2000 Chevrolet Impala

SAW RECENT GM RECALL FOR CHEVY COBALT, SATURNS, ETC. REGARDING ENGINE DYING UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD (BAD IGNITION SWITCH). MY IMPALA HAS THE SAME SYMPTOM AND IF YOU SEARCH THE INTERNET FOR "WHY DOES IMPALA DIE WHILE DRIVING" IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS MODEL. MY IMPALA WILL BE RUNNING SMOOTH, SPEED FROM 30 TO 60, BUT SLOWING DOWN FOR ANY REASON, SOMETIMES THE ENGINE JUST DIES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHEN SLOWING DOWN FOR A TURN. ALL OF A SUDDEN NO POWER STEERING AND LIMITED BRAKES. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, I DON'T WANT TO DRIVE THE CAR. THERE IS NO INDICATION LIKE ROUGH ENGINE OR THE CAR STUMBLING FROM LACK OF GAS, IT JUST QUIETLY DIES. IF THIS IGNITION SWITCH IS THE CAUSE, THIS RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE IMPALA'S AT LEAST. I CALLED THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER AND THEY BASICALLY SAID, WELL IT'S A 14 YEAR OLD CAR. NOT THE POINT! MY OLDER CARS DON'T DO THIS. SEARCH THE INTERNET, PEOPLE HAVE TRIED MANY THINGS BUT THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO PERSIST. CHEVROLET HAS TO KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. *TR

ON 2/24/14 AT APPROXIMATELY 2:50 PM, I PROPERLY ATTACHED A SET OF BATTERY JUMPER CABLES FROM MY TRUCK TO THIS CAR TO START IT FROM A DEAD BATTERY SITUATION. WHEN THE OWNER ATTEMPTED TO CRANK THE CAR, THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD DURING THE CRANKING, RESULTING IN AN EXPLOSION AND SMALL FIRE. THE OWNER IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED THE CAR OFF, AND EXITED THE VEHICLE, AND I IMMEDIATELY CLOSED THE HOOD SO THAT THE FIRE WOULD NOT SPREAD, CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND REMOVED THE VEHICLES AROUND IT. THE FIRE DEPT. RESPONDED WITHIN 5 MIN., AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE WITH WATER. THE FIRE DEPT. AND POLICE INSPECTED THE CAR, AND LEFT AFTER IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FIRE WAS PROPERLY EXTINGUISHED, AND THERE WAS NO FURTHER RISK OF THE FIRE RE-STARTING. THE FIRE DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO THE ENTIRE UNDER-HOOD AREA OF THE CAR. WHEN THE EXPLOSION HAPPENED, THE ENGINE COVER AND OIL FILLER CAP WAS BLOWN APPROXIMATELY 5 FT. FROM THE CAR, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS BLOWN OPEN, AND THE FIRE WAS BURNING INSIDE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. WE ATTEMPTED TO PUSH THE CAR INTO THE PARKING SPACE, BUT IT WOULD NOT MOVE. IT SEEMED THE ENGINE HAD SEIZED, PROBABLY AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE. THE CAR HAS SINCE BEEN TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC. THE CAR'S OWNER WAS INSIDE OF THE CAR, ATTEMPTING TO START IT VIA THE IGNITION KEY. I ASKED HER IF THERE WERE ANY PRIOR ISSUES WITH THE CAR, AND SHE TOLD ME THAT AT THE TIME, OTHER THAN A FLAT TIRE AND DEAD BATTERY, THE A/C WAS INOPERATIVE, AND NOT BEING USED. APPROXIMATELY 2-3 YEARS AGO, THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO A LOCAL DEALER, AND A RECALL ISSUE WAS PERFORMED ON IT. SHE DID NOT REMEMBER WHAT SERVICE AND RECALL REPAIRS WERE DONE ON THE CAR. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, THE CAR HAD NOT BEEN OPERATED FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS. I AM THE PERSON MOST ABLE TO GIVE THE DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT. THE OWNER OF THE CAR (SISTER) HAS AUTHORIZED ME TO ACT ON HER BEHALF IN THIS MATTER. *TR

