2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

00impala

After having 3 or 4 different mechanics and a few calls to GM regarding my 3 month old 2001 Impala w/3300 miles..the Verdict....NO FIX for a problem they are working on..what is that you ask? CRADLE...I spoke with the Service Mgr. at legnth about this clicking noise, the checked out the ISS (FINE) they checked the Struts (FINE) they checked the Steering Rack (FINE) He made a few calls to GM and they said they have "Leasions" working on this "AGAIN" these are actual Mechanincs that know cars and work at the Factory and are trying to find a cure for this Cradle. It is not the Extra Welds. Somehow they are still making movement, they took the car back on the rack and stuck a crowbar in a certain place and you geussed it (CLUNK). He said GM told them it will be Febuary or March 2002 until they have a Cure, they also told him that the Newer Cradle that were replaced could start to act up again, this is from Chevrolet Service Headquarters. They said they are aware of the re-occuring problem in any Impala with the Old or the New Cradle.(pointed to my 00 LS with the New Cradle and said It may start again in my car) they are aware of that.. He told me to moniter it if it gets worse or doest it more frequently to come back and they can check other components, But for now THERE IS NO CURE. I mentioned the Shims, he said they last only until "They" wear out. He is a very nice guy that I am glad I have to talk to, But this is on ongoing problem. STILL>>>>.. Sorry qwelio and TEO, but you can investigate this and I'm sure you will get the same answer,IF not now, in a few days/weeks as it surfaces... I was there while he called, they were appoligetic to say the least. Why can't they take the Dynamics of the Aluminum Cradle and make a STEEL CRADLE? Don

00impala

Arrow Straght and Quiet for the Time Being. At least the Steering Wheel and the Wheels are Straight, oh. and 2 Grease marks on the steering wheel, A small price to pay for a free alignment,. Don

teo

Wow Don...I am speechless! My only consolation is that my car is quiet, quiet and has been for 7K miles. Also other 2001 owners with higher mileage have not complained about the cradle either. Last year by this time there were at least 20 posters all complaining about the cradle/ISS problems.

I just hope that your dealer is not telling you this to blow you off, but I am giving them the benefit of the doubt.

To be 100% honest I don't think the cradle is the problem anymore. I think this goes beyond that perhaps within the structure...who knows.

Well, I will continue to enjoy my car for the time being but if a cradle noise should come my way...it will be Pontiac Vibe/BMW or even Lexus time for me...

But, so far so good and the car continues to be flawless up to this point, so I still have 99% faith that the cradle will never be a source of grief.

Good luck Don, but if I were you, I would be looking for a Lemon Law attorney as we speak..

00impala

Arrow Straght and Quiet for the Time Being. At least the Steering Wheel and the Wheels are Straight, oh. and 2 Grease marks on the steering wheel, A small price to pay for a free alignment,. Don

[Deleted User]

I believe you'll find that if you subcribe to one year, you'll get all 00-01 TSB's, probably 02 TSB's as well. I've subscribed to Alldata for various cars, and often find TSB's listed that don't apply to my specific vehicle, because they will list all TSB's for that series of models.

teo

Don, I think what they should do is to either switch to a steel cradle or put the side reinforcement rails that the Taxi/police package Impalas have..

has any other 2001 Impala owner encountered cradle noises?

00impala

hs shown up twice. No, They are not blowing me off, I was there when the Service Director put the Crowbar up to it...They said Feburary or March until they expect anything. This is the 2nd time in this cars history it has been in the shop, First for an Oil Change last week and today for this. I think it takes 3 strike outs in Ohio for the same problem... What a problem if it has no credible fix and the manufacturer doesn't even know how to fix it. Don

teo

"What a problem if it has no credible fix and the manufacturer doesn't even know how to fix it."

That's enough evidence to sue under Lemon Law. Goods are defective and manufacturer has admitted they can't fix it.

00impala

teo

I will. Check your Inbox sometime later tonight.

mediumfry

Has anyone had their ISS replaced more than once? Seems like if the new ones don't all have good ISS's, then how could the replacement parts a year ago be the good ones?

