Problems with 2001 Chevrolet Impala ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the check engine indicator illuminated while driving 45 mph and the "service engine soon" message appeared. the check engine indicator remained illuminated for a couple of weeks. the contact saw a service bulletin online regarding the catalytic converter. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the dealer was not contacted. the contact called the manufacturer and was advised to file a complaint with nhtsa. the failure mileage was 150,000.

2001 chevrolet impala. consumer writes in regards to dealerships failure to repair vehicle oil leakage before consumer received engine oil deposits on exhaust manifold recall notice. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle leaked oil all the time and 15 years later, she received a recall regarding the issue. *jb

I waited for recall parts (ignition and oil leak) and had them completed 4/13/16. on 4/22/16 my car started smoking coming off the freeway, i pulled over and the engine stalled, people yelled to get out it was on fire. the fire started in front of engine and proceeded though engine compartment burning all plastics and wiring. dealership says i'm responsible for the damage since i didn't have full insurance coverage. how can that be, my car was fine until they worked on it. dealership was also very rude and condescending. i hope all chevrolet dealers aren't the same. i gave dealership 7 days to resolve the problem, however they basically told me no one can help me. i almost burned up in this vehicle.

2001 chevrolet impala. consumer writes in regards to no return communication from dealership about vehicle repairs for recall notice 15v701. *smd the consumer stated as she was going around a curve on a ramp, the vehicle stalled. she heard a popping noise and quickly exited the vehicle. the vehicle began to smoke and shortly thereafter, the front end was engulfed in flames. updated 01/03/17. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. when the contact opened the hood, the manifold cover exploded and burned his face. the contact used his shirt to douse the fire. the contact sustained minor injuries that did not require medical attention. a police report was not filed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to tow the vehicle to a local dealer for repair. prior to the failure, the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). when the dealer was contacted, the contact was informed that the part to do the repair was unavailable. the dealer stated that the repairs would only cover the parts that were in the recall, excluding the cost of towing. the failure mileage was 169,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling) and was placed on a waiting list. the dealer stated that the required part was available; however, when the contact arrived at the dealer, the part was no longer available to service the vehicle. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. parts distribution disconnect. updated 04/22/16*lj updated 04/28/16.*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed fire in the engine compartment. the fire independently extinguished itself. a police report was not filed. the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who inspected the vehicle, but it was not repaired. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 09v116000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 148,000. updated 04/08/16*lj the consumer stated she will have to junk the vehicle. the manufacturer was of no help. updated 04/21/16.*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact noticed that the vehicle was leaking oil continuously. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the contact received a notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v701000 (engine, engine cooling); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was 141,000. parts distribution disconnect. updated 05/11/16*lj

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the engine was replaced due to water getting inside the valve cover and the valve cover gasket. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling) a year after the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle approximate failure mileage was 129,000. updated 02/26/16*lj *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact heard an unusual sound and noticed smoke under the hood when he attempted to start the vehicle. the contact lifted up the hood and observed an engine fire. the fire was extinguished with water. an independent mechanic stated that the intake manifold failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 165,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the service engine soon sensor, check engine sensor and low coolant sensor illuminated. the vehicle stalled several times. the vehicle failed to restart the last time the failure recurred. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the dealer was contacted and they indicated that nhtsa campaign id number (electrical system) was not related to the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the horn failed to operate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the horn was replaced three times but the failure recurred. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact also received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling) and the dealer was unable to determine when the parts would become available. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000. vin tool confirms parts not available. updated 03/09/16*lj the consumer stated the horn was replaced on 12/7/15 and still functioning. *tr

The plenum on the intake manifold was warped due to a bad intake manifold and now antifreeze and oil are being released and are caking on my max airflow sensor and map sensor. i have done research and this seems to be a common problem. i think it's about time that gm made a recall on it because it is not an easy or, for the people who don't know a bumper from a fender, it is a very expensive fix. especially when you bring it to a mechanic and they keep charging you $300 to change your max air flow sensor and you don't know any better. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked and caught on fire. the fire department was called and the fire was extinguished. the contact was advised that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign id number: 09v116000 (engine and engine cooling) for the spark plug retention wire, which had not been completed. the contact was advised that the defect was what caused the fire. the manufacturer advised that they would not repair the vehicle under the recall campaign. the failure and the current mileages were 130,000. *tr