MY CAR STARTED TO OVER HEAT IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER IN MINNESOTA. THERE WAS PLENTY OF COOLANT IN THE RESERVOIRS. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING THERE WAS A NOISE AND ONCE I STARTED TO MOVE AGAIN THE CAR BEGAN TO JERK THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. THEN A FEW WEEKS LATER THE GAS GAUGE BEGAN SHOWING THE INCORRECT ABOUT OF GAS LEVELS IN MY VEHICLE. *TR

I WILL BE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET/HIGHWAY AND THE CAR WILL JUST CUT OFF AND DIE. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AND I'VE CONTACTED GM MOTORS AND THEY CLAIM THEY HAVEN'T HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM. I LOOK ONLINE TO SEE IF I CAN FIGURE THE ISSUE OUT AND CAME ACROSS SEVERAL OTHER IMPALA OWNERS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUES. I'VE TAKEN MY CAR TO THE SHOP NUMEROUS TIMES TO HAVE IT FIXED AND THE PROBLEM ISN'T BEING SOLVED!! THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE THAT COULD CAUSE HARM TO ME AND MY FAMILY AND OTHER DRIVERS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS A LOUD BANG FOLLOWED BY A BILLOW OF SMOKE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE MANIFOLD AND THE FUEL LINES WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED OF A RECALL MONTHS LATER UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V116000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) AND CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER HOWEVER, HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

I W ALSO AS DRIVING INTO A SHOPPING PLAZA AND MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND MY CAR STEERED ACROSS THE ENTRANCE AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES IT STARTED BACK UP.I AM SO NERVOUS BECAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED,ALSO EVERY NOW AND THEN IT JUST WONT START UP AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WILL. THE GAS GAUGE DOESN'T WORK EITHER SO YOU CANT JUDGE THE GAS NEVER RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTICES I HAVE A 2000 CHEVY IMPALA. *TR

I PURCHASED MY BROTHER-IN-LAW'S CAR IN MARCH. IN AUGUST, WHILE I WAS PARKED OUTSIDE A FRIEND'S HOME, THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE. NO ONE WAS IN THE CAR AND THE KEYS WERE WITH ME. AFTER ONLINE INVESTIGATION, WE FOUND THAT THE CAR HAD A RECALL ON IT IN 2009. MY BROTHER-IN-LAW WAS NEVER NOTIFIED SO NEITHER WERE WE. OUR FIRST STEP WAS TO CONTACT GM WHO SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY PLANNED ON DOING ABOUT THIS. WE CONTACTED THE BBB WHO ALSO CONTACTED GM. GM THEN CALLED US AND AGAIN SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I FEEL THERE IS PLENTY THEY CAN DO. WHAT ABOUT IF MY DAUGHTER AND I HAD BEEN IN THE CAR? HOW ABOUT IF I HAD NEEDED TIME OFF FROM WORK? I HAD TO PURCHASE ANOTHER VEHICLE I WAS NOT PREPARED TO PURCHASE. WE HAVE THE RECALL INFORMATION, PICTURES FROM THE FIRE, AND A LETTER FROM GM IF YOU ARE INTERESTED. I FEEL THERE MUST BE SOME SORT OF COMPENSATION FOR THIS. THE RECALL WAS BECAUSE OF THEIR MESS UP IN THE FACTORY AND THEY FAILED TO NOTIFY MY BROTHER-IN-LAW. IF GM HAD DONE WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO, THE FIRE WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED. *TR

THE CHEVY IMPALA HAD A LOSS OF COOLANT EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NO LEAK ON THE GROUND. AFTER RESEARCH ONLINE, I FOUND THE FOLLOWING: "THE 3.8-LITER V6 MAY LEAK COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. A NEW GASKET KIT, REVISED THROTTLE BODY NUTS, AND SEALING COMPOUND IS NEEDED." DUE TO THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FOUND ONLINE PERTAINING TO THIS ISSUE, THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS MODEL CAR. *TR