I haven't convinced any dealers, but mine is definitely bad. Not sure if it's all of the problem but it's at least part. I can't wait to get another one. Just hope the new one is good forever.

hunter39

Sorry, been away for awhile but caught up on all the ISS chat. Since I haven't been reading here I know that I'm not having sympathy pains so to speak when it comes to noises. I've read that the ISS problem is more of a "feel" than a "hear" issue and it makes me wonder if I might be having the first symptoms. My steering doesn't feel loose but I do feel what seems like grinding in the steering collum upon braking. It just doesn't seem as smooth as it once was. There is no noise, but when it was last in for service I had mentioned the feel because I thought it might be my brakes. No problems there. Could this be an ISS problem?

hunter39

Your question might be more easily answered over on the Impala Radio board which can be reached by clicking on the "Impala Owners Club" link at the top of this page. Audiophiles on that board will surely have your answer.

gweilo

Ok..so sounds like the cradle IS an ongoing saga. And as far as the ISS is concerned, the new part may be the cure but it is so new that most Impalas on the lots at this time don't have it. The ISS "cure" then is either a retrofitted grease fitting or ISS replacement at the dealer's discretion.
If the steel cradle in the Police version doesn't have the problem, it must simply be vanity(or cost?) that keeps Chevy from going that route on production models. After all, they would have to dispense with that portion of the neat looking cross section in the brochure. You just have to wonder why they didn't put it in the Police model if it was such a great idea.

00impala

Funny you should mention that, I almost forgot that the Service Mgr. told me that the ISS "is" More of a Feeling problem than a Noisey one, Although the 2 can go hand in hand, Just according to him you would get the Feeling part before the Noise part, Don

b4z

It would seem that Chevy needs to abandon the aluminum cradle. It is the only wbody that has it and the only one that has a problem.

The ISS seems to be a design issue that Chevy is
trying to "fix" without getting to the root of the problem.

These weren't a problem before, why are they a problem now.
5 years from now are we going to have a couple of million wbodies running around with noisy steering parts?

Will it take an aftermarket manufacturer to come out with a replacement part that actually works?

crosley4

Your Impala trouble sounds like what our 2k LS was doing with the "updated cradle" that GM installed in August 2001. After 3k miles on the new cradle the car was showing signs of the noise returning again.

It does seem that a small percentage of Impalas develope the chronic popping/cliking noise with no relief in sight?

charts2

I don't think anyone should panic at this point about the cradle noise. Its been 1 year since the so called updated cradles arrived and this seems to be the first of complaints.

The Police cradle I believe is aluminum but with reinforced side rails (I don't think its steel) I don't remember reading any literture on the Police Impalas for 2000 and 2001 regarding reinforced side railed cradles. They must have had a major problem the first 2 years with the Police cars. Also I see that the 2002 Police Impalas have the speed limiters removed. I assume now that means their top speed should be around 134 mph in an unmarked car. They hate down time. When I spoke to the GM area Supervisor the other day he seemed to indicate that this problem had been rectified. Now another GM rep indicates that "nope" same old cradle problem. No straight answers. I think the best results would be when the next time your Impala goes to the dealers for service talk to some of the mechanics working on the cars, I think there more at "ground zero" on this issue. These guys are more apt to give you the straight goods on this cradle problem or does anyone know a Chevy mechanic?

Its not that easy just making a steel cradle. I am sure GM has a long term contract with Alcoa or Reynolds aluminum to supply the material and then the company that actually fabricates these things. I believe a steel cradle would solve this problem but they have to take extra weight into consideration. Everytime I hear the word Aluminum regarding a car I cringe. "Warped aluminum Heads" as one example. I don't understand why Chevrolet spends the money to make Aluminum steering knuckles for civilian cars and steel ones for Police. For the sake of a buck or two why not just make them all steel. Every issue that comes up with any car/truck appliance etc.. regarding reliablity hurts the company. They lose credibility and future customers. Come on get it right the first time.

John

teo

I will be giving my service director a call tomorrow morning. I wanna ask him how many 2001's have returned to his dealership with either cradle or ISS problems. This guy is pretty honest so I trust him 100% with whatever replies he gives me. I know he keeps in constant touch with GM Technical support up in Detroit so I am confident he has been kept on the loop of things.

What can I say?

Don't know guys. If the cradle issues continues to be a source of concern it simply doesn't look good in the long term. But before I arrive to different conslusions, I think is better to get the info right from the horse's mouth.