2001 chevrolet impala. consumer writes in regards to vehicle explosion and caught fire before consumer had recall repaired. *smd

On 4/09/12 at approximately 18:20 i got in the car that had been sitting all day in the driveway of my home and when i attempted to start it there was a loud explosion and smoke started coming out from under the hood. after feeling the hood i opened it and discovered a fire on the top of the engine and along the back side of the engine closest to the firewall. fortunately since i was home i had quick access to an abc fire extinguisher and i ran into the garage and grabbed it and put out the fire. after the fire was out i noted the entire engine cover and the top of the engine under the cover was in pieces all over the engine compartment and it appeared the explosion was inside the air plenum/ intake manifold. i had the car towed to my local auto service location via aaa and contacted my insurance carrier the following day. repairs included replacing the air plenum, fuel rail, injectors, fuels lines, ignition wires, fuel regulator, and various gasket kits and sensors. based on internet research i have heard of the fuel regulator drawing raw fuel into the air plenum / intake manifold via a vacuum line which results in the explosion when you attempt to start the car. *tr

Secondary air pump failed. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. while driving approximately 30 mph, the engine stalled unexpectedly without prior warning. upon restarting the vehicle began to perform normally until reaching the destination where the failure recurred. the failure occurred on numerous occasions. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic four different times for the similar failure. the battery, starter, alternator, and rely switch were replaced at different times; however the problem persisted. most recent, engine failed to start. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the consistent malfunction. the approximate failure mileage was 155,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated the vehicle was parked and caught fire underneath the hood. the fire department extinguished the fire but could not find the origin of it. there were no injuries. a fire report was not filed. a report was file with the insurance company. the dealer nor manufacturer were notified regarding the failure. the failure mileage was 182,598.

Bought this car used and it was running fine for about a year till it got to the point that the car would not crank and security lock would pop up frequently now it almost takes an hour to crank it even if u hit the starter the stater moves but want crank the car i have spent over 4 grand on it trying to fix it but nothing works even checked fuses wires and computer box nothing looks bad cruise control stopped working awhile back too. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that smoke was seen coming from under the hood and within seconds, the engine was on fire. the fire and police department were present but a report was not filed. the contact stated that the manufacturer was informed that shortly after the fire, the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign id number: 09v116000 (engine and engine cooling) which advised of the potential of an engine fire. the manufacturer refused any type of assistance and advised that the vehicle could not be repaired. the vehicle was towed to a local authorized dealer. the failure and the current mileage was 173,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that when the vehicle was started, she heard a noise from under the hood. within seconds, the engine was on fire. the fire department was called and was able to extinguish the fire. a fire report was filed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was advised that the vehicle could not be repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was previously included in nhtsa campaign id number: 09v116000 (engine and engine cooling) but they were unable to assist with the failure. the vehicle was destroyed. the failure and current mileage was 161,000.

01 impala 3.8. i went to start the car. there was an explosion and the engine caught fire. the intake plenum exploded when i attempted to start the car. the car was not repairable. the potential for injury is great if someone is standing near the open engine bay. the car was well maintained and in excellent condition despite the high miles. *tr

2001 chevrolet impala. consumer writes in regards to vehicle crank sensor recall repairs. *ld the consumer stated the crankshaft position sensor was replaced on september 30, 2010. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine maintenance when the contact was advised that the engine head gasket was failing. the dealer advised that the gasket was manufactured from plastic and would eventually, would not retain coolant from penetrating the engine and transmission. the manufacturer would not provide any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 42,000.

