NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
230 reports70,000 miles · Apr 14, 2009
Engine And Engine CoolingPower TrainService Brakes, Electric
I OWN A LEMON OF A 2002 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS. NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS SINCE I BOUGHT IT LAST YEAR. STEERING COLUMN PROBLEMS, COST $200.00 TO FIX, CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED, COVERED BY WARRANTY THANK GOD. TODAY IT IS IN THE SHOP AGAIN FOR LEAKY GASKET AND WHEEL BEARING/ HUB REPLACEMENT WHICH IS COSTING ANOTHER $500.00. THIS W…
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I OWN A LEMON OF A 2002 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS. NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS SINCE I BOUGHT IT LAST YEAR. STEERING COLUMN PROBLEMS, COST $200.00 TO FIX, CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED, COVERED BY WARRANTY THANK GOD. TODAY IT IS IN THE SHOP AGAIN FOR LEAKY GASKET AND WHEEL BEARING/ HUB REPLACEMENT WHICH IS COSTING ANOTHER $500.00. THIS WAS BAD BECAUSE THE ABS BREAKS DIDN'T ALWAYS WORK WHICH WAS SCARY SINCE I WONDERED WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO GIVE OUT TOTALLY AND I WOULD BE IN AN ACCIDENT. THE TRANSMISSION SOLENOID ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WHICH COST US ANOTHER $700.00. IS THERE ANY HELP FOR US? I WONDER WHAT WILL BE NEXT WITH THIS CAR, IT IS A NICE LOOKING CAR, BUT IT SUCKS MECHANICALLY!! PLEASE HELP! ANY SUGGESTIONS? *TR
NHTSA ODI #10265271
90,000 miles · Mar 5, 2009
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
ON OUR 2002 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO THE SERVICE TRACTION SYSTEM AND ABS LIGHT COMES ON. NOW THE BRAKES OCCASIONALLY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE TRYING TO LOCK UP WHEN COMING TO A STOP. A MECHANIC SAID IT WAS ABOUT $1500.00 TO REPAIR BUT IT WOULD BE FINE WITHOUT REPAIR. NOW WE ARE NOT SO SURE. OTHERS HAVE SAID THAT EVEN DEALERSHIPS DON'T KN…
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ON OUR 2002 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO THE SERVICE TRACTION SYSTEM AND ABS LIGHT COMES ON. NOW THE BRAKES OCCASIONALLY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE TRYING TO LOCK UP WHEN COMING TO A STOP. A MECHANIC SAID IT WAS ABOUT $1500.00 TO REPAIR BUT IT WOULD BE FINE WITHOUT REPAIR. NOW WE ARE NOT SO SURE. OTHERS HAVE SAID THAT EVEN DEALERSHIPS DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM. CHANGING THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WORKS FOR A VERY SHORT TIME THEN THE LIGHTS COME BACK ON. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10260880
Mileage unknown · Jan 20, 2009
Electrical System
IS THERE A RECALL FOR THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ON A 2002 MONTE CARLO SS? MY GAUGES STOPPED WORKING TODAY AND I WAS TOLD THERE MAY BE A RECALL. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10255616
128,000 miles · Oct 15, 2008
Air BagsCrashInjury
WAS IN A COLLISION WHICH I WAS REARENDED THEN PUSHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AND NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10245564
88,000 miles · Sep 24, 2008
Visibility
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH IN RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED NORMALLY. WHEN THE WIPERS WERE DEACTIVATED, THE BLADES REMAINED IN AN UPWARD POSITION. THE FAILURE WAS ANNOYING AND HINDERED VISIBILITY. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTAC…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH IN RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED NORMALLY. WHEN THE WIPERS WERE DEACTIVATED, THE BLADES REMAINED IN AN UPWARD POSITION. THE FAILURE WAS ANNOYING AND HINDERED VISIBILITY. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 90,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000. UPDATED 10-30-08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE WINDSHIELD ARE IN AN UPWARD POSITION WHEN THEY ARE NOT IN USE. UPDATED 10/31/08. *JB
NHTSA ODI #10243350
33,000 miles · Sep 23, 2008
Steering
MY 2002 CHEVY MONTE CARLO SS HAS A CLUNKING SOUND COMING FROM THE STEERING, I HAD THIS FIXED 2 1/2 YEARS AGO AND IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AGAIN NOW FOR ABOUT 8 MONTHS. I WAS WAITING FOR A RECALL BUT HAVE HEARD NOTHING YET. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10243203
35,000 miles · Sep 17, 2008
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting
TURN SIGNAL FAILURE: BEGINNING IN 2005 THROUGH TO 2007 THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY. WHILE UNDER WARRANTY THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. ONCE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO. I DID FIND THAT TURNING THE HAZARD SIGNALS ON FOR 5-10 SECONDS WOU…
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TURN SIGNAL FAILURE: BEGINNING IN 2005 THROUGH TO 2007 THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY. WHILE UNDER WARRANTY THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. ONCE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO. I DID FIND THAT TURNING THE HAZARD SIGNALS ON FOR 5-10 SECONDS WOULD SOMETIMES CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND THE TURN SIGNAL WOULD WORK. FINALLY AFTER MANY HOURS SEARCHING THE INTERNET I FOUND SEVERAL POSTINGS INDICATING THAT THERE WAS A FAULTY HAZARD LIGHT SWITCH, THE TURN SIGNALS ARE ALSO CONTROLLED BY THE HAZARD LIGHT SWITCH. IN OCTOBER 2007 I SPENT $399 TO HAVE THE HAZARD LIGHT SWITCH REPAIRED. PLEASE INSIST THAT THE DEALERSHIP REPLACE THE HAZARD LIGHT SWITCH AND NOT ADD ON ADDITIONAL PARTS LIKE THE TURN SIGNAL ARM ETC. MY DEALERSHIP FIRST QUOTED ME $850 STATING THAT THE TURN SIGNAL ARM MUST ALSO BE REPLACED TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. SINCE THE REPAIR ALL IS FINE. I DO BELIEVE THAT GM/CHEVROLET SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF REPAIR SINCE IT IS A DEFECT IN THEIR DESIGN.*TR
NHTSA ODI #10242662
79,000 miles · Jul 21, 2008
Air Bags
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO. WHILE THE CONTACT'S SPOUSE WAS BACKING THE VEHICLE UP, THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE AIR BAG, BUT NOT THE DEPLOYMENT. THE RECALL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,407 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO. WHILE THE CONTACT'S SPOUSE WAS BACKING THE VEHICLE UP, THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE AIR BAG, BUT NOT THE DEPLOYMENT. THE RECALL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,407 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,000.
