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2006 Chevrolet Impala

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Comments

  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    It's a very common problem with many GM FWD cars. Sadly, they haven't really fixed the problem...only temporarily as the new Intermediate Steering Shaft eventually goes bad as well.
  • tra9105tra9105 Member Posts: 6
    I took it to a mechanic and he told me the I-shaft needed to be replaced. Luckily, the dealer where I bought it from is covering the cost.
  • ksp692ksp692 Member Posts: 1
    I am having the same problem. Can you tell me how you fixed yours?
    thank you
  • bobloblaw17bobloblaw17 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 06 Impala, the power steering is making a noise.
    It only happens when I first put it in gear then turn the wheel. If I put it in gear then wait a few seconds, the sounds doesn't happen.
    The dealership acknowledges the sound, but said it takes a couple seconds for the transmission to engage and I should just wait a couple seconds, then move the wheel???
    I think I'm getting a bum steer. haha
  • nomoreford2nomoreford2 Member Posts: 50
    I have a random constant chime that comes through the radio every now and again and can still be heard if i mute the volume and will stop if i turn off the radio or turn the volume completely down, but comes right back when i turn the radio back on or when i turn the volume up 1 notch it can be heard again. And the only way get rid of the chime immediately is when the turn signal is activated, then it will go away for a good while before it happens again. Sometimes it will go away on its own after 20-30 mins Ive taken it to the dealer and it cant be replicated.

    Anyone else had this problem or knows what will fix it.
  • billw7billw7 Member Posts: 1
    Hi, tra9105. I'm new to this forum. I have the same problem on my 06 Impala with 70k miles. How expensive - approximately - was it to fix this problem with the new intermediate steering shaft? Sounds like I'm going to have to do that, too.

    Thanks,

    billw
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    The Intermediate Steering Shaft is about a $120 part. Labor to install it should be no more than 1.5 hours, so figure another $120-$150 to install. It shouldn't cost more than $300 total to replace the shaft.
  • luckystar17luckystar17 Member Posts: 1
    Two weeks ago I had my water pump and thermostat replaced because, my car overheated. I looked at the coolant reservoir today and it was almost to the bottom. The only thing is it wasn't on a level surface. I checked it again in another parking lot that was level and it did come up a bit. My question is, (and pardon my ignorance) is where is the cold fill line? I see a line in the front towards the bottom on one side and then another symbol towards the top on the other side. Which is it? I really don't want to take this car in again so, I want to see if there really is a problem or am I just paranoid.
  • joeblack1joeblack1 Member Posts: 52
    Is anyone aware of any way that bluetooth can be added? I believe it is an option on the 2009 so does that mean it can be added as a dealer add-on if it doesn't come with it? Can it be added in previous years?
    Thanks
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    The Bluetooth is integrated into the new generation Onstar units in the '09 model year. You would need to upgrade the entire Onstar system in a pre-'09 vehicle to get Bluetooth, and from what I have read it is not possible.
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    You don't indicate which engine you have, but I believe all Impalas use the same coolant reservoir. The cold fill line is a "seam" that is molded into the reservoir. If you look at the bottom of the reservoir, you will see where the black hose goes into the bottle. The cold fill line should be a little above where the black hose goes in. The line is on the front of the bottle and goes around to the side.

    The symbol towards the top on the side says "cold line" or "cold fill" or something like that and has an arrow that points down. That mark is simply directing you to look toward the bottom of the bottle to find the line that is molded into it. The very first time I checked the coolant in the car it was hard to see the line. I opened the coolant reservoir cap and put a flashlight on the opening. Once I did that and illuminated the reservoir, the cold fill line became obvious.

    Remember to use the orange Dex-cool to fill it. Prestone makes a pre-diluted Dex-cool that is very convenient. I keep a bottle of it on hand at all times. I have the 3.5L V6 in my '06 Impala and the coolant needs to be brought up to the cold fill line every once in a while. My original water pump also failed and was replaced at about 33,000 miles.
  • joeblack1joeblack1 Member Posts: 52
    OK, but the 2009's have bluetooth as an option. I'm wondering if it can be added. Now I'm also wondering if it only works with onstar.
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    Bluetooth is a standard feature on '09 2LT, LTZ, and SS trims. It is not available, even as an option, on LS or 1LT.

    The system definitely uses OnStar, and only works on vehicles with specific steering wheel controls (LS and 1LT only have cruise on the steering wheel.) So, while the Bluetooth capability is present in the '09 OnStar module, it doesn't work if the vehicle doesn't have the necessary factory installed steering wheel controls to go with it.