My LS has been good, solid, quiet and reliable. I wonder still how widespread the cradle issue continues to be in 2001? I don't see any complaints (Aside from here) from 2001 owners anywhere else in the internet. Last year, cradle/ISS complaint frequency was pretty high and posts where found almost anywhere in the 'net.

Could this be a case of a car that missed a weld? Hey I have seen posts mentioning missing welds on new vehicles of the calibre of the Mercedes Benz M class.

I for one, will keep my eyes and ears open, but I am not going to spoil the enjoyment of this car just waiting for the day the cradle is going to crap out. If it doesn't happen..great, but if it does I will give GM a chance to apply a fix. If the fix fails to remedy the problem, then I will let go of the car. Life is too busy to add car related worries..if it doesn't work, sell it or trade it and move on.

But for now, my favorite toy is running and ticking like the finest Swiss watch, so it will stay with me for as long as I decide to keep it.

gweilo

If it was a single instance, I doubt Chevy or GM would be claiming to be expending a lot of resources developing a fix with an ETA 3 months away.

night_owl1

If there is a logo on the front grille, it's going to be a dealer installed item. I like the blue bowtie myself. I was thinking of replacing the grille with one of the trick billet ones. I dunno, I might fabricate one on my own. In either case, I would install a bowtie to finish it off.

night_owl1

I'll dig around and see what I can find. Lets move this discussion to the Impala Radio board. I have a few questions for you.

00impala

When you call him, Ask him if that Technical Service mentioned (as they did to my Service Director ..Today) "Leasions" (How ever you spell that lee-a-zons)?_. I was told these are actual guys who have hands on experience working on these cars helping the Designers at the Cradle Suppliers' Factory to try and get it right from the source, I was told they are some of the ones looking into this recurrance. Don

blueheart

AHmmmmmmmm AHmmmmmmmm AHmmmmmmm Lets all relax It's only a car. AHmmmmmmmmm TIMES THREE FOR ME.

teo

Well I don't know whether this is a single instance or not. There is more explaining to do, that's for sure. However, I don't think every single 2001 out there is going to have a cradle problem...I still find that a bit hard to swallow.

Until I chat with my service director, I have to take this new "alarm" with a dosis of salt.

Then what happens if my car runs quiet for 20K or 75K miles? That would pretty much blow the theory that all cradles are going to fail..I need technical facts as to what's failing and why. When I set on my own last year to investigate the cradle issue I was presented with material evidence as to why this and that, so this time around it will no be any different.

By this I am not implying that Don is making this up (I have no reason to distrust his claims)but at the same time I want some answers that only an individual involved in daily service operations can provide. Is is yet another missing weld? Is it a problem in the supporting structure? Is it a problem with the aluminum frame expanding and contracting under certain stress/temperature changes? Why isn't happening in my car with 7K miles but yet another car has a problem at 3K miles? Coincidence? Does this "New" cradle problem affects every single car produced for the past 2 and a half years or there are specific break VIN points involved? Why 2001 owners who have had their cars for 1 year or more are not complaining or at the very least the complaint frequency is not as evident as last year? How come I can't find any more corroborating info else where in the 'net on this issue? How come Consumer Reports does not mention on their statistical data for 2001 about this "Recurrance" and still put the "Recommended" seal of approval on it? (By the way, the Impala is the only Chevy product endorsed by CR, so that should tell you something). There are almost 200,000 2001 Impalas out there, how come no one else is complaining as loudly? Ditto for the NHTSA.ORG database as I can't find cradle entries either for 2001.

Sorry I am hard headed like that. All I am saying..let's step back and look at he big picture before creating turmoil..

I am still confident in the solidity of this car. Anyone with me?

2k_impala_ls

I work near the state police garage and have checked out a few 2k Impalas closely. THEY HAVE ALUMINUM CRADLES. I crawled under and got a good look and it looks like the same material as mine. I have the click/tick but I just hear it pulling into the garage and I am not worried about it. The car steers and drives perfect, just hit 5,000 miles.
I will wait untill the warranty is almost up to see if a permanent fix is in place. My friend has the same 2k LS as mine with no tick, go figure

crosley4

====="I for one, will keep my eyes and ears open, but I am not going to spoil the enjoyment of this car just waiting for the day the cradle is going to crap out. If it doesn't happen..great, but if it does I will give GM a chance to apply a fix. If the fix fails to remedy the problem, then I will let go of the car. Life is too busy to add car related worries..if it doesn't work, sell it or trade it and move on."