NHTSA ODI #10235152
100,000 miles · Jul 14, 2008
Exterior Lighting
2002 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS - TURN SIGNALS SUDDENLY STOP WORKING. FOUND OUT BY ACCIDENT THAT TURNING ON EMERGENCY FLASHERS WILL SOMEHOW RESET THE LIGHTS AND THEN THE TURN SIGNALS WORK AGAIN. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR THE PAST YEAR. FOUND REPORTS ON MYCARSTATS.COM THAT OTHERS ARE HAVING A SIMILAR PROBLEM. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10234151
51,000 miles · Jul 2, 2008
Service Brakes, HydraulicSteering
ABS AND TAC OFF LIGHT COME ON STAY ON AND SERVICE TRACTION SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON TOOK TO SHOP IF DIDN'T FIX (MEANING I HAVE NO ANTILOCK BRAKES AND THEY THING ITS THE ABS MOTOR PUMP THINK) I WONT BE ABLE TO GET A INSPECTION STICKER AND THEY SAID IT WILL COST 1600 TO FIX AND WENT ON WEB AND SEEN MANY HUNDREDS OF 2002 MONTE OWN…
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ABS AND TAC OFF LIGHT COME ON STAY ON AND SERVICE TRACTION SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON TOOK TO SHOP IF DIDN'T FIX (MEANING I HAVE NO ANTILOCK BRAKES AND THEY THING ITS THE ABS MOTOR PUMP THINK) I WONT BE ABLE TO GET A INSPECTION STICKER AND THEY SAID IT WILL COST 1600 TO FIX AND WENT ON WEB AND SEEN MANY HUNDREDS OF 2002 MONTE OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10232983
Official recalls
4Oct 26, 2015
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. The affected vehicles were previously repaired under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 to address the possibility that engine oil may drip onto the hot exhaust manifold.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
Remedy: The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, or 15V-201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1-800-442-6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/header/muffler/tail Pipe
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. The affected vehicles were previously repaired under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 to address the possibility that engine oil may drip onto the hot exhaust manifold.
Consequence: Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
Remedy: The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, or 15V-201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1-800-442-6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. The affected vehicles were previously repaired under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 to address the possibility that engine oil may drip onto the hot exhaust manifold.
Consequence: Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
Remedy: The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, or 15V-201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1-800-442-6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.
Jul 3, 2014
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
Apr 8, 2009
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 1,497,516 MY 1997-2003 BUICK REGAL, MY 1998-2003 CHEVROLET LUMINA, MONTE CARLO AND IMPALA, MY 1998-1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE, MY 1997-2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 3.8L V6 NATURALLY ASPIRATED ENGINE. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH DROPS OF ENGINE OIL MAY BE DEPOSITED ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD THROUGH HARD BRAKING.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE MANIFOLD IS HOT ENOUGH AND THE OIL RUNS BELOW THE HEAT SHIELD, IT MAY IGNITE INTO A SMALL FLAME AND MAY SPREAD TO THE PLASTIC SPARK PLUG WIRE CHANNEL AND BEYOND INCREASING THE RISK OF AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINES FRONT VALVE COVER AND FRONT-VALVE-COVER GASKET WITH NEW PARTS OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN AND REMOVE THE ENGINES PLASTIC COVER AND PLASTIC OIL-FILL-TUBE EXTENSION, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2016. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR HTTP://WWW.PONTIAC.COM OR HTTP:WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Aug 9, 2002
CERTAIN PASSENGER, MINI VANS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES HAVE AN AIR BAG INFLATOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THAT COULD FRACTURE AT A WELD DURING A DEPLOYMENT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: PIECES OF THE INFLATOR COULD STRIKE AND INJURE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AND THE AIR BAG CUSHION WOULD NOT INFLATE FULLY, REDUCING THE CAPABILITY OF THE BAG TO PROTECT THE DRIVER.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT, AND REPLACE, IF NECESSARY, THE AIR BAG MODULE ASSEMBLY ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 15, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT 1-800-521-7300, CADILLAC AT 1-800-458-8006, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, GMC AT 1-800-462-8782, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537, OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-762-2737.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
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