    I have a Motorola T305 Bluetooth unit that I use in my '06 Impala. It is clipped to my sun visor and works great. Plus it was only $40 and can be used in any vehicle :)
  • hemachemac Member Posts: 6
    Posted this in the 2010 section inadvertantly, so I'll repost here. Hope someone has knowledge of this problem as I am dead in my tracks, so to speak.
    Started the 06 3LT, 3.9 V6, when I pushed the brake and attempted to move the shifter into gear, it would not move and the release button is frozen in place. Everything functions as usual, just will not come out of Park.
  • awryawry Member Posts: 4
    Sounds like torque lock. On most automatics, there is a pin or something that locks the drive shaft from moving when you put it in park. It prevents car rolling while parked. If you put it in park on a hill, then car will roll a bit and the drive shaft will turn enough to rest on the pin, and the weight on the pin makes it impossible to release. Usually, if you have some one push the car forward or backwards to get the weight off the pin it will slide out of park easily. That is why it is important to use parking brake even on automatics, especially when parked on a slope.

    Hope this helps. Otherwise, I have no clue.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,147
    I agree with the probable lockup from the weight of the car on the parking pawl in the transmission.

    Remember to apply parking brake, then allow car to move in neutral so the brakes are holding the car before putting it in park.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • hemachemac Member Posts: 6
    Thanks for your imput guys. Just for your info, I had checked for tork lock earlier, which it wasn't the problem, I had checked all fuses and just about ever other thing in the guide book reference shifters. After consulting with a friend mech., I was able to get the top of the console off and located a RESET button to the lower right of the shifter. Its silver in color. This allowed the release button to go in and move the shift lever . However it did not correct the problem as it would lock up each time it was placed back into park. It is at the local dealership for repair now. They are checking for any factory rechecks on this and if any warranty would cover it as it now has 38000+ on it. Let you know the problem when I find out, just for the future problems anyone may have like this. thanks.... :surprise:
  • awryawry Member Posts: 4
    I wander if it is receiving the signal from the brake pedal that is is pressed. If your problem is electrical, then the only condition I can recall that it needs to get out of park is the brake pedal.
  • hemachemac Member Posts: 6
    Could be, awry, The shop ca lled this evening and said it would be ready sometime tomorrow. Maybe then I'll know the answer to this probem. I'll let you know. :)
  • hemachemac Member Posts: 6
    Guys, thanks for everyone's imput. Got the car back today and much to my suprise, the problem was, as stated on the work order, "FOUND BROKEN WIRE AT SHIFTER SOLENOID". So if you run across this problem in the future, this would be one thing to check. Also even though the car is 2000 miles and 2 months past the warranty date, GM did fix this problem. Yahoo for them.

    WHAT ABOUT THEM NEW CAMEROS! :surprise:
  • spnningwheelsspnningwheels Member Posts: 1
    Just rotated my tires and got distracted by a phone call when resetting the TMS. I was right in the middle of resetting when I shut of the key since I would be on the phone for a while. When I came back to restart the procedure, I got the "Service Tire Monitoring System". Is there anyway to reset it myself or am I stuck taking it to the dealer?

    Thanks.
  • hemachemac Member Posts: 6
    spnningwheels, there may be a way to reset, but I had the same problem last year and the dealer said I would have to bring it in. Since its nothing major, I just waited til service time and got it fixed at the same time.. :cry:
  • buickloverbuicklover Member Posts: 15
    I'm having the exact same issue and haven't been able to figure it out. Did the dealership ever figure it out? My warranty is about to expire soon.
  • cdnonecdnone Member Posts: 6
    I just returned my Impala after 3 year lease expired.....the dealer tried lots of options...the last thing he did was change my ignition.....all I can say is it happened a lot less often after that...maybe once a month or so....but if it was ocurring and I was on a long drive then I would pull over and turn the car off and on til it corrected itself....sometimes it would correct to no blinker noises but also no radio so would have to keep turning it off and on..... the dealership gave up trying.... told me I had a lease and it was running out....guess they figured it's the next owners problem. They also said they had checked with GM and I was the only one with the problem....Needless to say as much as I loved my Impala when it was working I had to chnage to a different make
  • garyugaryu Member Posts: 1
    I am the second owner of 2006 Impala with 28000 miles not only are the trim pieces peeling but there are now "boils" on trunk, top, hood.... Chevy dealers wont stand behind it because I am second owner. If they have paint problems and they know they do, then what dif does it make the number of owners. This is why people buy foreign.
  • cnwcnw Member Posts: 105
    I think I would press the issue with the service manager, or the regional representative. The fact that you are the second owner shouldn't be an issue; the warranties are supposed to be transferable. What may be this issue is whether the warranty has lapsed based on "time since placed in service". Obviously, mileage is not the issue, but the 36 month warranty may have lapsed. Good luck.
  • coolafmancoolafman Member Posts: 2
    No fix at this time, I have however not had the issue more that twice in the past 4 months. Still worth the price of admission.
  • prigglypriggly Member Posts: 642
    I own an Impala SS, 2006 vintage, and there are no paint issues whatsoever.

