2008 Chevrolet Impala

I HAVE A 2008 CHEVY IMPALA LT WITH 33,619 MILES ON IT. IT HAS THE GOODYEAR EAGLE LS2 TIRES IT CAME WITH WHEN I BOUGHT IT NEW IN 2008. I RECENTLY HAD A REAR LEAKY TIRE SO I TOOK IT TO A GARAGE AND THEY REPAIRED IT. WHILE IT WAS OFF THE RIM I NOTICED WHAT LOOKED TO ME TO BE VERY EXCESSIVE WEAR TO THE INSIDE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE. IT WAS SO UNEVENLY WORN IT SHOCKED ME. I COULD SEE CORDS FROM THE BELTS IN SEVERAL SPOTS. THE MECHANIC AND I CHECKED THE OTHER REAR TIRE AND FOUND IT TO BE IN THE SAME CONDITION. HE ADVISED ME TO GET THEM REPLACED SOON AS POSSIBLE AND TO ROTATE THE TIRES MORE OFTEN. WE CHECKED THE FRONT TWO TIRES AND FOUND THEM TO HAVE NEARLY TWICE AS MUCH TREAD AND NO SIDEWALL DAMAGE THAT WE COULD SEE. TODAY I PURCHASED TWO NEW TIRES AND THE MECHANIC WHO INSTALLED THEM SUGGESTED I GET A REAR WHEEL ALIGNMENT AS THIS MAKE AND MODEL ARE NOTORIUS FOR REAR ALIGNMENT ISSUES. BEING SKEPTICAL I DECIDED TO RESEARCH IT MYSELF ONLINE BEFORE COMMITTING. I WAS SHOCKED AGAIN TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE COMPLAINING OF THE SAME ISSUE AND GM'S LACK OF RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM. I DECIDED TO WRITE TO THIS AGENCY AND VOICE MY CONCERNS. WHAT IF ANYTHING IS BEING DONE TO LOOK INTO THIS? DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO BE INJURED BEFORE ANYTHING GETS DONE? MY DAD USED TO SAY WHATS RIGHT IS RIGHT BUT GM'S DENIAL OF A PROBLEM IS NOT RIGHT. IN THIS TROUBLED ECONOMY ESPECIALLY, BIG BUSINESS SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE WHEN THEY PUT OUT A PRODUCT WITH ISSUES THAT IMPACT THE SAFETY AND POCKETBOOK OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. 2008 CHEVY IMPALA $27,000. TWO NEW TIRES $254. FUTURE ALIGNMENTS AND PARTS, LABOR, ETC - ? *TT

I BOUGHT MY CAR NEW ON JUNE 30, 2008. IN THE FALL OF 2011 I NOTICED THAT ONE OF THE REAR DOOR LOCKS WOULD NOT ACTUALLY UNLOCK WHEN USING THE FOB OR THE UNLOCK BUTTON ON THE INSIDE OF THE CAR. NOW IN JUNE 2012 - NEITHER OF THE REAR DOORS WILL UNLOCK UNLESS SOMEONE IS PHYSICALLY IN THE CAR. I HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN - BOTH IN CHILD SAFETY SEATS AND BOTH IN A HARNESS, ONE IS STILL REAR-FACING. TO UNLOCK THE DOORS I EITHER HAVE TO PUT MY CHILD IN THE FRONT SEAT, LAY THE DRIVERS SEAT DOWN, UNLOCK THE BACK DOOR, MOVE HER TO THE BACK SEAT AND CRAWL ACROSS THE CAR TO UNLOCK THE PASSENGER DOOR (WHERE THE REAR-FACING SEAT IS LOCATED) OR MY OLDEST HAS TO CRAWL THROUGH THE FRONT AND THEN UNLOCK BOTH DOORS FOR ME. I CALLED TO SEE HOW MUCH IT WOULD BE TO FIX THE ISSUE AND WAS TOLD ALMOST $300 EACH. I CALLED GM TO SEE IF THEY COULD ASSIST ME AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE I WAS OUTSIDE OF THE FACTORY WARRANTY IT WOULD BE A "WEAR AND TEAR ISSUE" AND THE CUSTOMER WAS RESPONSIBLE. THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE NO WAY TO ACCESS BOTH HARNESSED CHILDREN IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY OTHER THAN BREAKING THE WINDOWS IN THEIR FACES. I AM VERY FRUSTRATED AND DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THIS POINT. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH, THE POWER STEERING BELT FRACTURED AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PERSONAL MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIRS. SIXTY DAYS AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF PARK. THE CONTACT WAS FORCED TO APPLY THE BYPASS RELAY BUTTON TO GET THE CAR OUT OF PARK. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE KEY BECAME STUCK IN THE IGNITION AND THE BATTERY WAS DRAINING ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

