2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

I WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR-END COLLISION. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY (EXPECTED) AND THE SHOULDER RESTRAINT DID NOT PREVENT MY HEAD AND BODY FROM GOING FORWARD AND STRIKING THE STEERING WHEEL (UNEXPECTED.) I RECEIVED INJURIES AS A RESULT OF MY FOREHEAD STRIKING (I ASSUME) THE STEERING WHEEL. *NM

MIS-DIAGNOSIS AND WILLFUL NEGLIGENCE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN FOR DIAGNOSIS OF ENGINE KNOCKING AND LOSS OF POWER UPON ACCELERATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED A CLOGGED CATALYTIC CONVERTER, HOWEVER, THE SYMPTOMS RETURNED WITHIN 15 DAYS. NOW THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THAT THE ENGINE IS DAMAGED AND MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $5,000. THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY PURCHASED 6 WEEKS AGO AT A COST OF $12,000. THE FIRST REPAIR WAS MADE UNDER WARRANTY, HOWEVER, NOW THE VEHICLE IS BEYOND WARRANTY. *JB

2002 IMPALA BRAKES PULSATE WHILE ON A HILL. *TS THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE ROTORS WERE WARPED AND RUSTY. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE HEADLIGHTS STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING. THIS PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT IN NATURE. WHEN HE PRESSED THE HIGH BEAM/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH THE LIGHTS COME BACK ON. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN SEEN BY A DEALER. *AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATES WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT WITH THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS ON THERE WAS A LOSS OF LIGHTING. THIS WAS INTERMITTENT IN NATURE. MANEUVERING THE HIGH BEAM/LOW BEAM SWITCH QUICKLY ACTIVATED THE HEADLIGHTS. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH WAS FAULTY. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE DUE TO EXCESSIVE COST. *AK UPDATED 01/19/06. *JB

BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM) FAILED AFTER 57,000 MILES. THE OTHER COMPUTER THAT RESIDES IN THE SAME HOUSING IS COVERED BY A 80,000 MILE WARRANTY, WHERE AS THE BCM IS NOT. THERE ARE NUMEROUS TSB'S THAT ARE POSTED CONCERNING FAILURE OF THE BCM. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND MANY SOURCES ARE AVAILABLE BY RESEARCHING THE INTERNET. THE TECHNICIAN AT THE DEALERSHIP EVEN SAID THAT "IMPALAS ARE NOTORIOUS" FOR PROBLEM WITH THE BCM. GENERAL MOTORS SAYS THAT IT IS NOT COVERED AND THEREFORE WILL NOT COVER THE REPLACEMENT COSTS OF THE BCM. IF SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THIS YEAR MODEL (2002 IMPALA LS) THEN WHY HASN'T ANYTHING BEEN DONE BY THEM. I AM THANKFUL THAT MY CAR DID NOT SHUT OFF ON THE HIGHWAY AND DID SO IN MY PARKING LOT. *NM

1. LOW COOLANT LIGHT WAS CONTINUALLY ON, AND IT DID REQUIRE COOLANT AT THE TIME, BUT THERE WAS NO INDICATION WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO THE COOLANT - AFTER 2 WEEKS OF SMELLING ANTIFREEZE WITHIN THE VEHICLE, IT WAS THEN DISCOVERED THAT THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING AROUND THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET NEAR THE BOLTS AND THEN THIS LED TO THE REPLACEMENT OF THE GASKET ITSELF..IT TOOK 8.5 HOURS OF LABOR AND THE COST OF THE NEW GASKET TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. 2. THERE IS A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE IN THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE WHEN TURNING THE VEHICLE AT SLOW SPEEDS...APPARENTLY IT IS THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT AND HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE CHEVROLET DEALER BUT WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM FOR US...THEY SAY THAT THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM, BUT ADMIT THAT THEY HAVE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS AND THAT THEY HAVE TRIED TO GET CHEVROLET TO RECALL THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE COMPLAINTS FROM THEIR CUSTOMERS. BOTH PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE LISTED ARE A CONTINUAL PROBLEM FOR MANY IMPALA OWNERS AND I FEEL AS THOUGH SINCE THEY HAVE ISSUED NUMEROUS SERVICE BULLETINS TO THEIR DEALERS ABOUT BOTH OF MY COMPLAINTS, THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS BUT STILL REFUSE TO CORRECT THEM FOR THE CONSUMER. AS A CONSUMER I FEEL AS THOUGH GM SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND MADE TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS FOR ALL OF US 2002 IMPALA OWNERS. *NM