    You must have gotten a lemon.

    Just have it re-painted and then you will be most happy!
  • painter76painter76 Member Posts: 8
    at about 55,000 miles my rear defogger stopped working. I do have a 3x3" state police sticker on the inside placed over the wide glass area but not over the heat 'strips'. I doubt this could have damaged it. Once the car has been running and warm inside the rear window clears, but I still need to scrape it before driving each morning.I haven't taken it to the dealer. Is this a fuse issue or does the window panel need to be replaced to correct this? I wonder if this commonly occurs at this mileage.
  • cnwcnw Member Posts: 105
    There should be a fuse for the rear window defogger. Secondly, check the connector to the window strip itself; could have come loose while cleaning the window. Lastly, there could be a break in the metallic strip itself--if it has been scraped with something. Any of these would break the electrical circuit. First two are easy to fix; the last can be repaired with "paint on" copper, available in most auto supply stores. Good luck. Clark
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,147
    does the indicator light come on indicating it is reacting to pushing the button?

    I would expect a large fuse somewhere... under the hood? There probably is a relay in the H-body verson that I own, and there's a box next to the rear window that separates the radio signal enhanced from the electical grid. The box is underneath the passenger C-panel on our car (panel pops off with two snaps like hold doors on).

    Your car may have completely different setup.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • buickloverbuicklover Member Posts: 15
    I have searched and searched the internet and it looks like there are others having oil consumption issues. I've also noticed that GM released a TSB last year regarding oil consumption for GM vehicles and stated that 1qt every 2k is normal. I have 50k on my car and it is a certified vehicle so it's under warranty until 100k or Feb 2011.

    I have owned at least 10 GM vehicles and have only had oil consumption in one of them and that was due to old age. I just don't think oil consumption is normal! I think I'm loosing about 1 qt every 3000 miles. It doesn't seem to be leaking it and I don't see it coming out the tail pipe, so I'm assuming it's light "burn off". That to me would indicate possible ring issues.

    Anyone else having this issue? This is just 1 of 6 other issues I have.
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    I have an '06 Impala LT 3.5L as well. I am approaching 47,000 miles on it. I have owned it since new and it has always consumed some oil between changes. The engine runs quietly, idles smoothly, has no leaks, no smoke coming out of the exhaust, and runs very strong. I do not suspect any issues.

    When I change the oil and filter, I always put in the required 4qts. Despite keeping the oil in the safe zone on the dipstick between changes, I have never been able to drain 4 qts out when changing the oil. It is always a mystery where that oil has gone. I simply got into the habit of checking the oil level whenever I top off the windshield washer fluid.

    Last oil change, I switched to Castrol Edge full synthetic oil and a Purolator PureONE filter (previously I had been using Mobil Clean 5000 conventional oil and an ACDelco filter). I checked the oil level after 1,000 miles with the Castrol Edge-PureONE combo, and there was no oil consumption at that point.

    I have owned 10 cars over the past 20 years, and several of them had some sort of oil consumption between changes.
  • softshellcrabsoftshellcrab Member Posts: 3
    On my 2006 Impala, when I accelerate, the low oil pressure warning goes on. Even if I am just speeding up 5-10 mph. Once I reach my higher speed and stop accelerating it stops (so far). It seems worse after the car is more warmed up. I had a new switch installed but that did not cure it. Oil is clean, level fine etc. Neither the Chevy dealer nor my very good mechanic can figure it out. Anyone know anything about this or have any ideas?
  • bbaby1bbaby1 Member Posts: 2
    Has anyone ever got there "low oil pressure warning - turn engine off immediately" problem solved. My local Chevy dealer prior to my spending big bucks says it most likely is a computer cluster issue or possibly an oil pump that is starting to fail. Most annoying is the darn warning chime. Please let me know. Thx
  • softshellcrabsoftshellcrab Member Posts: 3
    I finally got mine fixed. It was the sensor, often called a "switch" that senses the oil pressure. It turns out in my case there was not low oil pressure, just a false signal from the bad sensor.

