Problems with 2000 Chevrolet Impala FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet impala. when the vehicle was started, a clunking sound was heard. the contact looked under the vehicle and noticed that a fire had erupted near the exhaust manifold. the fire extinguished on its own. also, the vehicle intermittently misfired and performed sluggishly. the vehicle was towed to schukei chevrolet inc (721 s monroe ave, mason city, ia 50401, 641-494-5589) for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa action numbers: ea02030 (fuel system, gasoline) and pe00005 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign numbers: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling) and 09v116000 (engine and engine cooling). the failure caused the contact to have to rent a vehicle for two weeks. when the contact took the vehicle back to the dealer, he was provided a loaner vehicle. the manufacturer was notified and provided a case number. the approximate failure mileage was 78,500. *tr

I have a 2000 impala with approximately 161,000 miles on it. the car is used and i am the 2nd owner. i went to have my normal oil change as i had noticed the low engine oil pressure light had come on. the car had been running out of oil frequently, but i didn't see any oil leaks. the print out after the oil change stated multiple oil leaks. but there was never any oil on the ground. the car had been running very rough and was staring to run warmer than usual. not hot, but past the middle line on the temp gauge. and i had noticed a burning smell after driving, but never saw any smoke. this all started in april 2014 and has been ongoing. i've taken the car to a repair shop and nobody seems to know what's going on. now july 5,2014 i went to turn left and the steering wheel was extremely hard to turn. i had to put a lot of muscle into turning the wheel. i checked the power steering fluid and saw it was low so i topped it off. problem should have been fixed right? wrong. it got worse. i took it to a different repair shop and was told it was the tensioner pulley. o'er $100 later, the problem has gotten worse. when i turn left the wheel stays stuck and i have to jerk it back straight. thus is a safety hazard as i transport my family in this vehicle. since these problems stared the car eats a lot of gas. going 5 miles should not use almost a quarter tank of gas and the check engine light comes on and stays on at random times, during theses times the car eats a lot if gas. when the light is not on gas mileage is ok. this is very dangerous. *tr

On 2/24/14 at approximately 2:50 pm, i properly attached a set of battery jumper cables from my truck to this car to start it from a dead battery situation. when the owner attempted to crank the car, there was an explosion from the intake manifold during the cranking, resulting in an explosion and small fire. the owner immediately switched the car off, and exited the vehicle, and i immediately closed the hood so that the fire would not spread, called the fire department, and removed the vehicles around it. the fire dept. responded within 5 min., and extinguished the fire with water. the fire dept. and police inspected the car, and left after it was determined that the fire was properly extinguished, and there was no further risk of the fire re-starting. the fire damage was confined to the entire under-hood area of the car. when the explosion happened, the engine cover and oil filler cap was blown approximately 5 ft. from the car, the intake manifold was blown open, and the fire was burning inside the intake manifold. we attempted to push the car into the parking space, but it would not move. it seemed the engine had seized, probably as a result of the fire. the car has since been towed to our mechanic. the car's owner was inside of the car, attempting to start it via the ignition key. i asked her if there were any prior issues with the car, and she told me that at the time, other than a flat tire and dead battery, the a/c was inoperative, and not being used. approximately 2-3 years ago, the car was brought to a local dealer, and a recall issue was performed on it. she did not remember what service and recall repairs were done on the car. prior to this incident, the car had not been operated for approximately 2 weeks. i am the person most able to give the details of the incident. the owner of the car (sister) has authorized me to act on her behalf in this matter. *tr

My car started to over heat in the middle of winter in minnesota. there was plenty of coolant in the reservoirs. while the vehicle was idling there was a noise and once i started to move again the car began to jerk then the check engine light came on while attempting to accelerate. then a few weeks later the gas gauge began showing the incorrect about of gas levels in my vehicle. *tr

I w also as driving into a shopping plaza and my steering wheel locked and my car steered across the entrance after a couple of minutes it started back up.i am so nervous because the steering wheel locked,also every now and then it just wont start up and then all of a sudden it will. the gas gauge doesn't work either so you cant judge the gas never received any recall notices i have a 2000 chevy impala. *tr

While driving this car it would just stall or die as if someone had reached over and shut the car off and would not start for a few days. i have brought this car to two mechanics and neither were able to stop the problem but told me that different parts were the culprit, so 800 dollars later i have replaced the fuel filter, fuel pump, crank shaft position sensor, mass air flow sensor,replaced the battery, tested the alternator, tested the fuel injectors both hot and cold, tested the ignition module and still the car died leaving my child and i stranded on the side of the freeway in cold temperatures. i then called a gm dealership whom said another 120.00 just to look at it and said they couldn't find the problem . this is outrageous! *tr

on feb.10th or 11th.my neighbor was attempting to jump start my car because the battery had failed due to a 3 day snow storm. after turned the ignition the second time, there was a loud boom. when we checked the engine, we noted the manifold cover had cracked into several pieces. also the wires were on fire. my neighbor quickly extinguished the flames. later, i went to my dealer(frank z chevrolet in dayton, oh. about the problem. i was told by the assistant service manager that the repairs could cost from $1,800-$2,000 mainly due to the fire damage. since i have been unemployed for 18 months, i have not had the car towed to the dealer for an estimate of actual damage.

