cooling system problem
9.5
really awfulTypical Repair Cost:
$650.00
Average Mileage:
73,250 miles
Number of complaints:
8 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (8 reports)
Helpful Websites About 2000 Chevrolet Impala coolant leak, engine overheating
2006Feb 23
Impala
- Automatic transmission
- 52,000 miles
On our third heater coil. It exploded again. I now drive around without any carpeting, as we're tired of cleaning coolant out of the carpet. I now have a towel, as it's winter and I often have snow and salt on my shoes. I'm sure the metal floor would disintegrates if pushed any further. Load ride without carpet, by the way.
2005Nov 15
Impala
- Automatic transmission
- 52,000 miles
Second heater coil began leaking and exploded contents of radiator onto driver and passenger floor area. Auto Zone replaced, as it was a new coil bought a few months earlier. By the way, replacing the heater coil in this model is a bitch. You have to remove the front panel on the interior of the car, the seats, etc....oh, because you have coolant everywhere and you have to take the carpet and everything out to clean it. You really do have to remove the panel to 'replace' the heater coil.
2005Sep 08
Impala
- Automatic transmission
- 50,000 miles
On our way back from our first anniversary, my car started overheating. The heater coil exploded and hot coolant spilled onto the passenger and driver's side floor area. We're talking the entire contents. We first noticed the 'smell' of coolant a few weeks before, and about a week before the 'explosion' the carpet was 'slippery' from to coolant. After the heater coil exploded, my husband replaced it with another.
2007Sep 01
Impala V6
- Automatic transmission
- 95,000 miles
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME...I AM GOING F*'ING INSANE WITH THIS PIECE OF SHIT. I got back from my second tour in Iraq with the Marine Corps and wanted to get a classic car. But instead, I figured I could pay $5,000 for a good sedan to commute. I live in NJ and need to commute to the Philadelphia VA hospital for rehabilitation every week and I even had to quit a job because of this frickin car. I have spent an extra $2,000 on this piece of shit and its driving me insane. I call the Impala "the Mystery Machine". It has been repaired 6 times since September and towed almost 3 times. Let's begin...
First, when I bought it I was informed that the "low coolant" yellow light would sometimes blink but they checked it out and nothing was wrong (my dad's buddy's car). When I test drove it the "trunk open" light activated, but I was told it was no big deal. Soon the airbag light activated and de-activated still until now, and it has continued to the point where the f-ing things dings so much to tell me "low tire pressure", "change oil", "check engine", "security". Then the LOW COOLANT yellow light would go to HOT COOLANT red and the temperature gauge will go from 160deg to 270deg in 5 seconds, back to the middle, to the edge, back again, I swear to God this vehicle is haunted, I may need an exorcism instead of a mechanic...it gets better. So my vehicle blink red HOT COOLANT will the temperature gauge went back and forth and passed the red and sometimes stop losing no power. Eventually weeks later the fan would kick on, power would be lost, so on until I finally broke down on the turnpike and it overheated even though I just put coolant in it and checked it (i drive with it). I was towed and repaired. Thermostat, sensor, intake gaskets were repaired. Drove it off. 2 days later the same damn things happens going to work. I take it back, new o-rings and water pump, coolant flushed and checked for leaks. Drive it off and weeks later same, took it do my buddies shop, and he has replaced the thermostat, o-rings, checked for leaks, pressure tested, etc. has been repaired 4 times (coolant flushed, tested, silicon added to hoses, etc.) until he gave up and told me to get rid of it. It used to act up on trips close to an hour, now I can barely ride 15 minutes, sometimes I lose power for a bit, sometimes it will go down, its cursed. I'm at the point where I am rolling into the VA with this piece of shit ringing like hell, not knowing if I'm going to make it to my destination, and sometimes stopping for 20 min at a time for the temp gauge to go down. Its 20 damn degrees outside and when I pop the hood no steam is coming from anywhere and it has coolant. Air pockets are constantly found in my coolant-radiator hoses. I'm getting desperate here...I'm waiting to be driving one day and this thing detonates on 95. Sometimes when I park it I wish it would spontaneously combust and burn to the ground so I can get my money back. HELP
2007Mar 15
(reported on)Impala
- Automatic transmission
- 125,000 miles
Took car in for a routing oil change, asked them to check coolant system because car had been leaking a bit of coolant, nothing major at this point (about a gallon of coolant every few weeks to a month). Coolant intake valve is cracked, mechanic says drive as little as possible until you can afford to get it fixed $600.00, watch for foggy oil... if coolant starts mixing with oil STOP driving car immediately. I have been driving car this way for over a year because I can't afford a $600.00 chunk of change all at once (I know stupid move because I've probably spent more than that in coolant at 8.00 a gallon and 2 to 3 gallons per week lately) but what you gonna do?!?!? This car really irks me.