2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA, 72K MILES, POOR ACCELERATION, OVER-HEATING OF CATALYTIC CONVERTER. FIRE IS POSSIBLE. NO ANNOUNCED RECALL, HOWEVER A SERVICE RECALL WAS ISSUED AND WARRANTY EXTENDED DUE TO FAULTY CONVERTER. DEALERSHIP WILL NOT ANNOUNCE RECALL, UNLESS A PROBLEM OCCURS. *NM

THE AC DELCO BATTERY POST CAME OFF OF THE BATTERY. THE CLAMP AND CABLE WERE TIGHT, THE POST WAS EATEN IN TWO FROM THE INSIDE. *NM

I PURCHASED MY '02 IMPALA THROUGH THE CORPORATE LEASING COMPANY OF MY FATHER'S EMPLOYER. HE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR OTHER THAN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TURNING BLACK BY 85,000 MILES. WHEN I GOT THE CAR IN JUNE OF '05, IT WAS AT 121,000 MILES, I DROVE THE CAR AROUND ALL DAY, PARKED THE CAR FOR 5 MINUTES, AND WHEN I WENT TO START IT, NOTHING HAPPENED. THE DASH LIT UP, THE RADIO CAME ON, BUT THE CAR DIDN'T TURN OVER, NOT EVEN A CLICKING SOUND, INDICATIVE OF A DEAD BATTERY. I WAITED 10 MINUTES, TRIED AGAIN AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. I WENT FOR ANOTHER MONTH WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS, HOWEVER IN LATE JULY, THE CAR FAILED TO START. AGAIN I WAITED 10-15 MINUTES, AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. THIS CONTINUED SPORADICALLY UNTIL OCTOBER 20, WHEN IT TOOK 30 MINUTES OF WAITING TO GET IT TO CRANK. I TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL GM DEALER, WHO PUT IT ON THE MACHINE AND ADVISED ME THAT THE BCM (BODY CONTROL MODULE) HAD FAILED AND WAS SENDING A SIGNAL TO THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM TELLING IT THAT MY KEYS WERE INCORRECT. THE SERVICE WRITER INFORMED ME THAT A NEW BCM INSTALLED WOULD RUN ABOUT $500.00, AND THE SERVICE TECH ADVISED THAT THIS HAS BECOME A COMMON FAILURE IN BOTH THE IMPALA AND THE MALIBU, WHICH GM HAS YET TO RECALL. THE TECHNICIAN DID SUGGEST THAT A MORE COST EFFECTIVE OPTION EXISTED WITH SEVERAL OF THE AFTER-MARKET SHOPS, IN WHICH A BYPASS-RELAY WAS INSTALLED UNDER THE DASH, TO BLOCK THE ERRONEOUS SIGNALS FROM THE BCM, WHICH WILL ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO OPERATE NORMALLY. THE COST FOR THIS BYPASS IS ABOUT $55.00 AND TAKES APPROXIMATELY AN HOUR TO INSTALL. THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THIS SOLUTION, IS IT BLOCKS THE KEY RECOGNITION FEATURE OF THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM, WHICH WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO STEAL, IF SOMEONE CAN START IT WITHOUT DAMAGING THE KEY IGNITION. I THINK IT IS NECESSARY FOR GM TO UNDERSTAND THAT A VEHICLE'S FAILURE TO START DUE TO FAULTY COMPONENT IN THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM IS A VERY SERIOUS CONCERN WHICH NEEDS TO ADDRESSED. *NM