2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

PROBLEM WITH MESSAGE CENTER, SECURITY LITE COMES ON THEN BATTERY LITE, THEN SERVICE VEHICLE SOON, THEN AIR CONDITIONING WOULD NOT TURN ON, STARTED FUNNY, DID NOT START TURNING OVER WHEN I FIRST TURNED THE KEY IT STARTED TO TURN OVER ABOUT 1 SEC AFTER TURNING THE KEY AND STARTED OK THEN. ALL OF THIS HAPPENED A THE SAME TIME FOR THE FIRST TIME. PRIOR TO THIS I REPORTED A POPPING/SNAPPING NOISE WHEN YOU TURNED THE KEY. THE CHEV DEALER SAID THIS WAS NORMAL (3 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE PROBLEM).

DT: THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE ENGINE WAS NOT DESTROYED, BUT THE SEATS WERE DOWN TO THE WIRES. THE VEHICLE HAD JUST BEEN PARKED WHEN HE NOTICED A SPARK COME FROM THE REAR DRIVER SIDE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED, BUT THE INSURANCE COMPANY STATES THEY ARE GOING TO INSPECT IT. THE BACK WINDSHIELD SHATTERED BEFORE THIS, APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS PRIOR. THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING ERRATICALLY BEFORE THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTEED BUT ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY HAVE TO DETERMINE IF THE VEHICLE IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DID RESPOND. THEY THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE OF ELECTRICAL WIRING. THE POLICE DID RESPOND, BUT DID NOT FILE A REPORT. THIS HAPPENED JULY 3, 2005. *NM

DT: 2002, CHEVROLET, IMPALA LS, WHILE CONSUMER WAS BACKING THE VEHICLE UP THE AIR BAGS ON BOTH FRONT DRIVERS SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE DEPLOYED, THIS WAS WITHOUT IMPACT , AND NOT WHILE MAKING A SUDDEN STOP. CONSUMER HAD ONLY BACKED UP ABOUT ONE FOOT WHEN THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. CONSUMER CONTACTED GM TWICE, UPON CALLING THE SECOND TIME, GM INSTRUCTED THE CONSUMER TO TAKE IT TO A LOCAL DEALER, WHO DID A DIAGNOSTIC TEST, AND COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. GM WILL NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. CONSUMER'S INSURANCE AGENCY SAID THAT IT WAS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. CONSUMER REPORTED THE INCIDENT TO THE POLICE , AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULD NOT FILE A REPORT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. *AK

DT: CONSUMER HAS REPLACED THE BRAKE PADS HIMSELF. FIRST, THE BRAKES WERE GRABBING AND THEN THEY STARTED MAKING NOISE. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND AFTER THEY HEARD THE NOISE, THEY TOLD HIM IT WAS THE BRAKES. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE HIMSELF AND CHANGED THE BRAKE PADS, HE KEPT THE OLD ONES AND THEY WERE UNBOUNDED. CONSUMER CALLED THE MANUFACTURER, AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD COVER THE REPAIR, BUT THE DEALER REFUSED BECAUSE CONSUMER DIDN'T HAVE HIS SERVICE WORK DONE WITH THEM. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE OF WHERE HE LIVES THE BRAKE PADS MALFUNCTIONED FASTER. CONSUMER STATED THAT THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 36,000 MILES ON THE BRAKE PADS.*AK

2002 CHEVY IMPALA THE SECURITY LIGHT GOES ON WHEN DRIVING. AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WHEN DRIVING THIS WAY THE CAR WILL NOT START AFTER BEING TURNED OFF. A FRIEND WHO HAS A NEWER IMPALA HAS HAD SECUIRTY LIGHT GO ON WHILE DRIVING AND THE ENGINE TOTALLY SHUT DOWN . VERY SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS COULD ARRIVE IF ON HIGHWAY OR BRIDGE AND CAR DIES.

2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA, COOLANT LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR 2 YEARS. TOOK IT TO A DEALERSHIP WHEN IT FIRST CAME ON, ONLY TO BE INFORMED THAT IT WAS A "CORROSION PROBLEM" WHICH WAS NOT COVERED BY MY BUMPER TO BUMPER WARANTEE. NOW I DISCOVERED THAT GM'S CHOICE OF DEX-COOL ANTIFREEZE IS VERY WELL KNOWN TO CAUSE CORROSION PROBLEMS, AND THERE ARE A MYRIAD OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ABOUT DEX-COOL DESTROYING HEAD AND INTAKE GASKETS AS WELL! I EXPECT GM TO MAKE GOOD ON A PROBLEM THAT THEY THEMSELVES CAUSED, INSTEAD OF THEIR TO-DATE SNIVELY POLICY OF PASSING THE BUCK BACK TO THE CONSUMER. (IN SHORT, IF THIS ISSUE IS NOT RESOLVED TO MY SATISFACTION IN A TIMELY MANNER, I WILL NEVER BUY A GM PRODUCT EVER AGAIN!)

