2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

THE ENGINE COOLANT LOW LEVEL LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. CONSUMER FILLED THE COOLANT, AND THE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED RESULTING IN A LEAK. *AK *NM

COMPLAINT RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL. RECENTLY A COIN FROM THE ASHTRAY ENDED UP IN THE LIGHTER SOCKET. THE LIGHTER AND THE POWER SEATS STOPPED WORKING. MY MECHANIC REPLACED THE POWER SEAT CIRCUIT BREAKER. HOWEVER, THE FUSE TO THE LIGHTER HAD NOT SHORTED OUT. INSTEAD, HE SAID, IT MELTED A WIRE UNDERNEATH THE CARPET. THE COST TO REPAIR IT WAS ABOUT $200.00. THE 2004 MODEL HAS A SEPARATE SECTION IN THE ASHTRAY BLOCKED FROM THE SOCKET SO THAT IT COULD NOT HAPPEN ON THE NEWER MODEL. I ASSUME THE ENGINEERING CHANGE WAS MADE BECAUSE MY PROBLEM HAPPENED BEFORE, AND THAT CHANGE WAS MADE TO REDUCE THOSE INSTANCES. I WOULD HAVE HAD NO PROBLEM IF THE FUSE HAD BLOWN WHICH IT DID NOT. I ASKED MY MECHANIC TO REMOVE THE FUSE BECAUSE HE SAID THAT THE MELTED WIRE MIGHT CAUSE A FIRE. I PAID FOR A NEW CIRCUIT BREAKER, AND I FEEL THAT GM SHOULD PAY FOR THE LIGHTER BECAUSE OF THE ENGINEERING OMISSION ON THE EARLIER MODEL. *AK

(1) COOLING SYSTEM FAILURE, TEMP GAUGE NOT WORKING, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, COOLING FANS RUNNING CONTINUOUSLY (2) IMPROPER ENGINE OPERATION, ROADSIDE STOPPAGE (3) RESET CONNECTION ON COOLANT SENSOR , SYSTEM RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION. I'M NOT SURE THERE WAS ANY CORRELATION WITH THE SENSOR CONNECTION. THE COMPUTER RESET ITSELF AFTER A FEW MINUTES AND ALL CONDITIONS RETURNED TO NORMAL.*AK

1. INITIAL MINOR THEN SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF ENGINE COOLANT, LEADING TO BREAKDOWN ON HIGHWAY OF 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA WITH 3.4 LITER V-6. SECOND PART: LOSS OF REAR PASSENGER TURN SIGNAL.*AK 2. LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET DEFECTIVE, ALLOWING COOLANT TO LEAK AND BROWN SLUDGE OBSERVED ON RADIATOR CAP. HAD TO ADD COOLANT AND LOST USE OF VEHICLE. SECOND PART: LOSS OF REAR PASSENGER TURN SIGNAL, BRAKE LIGHT AND HAZARD FLASHER AS A RESULT OF DEFECTIVE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH (GM PART 88964580) - LED TO RECIEVING WRITTEN CITATION OF DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT. 3. REPLACED UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD, DEX-COOL COOLANT, O-RING (PART 10477565), THERMOSTAT, OIL (TO REMOVE ANY POSSIBLE COOLANT THAT LEAKED INTO OIL PASSED FAILED GASKET). CONTACT FOR OLD PART AVAILABILITY. REPLACED MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH (GM PART 88964580)

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD/GASKET ON THIS VEHICLE HAS TO BE REPLACED. CAR WAS OVERHEATING WHEN IDLE. NO HEAT WAS BEING GENERATED. COST TO REPAIR HAS BEEN QUOTED AS $580. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM ON THESE VEHICLES, GM NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL AS ANY KNOWLEDGEABLE MECHANIC IS AWARE OF THIS VERY COMMON PROBLEM, DUE TO POOR-QUALITY INTAKE MANIFOLD/GASKETS BEING USED ON THESE VEHICLES. *NM

I HAVE TWO GM CARS BOTH 2001 MY GRAND AM I JUST CHANGED THE MANIFOLD GASKETS AND THE HEAD GASKETS, NOW MY IMPALA ALSO NEEDS THE SAME GASKETS CHANGED MAYBE THERE IS A REASON FOR THIS DEFECT. I DO NOT THINK THAT IT POSSIBLE TO CHANGE THESE GASKETS AFTER FOUR YEARS. MY GRAND AM WAS COVERED MY IMPALA IS NOT. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS? PLEASE RESPOND. *NM

I'M GETTING A "POP" AND "KLUNK" IN THE FRONT END. I WAS TOLD BY AN INDEPENDENT SERVICE PERSON THAT THE RACK AND PINION WAS GOING BAD. I HAVE TALKED TO MY LOCAL GM DEALER, AND THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A RECALL OR SERVICE BULLETIN ON IT. MY CAR HAS ONLY 45K ON IT, HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SOMETHING IMPORTANT AS STEERING IS GOING BAD IN LESS THAN 50,000 MILES. I DON'T FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO REPLACE IT AT MY EXPENSE, WHEN IT SEEMS TO BE A FACTORY DEFECT. *NM

THE SEAT WARMER IN MY 2001 CHEVY IMPALA OVERHEATED CAUSING 3 LARGE(QUARTER SIZED) BLISTERING BURNS ON MY BACKSIDE. I TURNED IT OFF UPON FEELING THE BURNING, AND LATER IT DID NOT TURN ON AT ALL. MY CHEVY DEALER FIXED THE SEAT WARMERS AND THE REPAIR WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. 18 DAYS LATER THE BLISTERS ARE STILL HEALING. *JB

I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT A POSSIBLE DEFECT WITH GM/CHEVROLET'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OR BODY CONTROL MODULE, WHICH DISABLES MY CAR'S DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS (E.G., BLINKERS). I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, WHO TOLD ME IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THE BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM), WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY REPLACED THE BCM WITH A NEW ONE, BUT THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS STILL DO NOT WORK.*AK

1) THERE'S A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT ON MOST W,J, AND G PLATFORM GENERAL MOTORS VEHICLES. IN AS LITTLE AS 15-20K MILES, THE STEERING WILL GET SLOPPY AND WILL "KLUNK" ON LOW SPEED STEERING MANEUVERS, AND WILL ALSO "KLUNK" ON ACCELERATION AND BRAKING. ) IN SOME CASES, THE STEERING SHAFT WILL BIND UP OR BREAK, RESULTING IN STEERING FAILURE. THERE ARE DOCUMENTED CASES OF THIS HAPPENING IN POLICE EQUIPPED IMPALA VEHICLES. 3) IN MY CASE, THE DEALERSHIP "LUBED" THE STEERING SHAFT. RATHER THAN REPLACE THE FAULTY PART, GM ADVICES TO INJECT A SYRINGE OF GREASE INTO THE YOKE OF THE SHAFT, AND PLACE THE PART BACK INTO THE VEHICLE. 10-15K MILES LATER, THE PROBLEM RETURNS. I'VE TWICE HAD MY STEERING SHAFT LUBED FOR THIS PROBLEM. GM HAS JUST RECENTLY DEVELOPED A REDESIGNED PART, BUT AVAILABILITY IS SEVERELY LIMITED, AND THE COST OF REPLACEMENT IS PLACED ON THE VEHICLE OWNER IF OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY PERIOD (3YEAR/36000 MILES. *AK