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Chevrolet Impala TSBs/Recalls/Problem Codes

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Comments

  • spider_350spider_350 Member Posts: 3
    Actually all the impala's do that but for good reason. The full explanation is in the owners manual but the basic reason for this is by bringing air in from the outside (aslo lowering your windows for a minute or two at the same time) the inside temperature will lower faster. The air conditioner takes a little while to cool off and by brining cool air in while driving and then circulating that air the temperature will lower faster. I gave it a try just to be sure I wasn't crazy. I have a hand held thermometer and checked to temperature with and without using outside air first and it cooled off much faster by, bringing in outside air, lowering the windows for 2 minute to get the hot air out, and then circulately. I live in florida by the beach so I think that says a lot
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    spider_350,
    Thanks...I understand WHY and WHEN to use fresh air. :) I lived in FL before moving to SC and it's even hotter here. My car stays in the garage so it is rarely super-heated by the sun. I would just prefer having the capability to leave my A/C in recirc until I chose otherwise.

    That being the case, has anyone else had the updated software loaded for their HVAC and does it remain in recirc even after restarting the vehicle? Thanks! :)
  • 06fasst06fasst Member Posts: 48
    i have the latest software and it does work, when the vehicle is turned off it does default to recirc like it should when it is turned back on
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    Thanks, 06fasst. Although I know it's a minor difference, it has been an annoyance of mine.
  • evandroevandro Member Posts: 1,108
    I have a hand held thermometer and checked to temperature with and without using outside air first and it cooled off much faster by, bringing in outside air, lowering the windows for 2 minute to get the hot air out, and then circulately.

    Recirculating is recommended because it dries up the air faster, which is more effective in reaching comfort. After all, hand-held thermometers don't have a human skin. ;)
  • neals1820neals1820 Member Posts: 13
    Interesting, if this is a maintenance issue, why don't they mention in the manual as a service requirement every 10,000 mile. I have had the shaft greased twice and replaced one time and am still having the same problem again. I love this car, but GM does some stupid thing, such as not replacing a defective part or solving the problem. To claim it's a maintenance issue is why people don't buy GM again.
  • 06fasst06fasst Member Posts: 48
    had the car at the dealership for almost 1 full week, in that time had the tsb on the transmission done, replace the tire and rcdlr part replaced and now i am extremely pleased to say i have great range and so far no tire pressure monitor problems, make sure the replace the rcdlr and reprogram with the lates software in TIS or nothing will be fixed!
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    I wasn't aware of a TSB on the transmission. I haven't noticed any problems but what does it address? Also, what is the rcdlr? Is that the receiver for the keyless entry? Remind me...did you have tinted windows?

    Thanks! :)
  • 06fasst06fasst Member Posts: 48
    the tsb on the ranny was for some lagging performace on 1-2 shifts, i was noticing more of a studder than a lack of power, the tsb says to replace the 4 clutch piston, the rcdlr is the door lock reciever which is also the tpms as well, and yes i do have tinted windows
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    Cool, thanks. Was there a specific reason they took so long to fix it? Did they give you a rental for the entire time? Glad to hear all is well with your SS. Did you have to tell the tech what to fix or did they figure it out on their own? Sorry for all the questions. Don't feel obligated to answer them. :)
  • tharrin930tharrin930 Member Posts: 1
    I bought my 06' SS in Sept. of last year and have just under 20k miles. I guess if anyone is going to experience the thrills of driving it or the mechanical issues that will occur I'm as qualified as the next person. The tire pressure sensor monitor and ABS warning msgs. and lights are limitless as to how many times they will annoy you, but it seems like they finally got it right on my last and 3rd trip to the dealership. I just picked it up from the shop last week, this time they replaced the transaxle. Two weeks prior I had brought the car in for ticking noise coming from the transmission which had been commonplace for a couple of months. On my way to the dealer I noticed the transmission slipping slightly so I asked them to look into it. The dealer said they could not duplicate/ verify my concern regarding the sound coming from the transmission. They also said the slipping was nothing but most probably the cruise control kicking in and maintaining speed. Hence, the new transaxle 2 weeks later. Even after the transaxle was replaced, the ticking still exists. It only happens when DOD kicks in and drops the engine to 4 cylinders and coasting, not accelerating but disappears when I shift the car into neutral. I now have a new noise under the hood. After they worked on the tranny I now have a second ticking which comes from one of the belt pulleys. I've also experienced the FOB range limited to 20 or so feet but this only happens when you're at the same elevation as the car. I can remotely start the car easily from 35' or more from the second floor of the house but only get 20 feet or less sometimes in the lot at work. I'm looking to trade this car in because the joy of driving this vehicle has long gone. Between my family and me we've purchased 5 new Chevy vehicles in the past 3 or 4 years and never experienced the lack of service or quality in a vehicle such as this one.
  • 06fasst06fasst Member Posts: 48
    there are several tsb's regarding the issue you are dealing with if i am not mistaking, look for the one regarding the transmission flexplate and i am sure you will solve your tranny issue also, have then replace your rcdlr and that should clear up any range issues.
  • 06fasst06fasst Member Posts: 48
    http://www.alldata.com/tsb/General-Motors/1149836400000_1151046000000_06-06-01-0- 14/141.html