2007Jan 20
(reported on)Impala 3400
- Automatic transmission
- 80,000 miles
I recently brought my car from a used car lot about six months ago. This summer and fall my car was fine, I had no problems at all. This all changed very quickly when the seasons changed and the temperature dropped. Now that it is winter my car has been overheating everyday. The problem made itself known to me one day while I was driving and my "hot coolant temp" indicator lighter came on and my car cut off. I have had three other cars (mainly foreign made) in the past and have never had this problem. So I had my car checked by the closest gas station and they told me that my coolant was low and that it was not a problem. So they added Dex-Cool to my car and I was on my way. My car drove fine for like a week maybe two. Then the light comes back on and I just add more Dex-Cool and thought it would be fine. No No No. Two weeks later I am adding Dex-Cool like twice a week and my car is smoking. I take my car to be checked and the mechanic before even looking at my car tells me, you probably have a leak in your intake manifold gasket and that the problem is very common in the Chevy cars with the 3400 engine and that it would cost around $700.00 to repair. So when he tells me its common, I decide to Google "impala coolant leak problems" and this is like the first page to come up. I read through the complaints and saw that this is a little to common. I think that Chevy should pay for repairs cost for this problem. I would love to be added to the class action suit, please sign me up.
2007Jan 11
(reported on)Impala LS 3.8L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 74,000 miles
Bought the car from a used dealership. A week later noticed the Low Coolant warning was on. I went and got a tune-up but noticed that afterwards the Low coolant warning was still on. I checked the cooling system to see if there was sufficient coolant and there was so I thought it was just a malfunction on the warning light. A month later I noticed a small leak from the radiator. I used some of that Bar's Leak to stop the leakage. That worked for about a week till it seemed that it got worse and it started leaking profusely. I kept on having to buy bottles of coolant to pour in it, till my engine started overheating. It turned out that I had a radiator leak, I don't know from what, and the mech said I might blew a head gasket. I had this car six months and I'm very disappointed if it's the heads because it overheated once, and the steam was coming from the radiator and hose not from the engine. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed, that it's not the heads because the estimated repair costs is in the thousands. I personally think any car that runs on DEX-COOL sucks because I had a 98 Cadillac Catera that ran on that coolant that blew the head gaskets and I had to get rid of it because of the repair costs. I'm willing to participate in a class action lawsuit since this is the second GM vehicle engine overheating problem I've had that has cost me thousands in repairs.
Word of advice.. Buy foreign cars!!!
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2006Aug 02
Impala
4th heater coil. 4th!!!! In less than a year. My husband heard that it might have something to do with the 'pressure' in the radiator that is destroying the seals on the heater coil. He bought a new cap for the radiator, and now more problem. I'm writing this in 2008, and I'm still only on my 4th heater coil. Apparently, the $25 radiator cap fixed the issue. Sometimes I still can smell the odor of radiator fluid....and I panic, but no radiator fluid baths yet.
Kari C.
Swanton, OH, USA
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