1999 Chevrolet Camaro

WHEN DEPRESSING PEDAL CLUTCH DOES NOT FULLY ENGAGE, WHICH MAY CAUSE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PUT INTO REVERSE THERE IS A GRINDING NOISE 100% OF TIME. MANUFACTURER WAS CALLED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. OWNER WAS TOLD THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL # 99V239000 GM/ CLUTCH AND WOULD NOT BE SERVICED FREE OF CHARGE. PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

CLUTCH BEGAN SLIPPING, AND DEADPEDALING (STICKING TO FLOOR) AT APPROX. 5000 MILES, HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP 6 TIMES AND DEALERSHIP WILL NOT FIX, STATING THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM. RECENTLY HAD TRANSMISSION REBUILT UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE OF BAD CLUTCH. WAS TOLD THAT THEY SHOULD NOT WARRANTY IT, BECAUSE THE CLUTCH WAS BAD. I TOLD THEM THAT THE CLUTCH HAS BEEN BAD, AND THAT I HAD TAKEN IT TO THEM NUMEROUS TIME TO FIX IT. WAS INFORMED THAT THE CLUTCH WAS ONLY WARRANTIED FOR 12K MILES AND THEY WOULD NOT FIX IT UNDER WARRANTY. *AK

TACHOMETER IS REPORTING INCORRECTLY. AS A RESULT, ENGINE IS OVERSPEEDING WITH POTENTIAL REPAIR PROBLEMS. TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS HAVE TRIED TO REPAIR WITH NO SUCCESS. BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTIVE TACHOMETER, THE ENGINE UNDERSTATES ACTUAL RPM IN EACH GEAR. I HAVE OVERSPEEDED THE ENGINE NUMEROUS TIMES AND AM CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL DAMAGE BECAUSE OF THIS.

REAR MAKING UNNATURAL NOISE. DEALERS TRIED TO GIVE STATIC THAT IS WAS THE ROTORS AND AFTER THEY PROCEDED TO FIX THEM NOISE REMAINED. NEXT THEY TRIED TO SAY THE NOISE WAS NATURAL. I HAVE FOUND FROM MANY PEOPLE IN FORUMS THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS W/ THE REARS IN THESE CARS, RANGING FROM BEARINGS TO GEARS AND EVEN THE HOUSING. I HAVE ALSO OBTAINED WORK ORDERS FOR PARTS FIXED FOR OTHER PEOPLE. DEALERSHIP IS STILL GIVING ME STATIC ABOUT MY CAR AND SAYS THE PROBLEM IS NORMAL. --NO OTHER CAR IN THE LOT DOES IT THOUGH, NOT EVEN USED VEHICLES W/ HIGH MILEAGE ON THEM. *AK

THE 1999 CAMARO HAS A DANGEROUS SO CALLED "FEATURE" CALLED "SKIP SHIFT" WHICH PREVENTS SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. TWICE I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN AND WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR - I WAS STUCK WITHOUT POWER AND CARS WERE COMING AT ME. SEVERAL OTHER TIMES THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT AHEAD, AND I LOST POWER WITH CARS COMING UP BEHIND ME. CHEVY REFUSED TO DISABLE THIS 2ND GEAR LOCKOUT FOR ME, SAYING THAT IT IS NEEDED TO MEET ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS - OR TO AVOID A GAS GUZZLER TAX. THIS "FEATURE" IS DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE DISABLED. I WOULDN'T HAVE BOUGHT THE CAR IF I KNEW ABOUT IT - UNFORTUNATELY IT DIDN'T HAPPEN ON MY TEST DRIVE BECAUSE "SKIP SHIFT" ONLY LOCKS YOU OUT AFTER THE ENGINE HAS BEEN WARMED UP SUFFICIENTLY. THIS LOCKOUT ALSO TENDS TO MAKE THE CAR SHIFT INTO 4TH GEAR - WHICH IS DANGEROUS AT 15 MPH BECAUSE THERE IS LITTLE POWER AT THAT SPEED IN 4TH GEAR. THERE IS A LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD WARNING ABOUT SKIP SHIFT, BUT IT IS HIDDEN BY MY HAND ON THE STEERING WHEEL OR BY THE WHEEL ITSELF WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN. THE WARNING LIGHT IS USELESS ANYWAY BECAUSE DRIVER'S EYES ARE ON THE ROAD WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. AS ADMITTED BY CHEVY, THIS WHOLE "SKIP SHIFT" LOCKOUT IS A WAY TO AVOID PAYING A GAS GUZZLER TAX, BUT IT MAKES DRIVING DANGEROUS SINCE SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE.

I HAVE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE STOCK SHIFTER CAUSING MIS-SHIFTS. I AM A MEMBER ON A BBS AND THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS ENTRIES REFERING TO THIS PROBLEM. DUE TO THE SHIFTER, IT IS VERY EASY TO MIS-SHIFT INTO A LOWER GEAR WHEN UPSHIFTING. SO FAR HAS HAPPENED TO ME TWICE AND CAUSES THE REAR TIRES TO LOOSE CONTROL SINCE THE ENGINE CAUSES THEM TO NEARLY STOP. I AM AN EXPERIENCED MANUAL TRANSMISSION DRIVER AND I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. A WORST CASE SENARIO WOULD BE TO LOOSE COMPLETE CONTROL DUE TO THE REAR TIRES LOCKING UP AND ALSO ENGINE DAMAGE DUE TO OVER-REVVING. THERE ISN'T A RECALL FOR THE SHIFTER SO NO DEALER HELP CAN BE FOUND. SO FAR OTHERS HAVE RESOLVED THIS PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE SHIFTER WITH AN AFTERMARKET UNIT AND REPORT NO MORE PROBLEMS WITH MISSED SHIFTS. I HOPE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT.