2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY RATE OF SPEED, THE HEAD LIGHTS WOULD SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED HE WOULD HAVE TO TURN HEADLIGHTS FROM HIGH TO LOW, TO GET THEM TO ILLUMINATE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 46,000.

FAILURE OF DIMMER CONTROL ON 2002 IMPALA. SWITCH BEGAN FEELING HEAVIER TO ACTIVATE, THEN HEADLIGHTS FAILED MULTIPLE TIMES, INITIALLY ON HIGH BEAM AND THEN ON LOW BEAM. HEADLIGHTS WOULD SUDDENLY GO OFF WHILE DRIVING. TOGGLING THE DIMMER SWITCH WOULD REACTIVATE THE LIGHTS. FORTUNATELY I WAS DRIVING ON A FAIRLY STRAIGHT ROAD. DEALER INDICATED THEY NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM. REVIEW OF INTERNET COMPLAINTS, THIS ISSUE APPEARS COMMON. REPAIR WITH DEALER COST $479. *TR

SEVERAL TIMES I WOULD GO TO START MY CAR AND THE SECURITY LIGHT WOULD BE ON IN THE MESSAGE CENTER. THE CAR WOULD NOT START. IT DID NOTHING LIKE A DEAD BATTERY. I WOULD WAIT ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND TRY AGAIN. SOMETIMES IT WOULD START SOMETIMES IT WOULDN'T. IT WAS DOING THIS 2 OR 3 TIMES A WEEK. ON SEPT. 9, 2006 I CAME OUT FROM SHOPPING AND IT WOULDN'T START. I WAITED FOR 15 MINUTES AND STILL NOTHING. I DID THIS FOR AN HOUR. THEN I CALLED A FRIEND TO COME AND GET ME. I WENT BACK TO MY CAR WHICH IS A 2002 IMPALA, THE NEXT DAY, STILL NOTHING. THE NEXT DAY, STILL NOTHING. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK TO THE DEALER TO GET IT FIXED. ALSO MY POWER DOOR LOCKS HAD QUIT AT THE SAME TIME. I WAS TOLD I HAD TO GIVE THEM $100.00 JUST TO LOOK AT IT. 3 HOURS LATER THEY CALLED AND SAID THAT I COULD PICK UP MY CAR. TOTAL COST TOWING $59.00, DEALER $496.95. I AM DISABLED AND ONLY GET $600.00 A MONTH FROM DISABILITY. NOW I HAVE NO MONEY FOR MY LIVING EXPENSES FOR THE MONTH BUT THE CAR IS STILL DOING THE SAME THING. ON THE 1ST OF OCT. I WENT OUT TO START MY CAR AND GUESS WHAT IT WON'T START. SINCE THIS WAS A SUNDAY I CALLED THE DEALER ON MONDAY MORNING TO TELL THEM THAT IT WAS NOT FIXED . IT WAS STILL DOING THE EXACT SAME THING THAT IT WAS BEFORE THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED IT. BY THE WAY WHEN THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIX IT THEY REPLACED THE BMC. NOW THEY WANT ANOTHER $100.00 TO LOOK AT IT AGAIN. THE PART WAS GUARANTEED BUT NOT LABOR, I COULD NOT AFFORD ANOTHER BILL LIKE THE LAST ONE, I JUST HOPE IT STARTS WHEN I GO TO THE DR. IT STARTS ONLY WHEN IT WANTS TO. MY HUSBAND JUST HAD BRAIN SURGERY, I HAVE HAD 5 SURGERIES ON MY SPINE, I NEED A CAR THAT I CAN DEPEND ON TO START. NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT. I WILL HOLD CHEVROLET RESPONSIBLE IF ANY THING HAPPENS TO MY HUSBAND OR MY SELF BECAUSE THE CAR WON'T START. AFTER I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER I CAME HOME, LOOKED ON THE INTERNET UNDER CHEVROLET IMPALA 2002 AND FOUND 100'S OF SERVICE BULLETINS ON THE VERY SAME PROBLEM. WHY ISN'T ANY THING BEING DONE ABOUT THIS. *TR

WAS WAITING IN TERMINAL FOR MY FERRY HOME...TRIED TO START CAR WHEN ASKED TO MOVE ONTO FERRY...NOTHING CAR WOULD NOT START .. JUST DEAD...TRIED TO START WITH TWO DIFFERENT CHARGERS..NO LUCK.. CALLED BCAA .. MISSED FERRY...FINALLY BACK IN CAR TO WAIT FOR AAA TALKING TO HUSBAND WHO ASKED IF WINDOWS WORKED AND RADIO? YES WINDOWS DID BUT HADN'T TRIED RADIO...WENT INTO CAR TURNED ON IGNITION TO START RADIO AND CAR STARTED RIGHT AWAY...NO HESITATION...HAD TO LEAVE ON WHILE WAITING FOR LAST FERRY HOME AND DURING THE TRIP ACROSS THE STRAIGHT...GOT HOME TURNED OFF CAR...TRIED TO START AGAIN...NO PROBLEM STARTED FIRST TIME...STILL HAVEN'T FOUND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND HOW TO FIX IT. *AK

HEADLAMPS AND INTERIOR LIGHTING APPEARED TO HAVE A SHORT IN THEM. HAVE BEEN TRAVELING AT NIGHT AT 55 MPH AND DIMMED THE LIGHTS FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN ALL LIGHTS EXCEPT THE FOG LIGHTS COMPLETELY WENT OUT. CONTINUOUS FIDDLING WITH SWITCHES FINALLY MADE THEM COME BACK ON. ALSO, LIGHTS WILL NOT ALWAYS COME ON AT NIGHT WITHOUT CONTINUOUS FIDDLING WITH SWITCHES. OCCURS 5 DAYS OUT OF 7 IN EVERY WEEK.*AK