Intake gasket failure. i noticed that the antifreeze in my vehicle was often low, so i took the vehicle to get diagnosed. the mechanic told me that i need to get the intake gasket replaced and that this was a common problem on impala's. he stated that all of these vehicles will need to have the gasket replaced and that gm is aware that this is a problem, but since they haven't been forced to recall the vehicles, then they're going to replace the gaskets. this is quite an expensive repair and i can't afford to costs at this time. i contacted gm for assistance and they stated that the mileage on my car prevents me from being able to be assisted. i'm not sure why this issue hasn't made it as a recall because the cars will overheat and isn't something you normally expect to need to get fixed on a car. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. he stated that on december 26, 2009 the vehicle caught fire while it was parked and unoccupied. two vehicles that were parked next to his also caught fire. the fire department stated that the fire initiated under the hood. the fire report was not available. the insurance company was investigating the cause of the fire. the vehicle was parked at his residence. he will contact the manufacturer. the current and the failure mileage were 85,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. while driving between 60-65 mph, the vehicle decelerated and would not drive over 30-35 mph. the rpm's appeared to be normal. the contact took the vehicle to a repair shop and a mechanic replaced the oxygen sensor and filter, but that did not correct the failure. the mechanic stated that the catalytic converter failed. the current and failure mileages were 128,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the remedy referenced in nhtsa campaign id number 09v116000 (engine and engine cooling) would not sufficiently correct the failure. he stated that by installing two new spark plug wire retainers for free will not stop drops of engine oil from being deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking. the dealer did not assist. the failure and current mileages were 158,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. while driving at an unknown speed, a tire flattened on the vehicle. the contact then noticed smoke underneath the hood of the vehicle. she opened the hood and found flames coming from the engine. she was able to extinguish the fire herself. she arrived home and called her independent mechanic to come to her residence and investigate. the mechanic stated that it was safe to drive the vehicle. the contact received a recall notice from general motors, which stated "that some of these vehicles have a condition in which drops of engine oil may be deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking. 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." the failure mileage was 211,000. updated 06/27/09 *bf updated 06/23/09.*jb

Tl*the contact owned a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact noticed smoke underneath the hood of her vehicle. she lifted the hood and noticed a small fire between the alternator and several wires. the driver was able to extinguish the fire after a few minutes with a fire extinguisher. the fire department arrived after the fire was extinguished. the local gm dealer could not determine the cause of the fire; however, they confirmed that the manifold gasket was leaking and may have started the fire. one week later, the contact received a recall notice that stated "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". nhtsa campaign id number 09v116000 was referenced. no repairs have been made to the vehicle. the current and failure mileages were less than 100,000. updated 8/10/09 *cn updated 08/13/09.*jb

2001 no-start situation similar to hundreds of others that are posted on the internet for the 2000-2003 chevy impalas & malibus (there may be other model years with similar problems). the car will not crank when the key is turned to the start position. no noise when this happens but sometimes security light will come on. it is an intermittent problem that we've spent over $1000 trying to resolve. it occurs with no rhyme or reason and has put our daughter in dangerous situations. car always starts eventually and it seems that it's just a matter of waiting a range of 10 minutes to 2 hours. always a pain in the butt but sometimes a safety issue with bad weather and other factors. local gm dealer not too concerned about our problem and gm corporation doesn't seem to care either. maybe nhtsa can get gms attention to resolve this problem because it's obviously affects many people. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the vehicle would not start. on most occasions, he would have to wait fifteen minutes for the vehicle to crank. the dealer could not find any failures or error codes with the vehicle. during the failure, the engine fails to start, but all the other components work normally. the failure mileage was 120,000.

While jump starting vehicle intake manifold explodes. no start condition. *tr

While jump starting vehicle intake manifold explodes. no start condition. *tr

My vehicle had lack of power especially on the highway. nearly rear ended a couple of times. took it to a transmission shop, thought that was the problem. it turned out to be a clogged catalytic converter. my car is a 2001 chevy at the time my mileage was 66,624 . the mechanic informed me that if i didn't repair it, i could damage the transmission and or engine. i had them replace it a cost of 745.31 labor & parts. after the repair the car worked fine & happy to say it still does. sent all necessary papers to general motors for re-imbursement under the 80,000/8 yr emissions warranty but my claim was denied! the reason was i didn't take it to a dealer but i felt it was a safety hazard to me & others. (cat converter was blocked/clogged). *tr