After 5 serious tries at fixing our Impala that is what we did, traded and moved on.

We still miss the car.

johnclineii

2000 Chevy Impala LS, bought October 1999. All options except leather (me prefer cloth)

77,000 miles. Mostly expressway, but also including some backroad WV mountain highways (giggle), and Ohio twisties. Car has been to New Orleans, NYC, Michigan, Branson, Florida twice and on and on and on, with me being based in West Virginia.

Total of unscheduled maintenance: 0.00

Noises from the front end: 0.00

Pickiness of owner: extreme. Every little noise drives the driver nuts!

Happy? Yep. Best car I ever owned. No cradle issues, no intermediate SS problems, no problems period--though I have replaced the windshield three times!

But then ask me again after Monday. Why?

Cause I am getting a tune-up, new rotors and pads for the front, a serpentine belt, changing the transmission fluid and gas filter, and replacing the right rear marker bulb. Oh, yeah, and also getting the oil changed.

Why? Cause I have decided to keep it until the V8 Impala comes out, which is rumoured to be soon. I HAD been considering the Mercury Marauder, but given Ford's recent difficulties and after having talked to service departments that service police Vics and police Impalas, respectively, I am waiting for the Impala.

Anybody have any realistic info on when the V8 might arrive? I assume it will be FWD, but I sure would be happy if it were actually RWD!

fathertyricius

I have my 01 LS for ten months and 12,100 super smooth miles. I dont hear any noises from my car. NONE. The steering is perfect. Center steering is right on the money, no clumps, no nothing. The only issue I had with my car since bringing it home was the rear window FM antenna. The rear window had to be replaced. The cause of the FM antenna failure was said to be a micro surge. I think I know how that happpened. I had a college banner.. those clear stick on banners advertising the college of your choice. Well that banner went center middle of window. I beleive that helped cause the micro surge, yet Mr. Goodwrench didnt say so. I just took the banner off when it was time for the window to be replaced, and it never was put on again. I believe the issue with the cradle and ISS have been taken care of since the build date of 12/00 and there after. Ive copied the part number on the ISS in case I need it, but I dont think I ever will. The next time I go to my Chevy dealer, Im going to ask the service manager how many if any cradles or ISS issues they've handled, and on what models. I will let you know when I find out. I love my car and its running fantastic.

00impala

I just posted what I found out and what I was told yesterday, And I am sitting here with a Car that makes noise Today. I too had the PERFECT 2000 Impala LS for about 18 months, then one day it started, I had the Perfect 2001 Impala for 3 months, and now it started. I'm not saying this is going to happen, but I never thought it would to a 3 month old car or I NEVER Would have bought another Impala, I bought it thinking it was superior to my 2000 and would end up keeping it longer, Now it may be the first one to go.... I am going to get a second opinion from my Selling Dealership and see what they say next Friday. Don

norbnancy

If many well read publications do not mention a cradle problem, is there one??? When you consider the number of Impalas on the road, the ones we are discussing are a drop in the bucket. Although, when we find something on our cars we tend to bring it to the forum, which we should do. Bu, it should be keptin perspective. Teo asks many valid questions that have to be considered when evaluating the issue of cradles & ISS. Let me caution that an individual service writer, or service manager/director, or even several such persons are not necessarily in the know on where Chevrolet is on these issues.Rest assured that Chevrolet/ GM engineers are working on these issues as well as some we are not aware of. I subscribe to what crosley4 and others stated, don't let these issues take away from the enjoyment of this great car. 27000 miles on a 2000 LS with no problems, not even a tail lite bulb. I don't think many vehicles at any price can say the same. How about those who lurk in this forum. Have you had problems with your Impala? Lets hear from you so there is a better basis to evaluate this great car. Enjoy the ride.

gweilo

I don't think it would be in the dealer's self-interest to tell 00Impala that there is an unresolved issue. I mean, the dealer can't get any warranty work reimbursement if there is no approved strategy to fix it.
And the fact that some people don't have the problem doesn't mean there is no problem. Sounds like there are good and bad cradles produced but their quality control can't distinguish between the two. Different cradles may have different strengths which could lead to symptoms showing up at different mileage.
In other applications, it's been my understanding that aluminum generally flexes less than steel if done right. The problem is if aluminum DOES flex, it gets weaker...doesn't make me feel comfortable with the "just a noise" approach. It's also more difficult to weld. So depending on the QC at the welding phase, good and bad cradles can be going out the door. I suppose a design could be such that normally acceptable manufacturing variances produce defective units. i.e not a dependable design for the real world of mass production.
Sure would be nice to see someone from GM/Chevy filling us in here at the forum.