SECURITY ISSUE WHEN TRYING TO START THE ENGINE. SECURITY ERROR WILL FLASH WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START UP THE ENGINE WHICH RESULTED IN LOSS OF POWER TO ALL SYSTEMS. THE ONLY FIX APPEARED TO BE TO WAIT 20-30 MINUTES AND THEN TRY TO START THE ENGINE AGAIN. AREA SHOPS ADMIT KNOWLEDGE OF DEFECT,. SOME BLAME THE IGNITION SWITCH, WHICH HAS BEEN REPLACED AT PERSONAL COST AND THE PROBLEM REMAINED. SOME TECHNICIANS CLAIMED THAT GM HAS NOT YET FIGURED OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. AM WA S AWARE OF THE SAME PROBLEM WITH SILVERADO TRUCKS AS WELL. AM A LIFETIME OWNER OF GM VEHICLES, BUT THIS WILL PROBABLY BE MY LAST UNLESS AN ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION WAS FOUND. *AK FOUND.

MY CAR WAS RUNNING ONE DAY WHEN I WAS IN A STORE AND I CAME OUT AND GOT IN AND IT WAS DINGING AND LIGHTS WERE FLASHING RADIO DIDN'T WORK FAN WAS NOT AS STRONG AS USUAL. AND ONCE IN AWHILE I WON'T EVEN HAVE LIGHTS UNLESS I HOLD IN THE BRIGHTS SWITCH. BUT THAT WAS JUST THE START IT GOT MORE FREQUENT THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN THEN, IT WOULN'T START I WOULD TRY FOR HOURS TO GET IT TO START I WOULD HAVE TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND WAIT AND THEN EVEN AFTER DOING THIS IT MIGHT NOT START. AND THEN JUST DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD IT WILL DING AND FLASH RAID SHUTS OFF SAYS "LOCKED" WHAT WHAT IS THIS NOW. SO I WILL STOP SHUT OFF WONT START, FINALLY STARTS THEN NONE OF THE GAUGES WORK OR RADIO OR EVEN THE A/C. I HAVE LOST TWO JOBS BECAUSE OF MY CAR NOT STARTING AND BEING LATE FOR WORK OR NOT BEING ABLE TO MAKE IT CAUSE IT WONT START. NOW I HAVE TAKEN IT TO ABOUT TEN DEALER SHIPS , WELL EVERY PLACE TELLS ME SAME THING THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR CAR. MAY 30,2007 WAS THE WORST TIME WITH MY CAR, IT WAS RAINING REALLY HARD, MY CAR STARTED TO ACT UP LIKE USUAL MY A/C WOULDN'T WORK IT WAS REALLY HUMID AND ABOUT 85 DEGREES AND I GOT TO A TOWN AND SHUT OFF THE CAR AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AS USUAL ALSO AND NOTHING HAPPEN AND THIS WENT ON FOR 2 HOURS AND STILL NOTHING HAPPENED THE WORST PART ABOUT THIS IS I HAD MY 6 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER WITH ME, MY FIANCE IS OUT OF TOWN WE ARE AN HOUR FROM HOME AND MY FRIEND HAS A FLAT TIRE AND MY PARENTS ON VACATION I HAD NO RIDE OR ANY BODY TO CALL AND I COULDN'T CALL A TOW SERVICE BECAUSE I ONLY HAD $10.00 TO MY NAME I HAD TO BUNDLE MY DAUGHTER UP IN HER BLANKET AND START WALKING HOME, I WALKED FOR ABOUT 20MINS BEFORE ANY ONE STOPPED TO PICK US UP. I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF THIS HAPPENING AND WOULD LIKE THIS PROBLEM TO BE RESOLVED BUT I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD HAVE TO BE AT MY EXPENSE WHEN IT OBVIOUSLY IS NOT JUST HAPPENING TO ME! PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME !! I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!! AKL *TR

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET IS LEAKING. IT POSES A FIRE HAZARD IF THE CAR IS OVERHEATED WHICH COULD POSE HEALTH THREATS TO THOSE IN THE CAR AND OTHERS OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. THE CAR IS A 2002 CHEVY IMPALA WITH 71,000 MILES. THIS CAR HAS HAD REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND IS GOOD CONDITION. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL THINGS FIXED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. WE HAVE SPENT OVER $3,000 FIXING EVERYTHING. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX YET ANOTHER PROBLEM. THIS CAR SHOULD NOT BE FACING THESE PROBLEMS AT SUCH AN EARLY STAGE. *TR

NOTICED BROWNISH COLOR OF COOLANT ON THE 2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA, SOME SLUDGE BUILT-UP IN RADIATOR. THIS CAR HAS 59000 MILES ON IT. DEALER REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO BE A INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. COST OF REPAIRS TO BE $500 PLUS. IT APPEARED THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM THAT WAS RELATED TO THE TYPE OF COOLANT GM USED.*AK

LOUD CLANKING NOISE IN STEERING COLUMN. DEALERSHIP STATED THIS WAS A PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN IN THE STEERING SHAFT. HOWEVER, GM HAS NOT RECALLED IT. SISTER-IN-LAW PURCHASED AN IMPALA SHORTLY AFTER I DID. SHE HAS SINCE HAD TO PAY $350.+ TO HAVE THE PROBLEM CORRECTED.*AK