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that she traveled for five minutes in the vehicle and upon returning to her residence, she observed smoke coming from under the hood. within a few minutes, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. a fire report was filed. the contact confirmed that there were no prior warnings that indicated a potential fire. the contact was able to locate three recalls for her year, make and model that could potentially cause a fire (nhtsa campaign id numbers 04v090000, 01v136000 and 04v090000). the manufacturer took possession of the vehicle april 2009 and has yet to communicate the outcome to the contact. the manufacturer would not confirm if any of the recalls applied specifically to vin. the failure mileage was 124,000 and the current mileage was 124,000.

Like everyone else w/ a 2000 impala i have faulty, non-working turn signals all the way to the major problems of the intake gasket problem to the most severe - the problem of the car stalling while driving or sitting at a light. and no one can pin pointe the actual problem. my car used to just stall out at least once or twice a day while driving. now the car has given up and i'm about to too. it starts when it wants... i wish life worked that way but it doesn't. today i decided to research recalls on the car and found out everyone has the problems i do but chevy has not taken care of anyone. please take note this is serious. *tr

Tried to start our car. there was a loud bang and the fuel line came off the intake manifold and the intake manifold ruptured. *tr

For almost a year now, my fuel indicator fluctuates. only time it reads accurately is when it is full, or almost empty. a coworker who also owns an impala has said that he just started experiencing the same problem. *tr

Was having a hard time starting the car at times, especially on short trips in town. took about 7 cranks to finally get it started. drove the car the next day, everything seemed okay did not drive car at all over the weekend. got into the car on monday and heard a huge noise. i thought the windshield broke. looked up and saw smoke coming from under hood. unlatched hood, and saw the intake manifold exploded along with the intake plenum, and there was a fire. burnt the injector connectors. car was now at dealership, and chevrolet was sending an investigator to look at car as this was a possible result from a recall by gm regarding the fuel pressure regulator, which i took to dealer to have it replaced. hopefully gm will take off this.*ak

No crash, but the speedometer, tachometer,gas gauge goes wacky most of the time the gas gauge does not work at all, the speedometer works about 25 percent of the time, i have read complaints from other impala owners on line and they all have the same problem, what i would like to see is a recall from g.m. it is a safety concern because you don't know how fast you are going. also most of them said the temp. gauge goes also and that concerns me if you car would overheat you wouldn't even know that it happened, until it was to late, now you would have to invest in a new motor and that is way to costly. please see if there is anything you can do to help the problem to be fixed, were all in this together. they also said that the repair was to cost $500.00. *tr

After not being used for approximately one month, i tried to start my 2000 chevrolet impala with 114,000 (+/-) miles. the car did not start. i connected jumper cables and again tried. the car did not turn over. i waited a few moments and then tried again. when i turned the key, there was an explosion and fire. i turned the key off and disconnected the cables. the top of the upper intake had exploded. the plastic engine cover had disconnected and the oil filler cap/tube had projected to the neighbor's yard. the top of the motor, fuel line and surrounding wires/insulation was on fire. the fire was put out by smothering. i called a mechanic directly after the incident and was informed of a recall for the fuel pressure regulator. after viewing the recall for for the 3.8l (vin k) fuel pressure regulator, the potential situation of a low battery combined with the leaking regulator causing a backfire and thus explosion was exactly what happened. i contacted local chevrolet dealerships and was there was no recall for my vehicle. i then contacted chevrolet customer service via a phone call on december 4, 2006. after multiple phone calls over the next few weeks, i was requested to have the car towed, at my expense, to a local dealership so chevrolet could sent a representative to inspect. chevrolet then called me the beginning of january to tell me that they feel the low battery caused the explosion and thus, they were not responsible. i asked for a copy of their inspection report and was told it was chevrolet property and would not be released. i then searched the nhtsa website and found vehicle recall bulletin 03054-b which my vin # is within the range given for 2000 impala. i again called chevrolet with this information and was told that even though my # was in the range, it might not have been involved, but in any event, they had inspected the vehicle and found they were not at fault. therefore, chevrolet's decision would not be changed. *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet impala. while the vehicle was in the shop for repairs (unrelated to the engine) the engine failed. the errors did not appear when the diagnostics were performed. the contact was initially called to come and retrieve the vehicle, but in the same conversation, she was informed that something failed in the engine. the contact was also informed that she should probably get rid of the vehicle. the engine was replaced. nhtsa campaign id number 04v090000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery) was referenced. the contact spent $1,000 to have the engine replaced. the current and failure mileages were 78,000. updated 08/27/08. *lj the consumer stated the crankshaft position sensor, ignition switch and fuel regulator was replaced. updated 08/27/08