    even though this bulliten applies to 05's there may be an issue with the 06 as well
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    I am sorry that you are displeased with your '06 SS. I purchased an '06 LT in July of this year. I bought mine due to my parent's excellent service from their '03 Impala (which they just traded last week at 40,000 miles...car started to get mechanically noisy and have odd suspension noises). Other than that it was trouble-free.

    My '06 is an okay car. It does what I expect it to do (get me where I need to go). Mine has some build issues such as dash creaks and door rattles every now and then. With only 2700 miles on mine, I currently do not plan to keep it more than 2 years or so. Granted, I have not experienced the issues you are having. But, I have owned my fair share of cars in the past several years and know exactly what you are going through. It can be very frustrating and time consuming (not to mention inconvenient) to have to deal with all of that. I cannot blame you for wanting to bail out as I have done that with cars before.

    For what it is worth, the range of the fob on my Impala varies in my lot at work, too. Some days it is great and other days it is weak. 95% of the time I use it, the range is very good. I chalk the weak signals up to "something in the air". Most of the time, however, I do not use the fob until I am 10 feet or less from the car. The range for the remote start has always been good (it will start from in the house).

    Have you tried a little shot of belt dressing on the belt? Maybe it is not the pulley and the belt just needs a little lube? :confuse:

    Best of luck to you and I hope you are able to find something to make you happy. Stress from car problems can be very upsetting.
  • gocasskingsgocasskings Member Posts: 30
    I also purchased my LTZ last September and came to this site to see if anyone else shared my woes. I am still debating the trade issue, since they are offering a pretty poor trade deal. I, too, had tire monitoring system problems and ABS message issues. These were finally corrected by replacing the CAM sensor. (I think that was the correct name, since I am not mechanically inclined.) The tire monitor problems were not all the warning system issue though. I have had to have 3 tires replaced. I thought they had everything taken care of from my earlier post complaints. However, a few weeks ago I had the tires rotated and 3 days later the tire monitor light was back on. (That is when the third tire was replaced.) This week the light was back on, so we made another trip to the dealership. This time there was nothing major done. The tire pressures were adjusted and the system reset. Wonder how long it will be this time before I see that wonderful little light?

