO UNDERSTAND IS WHY WOULD A PRODUCT THAT SERVES SUCH A VITAL SAFETY FEATURE IN A VEHICLE, NOT BE HELD TO HIGHER QUALITY STANDARDS AND BE COVERED FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME. BASED ON THE RECENT NUMBER OF INCIDENTS REPORTED BY CONSUMERS FOR THIS SAME YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL, I FEEL THIS TYPE OF DEFECT NEEDS TO RECALLED BY GM BEFORE SERIOUS INJURIES OR LIVES ARE LOST. I DON'T THINK I HAVE BEEN MORE PANICKED BEHIND THE WHEEL THAN I WAS AT THAT TIME. *TR

I WAS DRIVING VEHICLE AND WENT TO TURN ONTO MY STREET AND POWER STEERING FAILED CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING AND CAME CLOSE TO HITTING A UTILITY POLE. UPON INSPECTION I NOTICED HYDRAULIC PIPING FOR THE POWER STEERING HAD SPRUNG A LEAK. IN SEARCHING FOR A BULLETIN I DISCOVERED #060232014. NHTSA CAMPAIGN#10020769. I HAVE SET AN APPOINTMENT AT A DEALERSHIP TO REPAIR. HOWEVER,THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE HAD FATAL OUTCOME. I BELIEVE THAT THIS GOES BEYOND A SERVICE BULLETIN AND SHOULD BE FURTHER INVESIGATED. LOSS OF LIFE SHOULD NOT BE THE DETERMINING FACTOR. *TR

WHEN THE CAR IS RUNNING BUT IN A STOPPED POSITION, IE., AT A STOP LIGHT, THE HEATER BLOWS COLD AIR - ON ANY OF THE DIAL OPTIONS, I.E, FEET, FACE, COMBINATION, ETC. WHEN DRIVING, IT THEN HEATS, BLOWS WARM AIR. WHEN I HAD MY CAR INTO THE DEALER LAST YEAR (MAHOWALDS MOTORS IN NEW PRAGUE WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR) FOR THE NORMAL SCHEDULED OIL CHANGE, THEY WERE TOLD ABOUT THIS. THE SERVICE MANAGER PULLED UP A BULLETIN FROM MARCH OF 2008 AND IT STATED THAT THIS MAKE/MODEL CAR WOULD HAVE THIS PROBLEM. IT TOLD THE DEALERSHIP HOW TO FIX IT (NO PARTS INVOLVED - JUST TAKING OFF SOME HOSES AS THERE WAS AIR BUBBLES OR BLOCKAGE THAT WAS CAUSING THIS - AND THEY WANTED SOME WHERE AROUND $186.00 TO DO THIS.). I ASKED WHY THIS WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN DONE WHEN THEY KNEW ABOUT THIS, THAT THIS MAKE OF CAR WAS GOING TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM, AND I WAS TOLD THAT AS LONG AS WE DIDN'T BRING IT UP, THEY WERE NOT FIXING IT AS IT WAS NOT A "RECALL", JUST A BULLETIN LETTING THEM KNOW IT WILL HAPPEN. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS PROCESS WHEN A DEALERSHIP OR A HUGE COMPANY LIKE CHEVROLET KNOWS THERE IS A FLAW BUT SITS BACK AND KEEPS THEIR MOUTH SHUT ABOUT IT AND THEN WHEN CONFRONTED THE CUSTOMER IS TOLD IT WILL TAKE $186.00 TO FIX. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT BECAUSE THERE WERE NO 'PARTS' INVOLVED IN THIS REPAIR, THAT THIS WAS THE REASON IT COST THIS MUCH.....IT ALMOST MAKES IT SOUND LIKE, IF THERE DO NOT HAVE ANY PARTS COST TO FALL BACK ON, THEN THEY BOOST UP THE LABOR CHARGES. BOTTOM LINE IS, THE BULLETIN CAME OUT IN MARCH OF 2008, AND MY CAR WAS IN EVERY 3000 MILES FOR THE OIL CHANGE, THIS 'ERROR' REPAIR SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF AND NOT 'HIDDEN' IN THE BACKROOM. THIS IS MY COMPLAINT. I HAVE TALKED TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THIS DEALERSHIP (WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW), A COUPLE OF TIMES, AND HE SAID HE CAN'T AND WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT....I ASKED HIM TO CALL THE KEY COMPANY ON THIS AND HE SAID THAT ISN'T PART OF HIS JOB. WHERE DOES CUSTOMER SERVICE END THAT IT ISN'T 'PART OF HIS JOB. *TR

I TOOK MY CAR TO THE SHOP THE OTHER DAY TO HAVE IT CHECKED BECAUSE IT STOPPED GETTING HOT AND I WAS PUTTING ANTIFREEZE IN IT ABOUT ONCE A WEEK. IT WOULD ONLY GET HOT IF I WAS PRESSING ON THE GAS OR WAS DRIVING. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS LEAKING FROM MY HEAD GASKET AND THAT THEY HAVE SEEN THIS PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS OFTEN. THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO A CHEVY DEALER AND THEY SHOULD FIX IT. IM GOING TO GO TO THE CHEVY DEALER AND SEE IF THEY WILL FIX IT OR NOT. *TR

TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS.. JERKING WHEN TRYING TO BACK IN A PARKING SPACE. SEALS HAD TO BE REPLACE DUE TO A TRANSMISSION LEAK. *TR

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION; 1 QT EVERY 1500 MILES. IMPALA 2006 SS. 5.3L. DEALER CLAIMS THIS IS NORMAL. *TR

ON FRIDAY, JAN. 23, 2009 I EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF STEERING ON MY 2006 IMPALA LTZ MILEAGE 45,500. WHILE DRIVING ON A DUAL LANE HWY. WHEN THE TRAFFIC LIGHT ALLOWED I TRIED TO TURN LEFT, STEERING VERY STIFF I PULLED OVER, RAISED HOOD SAW SMOKE, CALLED DEALER WAS TOLD COULD NOT GET REPAIRS UNTIL MONDAY. I CALLED TOW TRUCK AS IT WAS COVERED UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. I ASKED ABOUT A LOANER CAR, NONE AVAILABLE, EXTENDED WARRANTY PAID ALL BUT DEDUCTIBLE. I PICKED UP THE CAR ON MONDAY SEEMED OKAY, AFTER LEAVING WORK PLACE TUESDAY AFTERNOON, LOST MY STEERING AGAIN WAS ABLE TO DRIVE BACK TO DEALER ABOUT FIVE MILES, WAS TOLD THE HOSE HADN'T SEATED PROPERLY TOOK AN HOUR FOR REPAIRS THIS TIME. TODAY STIFFNESS RETURNING. WILL LOOK FOR ANOTHER CAR SOON, LOST CONFIDENCE IN GMC PRODUCTS. PLEASE RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS HURT. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 CHEVROLET IMPALA WHICH REQUIRED THE FRONT BRAKES TO HAVE THE ROTORS MACHINED AND REPLACED 3 TIMES IN THE FIRST 33,000 MILES. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS CAUSED BY THE USE OF INFERIOR METAL FOR THE ROTORS WHICH COULD NOT WITHSTAND THE HEAT GENERATED BY BRAKING, ESPECIALLY WHEN EXITING FROM A HIGHWAY. ADDITIONALLY, THE FRONT OUTER TIE RODS REQUIRED REPLACEMENT IN THE FIRST 65,000 MILES OF DRIVING BECAUSE THEY HAD BECOME WORN OUT WHICH CAUSED THE FRONT TIRES TO BE LOOSE OR "WOBBLY." *TR