I went out to start my 2000 chevy impala with a 3.8l engine and upon cranking the engine there was a load bang. i immediately noticed smoke coming out from underneath the hood. i got out and opened the hood and saw that the top of the engine was on fire. i was able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. i towed the vehicle to a local dealer and it was noted that the upper intake manifold had exploded and the fire was caused by the fuel line being displaced. chevy said they are not responsible for the incident even though there are recalls for the 3.8l engine under the campaign number 04v090000. my [xxx]. *jb updated 07/16/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

My chevy impals ls 2000 has been stalling while hot on the parkway. this is a serious situation. this was happening intermintely about every few months, then recently it has become a daily event. maybe 1 - 6 times a day while on my way to work. the drive is about 30 miles, one way, and it stalls usually toward the end of the trip. i had the throdle body replaced last wednesday at the dealer, and it did not fix the problem. before that the gas filter was replaced. this weekend it happened four time on saturday and four times on sunday. this is a very dangerious situation especially on the parkway. i have had it to the dealer a number of times and they cannot identify the problem. after these stalls other cars are almost running me off the road. i have been lucky. i love the car and don't want to get rid of it, but if this keeps up i may have to.*ak

1. i discoverd i had a slow gas leak in the gas return lines. i had been smelling gas for several months but just thought it was a spill in the trunk possibly or something else. i never suspected it to be a leak because the car was so new and in excellent condition and had never been treated roughly. 2. i couldn't drive the car for several weeks trying to figure out what it was and if it was a recall or not, it wasn't clear. the consequences could have been much worse if i hadn't found the leak. 3. i took the car to my mechanic, they said it was a recall; they suggested i take it to a chevrolet dealership and have them fix it. i did that and they informed me that they were not able to fix it becuase it wasn't included in the recall. i took it back to the original mechanic and they fixed it for exactly half the price the chevrolet dealership was trying to charge... anyway, i am out of pocket a lot of money for a relatively new car. the recall on the website seems to include the gas hoses but when i called general motors, they said my vin # wasn't included in the recall. my mechanic advised me to file a complaint becuase it clearly states that my car should be included in the recall!

Consumer complained that the fuel gauge was not registering the proper amount of fuel in the fuel tank. consumer was concerned that vehicle would run out of fuel while driving on the highway, which could cause a rear end collision. *ak *nm

The car will stall without warning while traveling at any speed. has nearly caused 6 accidents. there is no warning proceeding this. it is dangerous to drive on any higway. have had the car for repair about 8 times. have replaced: "wires", filters, plugs and sensors without results. still no correct diagnosis.*ak

Smelled gasoline. fuel pressure regulator failed. was replaced, old part is not available. *jb

Vehicle stalls, moving anywere from 30-70-mph. has nearly caused 4 accidents. twice we were nearly rearended; once this happended when we were passing a vehicle and we lost control; and once this occurred as i was driving around a corner towards a group of children. has been to dealer for repair 6 times for same cause. still not correctly diagnosed or repaired. is unsafe to drive. dealer has replaced "wires", plugs, fuel pump, and computer "parts" to no avail.*ak

When driving at an undetermined speed, the vehicle stalled. this caused the driver to drift to the side of the road. the consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer. the mechanic informed the owner that the fuel pump had failed. please provide any further details. *jb

Fuel pressure regulator failure 3.4l v6 engine. *nm

Fuel regulator leaking on top of the engine, will cause a fire. *ak

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet impala. while driving approximately 35 mph the contact noticed the fuel gauge displayed empty; however, the contact confirmed that the fuel tank was not empty. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technicians stated the floater in the fuel tank needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

Car won't start, takes quite a few tries. doesn't always happen, also will just stall. fuel pressure regulator was replace, but has happened since, also have replaced throttle out of warranty. *nm

The vehicle was taken to the dealer to have recall c01035-s performed and was told it would take 15 min, the consumer sat in the dealer for 1.75 hours before the work was complete, the consumer was led to believe that the recall repair was being performed, it wasnot until the consumer read the invoice that she realized that it was not done, the consumer contacted the dealer and was told the the necessary part for repair is not available. nlm

