2013 Chevrolet Impala

WHEN STARTING FROM A STANDSTILL, THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM SEEMS TO KICK IN AND THE INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON. INITIAL OCCURRENCES ONLY SEEMED TO HAPPEN WHEN TURNING LEFT FROM A STANDSTILL, BUT NOW IT IS OCCURRING WHEN TURNING EITHER DIRECTION FROM A STANDSTILL. THIS IS OCCURRING AT LOW SPEEDS ON BOTH DRY AND WET PAVEMENT WITH VERY LITTLE ACCELERATION (I.E., NO TIRE SLIPPAGE).

CAR WAS MAKING A SQUEAKING NOISE WHEN YOU TURNED THE WHEEL. TOOK IT IN TO DEALER. THEY SAID STEERING COLUMN WAS LEAKING AND COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING IF NOT REPAIRED. 1300.00 TO REPAIR. THIS IS A 3 YEAR OLD CAR WITH 44,000 MILES ON IT. WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. LOSING YOUR STEERING IS CERTAINLY A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE ENGINE, THE BATTERY FAILED. THE BATTERY WAS ABLE TO BE JUMPSTARTED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE, BUT FOUND NO FAILURE. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT THE CONTACT REPLACE THE GRILL TO PREVENT THE BATTERY FROM FAILING AGAIN. A FEW DAYS LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO START WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED IN THE IGNITION. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE STARTED. SHORTLY AFTER, THE COMPUTER SYSTEM RESET AND ALL OF THE WARNING PROMPTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ALARM, TURN SIGNALS, HORN, AND NOTIFICATIONS FAILED TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO TURN OFF THE IGNITION SWITCH, BUT WAS UNABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION BECAUSE IT WAS TOO HOT. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MILES PER HOUR, A TRUCK PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF THE TRUCK. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKES WERE ENGAGED BUT NOT WITH ENOUGH TIME DUE TO THE TRUCKS RAPID MERGE IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED UNKNOWN INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

BRAKE AND STEERING SYSTEM DEFECT. WHILE DRIVING THE ANTILOCK BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON, ALSO THE TRACTION CONTROL, STABILI-TRAK, AND BRAKE ASSIST LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING. THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN IN DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC AT MODERATE SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHO SAID THAT THIS WAS NOT A SAFETY PROBLEM (WHAT!!!!) AND THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE DRIVETRAIN BUT ONLY PART OF THE 30K COVERAGE. THEY THEN SAID IT WOULD BE AT LEAST A WEEK BEFORE THEY COULD LOOK AT THE CAR. (BRAKE AND STEERING ISSUES NOT A SAFETY PROBLEM?) IN DOING SOME CHECKING ON THE INTERNET IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS AND ONGOING ISSUE WITH CHEVEROLET AND GM VEHICLES FOR SEVERAL YEARS. IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE PROBLEM THERE HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BRAKE, STABILITY SYSTEM. SOME EVEN REPORTED TO YOUR DEPARTMENT. IT WOULD BE GOOD IF YOUR DEPARTMENT WOULD BE PROACTIVE AND HAVE THIS ISSUE INVESTIGATED BY SOMEONE OTHER THAN GM. BEFORE THERE ARE FATALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ISSUE. PERHAPS YOU COULD SPEND SOME TIME LOOKING AT THE VARIOUS FORUMS ON THE WEB AND SEE THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR PROBLEM HERE. I DOUBT ANYTHING WILL BE DONE BUT THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO VENT. I AM WRITING THIS TO HELP MY SON OUT SINCE IT IS HIS CAR, AND HE A) HAS A FULL LOAD IN COLLEGE AND B) HE IS A LESS HAPPY CAMPER THAN I AM. *TR

PLEASE REFERENCE COMPLAINT NUMBER 10899363 FILED ON 8/29/2016. ON 8/30/2016 TWO ADDITTIONAL TIRES OF THE SAME DOT NUMBER WERE FOUND TO HAVE SIMILAR DEFECTS ON THE SAME VEHICLE, BUT HAD NOT COMPLETELY FAILED WITH A BLOWOUT OR AIR LEAKDOWN. THE TWO ADDITTIONAL ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES ON THE SAME VEHICLE WERE FOUND, DURING INSPECTION WITH THE VEHICLE STATIONARY, TO HAVE SEPARATIONS/BULGES AT THE INNER TIRE EDGE WHERE THE TIRE FACE MEETS THE SIDEWALL. NEITHER OF THESE TIRES CAUSED ANY "THUMPING" DURING DRIVING; HOWEVER, EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE SEPARATION HAD BEEN ONGOING FOR ENOUGH TIME TO ALLOW WEAR OF THE RAISED AREA AND FATIGUE CRACKING/CHECKING IN THE SIPES OVERLYING THE SEPARATED AREA. IN ALL CASES, THE SEPARATED AREA WAS PRESSURIZED AND COULD BE PUSHED IN UNTIL THE OUTER TIRE RUBBER CONTACTED THE INNER BODY OF THE TIRE. ADDITTIONALLY THERE WAS NO AIR LEAKAGE OR REDUCTION IN TIRE PRESSURE. MILEAGE AT THE TIME OF THE OBSERVED DEFECT ON THESE TWO ADDITTIONAL TIRES WAS 39,000. THE DOT NUMBER OF THE TWO ADDITTIONAL AFFECTED TIRES IS M643 BHDR 3912. BE ADVISED THAT ALL TIRES ON THIS VEHICLE HAVE BEEN MAINTAINED TO THE TIRE MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATION. THE ATTACHED PHOTO SHOWS THE SWELLING/SEPARATION/CRACKING/WEAR AT THE TIRE EDGE OF ONE OF THE TWO ADDITTIONAL TIRES FROM DOT NUMBER M643 BHDR 3912 - OBSERVED DEFECT ON 8/30/2016 WAS SIMILAR ON BOTH OF THESE TIRES. DUE THE THE NATURE OF THIS FAILURE, WHERE SEPARATION HAD OBVIOUSLY BEEN ONGOING FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AS INDICATED BY THE WEAR AND CHECKING PATTERN BUT NO "ROAD FEEL" OF THE FAILURE, A DRIVER COULD EASILY END UP WITH AN INSTANT FAILURE/BLOWOUT AT ANY TIME WITHOUT WARNING AS HAPPENED WITH A TIRE ON THIS CAR AS REPORTED IN COMPLAINT 10899363. IN ALL CASES, THE FAILURE WAS ON THE INNER SIDE OF THE TIRE AND NOT READILY OR EASILY BE FOUND WITHOUT A DETAILED INSPECTION.

GOODYEAR EAGLE LS 2 TIRE ON A 2013 IMPALA EXPERIENCED A SIDEWALL SPLIT AND TIRE DEFLATION WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET. THE DISTANCE COVERED FROM THE TIME THE TIRE DEVELOPED A PERCEPTIBLE "THUMP" TILL THE SIDEWALL RUPTURED AND TIRE WENT FLAT WAS BETWEEN ONE AND TWO MILES. UNTIL THAT TIME, THE TPS DID NOT COME ON. THE ENTIRE EVENT OCCURRED WITHIN 5 MINUTES. SEPARATION OCCURRED BETWEEN THE RADIAL PLIES AND THE OUTER RUBBER COVERIG OF THE SIDEWALL. THE GOODYEAR EAGLE LS 2 TIRES WERE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON THIS VEHICLE. MILEAGE ON THE TIRES AT THE TIME OF THIS FAILURE WAS 39,000. TIRES HAVE ALWAYS BEEM MAINTAINED TO MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS.