1999 Chevrolet Lumina

I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR OVERHEATING. I CHANGED THE THERMOSTAT AND ALL THE RADIATOR HOSES IN ORDER TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THINKING THAT THIS CORRECTED THE PROBLEM BECAUSE MY MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND A LEAK I CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I HAD TO START USING THE HEATER IN OCT 09 WHEN THE PROBLEM RECURRED. I THEN USED RADIATOR FLUSH AND CLEANER AND STILL MY MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE LEAK. I WAS HAVING TO PUT ANTIFREEZE IN THE CAR SEVERAL TIMES IN ORDER TO MAKE IT TO WORK (USUALLY A 15 MIN DRIVE). ONE COLD MORNING I NOTICED THE CAR WAS SMOKING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE MECHANIC SHOP. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT HE SHOWED ME THE LEAK AT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. HE WAS ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT INFORMED ME THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. THE FIX IS ONLY TEMPORARY. IT COST ME SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS TO FIX THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET (650.00). THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL THE OTHER WORK AND REPAIRS THAT WERE MADE PRIOR TO REPLACING THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS. I CHANGED THE THERMOSTAT TWICE AND ALL THE RADIATOR HOSES BEFORE FINDING THE LEAK IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND GETTING IT FIXED. I WOULD ALSO GO THROUGH A GALLON OF DEX-COOL ANTIFREEZE EVERY OTHER DAY; AT A COST OF $14.00 PLUS TAX. THE OLD PART IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. MY MECHANIC SHOWED IT TO ME AND IT WAS EATEN UP. HE TOLD ME HE HAS FIXED HUNDREDS OF CARS WITH THIS SAME ENGINE AND PROBLEM... *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 CHEVROLET LUMINA. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE VENTS IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. SHE STOPPED THE VEHICLE, OPENED THE HOOD, AND NOTICED FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE FIRE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND THEY EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE AND FILED A REPORT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,375.

MY LUMINA SUDDENLY BEGAN TO LOOSE REFRIGERANT CAUSING THE CAR TO OVERHEAT. TOOK THE CAR TO SEVERAL SHOPS INCLUDING A DEALERSHIP AND THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A LOWER MANIFOLD GASKET. EACH AND EVERY REPAIR FACILITY SAID THIS IS VERY COMMON IN THE LUMINA. WITH 56000 MILES I AM NOW FACED WITH A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR.IF THIS IS SO COMMON WHY HAS NOTHING BEEN DONE ABOUT THIS.? I HAVE HAD AN AIR CONDITIONER REPLACED AS WELL AS MANY OTHER EXPENSIVE ITEMS. I AM PAYING TWICE FOR THIS VEHICLE IN REPAIRS. THE POSITION OF THE BATTERY MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR A PERSON TO REPLACE THEMSELVES. THE LUMINA IS TURNING INTO A MONEY PIT. *TR

