This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Impala. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 14V10000 (electrical system). The vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the ignition switch as part of the recall remedy. While driving approximately 40 mph, the battery sensor light illuminated and the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was restarted and immediately taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the replacement ignition switch was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 63,000.
The ignition switch began having a "passlock" problem. Essentially, on a more regular frequency, the car would not start because it thought it was being stolen. A reset procedure took 15 minutes plus. Fixing the problem required that I replace the ignition switch. I argued that GM should fix this problem at their expense since it was prevalent on many GM models and model years (I also had to have this same issue fixed on a 2004 Saturn ion). In addition, I listed several situations where this could be a safety issue (car stopped on railroad tracks and could not get it started, could not start car in parking lot when faced with a burglary, having to get help from strangers, etc.) GM would not help with the issue and the total cost was born by me. The above shows that GM ignition switches have not only had the issue related to too many keys on a key chain / bumps that moved it out of the run position. Customers paid many millions of dollars to fix this passlock / ignition switch problem in order to be able to continue to safely operate their vehicles. I feel that this "passlock" related ignition switch issue should be looked into along with the current ignition switch recall.
The consumer stated that his 2001 Chevrolet Impala had an ignition problem. The key could be removed while the engine was running. The key could also be removed while the vehicle was in reverse. The consumer parked the car in a garage and the car rolled out into the street and hit a tree. The consumer was aware of the problem since June 2004. The consumer contacted GM last year and GM was suppose to call the consumer back but he has not heard from them. The consumer is having the car repaired.
Vehicle would intermittently not start. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. The consumer stated that when the security light comes on the vehicle will not start. The vehicle has to sit for 15 minutes before it will start.
Consumer wass able to remove the key out of the ignition while vehicle wass in gear. This occurred with the gear shift in reverse and the ignition switch in acceleration. The key was easily removed.
- Smithtown, NY, USA
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It started when I bought the car in 2003. A week after I had it. It would not start and the battery was not dead I then call the dealer and after about a hour I got it started and took it straight to them. They told me that they had to clean the cables and thats what it was. But after a week it did it again every time I got in it. It would not start but after a while it would start. So I took it back and they then said it was the ignition switch so they replaced it they said. So about a month went by and everything was fine then it started again. So I took it to another dealer for a radiator flush because it keeped on getting hot which it still does and I did not tell them about it not starting because it only does it every now and again, but when they went to start it, it would not start so they put it on the computer thing and they said it was in the ignition again so we told them about what happened before and they said they have alot of trouble with these cars all the time. So we paid $320 to get it fixed but it acts like it is going to do it again. I just have this feeling the way its acting. It takes to long to turn over and when it does it grinds like I am over starting it. The thing is I love my car but I have not even had it a year yet. I just think that if I have to pay alot of money for a vehicle it needs to be right.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- New Smyrna Beach , FL, USA