Sudden malfunction of temperature gauge (not working), cooling fans running, after car is turned off, no a/c. many others across the country having same problem with this vehicle. *tr

Dexcoool leak through head gasket, 2nd vehicle - problem on out of state business trip. *tr

At around 75,000 miles, my 2001 impala began to lose power,particularly when accelerating. i tried fuel system cleaners, replaced fuel filter, air filter, etc. no help. then one day a hole was blown through my intake manifold. that's right, the intake manifold. i took it to a local mechanic, because i knew i couldn't afford the gm dealership shop price, and was informed that the egr valve and catalytic converter were totally stopped up consequently trapping hot engine exhaust in the intake area with nowhere to go. the cost of parts and repairs cost me over $800. i have had many cars over the years and never had a catalytic converter completely stop up. according to my local mechanic this is a very common problem with this car model. i think gm should reimburse for this expense. *tr

No accidents yet, but very easily could've been. car stalls with no warning and sometimes doesn't want to start. car has stalled 3 times - it happened twice shortly after leaving a stoplight, so 20-35mph and the third time was going 55mph down the highway. the two times it stalled at 20-35mph it started up right away. after it stalled at 55mph, it took 3-5 tries to get it started again. there have also been two other separate times that the car did not want to start. this happened after driving the car a short distance, about 5 miles, turning it off for 10-20 minutes and then it took 3-5 tries to get it started again. the security light did not come on when these incidents happened. car does have 126,000 miles on it. car is currently at the dealership and there is no code indicating what this stalling/no start problem is. this is the third day the car has been at the dealership and they still do not know what it is. the car has died once while at the dealership, but it started up right away so they couldn't do the test they wanted to do. this is ridiculous to have such a huge safety-related issue with no known cause/code and it appears from other complaints and automotive "chat rooms" i am not the only one with this issue and no resolution. *tr

My daughter was in the market for a used car. she found a car on the website fo city auto auction of chicago, priced at 1500.00. we arrived at the auction and inquired about their bidding process. i was told to read and sing the bidders paddle. we inquired about the car listed on the website and was told it was no longer available, but we could bid on another like car. we bidded 2800.00 for a 2001 chevy impala. i asked the salesman if we can see the car for inspection. his insisted i put a 600.00 down payment to hold the car. i did. we waited 3 hours before they called us into the office. they presented us with a bill of sale totaling 3858.00. i asked for an explanation of the charges, and to see the car to determine whether there were any defects. the owner became irate and told me, they didn't have time to explain to me the charges, he called security and i was asked to leave. the following monday, my daughter went back, i was to meet her at the dealership. she asked if she could inspected the car. she was told she had to pay the remaining balance first. she did. the servicemen brought the car out, locked the door and refused to answer any of her questions. needless to say the car had no radio, no rear view mirror and was knocking. i had her bring the car to me. the car began to sputter and would not accelerate pass 50 mph. she continued to drive, the car then slowed to 10 mph. she eventually got the car to my office, where it died, and would not start. i called city auto, talked to mr. al, who told me the car was sold "as is" and there was nothing they could do. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the power locks, fog lights, and power trunk release do not work. he also stated that the service engine light and low fuel indicator illuminated while driving 25 mph. the dealer will inspect the vehicle on september 6, 2007. the current and failure mileages were 90,000.

Engine coolant light would not go out after i had radiator flushed. took the car back to the mechanic and was informed that there was some brown, muddy looking, oily substance leaking into the radiator at which time he informed me of the problem that gm cars were having with the manifold gaskets. this is an outrage and there needs to be a recall on this problem before a death does occur due to this negligence on gm's part. i'm sure that all the owner of these cars feel the same way and that the manufacturer should be liable and ordered to pay to have these cars repaired, since it is such a widespread problem, which they apparently knew would happen after the car had been driven to a certain mileage. i also had a problem about 3 years ago when the car would not stop when i was driving it. the cruise control module got stuck and the car continued to accelerate unless the brakes were applied. and even then the engine continued to rev very high! i was in fear of my life.... and luckily i made it to the dealer without having an accident. these impalas are death traps and i think that there have been deaths that have not been explained due to the same problem that i had with the acceleration module. unfortunately... dead people can't tell what happened to their cars before they lost control of them. *tr