1999 CHEVY LUMINA IS LEAKING OIL FROM THE VALVE COVER GASKET AS CONFIRMED BY TWO SEPARATE MECHANICS. GM HAS ISSUED A RECALL DUE TO FIRE HAZARD FOR THIS ISSUE BUT ONLY AUTHORIZES DEALERS TO REPLACE THE SPARK PLUG CHANNEL TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF FIRE. OIL CAN STILL LEAK INTO THE MANIFOLD, WHICH DUE TO TEMPERATURE, YET POSING A FIRE HAZARD. ALSO, THE OIL BEGINS LEAKING EXTERNALLY POSING THE INITIAL FIRE HAZARD BUT AS THE PROBLEM PROGRESSES, THE LEAKAGE BECOMES INTERNAL AND SEEPAGE INTO THE COOLANT NULLIFIES COOLANT FUNCTION CAUSING THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT. THIS POSES AN ADDITIONAL FIRE HAZARD AND EVEN IF NO FIRE OCCURS THE ENGINE WILL STILL SEIZE DUE TO OVERHEATING CAUSING ACCIDENT RISK. WHEN CONTACTING GM, CUSTOMER SERVICE STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE TECHNICAL ANSWERS BUT WOULD CONTACT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND PLACED A CONFERENCE CALL. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED THAT A LEAKING VALVE COVER GASKET WAS THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM AND COULD STILL POSE A THREAT BUT THEY WERE NOT AUTHORIZED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BUT WOULD BE 'HAPPY TO CHECK IT OUT AND FIX THE PROBLEM AT OUR EXPENSE' EVEN THOUGH IT'S A DEFECTIVE PART. THEY COULD NOT CONFIRM WHY THE ACTUAL PROBLEM IS NOT BEING CORRECTED, ONLY THE CHANNEL COVER IN A TOKEN EFFORT TO APPEASE CONSUMERS BUT NOT TRULY CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND REFERRED ME BACK TO GM CUSTOMER SERVICE. GM CUSTOMER SERVICE CAN OFFER NO REASONING OTHER THAN THEY DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARY TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, JUST MINIMIZE POSSIBLE RISK OF FIRE SPREADING. I AM PERSONALLY AWARE OF FOUR OTHER INDIVIDUALS UNDER THIS SAFETY RECALL, #09047, THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM TO THE DEGREE THE ENGINE HAS OVERHEATED AND WILL NEED REPLACEMENT BUT STILL GM REFUSES TO CORRECT THE ACTUAL SAFETY ISSUE. THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STRANDED, NARROWLY AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT, AND EVEN HAD TO PUT A SMALL FIRE OUT THEM SELF. MINIMIZING A SIGNIFICANT FIRE THREAT IS NOT NEARLY SUFFICIENT WHEN IT CAN BE PREVENTED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 CHEVROLET LUMINA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING FAILURES SIMILAR TO THOSE LISTED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 09V116000. A MECHANIC NOTICED THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT IT WOULD COST MONEY TO REPAIR. CHEVROLET STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 80,000.

TURN SIGNAL SWITCH CAUSES REAR BRAKE LIGHTS NOT TO WORK. I DIDN'T FIND OUT ABOUT IT UNTIL A POLICE OFFICER PULLED ME OVER FOR THE BRAKE LIGHTS NOT COMING ON. I WAS LET OFF WITH A WARNING. I DID A SEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AS ME WITH THE SAME MODEL VEHICLE. THIS CAN CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE PEOPLE BEHIND YOU ON THE ROAD WILL NOT SEE THAT YOU ARE STOPPING. *TR

I HAVE A 1999 CHEVY LUMINA PURCHASE NEW IN 1999. THE INTAKE GASKET HAS BEN SERVICED ON 3/14/03 AT $216, ON 12/15/03 CAR SMOKING AND FLUID LEAKING AGAIN AND THIS WAS $737. NOW I HAVE BEEN FACED WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. FOR SEVERAL WEEKS I WAS ADDING COOLANT ON A WEEKLY BASIS UNTIL IT STARTED TO BE EVERY 2-3 DAYS. THEN THE CAR STARTED SMOKING AND I PANIC AND TOOK IT TO THE NEAREST SHOP ON MY WAY TO WORK. THE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A INTAKE GASKET MANIFOLD PROBLEM. WHEN THEY WERE DONE IT HAD COST ME $763 DOLLARS. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE OTHER VEHICLES IN THEIR SHOP WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, AFTER LEAVING THAT SAME DAY, THE CAR BEGUN HESITATING WHEN ACCELERATING AS THOUGH IT WAS NOT GETTING ANY GAS. THAT MADE NO SINCE BECAUSE I HAD 3/4 OF A TANK OF GAS. WHY ARE THESE PROBLEMS HAPPENING AT THIS POINT BECAUSE I HAVE CONSISTENTLY SERVICED THIS VEHICLE ON A REGULAR BASIS SINCE PURCHASING IN 1999. I AM TOLD THAT THERE ARE RECALLS ON THESE PARTICULAR PROBLEMS. PLEASE HELP ME BECAUSE I VALUE AND TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY CARS, BUT I FEEL THAT EVERYTHING IS DEFECTIVE. I HAVE ALSO HAD ISSUES WITH HAVING TO HAVE BRAKE JOBS EVERY 6 MOS. ON THIS SAME VEHICLE. WHAT IS THE PROBLEMS. WILL YOU HELP. *TR