00impala

Believe me, I understand your concern as well as Teo's, Look at me I own 2 Impala's, I am not trying to blow things out of proportion, I just posted what anyone would have posted given the fact that it is what they were told. I was as suprised as all of you, I am on your side. Geuss I should have kept my mouth shut. I love my Impala's, just in a weeks time I went from Prefering the newest one to enjoying my LS better. It feels like when I purchased it and on the 15th of this month will be 2 years old and 22,000 miles.(as well as 2+ years on this board) Please don't get me wrong, and I did not fabricate this story. I geuss it would be different if you had the inferior car in your driveway and they told you "We do not know what it is?" and "they are working on it" come back later....... Don

night_owl1

*faint*

gweilo

"Geuss I should have kept my mouth shut."
Hardly. We may not like what we hear but we all need the information. It's unfortunate that you have to be the messenger but considering the alternative....

gweilo

I thought early photos showed the police cradle to be steel. Are you talking about squad cars or unmarked?

duraflex

jc and n - both owners of 2000 Impalas - one of you with 77,000 miles and the other with 27,000 and no engine cradle problems. Good to hear it. Me neither at 23,000 plus - happy to say.

The cradle is obviously NOT an across the board problem nor is it inevitable. I do empathize with those who have had to deal with it - especiallly Don with 2 Impalas.

However, as norbancy accurately points out, the few posters on this forum are but "a drop in the bucket" and can in no way be construed representative of the tens of thousands of Impala owners.
-------------------------
jc - I would be curious to know why you've had your windshield replaced three times. Judging by your mention of so much highway driving, is it due to damage from road debris?
-------------------------
LURKERS - You know who you are - I'm with norbancy; broaden our knowledge base - please share your Impala owner experiences.

johnclineii

I drive a lot in Southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. The first two windshields had coal hit them. The last, a bit more worrisome, was a 22 caliber shell, apparently a stray from a hunter...(but who hunts what with .22's?)

mediumfry

I'd like to think the front end stuff is not wide-spread. But I drove 5 used Impalas last weekend, one 2000 and 4 2001's.

One was perfect and 4 exhibited one or more of the classic front-end symptoms.

Ouch.

norbnancy

A "22"bullet would REALLY worry me. Take a different way next trip. There was a nut or nuts loose doing this in Jacksonville Fl. about 2 years ago. Then it stopped. Who's to know. Re;cradle issue--- sorry I got some upset. Just my opinion. Based on my 2000LS, my brother's 2000LS with a lot more miles than mine, and my neighbors 2001 base with no problems, The Impala is by far better than most cars and definitely better than anything I would consider. Enjoy the ride.

gweilo

How did you end up driving the 5 Impalas? Any idea on the mileage range?

teo

Well, I spoke to my Service Director this morning. I asked him point blank if he had repaired/replaced any 2001 model year engine cradles or ISS in recent weeks or days...his answer was "I haven't had the need to either repair or replace any of those items for several months". He told me that he had to deal with cradle problems almost every week last year, but this year the frequency of the problem has come to a halt in his shop. Furthermore he was joking with me 'cause right now he wants a couple of used engine cradles for him to use in his shop to place engines on top of them when removing them from vehicles that are undergoing overhauls of major repairs. He told me "Why don't you bring me yours and I'll give you a new one"...LOL Anyway, he doesn't have any cradles in stock and that should give you an idea of the reality of the issue..

teo

My Service Director also told me that on his communications with GM tech support in Detroit, he hasn't heard or received any communication about potential problems with the 2001+ cradles. He says it could happen that a newer car can experience front end noises but frankly that's a more isolated occurrence than even before. In 2000, the problem was way more spread, but 2001 has been a different story altogether.

This guy is extremely honest, knowledgeable and professional and I trust his input. He doesn't need to lie to me...he is the one that admitted of the problems on my 2000 LS and took responsability to get the car repurchased by GM. Also he didn't have a vested interest in doing so...when my car was bought back I could have gone with Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac anything I wanted. He also thinks that a defective cradle mount can cause problems even in newly manufactured cradles.

