2001 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE'S TURN SIGNALS DID NOT WORK ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS, IN ANY DIRECTION. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS CONTACTED, WHO CHECKED FOR RECALLS AND DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS THAT WERE SIMILAR TO THIS MATTER # 10170613 ABOUT THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING: TURN SIGNAL.

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS I HAVE LOST THE USE OF MY TURN SIGNALS. IT IS VERY INTERMITTENT. A FEW TIMES THEY HAVE COME BACK ON, BUT MOST TIMES NOT. I TRIED TO COMPRESS THE PRONGS HOLDING THE FUSE, BUT THE SIGNALS AGAIN FAILED A WEEK OR SO LATER. THEY'RE WORKING NOW, BUT I NEVER KNOW WHEN THEY WON'T. IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THIS COULD BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE TRACTION AND LOW HYDRAULIC FLUID LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN HOME AND A PINT OF HYDRAULIC FLUID WAS ADDED WHICH LEAKED ONTO THE GARAGE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP FOR FURTHER INSPECTION WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THE BRAKE LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC NOTED THE BRAKE LINES WERE VERY CORROSIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE ROAD SALTS OR HARSH, WINTER WEATHER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 01/10/07. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED AFTER CHARGING THE BATTERY, THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED AND THE INTAKE MANIFOLD ERUPTED INTO FLAMES. THE FIRE WAS PUT OUT WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THE CAUSE WAS NOT DETERMINED.

TRANSMISSION. COMPLAINED TO DEALER AT 71000 MILES SAID NOTHING WRONG. I REQUESTED CHANGE OF TRANSAXLES FLUID AT THAT TIME. BROUGHT BACK TO DEALERSHIP AT 78000 MILES DEALER STATED A "BIT" LOW ON FLUID. AT THIS TIME I WAS HEARING A WHINNYING NOISE. PRESENTLY, AT 88000 MILES I WENT TO DEALER, SERVICE MGR. TEST DROVE AND SAID VEHICLE WAS SHIFTING INTO ALL 4 GEARS, AND TO BRING TO 2 REPUTABLE TRANSMISSION SHOPS AND BOTH STATE I HAVE NO 4TH GEAR! ALSO, WELL KNOWN TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH THESE GM TRANSMISSIONS. A NEW TRANSMISSION AT 88000 MILES IS UNACCEPTABLE! OF COURSE MY WARRANTY RAN OUT 1 MONTH TO THE DAY! GM SHOULD BE ASHAMED. THIS CHEVY HAS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE! *JB

I HAVE INTERMITTENTLY WORKING TURN SIGNALS. I HAVE CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALER ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE HAZARD SWITCH THAT AFFECTS THE SAME YEAR OF MANUFACTURE PRODUCTS THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS ME, INTERMITTENT TURN SIGNAL LOSS. I HAVE FOLLOWED THE ADVICE OF THE DEALERSHIP, THAT, WHEN THIS OCCURS, LIGHTLY PRESS THE HAZARD SWITCH, AND THEN IF THE TURN SIGNAL STARTS FUNCTIONING, THAT MEANS I HAVE THE SAME DEFECTIVE SWITCH AS THE OTHER AFFECTED MAKE OF CHEVY CARS THAT ARE UNDER RECALL. WELL, LIGHTLY PRESSING THE HAZARD SWITCH DOES MAKES MY TURN SIGNALS FUNCTION NORMALLY. ACCORDING TO A GM PLANT EMPLOYEE, MY CAR HAS THE SAME ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS THAT THE OTHER CARS UNDER RECALL AFFECTED MODELS HAVE. WHY IS MY CAR NOT CONSIDERED "UNDER RECALL"? THE DEALERSHIP WILL CHARGE ME TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, UNTIL THIS IS A RECALL ISSUE. *NM

I HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM SINCE SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASE OF MY VEHICLE. (PURCHASED NEW SEPTEMBER 2001...HAS 47,000 MILES IN 2006.) THE LEATHER ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG KEEPS PULLING AWAY FROM THE SEAT AND EXPOSING THE SEAT. THE DEALER HAS LOOKED AT IT NUMEROUS TIMES AND TUCKED THE LEATHER BACK IN, BUT THAT LASTS LESS THAN AN HOUR BEFORE IT IS EXPOSED AGAIN. I AM CONCERNED THE AIR BAG MAY DEPLOY WITHOUT WARNING - OR - NOT DEPLOY PROPERLY DURING AN ACCIDENT. I EVEN HAD AN UPHOLSTERY COMPANY LOOK AT IT AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT DISCONNECTING THE AIR BAG, ETC. AND THERE WOULD BE NO GUARANTEE IT WOULD HOLD AFTER REPAIR. I DECLINED THAT OFFER. RESEARCH SHOWS MANY, MANY COMPLAINTS ON THIS SAME PROBLEM. *NM