Repeat failure- dealer no help: engine starts fine (cold start), drive car appr. 1/4 mile,temp=19 deg.f. car balks/hesitates majorly from stop.more throttle,more balk. prob.clearsdealer 3x ,nofix. *ak

Paint flaking off front bumper and grill/gas sloshes in gas tank/ drivers side window won't roll up/front and rear end aligned/bought new tires at 28,000 miles/replaced 4 injectors

While driving there was a loud clunk. driver pulled over, opened the hood, and discovered flames coming from engine. vehicle has not been seen.*ak there was a hole in the gas line where it went into the engine and this caused a flash fire. *yh

Dealer found raw gas polling on hot engine block. examination by dealer showed fuel return line leaking due to rodent damage. return line components are made of a composite material which apparently attracts small gnawing rodents which are gnawing on to the point of destruction causing fuel leaks and also gnawing on electrical wiring. general motor cars parked in this garage for the past 38 have never been damaged in this manner. i suspect something in the composite material is attracting gnawing rodents. having contacted general motors customer service i was told there is nothing under the hood that would attract rodents. general motors refused to accept that the composite material may be attracting gnawing rodents. having owned various gm cars over the past 50 years i have never had a safety problem due to rodent damage. something used in the manufacture of this car is attracting gnawing animals.*ak

Complete stall on highway at 50mph. almost rear ended by truck. car rolls back when at stop. steering wheel vibration while stopped. gas sloshes while in tank. *ak

While driving could hear noise coming from the fuel tank, fuel splashing inside, as the tank has a loose part at this movement. *ak

Re: your odi#550849 and odi#856909 - i too experience gas sloshing in fuel tank and the feeling of being tapped on the rear bumper , or perhaps a bowling ball rolling around in the trunk, when stopping. -dealer advised us that the "bellows" ??? in the gas tank may have separated and advised us to return vehicle with empty fuel tank so that it could be removed and examined. *ak

When pulling into parking space or backing out of garage can feel gasoline moving back and forth in the fuel tank. also, when entering the trunk or leaning against the vehicle can feel gasoline moving back and forth. contacted the dealer, and dealer changed fuel tank. the replacement tank has the same problem as the original. *ak *ml

This problem happened while the car was idling in "park". the engine died and i was unable to restart the car. roadside assistance suggested i wait 10 min. and restart. it did but it died again after 2 min. cheverolet dealer work order described problem as follows "excessive current load from fuel pump burned wire terminal at ignition block. repaired burned wire terminal and replaced fuel pump".

Car was idling in "park" when incident occurred. dealer's work order states "excessive current load from fuel pump burned wire terminal at ignition block. repaired burned wire terminal and replaced fuel pump". since fuel pump is located in gas tank, any electrical failure of this part could cause a major fire. *ak

Scorched wires found under the dash, r-134a leaking into car from independant tester, daytime running lights occasionally, exhaust system damaged from excessive heatand fuel economy is only 10 mpg

The left and right control arm failed. nlm

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

While driving on road and hitting bumps gas tank hit bottom of rear end, this usually happened at about 20-25 mph. ever since this has occurred, gas tank has become loose. *ak the consumer feels unsafe driving the vehcile with loose fuel tank. *yh

Able to hear fuel sloshing in the fuel tank when coming to a stop. dealer notifed, and informed consumer that nothing can be done. *ak

Paint is peeling off of front bumper and grill has been painted 4 times and is still peeling off/ replaced 4 injectors and module/ had to have front and rear end aligned/ had to buy 4 new tires/ car won't hold on incline/ can hear gas slouch in gas tank/has a popping in the front end/

Vehicle had a slight intermittent problem with cutting off when it was cold outside. dealer said it could be there wasn't enough oxygen getting into the fuel.also, something seemed to be wrong with suspension that it rocked back & forth when you applying brakes & starting to go up a hill. dealer & gmc are both saying that the something is wrong with the suspension torsion bar. *ak

Engine will cut off or stall without warning while traveling at any speed. dealership has examined vehicle numerous times and has been unable to effectively remedy the problem. *ak armrest cup holder broke. blower motor whistling, belt making noise. when applying brakes car shimmies, front rotors are out of round. when using a/c vehicle fills up with fuel smell, fan motor bearing worn, dealer replaced. dashlights illuminated. vehicle experiences hard start condition, dealer replaced wiring harness. consumer has to give gas inorder to stay running, fuel pump presure low, dealer replaced fuel pump assembly. *tt