    But one cannot take a chance. If the sensor is acting properly, and pressure is low, it could really damage your engine to have low oil pressure and oil not pumping up to the valves.
  • nachoespnachoesp Member Posts: 2
    How much did it cost to get this sensor replaced?
  • bbaby1bbaby1 Member Posts: 2
    The sensor was $65 bought from the dealer as no parts stores have it yet without special ordering. The labor was $35. I have a good mechanic that does give me a great price as i have 5 boys so we keep him busy.
  • nachoespnachoesp Member Posts: 2
    WOW!
    That is a great news. I thought it would be alot more than that. What is the "official" name of the sensor? Also, do you have the part number off of the receipt from the dealer? I have to watch my money as I just started working again since being laid off in January.
    Thanks!
    nachoesp@aol.com
  • softshellcrabsoftshellcrab Member Posts: 3
  • jhirneisenjhirneisen Member Posts: 64
    I have a 2008 Impala, 3.5L engine and am down about 1/3 quart after 4000 miles, and the oil looks dirty.
    Also...I want to change my oil & filter myself. I can't see the oil filter from under the hood...I have not yet put the car up on ramps to find the filter. Is it easy to change the filter?
    Thanks,
    Jack
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    The filter is very easy to find and change once you have the car up on the ramps. It takes more time to get set up to change the oil than to actually get it changed :D
  • hockeyguy3hockeyguy3 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 07 seems to take 1 qt about every 3800 miles. Use valvoline 5w30 syn with pure one filter. 67k on it started to use oil about 60k
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    I now have 3,000 miles on the Castrol Edge 5W30 full synthetic oil and PureOne filter. Oil level is holding steady. Car is also running much better with this oil than anything I used previously. The plan is to put 8,000 total miles on this oil change.

    If I had been using conventional oil and the ACDelco filter, I would have been about a quart low. My '06 now has 48,600 miles, but had the tendency to use oil since new.
  • ctkeith1ctkeith1 Member Posts: 3
    We have a 2006 Impala and are having problems with all windows in the car fog over when the heat is on. It has gradually gotten worse. At first as long as it was on defrost it was not as bad, now it doesn't matter what setting it is on. Dealer says it is NOT the heater core but is possibly an HVAC filter that is clogged. They want to charge $120.00 to see if this is the problem. Does anyone have any suggestions before we spend this and find it is not the problem?
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    Changing the HVAC (cabin) filter in an '06 Impala takes less than 15 minutes. The filter can be purchased for less than $15 at Walmart or Advance Auto Parts/Autozone/Pep Boys. A dealer charging $120 to change this filter should be ashamed of themselves. ~$50 would be more reasonable (accounting for the cost of the filter plus their labor.)

    I really don't see how the cabin filter could be the problem, unless yours is so clogged that it is restricting airflow to all the vents. Have you noticed a significant reduction in the flow of air coming out of the vents?

    How many miles on your Impala? When was the last time you changed the cabin filter? I put a new one in mine at about the 30K mile mark, and still have that one in now at 50K miles. I did remove it a couple of months ago and vacuum it out, but put it back in. I might put in a brand new one come Spring...eventually.
  • ctkeith1ctkeith1 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for your reply. We really didn't think it could be the HVAC filter but it would not hurt for us to change it. However, we will change it ourselves if its not that hard. I am calling Autozone today to see about getting the filter and changing it ourselves. Our Impala has 40k miles. We'll be posting again to let everyone know what the real problem is and if changing the filter fixed it.
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    I should clarify that changing the filter yourself is a 15 minute job if you don't mind getting your hands dirty and/or are comfortable working on cars. The first time I changed it, it took me 45 minutes, but much of that was just messing around trying to figure out the best way to go at it. Subsequent attempts have taken no more than 15 minutes.

    The filter is not accessed by going behind the glove box like many vehicles. It is located under the windshield cowl on the passenger side of the car.

    The owner's manual (page 3-23) has you remove that piece from the car to gain access to the filter. I have never been able to get the retainer pins out, so I actually lift up that piece (from the front edge nearest the engine) and slide my hand under it to get to the filter. There is just enough room for me to get my hand in there. I pull the water deflector plate out, then I pull the filter out. The new filter goes in, then the water deflector plate goes in, you reattach the weatherstrip, and that is it.

    It is imperative to get the water deflector plate put back in correctly, or you could end up with a real disaster if water gets in there.

    The symptoms you are experiencing sound like a heater core, but if the dealer said it is okay it must be something else. The filter is an inexpensive attempt at a solution. My car will exhibit a fogging issue on extremely cool/damp mornings, and the defogger will seem worthless. However it is no worse than I have had in other cars. I just try to keep the interior glass very clean, and that helps greatly. The film that builds up on the inside of the window (I believe it is called "outgassing") can lead to excessive fogging if it is allowed to build up. A good auto glass cleaner helps get rid of that film.

    Best of luck to you and let us know how things go.
  • ladysportsbuffladysportsbuff Member Posts: 1
    Hello there, my bro in law is trying to fix the rear window defroster and has no owners manual, I say it is the fuse but they won't just try and do it with out the schematic on it, would you happen to know which is the rear window one?
    This is also 2006 Impala. Thank you!!!
  • ctkeith1ctkeith1 Member Posts: 3
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