When a 2000 Impala/Montecarlo comes to his shop, he sends the cradle to a race car/boat shop that specializes in alluminum welding. He claims that those guys do a fantastic job of reinforcing the old cradles and once installed, his customers haven't come back again for the same problem.

So folks, he didn't deny the possibility of a problem with the newer cradles outright, but he also confirmed that the problem has been effectively corrected in the 2001+ cars.

If a new car catches on fire, it doesn't mean that all of them will. Just look at the NHTSA website...every single freakin' car and truck sold in North America has had problems some major (Fires, engine stalls, airbag failures) to minor problems from Rolls Royce to Yugo. Even the vaunted Asian cars such as Toyota, Honda and Lexus have a few complaints recorded in the NHTSA database. Cars are a crap shoot in the very end.

So let's see what happens.

Welcome to the new posters in this board...your input and views are appreciated.

teo

Today I drove my sister's 2001 Base with build date 6/01...smooth as silk!

macgyver24

Saw this story the other day and thought about the now infamous ISS problem

http://www.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/11/30/shuttle011130

We aren't the only ones having "ISS problems" )

teo

I think NASA also got a bad batch of ISS on their Space Shuttle..LOL

Thanks for the chuckle McGyver!

charts2

charts2

When I read the last couple dozen posts and members give testimonials about friends or relatives Impalas that were built only a few months ago with no cradle or ISS problems, cars that new shouldn't have any type of problem related to major issues such as these. Any car shouldn't have a structural problem. It shouldn't be a crapshoot buying a new car. Everyone will have some minor problems at some time or other but these are two huge (EXPENSIVE) issues that are going to haunt many Impala owners once they click 36001 miles and beyond. Sure I read the post of 77000 miles and no problems. I am happy for him. Sorry to say but you are in "crapshoot territory" If at some point you start hearing that dreaded popping noise I am sure at that point you won't want to lay out BIG BUCKS. I will feel sorry for any 2nd and 3rd owners of these cars when 3 or 4 years from now they buy one of these off a used car lot and find that ticking noise or loose front end. I don't know what a cradle costs + installation but there will be many Impala owners down the road paying dearly for these repairs. GM isn't going to replace cradles and ISS forever.

Teo you say that you have 7500 miles and no problems. Good! but you will always have in the back of your mind while you have this car including my (2001 LS) that every little noise we hear that doesn't sound right, this dreaded cradle thought will haunt us. No one who spends $25K should have to live like that. I am a long way off from 36000 miles but once I cross that threshold thats when it becomes a crapshoot, AND IT SHOULD'T!!!!!! THESE TWO MAIN ISSUES SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEALT WITH LONG AGO. THIS MODEL HAS BEEN IN SERVICE SINCE APRIL 1999.

Teo I know you did a lot of behind the scenes work finding out that the "new cradles" were installed after 11/01, lets hope they all stand up to the test of time.

When I said that the GM Supervisor indicated that they weren't replacing ISS anymore. GM has a ISS LUBRICATION KIT P/N 26098237. A lot cheaper fix but Impala owners shouldn't have to pull in for service every year to pay to have this thing looked after.

John

b4z

Well, if it is any consolation you guys should be thankful that you are driving an impala and not an intrigue.

The intrigue had a different strut design with an rubber insulator/jounce bumper above it. When turning right the torque would cause the insulator to racthet. And it would go pop pop pop pop.

The clunking supension noises were also unfixable.

I spent the last six months of ownership with the stereo cranked.

teo

Charts::: Well, I am planning on keeping my car for a long time so an extended warranty contract (GM Major Guard) should serve as insurance should any of those items become irritants past the 36,001 mile mark. I have owned many cars before, including Honda/Acura products during the past decade and guess what...some of those cars gave me far more serious problems than the Impala at a very low mileage.

So, if you think your car is going to fall apart and the cradle and ISS will hunt us forever and ever, I suggest that you sell you car and get something else, simple. Why live engulfed in axiety thinking when the car will crap out or not when you can put an end to that and get behind the wheel of something else (That for sure will have a whole different set of issues of its own).

Unless you have some incredible powers or a crystal ball to see into the future, I am keeping my car as I am confident it will be reasonably realiable, safe and economical to operate.

Are you selling/trading your Impala?