I WAS TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY NEAR TO MY HOME, AND FOR ABOUT A MONTH NOW THE VEHICLE HAS COME UP WITH AN ERROR STATING "REDUCED ENGINE POWER". SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE SIMPLY STALLED ITSELF, COMING UP WITH A MESSAGE THAT STATED "STARTING DISABLED/SERVICE THROTTLE". I WAS TRAVELING UPHILL AT 40MPH, NOW WITH NO POWER BRAKES, NO POWER STEERING, AND THE ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF AND UNABLE TO RESTART. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND RECONNECT IT TO RESTART IT. WHAT IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON A HIGHWAY ON OR OFF RAMP? OR ON A CORNER? OR WITH A VEHICLE TRAVELING BEHIND ME? I BELIEVE ANY VEHICLE THAT WILL JUST RANDOMLY TURN ITSELF OFF DUE TO A PART THAT HAS HAD HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS THAT I'VE JUST READ ONLINE IS UNSAFE TO BE DRIVEN ON AMERICA'S HIGHWAYS. I READ ONLINE THAT THIS WAS A PREVALENT PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES, AND I HOPE I GET INJURED BECAUSE OF IT SO I CAN SUE GM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR LOCK FAILED. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THE DOOR ACTUATOR PART#20790495 NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE REPAIRS COST WAS $300 AND THE DEALER AGREED TO PAY HALF. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND ONLY ADVISED HER TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 51,000.

TIRES STARTED WEARING ON THE INSIDE EDGE AND NO OTHER PLACE WAS TOLD WE NEEDED NEW TIRES ALSO A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT WE REPLACED TIRES ON THE FRONT AND MOVED OLD TIRES TO THE REAR. LOOKING AT THE REAR OF THE CAR YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE TIRES LEANING IN AT THE TOP AND TIRES HAVE STARTED TO SHOW WEAR IN LESS 1,000 MILES ALL THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE SAYS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM GM WILL NOT DO ANYTHING AND WILL NOT ADMIT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM I HAVE PUT 1 SET OF TIRES AND NOT THE CHEAP KIND GM USED PLUS THE LAST TIME I JUST REPLACED THE FRONT TIRES AND PUT THE OLDER ONES ON THE REAR AND HAVE HAD CAR ALIGNED 3 TIMES. *TR

SYMPTOMS WERE NOISE WHEN STEERING AT LOW SPEED, PLAY IN STEERING WHEEL AND VEHICLE "WANDERING" WHEN DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE. PROBLEM WAS DEFECTIVE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. GM REDESIGNED THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT IN 2008 IN RESPONSE TO THESE VERY PROBLEMS. GM HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PART, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE TECHNICAL SERVICES BULLETINS, INCLUDING TSB # 01-02-32-0010. THE TSB INDICATES THE NEED FOR REPLACING, NOT LUBRICATING, THE PART. THE TSB STATES "ENGINEERING CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE SERVICE PARTS AVAILABLE THROUGH SPO. THE SERVICE PARTS FOR THE VEHICLES LISTED IN THIS BULLETIN WILL NO LONGER REQUIRE LUBRICATION OF THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT" GM RE-ENGINEERING THE PART INDICATES TO ME AS AN OWNER THAT THEY KNOW THE ORIGINAL PRODUCT WAS DEFECTIVE, BUT ARE CHOOSING TO REPLACE A DEFECTIVE, POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PART AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE. THIS PROBLEM IS WIDELY DOCUMENTED ON GM OWNER AND DEALERSHIP FORUMS ACROSS THE INTERNET. THIS PROBLEM IS SHARED BY CHEVROLET IMPALAS, CHEVROLET MONTE CARLOS, BUICK REGALS, BUICK LACROSSES, OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE AND PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. ALL OF THESE VEHICLES ARE BUILT ON THE GM "W BODY" PLATFORM. DUE TO THE POPULARITY OF THESE VEHICLES, THE PROBLEM LIKELY AFFECTS MANY MILLIONS OF OWNERS. I HAD THE PART REPLACED AT MY OWN EXPENSE. I HAD A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED WARRANTY THAT, ACCORDING TO MY INVOICE, ONLY SAVED ME $30 ON THE REPAIR. I WAS CHARGED A $200 DEDUCTIBLE FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE PART. *TR

USING FOB OR LOCK/UNLOCK BUTTONS, THE DOOR LOCKS RANDOMLY DO NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK. IT WAS CHECKED, BUT NO SOLUTION OFFERED. WITH THE BACK DOOR LOCKS BEING AT THE BACK OF THE DOOR, THIS IS A MAJOR INCONVENIENCE AND CAN BE A SAFETY HAZARD FOR ELDERLY AND DISABLED INDIVIDUALS. IT IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN YOU ASSUME THE DOORS ARE LOCKED (OR UNLOCKED), BUT THEY AREN'T. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL, BUT JUST LIKE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AND LOW QUALITY PAINT ISSUES ON CHEVROLET VEHICLES IN THE PAST, I AM SURE THERE WILL NOT, AND WE WILL ALL CONTINUE TO BUY $30,000 PIECES OF JUNK! *TR