2008 Chevrolet Impala

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, NOTICED SOME VIBRATION FROM REAR TIRES. CHECKED TIRES WHEN I GOT HOME. REAR TIRES HAVE EXTREME TREAD WEAR ON THE INSIDE EDGE. THIS WEAR IS HIDDEN BECAUSE IT IS ON THE VERY INSIDE EDGES OF THE TIRES, AND YOU DON'T NOTICE WHEN LOOKING AT THE TIRES FROM THE SIDE OF THE CAR. MOST OF THE TIRE YOU CAN SEE LOOKS NORMAL. THE WEAR IS ON THE INNER MOST 5% OF THE TREAD. AND IT IS EXTREME WEAR, ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE STEEL BELTS. I RESEARCHED AND FOUND A GM SERVICE BULLETIN FOR 2007-8 IMPALA TIRE WEAR AND SUSPENSION PROBLEMS LIKE THIS. BUT THAT BULLETIN ONLY CALLED FOR SERVICE ON MODELS WITH POLICE SUSPENSION IN THE REAR. THE SOLUTION REQUIRED REPLACEMENT SPINDLE ARMS TO BE INSTALLED. CALLED GM AND THEY WILL NOT REPLACE MY CONSUMER SPINDLES. BUT I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS TIRE WEAR HAS CAUSED BOW OUTS AND CRASHES IF YOU LOOK AT REPORTS THAT A GOOGLE SEARCH CAN FIND. SEARCH FOR IMPALA SPINDLE AND TIRE WEAR. YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT HOW OBVIOUS THIS DEADLY DEFECT IS. *TR

EXCESSIVE LEFT SIDE TIRE WEAR, ESPECIALLY LEFT REAR. LEFT SIDE TIRES NEED REPLACED EVERY 34 THOUSAND MILES. I GUESS THE LEFT REAR WOULD GO FASTER IF I DID NOT ROTATE THE TIRES TO SPREAD THE WEAR. CAR WHEN BOUGHT CAME WITH REPLACEMENT TIRES AT 34 THOUSAND MILES, I REPLACED THEM AT 67 THOUSAND AND 102 THOUSAND. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. I KEEP AN EYE ON THEM, OTHERWISE LEFT REAR TIRE WOULD LIKELY HAVE BEEN DESTROYED BY THIS CONDITION. AT 67K MILES FIRESTONE SAID THEY WOULD HAVE TO DRILL HOLES TO ALIGN CAR PROPERLY. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE WEAR IS ON THE INSIDE OF THE TIRE WHERE MOST FOLKS DON'T LOOK. I CALLED AND MAILED GM AND THEY DON'T CARE, GUESS WE NEED SOME ACCIDENTS FIRST. *TR

TIRE BLOWOUT. DUE TO DEFECTIVE REAR SUSPENSION THAT CAUSED TIRES TO BE MISALIGNED. THE DEFECTIVE SPINDLES CAUSED THE WEIGHT OF THE CAR TO RIDE ON THE VERY INSIDE CORNERS OF THE REAR TIRES. 90% OF THE TIRE WEAR WAS ON 10% OF THE TIRES. THIS CAUSED THE HIDDEN INSIDE ONE INCH OF THE TIRE TO WEAR THROUGH THE TIRE SAFETY BELTS, EXPOSE THE TIRE THREADS, AND THEN BLOWOUT. BOTH REAR TIRES DID THIS. THE PICTURES ARE STUNNING TO SEE HOW MUCH OF THE TIRE TREAD LOOKS PERFECT AND HOW DEVASTATING THE WEAR WAS TO THE INNER MOST INCH. TO MOST PEOPLE LOOKING AT THE TIRES FROM THE SIDE, THEY LOOKED FINE.NO ONE EXPECTS THE DAMAGE THEY DON'T SEE HIDDEN FROM DAILY VIEW. THE TIRE WEAR IS EXTREMELY ACCELERATED ONCE IT REACHES THE SOFT MATERIAL JUST UNDER THE TREAD. IT CAN GO FROM THIN TREAD TO A HOLE IN THE SAFETY BELT MATERIAL IN 1000 MILES OF WEAR. GM ISSUED TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN IN 2008 ABOUT THIS EXACT SYMPTOM, BUT ONLY CALLED FOR REPAIR OF POLICE MODEL IMPALAS. THEY HAVE NOT CALLED FOR REPAIR OF SIMILAR GENERAL PUBLIC OWNERS MODELS. SO WE DID NOT KNOW UNTIL WE HAD A BLOWOUT. THE DEALER WOULD DO NOTHING BECAUSE IT WAS NOT A POLICE CAR COVERED IN THE TSB. WE PAID FOR 4 NEW TIMES, AND ALIGNMENT. BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THE NEW TIRES ARE WEARING OUT THE SAME. THERE IS LITTLE WINTER TRACTION IN THE REAR BECAUSE OF SUCH SMALL AMOUNT OF TREAD ON THE ROAD. *TR