    I had a headlight replaced in the past month too. It seems that the light had melted the housing for the hehead lamp.I still need to take the info for the cooling system in and have that done. The air won't be used much now for a few months--so of course I think about it now. I only had one day that the air would not work at all----one of the warmest days all summer.
    I have the rubbing/ screeching on the passenger side window and was told the fix was to be ready by late summer. If GM figured it out, someone forgot to notify the service guys at my dealership. Now that Indiana temperatures are cooler, it doesn't seem to be as bad. (However, the driver's side door is now beginning to rub slightly.)
    Temperature change, though, may make or break what I do. It seemed like once it warmed up, I had less problems. I am really dreading the cold with this car.
    The other issue was that the car did not always record the codes when there was a problem. I stated earlier that ONSTAR became one of my dearest connections. Whenever a light came on, I had them run a diagnostic. That way, when there was not a code recorded, a call to ONSTAR supported what I was telling the service department. (Not only that, I knew what was going on and what action I should take.)
    In case you didn't guess, I have extended the ONSTAR coverage. At least I know that if the car has its issues, I have help at hand.
    Like you, I have been loyal to the Chevy brand over the past 5 years. (My WONDERFUL salesperson left Oldsmobile, so I followed him to a Pontiac and then to Chevrolet.) This is my third Impala. The 2002 was traded because of mechanical issues that they could not find. I had a major trip that couldn't be changed and wasn't willing to risk what I knew was a problem. (It had a warranty repair of some kind the day that I traded it. I never found out what it was, but received a survey about the service.) I then bought an '03 that was the best car I ever owned. (Should have kept that one, but I tend to trade before the warranty is up.)
    I really think that Chevy made some poor changes from that model to the current one. The heated seats were so much better on the '03. Air conditioning could literally freeze people out. Not the case on this one......
    If you read through this forum, though, major problems seem to be the exception. I could live with short opening distance with the FOB. The Bose system hum is not something that would park the car. (That is not to say that I wouldn't want them fixed.)
    Engine issues that ONSTAR reports from the GM statement could cause a stall without warning and tire issues/ alignment are not things that make one feel safe in THIS Impala. "THIS Impala" seems to be the key. When I trade, it will probably be a lateral move. (I have a loyalty to GM because they provided a wonderful childhood and have taken care of my dad in retirement--at least up to this point.) I have checked with many people and they assure me that this is probably the car with the least amount of problems for Chevrolet. I was just one of the lucky ones. (The service writer here says that there is only one other person having similar problems to mine and they have not been nearly as extensive. Could that be because they learned the issues from mine and his gets fixed the first time around?) When it is "healthy", I have to admit, the ride is wonderful........now if those heated seats just worked the way I expected.
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    I have a 2LT that I purchased in March (ordered it in January). Since then the only problem has been the screeching front windows. The strip was replaced twice and I finally gave up and just squirted WD-40 on the strip. Cleaned the window a few times and no noise since. Nothing else has required a trip to the dealer except oil changes. No problem with rattles, key fob or anything else. I'll sell it in 2008 and cut down one car. My '03 Deville will go as well (warranty expires 10/08) and I'll get a Certified 2007 DTS. The mileage on the Impala is about the same on the road and only a couple of miles better in town. It is not worth paying upkeep and insurance on a third car for the difference in gas mileage and I'm not driving a Cobalt.
  • gened1gened1 Member Posts: 256
    dispenser1
    I too had that window screech and sprayed down inside the window with armorll and have not been revisited by the screech. I had the window have some residue from the armorall for a couple of raises but wiped it off and it isfine now.
    Gene
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    Belay my last. I didn't use WD-40, I used Armorall like you did. No screech for months.
  • steve333steve333 Member Posts: 201
    My mothers 2006 Impala, with the 3.5L Engine, has only been getting 15 or so MPG, even mainly freeway driving. Has there been any TSB on this or a fix of any kind? I keep watching commercials boasting of 30MPG Highway for the Impala and she's getting half that! Very dissapointing, although otherwise the car is fine.
  • jeffreyw1jeffreyw1 Member Posts: 145
    What type of ArmorAll did you all use? Is it just the regular kind in the black & orange colored labeled bottle? Thanks so much. My brother has a 2006 Impala and his windows screech as well. Looks like Chevrolet messed up on the engineering of the windows/seal tolerance.
  • andracandrac Member Posts: 3
    My 2001 Chevy Impala leaks water on the passenger side during rain storms, enough that I can have 1/2 inch of water on the floorboard. This doesn't always happen but often enough to drive me crazy, any TSB's or knowledge about this problem would be greatly appreciated. I just found this website and feel confident I will find the answer to this mystery! Thanks
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    I don't know if there is a TSB, but I found this post that may be helpful.

    chrisis30, "Chevrolet Impala: Problems & Solutions" #1835, 13 Jun 2006 8:58 pm
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    My sister also had the screeching problem. We used silicone lubricant spray to fix hers. I would recommend it over Armor All because it will last longer and possibly streak less. Also, the spray will help preserve the rubber seal. :)
  • mandrellmandrell Member Posts: 2
    There are many myths out there as to what the cause of this leak is, but since I have repaired many of them, here is what you need to do.

    1. See where the water is coming from within the vehicle. i.e. is it dripping from the light bulb by the heater blower motor (this is the most common), or is running down the firewall on the left or right side.