OUR 2002 CHEV IMPALA IS A VACATION AND LONG TRIP VEHICLE, VERY LITTLE CITY DRIVING. AT FIRST WE DROVE IT VERY LITTLE, THEN THE FIRST WINTER WE DROVE IT AND PARKED IT IN THE GARAGE TILL SPRING. THE VEHICLE THEN GAVE US PROBLEMS WITH SHIMMY AND SHAKING ALONG WITH NOISY GRINDING WHEN STOPPING. I TOOK IT TO A DEALER UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY SAID IT HAD WARPED ROTORS AND THEN TURNED ALL 4 ROTORS DOWN AT 19755 MILES. THEN IN JUNE OF 2005 I TOOK IT BACK IN BECAUSE OF A CONSTANT GRINDING SOUND WHEN BACKING UP AND THE SHIMMY WHEN BRAKING WAS RETURNING MORE EVERYDAY. THE DEALER THEN TELLS ME THAT IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT IT NEEDS 4 NEW ROTORS BECAUSE THEY ARE WARPED AND PITTED. THIS IS A PEP CAR FROM THE COMPANY AND I MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THAT IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY TILL END OF JULY. I WAS INFORMED THIS IS NOT TRUE AND THAT THE REPAIR WILL BE $732. THIS VEHICLE HAS 30,335 MILES ON IT AND HAS HAD BAD ROTORS AND STOPPING SINCE WE STARTED TO DRIVE IT IN 2002/03 WINTER AND THEN PARKED IT TILL SPRING OF 2004. THIS I BELIEVE IS A DEFINITE SAFTEY HAZARD AND ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE ADVISOR THEY SEE THIS PROBLEM ON THE IMPALAS AND THE MALIBUS ALOT. ACCORDING TO THE ADVISOR GM WILL NOT LET THEM REPLACE THE ROTORS ONLY TURN THEM TO SPECS. THIS I EQUATE TO GETTING OPEN HEART SURGERY AND ONLY USING BANDAIDS AND TAPE TO CLOSE THE ARTERIES AND INCISIONS. I AM TOTALLY DISGUSTED WITH THE QUALITY AND SERVICE WORK DONE BY GENERAL MOTORS. INFERIOR PARTS AND SUBSTANDARD MATERIALS SEEM TO BE THE WAY TO GO AT GM TO GET THEIR REQUIRED PROFITS AT CUSTOMER EXPENSE. THE ADVISOR SAYS THAT THE ROTORS THEY FOUND WERE THE CHEAPEST AND MANUFACTURED IN CHINA. I DON'T THINK THE CHINESE CARE MUCH ABOUT PROVIDING AMERICANS CONSUMERS WITH A QUALITY PRODUCT. GM IS SELLING US OUT FOR THEIR BOTTOM LINE AND WE SUFFER AS THE END USER WHO WILL BE THE INJURED PARTY IF THE PARTS FAIL ON THE ROADS OF AMERICA.

DT: ENGINE STARTED TO SPIT AND SPUTTER. IT GOT WORSE. CALLER CHANGED FUEL FILTER BECAUSE THE DEALER SAID IT MIGHT BE THE PROBLEM. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE CAR RAN FAST AND TRIED TO TAKE OFF, AND SHE HAD TO SLAM THE BRAKES HARD, AND HOLD THEM TO T STOP CAR. DEALER SAID A HOLE WAS BURNED INTO THE MANIFOLD, AND WHEN THEY DID A DIAGNOSTIC TEST, THEY SAID A MISFIRE CODE CAME UP. PROBLEM WAS WITH CATALYTIC CONVERTER BEING PLUGGED. DEALER FIXED THE BURNED INTAKE MANIFOLD BEFORE THEY FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THAT WAS THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH IT. *AK

DT: CONTACT STATES THE REAR DEFROSTER TERMINAL FELL OFF. THIS HAS BEEN THE 5TH TIME THIS OCCURRED. THE REAR WINDOW HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE, WAITING TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. *AK

EXPERIENCED A PULSING IN THE BRAKING OF THE CAR. CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP, THEY INSPECTED THE BRAKES AND ROTORS, SAID IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTEE. I RETURNED TO MY SHOP (WHERE I WORK) AND THEY TURNED THE ROTORS FOR ME. THIS WAS LAST YEAR. NOW THE PULSING IS BACK. I AM GOING TO CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP AND INFORM THEM OF THE RETURNING PULSATION. SEE WHAT THEY SAY, HAS ANYONE GOTTEN THE DEALERSHIP TO FIX THE PROBLEM???