JUST BOUGHT THE CAR 3 WEEKS AGO WITH BRAND NEW TIRES ON THEM, AND NOW THE REAR TIRES ARE GOING BALD ON THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. GOING TO DEALERSHIP ON SATURDAY TO GET NEW TIRES THAT THEY ARE PAYING FOR ON THE BACK, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. VERY UNSATISFIED WITH GM PRODUCT, I WANT IN ON THAT LAWSUIT THAT IS GOING AGAINST GM FOR THIS FAULTY YEAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE BLEW WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS WITH THREE DIFFERENT TIRES PLACED ON THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

THE INCIDENT DATE ABOVE IS APPROXIMATE BUT THE FIRST EVENT WITH A TIRE CENTER WAS A SATURDAY IN MARCH 2011. (ALTHOUGH THE TIRE PRESSURE ISSUE HAD BEEN ON-GOING DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD, IT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO THE WARRANTY.) THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO AMERICAN AUTOMOTIVE TIRE AND SERVICES, STAFFORD, VA. THE TIRE HAD BEEN LOSING PRESSURE. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, ON FEB. 1, 2012, MY FRIEND TOOK THE CAR TO ANOTHER TIRE SERVICE CENTER ALONG GARRISONVILLE ROAD, STAFFORD, VA, WHERE THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN PROVIDED COPIES OF GM BULLETIN # 05-03-10-003F: LOW TIRE PRESSURE, LEAKING CAST ALUMINUM WHEELS (REPAIR WITH ADHESIVE SEALANT) - (APR 27, 2010) AND A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA SS. ON FEB 2, 2012, RADLEY CHEVROLET, FREDERICKSBURG, VA, (RADLEY) FOUND THAT "THE LEFT REAR RIM IS LEAKING AIR" AND "FOUND INNER RIM LEAKING AIR ON BEAD." THE TECHNICIAN FOLLOWED #05-03-10-003F AND VERIFIED THE REPAIR. ON SEPT 12, 2012, RADLEY'S TECH "FOUND AFTER LETTING RIM SIT IN TANK FOR PERIOD OF TIME - VERY SMALL LEAK COMING FROM INSIDE OF CAST ALUMINUM WHEEL . . . " ON OCT. 11, 2012, RADLEY CLEANED THE CORROSION FROM THE WHEELS AND ADDED ADHESIVE SEALANT. THE TIRE CONTINUED TO LEAK. ON OCT. 22, 2013, OURISMAN CHEVROLET, ALEXANDRIA, VA, FOUND "ONGOING LOSS OF AIR FROM TIRES - POSSIBLE BEAD CORROSION; CAUSE OF AIR LOSS FROM LEFT FRONT WHEEL SMALL LEAK THREW [SIC] RIM IN WHERE RIM HAS OXIDIZED [SIC] ...OTHER WHEELS SHOWING SAME OXIDIZED [SIC] MARKS." GM AGREED TO PAY 60% OF THE COST OF ONE WHEEL REPLACEMENT $330.28. THE DEALER RECOMMENDED TO GM THAT ALL FOUR WHEELS BE REPLACED FOR $1088.73. GM AUTHORIZED REPLACING ONE WHEEL. GM'S #05-03-10-003F APPLIES TO ALL PRIOR YEARS OF ALL PASSENGER CARS & LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS. GM MUST RESOLVE THIS LONG-STANDING DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE. GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD PAY TO REPLACE ALL OF MY WHEELS AT ITS SOLE EXPENSE. *TR

NEEDED 4 NEW TIRES & CAM BOLTS ON 3 WHEELS DUE TO EXCESSIVE WEAR (DOWN TO THREAD) AFTER ONLY 22,348 MILES. I WAS (AT FIRST) TOLD IT WAS BECAUSE MOST OF MY DRIVING WAS AROUND TOWN & THAT I MADE A LOT OF TURNS! TIRES HAD BEEN ROTATED REGULARLY SINCE 2008...DLR. NEVER MENTIONED KNOWN PROBLEM W/CAMBER. (MECHANIC SAID HE SEES ALL THE TIME FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL.) SAW THAT THIS MODEL WAS RECALLED FOR POLICE DEPT. PURCHASERS BUT NOT FOR THE REST OF US. MY LAST CHEVY! *TR

WHEN MY IMPALA FIRST STARTED TO DISPLAY THE ENGINE POWER REDUCE MESSAGE. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR. SO I CHANGE THE GAS PEDAL THE ENGINE LIGHT WHEN OFF FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS. THEN MY CAR CUT OFF ONE DAY AS I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK. WHEN I WENT TO GET IT CHECK THEY TOLD ME IT MIGHT BE THE ALTERNATOR AND THEN IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY. THEN THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT BUT MY CAR IS NOW PARK AND REFUSE TO STAY RUNNING. IT WILL START ONLY TO CUT OFF A MILE OR SO INTO DRIVING. *TR