This car has been a electrical/mechanical nightmare and i'm finding many, many, reports on the internet of owners having the same problem(s). 1) intake manifold gasket leaks causing catalytic converter and egr valve to clog. the result of this is exhaust gases can't escape , backing up and burning/blowing a hole in the intake manifold itself. all above items had to be replaced at a very substantial cost. 2) blinkers intermittently work. mostly they don't work. this is caused by a defective (flasher) module located in the dash behind the 'flasher" button. this ia very,very common. 3) a/c heater blower fan stops working on speeds 1,2 then 3 resulting. this is due to resistors burning up on a module mounted behind the dash and in front of the blower motor. my question here is, at what point does someone hold the manufacturer responsible for these obvious factory defects. all you have to do is google any of the above complaints and see how many people are affected. help !!! *tr

Low coolant light lit. added dexcool as needed. light then began to come on and go off intermittantly. took to dealer. they tested and said sensor was defective. replaced and dexcool added. cost$225. i noticed several similar problems on nhsta. gm should cover this cost or have a recall.

In the past 6-8 months, my 2001 chevy impala started to show the obvious signs of intake manifold leaks (sludge on oil cap, brown residue in coolant overflow reservoir, small coolant puddles on engine). at 71,000 miles i received a quote at a gm dealer for the fix...$900.00. the dealer said he does one a day on these gm 3.4 engines. as a side, my wife's venture, sister's venture and father impala all have the faulty intake maifold coolant/oil leak. after speaking with gm, they agreed only to pay for the two bolts, a gasket and a small tube of sealant. this past week, the oil pressure light came on and i stopped the car at the next parking lot. it stalled there and never started. after a tow, the mechanic attempted to fill it with oil and run it. within seconds it flows out the oil filter and the filter and/or filter gasket ruptures. after checking the oil pump and oil pump sensor, his diagnosis is for an engine replacement. he claims that the sludge from the antifreeze has built up, and a cam bearing has been damaged, rendering the engine irreplaceable. i currently have ,multiple options, the cheapest of which is $3,500.00. we are a gm family, my father retired from gm. why can't gm face the faulty design flaw of the manifold gaskets and coolant problems? *tr

Tl*the contact owned a 2001 chevrolet impala. while driving less than 45 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact exited the vehicle and noticed flames under the hood. the vehicle exploded. the fire and police departments arrived at the scene and a report was filed. the vehicle was destroyed. the failure and current mileages were less than 50,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. while the vehicle was parked in a paint shop, it spontaneously exploded. although the contact was experiencing the same failure as noted in nhtsa campaign id number 96v116000 (fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system), the dealer stated that the vin was not included in the recall. the dealer stated that he would have to replace the cover intake manifold and the fuel injection system. the manufacturer was unable to assist. the failure and current mileages were 95,000.

On 12/13/06 after 1 year of owning the vehicle we had a loss of power upon accelerating. we were advised the coolant was leaking. a common problem with this vehicle upon research. in addition, the coolant leaking onto the catalytic converter causing it to fail and need to be replaced. the manufacturer would not honor the warranty for the catalytic converter , claiming the coolant caused the problem and was not covered. had to pay over $!,000 for repairs. 2 days later could not start the car. was advised that these vehicles had an anti theft feature if work was done on the car it could cause the anti theft feature to fail and would be a need for a new ignition. several hundred more dollars). as they would not cover this either. these failures were due to the awful design of the vehicle, and they should be recalled and the owner reimbursed for the cost of repairs. here we go 7 months later and the vehicle was now in the shop again about the same type of failure , sluggish upon acceleration. *ak

There is a huge amount of oil in the coolant in my 2001 chevy impala. knowing just a little about internal combustion engines probably an intake gasket leaking. for a car which has been very well maintained with under 80,000 miles on the odometer this was alarming. high engine temp and a sludge in my motor are the obvious consequences. who knows what the long term affects will be. the car is now at the mechanics and already i am looking at 700 to 1,000 dollars which i do not have to repair. *nm