2005 Chevrolet Impala

HAD TO PAY DEALERSHIP TO LUBE MY INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT DUE TO IT BEING DEFECTIVE. VEHICLE STARTS TO MAKE A POPPING NOISE FROM UNDER THE HOOD WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEEDS. FILED CLAIM WITH GM BUT THEY WOULD NOT PAY. THEY CLAIM IT IS A MAINTENANCE ISSUE. THE SHAFT IS SEALED IT WAS NOT INTENDED TO BE LUBED SEVERAL TIMES. *NM

CLUNKING/BANGING NOISE FELT IN STEERING WHEEL, GAS AND BRAKE PEDALS WHEN TURNING RIGHT OR LEFT AND SOMETIMES WHEN GOING STRAIGHT ON A ROUGH SURFACE. TAKEN TO DEALER THREE TIMES FOR REPAIR. THE FIRST AND SECOND TIME LUBE KIT WAS REPLACED ON STEERING SHAFT. THE THIRD TIME, OWNER WAS TOLD THAT THE WHOLE STEERING SHAFT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT THE PART WAS BEING REDESIGNED BY GM AND WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR SIX MONTHS OR MORE. OWNER WAS TOLD THAT CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE IN THE MEANWHILE. OWNER WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A BULLETIN REGARDING THIS ISSUE. OWNER FILED A COMPLAINT WITH GM. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, WITHOUT ANY WARNING SIGNAL SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM UNDER THE DASH BOARD AND NOTICED THE A/C BLOWER HAD SEIZED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND WITH POLICE HELP DISCONNECTED THE A/C BLOWER FUSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO DETERMINED OVER LOAD CURRENT TO THE BLOWER MOTOR, THE CONTROL MODULE AND THE 30 AMPS FUSE. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP WHO REPLACED THE BLOWER, CONTROL MODULE AND 30 AMP FUSE HOLDERS. THE CONTACT EXPRESSED CONCERN DUE TO THE LACK OF WARNING SIGNAL IN THE PRESENCE OF A SERIOUS ELECTRICAL FAILURE.

WE PURCHASED A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA FROM A DEALER ON MARCH 16, 2006. ON MARCH 21, 2006, WE WERE TRAVELING DOWN A 2 LANE HIGHWAY AT 45 MPH. THE TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF US STOPPED SUDDENLY. I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND HEARD A LOUD POP. THE BRAKE PEDDLE THEN WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I HIT THE VAN IN FRONT OF ME TWICE BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO TURN DOWN A SIDE STREET AND LET THE CAR COAST TO A STOP. OUR INSURANCE ADJUSTER CAME OUT THE NEXT MORNING AND TOOK PICTURES. THE CAR WAS SENT TO A BODY SHOP TO BE TORN DOWN. GM WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THE BODY SHOP WAS TOLD NOT TO TOUCH THE CAR UNTIL GM COULD SEND AN INSPECTOR TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT. THE INSPECTOR FINALLY CAME OUT AND RETRIEVED THE INFORMATION FROM THE BLACK BOX AND TOOK PICTURES OF THE BRAKE LINKAGE SYSTEM. HE ASKED IF WE HAD FOUND ANY PARTS IN THE FLOOR UNDER THE STEERING COLUMN AFTER THE ACCIDENT. WE TOLD HIM NO. GM THEN TOOK 5 MONTHS TO FINISH THEIR INVESTIGATION. WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO ALLOW ANYONE TO TOUCH THE VEHICLE UNTIL THEY WERE DONE. THEY CAME BACK TO US AND TOLD US THAT THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE AND THAT THE BRAKES HAD BEEN TAMPERED WITH. WE WERE ALL SET TO GO AFTER THE DEALER WHEN MY HUSBAND DECIDED TO LOOK AT THE BRAKES HIMSELF. WHEN HE DID, HE FOUND THE "MISSING" PART THE INSPECTOR HAD ASKED ABOUT. THE PART WAS VISIBLY BROKEN. GM HAS LAUGHINGLY OFFERED US $2,000.00 FOR THIS INCIDENT. MY HUSBAND AND I SUSTAINED MORE THAN $2,000.00 IN MEDICAL BILLS. THIS IS A COMPLETE JOKE. IN ADDITION TO THE BRAKE FAILURE, NEITHER ONE OF OUR AIR BAGS DEPLOYED EVEN THOUGH WE HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE STRAIGHT ON TWICE. THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL ON THIS BRAKE PART OR AIR BAGS. *NM