    2. If it is dripping from the light bulb under the dash by the blower motor, or it is running down the left side of the firewall, your leak is coming from the deflector seal that holds the HEPA filter.

    3. To locate this seal:
    a.) Remove the one plastic screw cap and two push spreader caps that are located on the black plastic cowl directly under the passenger wiper arm. Pry the two caps up with a screw driver and pull out with pliers.
    b.) unclip the windshield washer tube from the cowl and move it out of the way.
    c.) Pull of the rear hood seal until you expose the front of the cowl.
    d.) Remove the cowl.

    4. You should now be looking at a plastic cover with a small air (HEPA) filter under it.
    a.) The metal case that the filter sets in is called a deflector.
    b.) Look at the base of it and you will see a seal.
    c.) You can either remove the deflector and replace the seal, or a wiser solution is to use silicone caulking around the base.

    5. Simply reverse these teps to put everything back together. All told, the repair takes 20-30 minutes.
  • andracandrac Member Posts: 3
    What if it is coming down the right side of the firewall?
  • mandrellmandrell Member Posts: 2
    Spacer gasket in between the body and firewall. However this very ulikely unless you had major body repair done on that side. I should have clarified the last post a little better.

    It may seem like it is leaking down the right side, but if it is also noticeable dripping from the underdash light, or the left side of the firewall...It is coming from the heater deflector and is probably running down the dash to the right side. It's easy to tell. Once you pull HEPA filter out of the way after you notice the leak, use a flashlight to look down into the intake. You will probably see water inside.
  • andracandrac Member Posts: 3
    thanks for the information, thought I was going to go nuts wondering where the water was coming from.
  • teberleinteberlein Member Posts: 1
    In order to remove the cowl I assume you will need to remove the wiper arms. How do you do that? Is there anything else that needs to be removed to access the deflector?
  • nosirrahgnosirrahg Member Posts: 872
    I couldn't find a mention of what model Impala you have, but here's a great site on the 2000-2005 Impala from an owner in Hawaii http://www.impalahq.com/

    There's a "How to" button on the left side of the home page, and from there if you scroll down to almost the bottom of that page there's a link titled " Want to know how to change the Passenger Compartment Air Filter?" This will take you step-by-step (with photos, arrows, etc.) through the process. Granted the 2006-2007 Impala might be slightly different than the previous model, but you should be able to use this info as a guide at least to attack yours.

    I've tried to e-mail the guy that built the site, but I think his e-mail isn't valid any more. He may no longer be an Impala owner, as the last date I can see on the site is from July 2005, but if not I hope he keeps the site up for the rest of us; it's a great resource for things like this!
  • middleageguymiddleageguy Member Posts: 42
    The guys site from Hawaii was good, but not kept up to date.

    Try this site which has a number of Impala members and topics on everything.

    http://www.naioa.com
  • steve333steve333 Member Posts: 201
    I received this message from the onstar vehicle diagnostics email sent to my mother.
    I clicked on the link but could not get a reason for the recall. Anyone have any ideas?
  • lilbrownlilbrown Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 chevy impala, base model,..and the check engine light seems to believe it is supposed to stay on forever!!!!! please can anyone tell me how to reset this? it was turned off by a tire tech at walmart, ...say 2 months ago,..but it came back on about 2 weeks ago. please help me if you can. :sick:
  • nosirrahgnosirrahg Member Posts: 872
    Easiest way I know of is to go to AutoZone; they'll read trouble codes for free, and when they do they'll give you the option of resetting the light or not. When my 2000 was fairly new I got a check engine light; took it by and they read a code that had something to do with a misfire on a certain cylinder. I had them reset it, and within 2-3 days it came back on...so I knew at that point it was a recurring problem and not a one-time glitch. Ended up being a clogged fuel injector, which was fairly expensive to get cleaned as I recall. Ever since I've run a bottle of fuel injector cleaner through every time I change the oil, and I've had no more problems since (and that was probably 5-6 years ago).

    If AutoZone can read the code and tell you what it is, at least if you then take it to the dealer the next time it happens you'll have a rough idea of what the problem should be.
  • meemaws2catsmeemaws2cats Member Posts: 1
    when i start my car to warm up it only blows cold air only it only blows heat while driving
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Low coolant is one possibility, or air in the cooling system (did anyone open it up recently to change a hose or add coolant?)
This discussion has been closed.