I HAVE HAD MY 2001 MONTE CARLO LS SINCE SEPTEMBER OF 2001 I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT AT ABOUT 20,000 MILE AT WHICH TIME THE DEALER LUBED IT AND THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY FOR AWHILE. THE LUBE ONLY LASTED TILL ABOUT 48,000 MILES AT WHICH TIME I HAD TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY DID IT AGAIN UNDER WHAT THEY CALL GOOD WILL. AT AROUND 63,000 MILES IT WAS HAPPENING AGAIN AT WHICH TIME I DECIDE TO CALL GENERAL MOTORS. I EXPLAINED MY PROBLEM TO THEM EVEN GIVING THEM THEIR OWN BULLETIN NUMBER THAT CALLED FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING SHAFT THAT WAS PROVIDED TO ME BY A GM TECHNICIAN. THEY COULD NOT FIND THAT IN THEIR DATABASE UNTIL I GAVE THEM THE NUMBER THEN THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS A BULLETIN THE SUPERSEDED THE BULLETIN I GAVE THEM WHICH CALLED FOR LUBING THE SHAFT. THEY HAD ME TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHICH THEY TOLD ME THE STEERING SHAFT NEEDED TO BE LUBED WHICH IS WHAT I TOLD GM ON THE PHONE. GM TOLD ME THEY WHERE NOT GOING TO COVER THE COST OF THE REPAIR EVEN KNOW THE SAME PART FAILED 3 TIMES IN UNDER 70,000 MILES. THE DEALER QUOTED ME 280.00 FOR THE REPAIR WHICH I DECLINED AND THEY CHARGED ME FOR DIAGNOSIS OF 75.00. I ENDED UP BUYING THE LUBE FOR 11.00 AND DOING IT MYSELF. I REALLY THINK IF GM IS GOING TO SELL CARS THEY SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FAULTY PARTS THEY ARE PUTTING INTO VEHICLES KNOWINGLY COSTING CONSUMERS MILLIONS YEARLY. THERE ARE MANY TECHNICAL BULLETINS ON THE STEERING SHAFT PROBLEMS. I'M JUST GOING TO PUT ANY DATE IN FOR INCIDENT DATE BECAUSE THIS SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING PROBLEM. *JB

STOP & GO DRIVING. ABS WARNING LIGHT COMES ON, TRACTION CONTROL TURNS OFF, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT COMES ON, BRAKE PEDAL VIBRATES. ALL LIGHTS STAY ON WHILE DRIVING BUT RESET AFTER IGNITION TURN OFF/ TURN ON PROCEDURE AS DESCRIBED IN OWNERS MANUAL. NEXT DAY, SAME LIGHTS & WARNINGS. TAKE VEHICLE TO DEALER ON 4/05/06. "COMPUTER CHECKED SYSTEM CODES P1189, P0135, C1216 IN SYSTEM. ITEMS TESTED PER TROUBLE TREE. ALL ITEMS TEST GOOD." NO CHARGE. NEXT DAY, 4/6/06, SAME WARNINGS! TAKE TO DEALER AGAIN WITHOUT RESETTING WARNINGS. NO COMPUTER SYSTEM CODES SHOWING, BUT NO INPUT SIGNAL FROM RIGHT FRONT HUB. DEALER REPLACES RIGHT FRONT HUB ASSEMBLY - COST $479. VEHICLE SEEMS FINE, UNTIL ABOUT 4/20 WHEN BRAKE PEDAL VIBRATION COMES BACK AND WARNING LIGHTS COME ON AND OFF. I TURNED OFF THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE FOR SEVERAL DAYS. ON 4/25, WITH THE TRACTION SYSTEM OFF, THE PEDAL VIBRATION WAS BACK AND THE ABS & TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. WENT BACK TO DEALER. ALTHOUGH THEY TOLD ME THE COMPUTER CHECK SHOW CODES OF C1222 AND C1226, THE CODES DO NOT SHOW ON MY INVOICE. CODE C1226 APPEARS ON NHTSA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ITEM NUMBER 10017271 FOR MY YEAR AND MAKE OF VEHICLE. HOWEVER THE SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 3500 IS NOT KNOW TO THE DEALER AS A VALID TSB NUMBER, AND THEY COULD NOT LOCATE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT IT. DEALER "DIAGNOSED AND REPLACED EBTCM, AND PROGRAMMED SYSTEM" - COST $697. I FEEL THAT BY REPLACING THE "BRAIN" (EBTCM) AND PROGRAMMING IT, THE DEALER AND/OR THE MANUFACTURER MAY BE COVERING UP A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE WITH EITHER ONE OR BOTH SYSTEMS, ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL. I ALSO FEEL THAT THE DEALER PUT ME AND MY FAMILY IN A DANGEROUS POSITION BY FAILING TO DIAGNOSIS ANY PROBLEMS ON THE FIRST VISIT, AND THEN DOING IT AGAIN BY MAKING ME FEEL SAFE BY PAYING FOR A REPLACEMENT PART THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH EITHER SYSTEM! *NM

SECURITY LIGHT, SERVICE VEHICLE SOON LIGHT, BATTERY LIGHT AND AIRBAG LIGHT ALL FLASH. THE RADIO WILL "LOCK" AND WILL NOT PLAY. THE CAR SEEMS TO RUN FINE BUT THE LIGHTS FLASH CONSTANTLY. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THIS MODEL, BUT YET IT SOUNDS JUST LIKE THE OTHER RECALLS ON MONTE CARLOS. MY DEALERSHIP WANTS $80.00 JUST TO LOOK AT IT. THERE IS A REAL PROBLEM WITH THE DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM AND I AM AFRAID MY AIR BACK WON'T WORK IF NEEDED. *NM