7.1
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$233.00
Average Mileage:
104,143 miles
Total Complaints:
7 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (6 reports)
- replace crank position sensor (1 reports)
electrical problem
Helpful Websites About 2001 Chevrolet Impala difficuty with starting
2008Jun 18
Impala LX V6
- Automatic transmission
- 77,000 miles
This car has a mind of its own. It will start at times and others times I have to wait 15-30 minutes before it will start. I have replaced the battery, the BCM (ouch), the switch and I still have the same problem. When I call the dealer or the mechanic they just tell me that they can not do nothing until the car quits and will not start. So now I am going to have a tow bill.
The problem is this has gone on now for over a year and they just keep putting parts in and it has not fixed the problem just cost me an arm and leg. i just would like someone to be able to help me without having such a high cost because they are not sure what it is and just keep replacing parts because I do not know anything about cars SORRY!!! I loved my car but it is getting to be a pain in my ass. I am always depending on my car because I drive for "meals on wheels" twice a week and I am also taking care of small kids after school so I am always on the run somewhere. When you are at the point that you are afraid to turn off the car even to get gas that's pretty bad. PLEASE IS THERE NOT ONE PERSON THAT CAN HELP ME FIX THIS PROBLEM?
2008Jan 03
Impala 3.4L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 101,000 miles
Sometimes it just has trouble starting. No idea why and no one can figure it out. If I let it wait a few minutes it'll start fine.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2008Jan 02
Impala LS 3.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 145,000 miles
I bought my newest car ever last year. I was so happy to finally have a newer car that I wouldn't have to work on. Boy I was I mistaken. I purchased this 2001 Chevy Impala a little over a year now from a nice dealership. They also talked me into this $1,500 warranty. I had only owned the car for about 3 days when I was driving down a busy road and the car lost all power and died. Needless to say I called the dealership and told them about the problem. They said bring it in and they would look at it. It turned out to be a sensor. Guess what? Not covered under warranty. $75.00 for the sensor $200 for labor. Then about 4 days later I went to walmart. I came out went to start the car and it wouldn't start. The security light just kept flashing. I almost called a tow truck but decided to wait a few minutes. After about 5-10 mins it started. I had this problem all year now and it drives me nuts. It doesn't do it all the time, but it does do it about once a month. Even that is too much. I never took it to get fixed because that night I got online and researched it. Come to find out almost every Impala owner out there has this problem. I saw that people had spent hundreds, even thousands trying to get it fixed with no luck. So I decided to just live with it. But if anyone has found a solution please let me know. Until I got this car I was a diehard Chevy Guy. Not anymore. My other car is a Honda Accord. I have never had an issue with it. I think I'm gonna be a Honda Guy from now on. As GM should have a factory recall on this. Thanks, Jason Jases10@hotmail.com
2009Jan 01
Impala LX
- Automatic transmission
- 80,000 miles
Hi Everyone, I have a impala 2001 which i like as a car so far, Ive driven it for over 2 years now and have had pretty good reliability compared to my previous vehicles. When it comes to cars i can fix most things but currently im having a my car locking do to the trying to start the car. i get three blinking security indicators which i have found out is when the car thinks that some one is trying to start it without the key.... im trying to find a solution to this problem but i haven't found a pin point answer on which part i need to replace. is it the key mechanism on my dash or is it. i currently don't know but my best guess is it the one of them. if anyone finds a solutions please post it.
2008Dec 09
Impala
- Automatic transmission
- 160,000 miles
Love my new Chevy Impala, very comfortable, fun to drive, great mpg, but has problems starting for no apparent reason. Although the car is new to me, it is a 2001 Impala that I bought off ebay. The price was right and car looked nice and runs great, except that I have to start it twice to get it to start, but only after it has been running for awhile. For example, it starts right up if it has been sitting overnight or for hours, but if I am running errands where I am starting or stopping it takes twice to get it started. Very puzzling but not inconvenient compared to the car not starting at all. Okay, it is cold outside, barely registering at 1degree this morning, but the car started then stalled then wouldn't and won't start at all. The engine sounds like it wants to start, but nothing and I don't know what to do about it.
2006Sep 25
Impala 3.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 93,000 miles
I bought this car new in Oct 2000. My wife started driving it in Nov 2004 at 75,000 miles. After 6 years of owning and just 2 weeks before the extended warranty expired the car suddenly wouldn't start one day. It just cranked and cranked.
Towed to the dealer twice (free with Onstar), but the car started there and no codes.
The problem continued. Most times it would eventually start.
Then it started stalling intermittently.
It seemed to happen when the engine was cold, like when first driven in the morning.
No codes again. The dealer could find nothing and replaced the ignition module and fuel pump under the extended warranty before it expired.
The same problems continued intermittently over the next 2 months. The stalling started happening more often and was dangerous and it was making the car undrivable.
Finally it stalled on the road and wouldn't start. It was towed again to the dealer (where it started) and they had it for 10 days but couldn't reproduce either problem.
I had spent countless hours researching the problems on the internet, and I suggested replacing the crank position sensor. The service manager didn't think that was the problem because the combination of the no-start and stalling problems don't point to that sensor.
Since I didn't have the car to drive anyway, I said to just replace the crank position sensor. That solved both problems and after almost 2 years later the problems haven't returned. If that did not fix the problems I would have had to get rid of the car.
The dealer did it for free because they had the car so long and the car was always serviced there, plus I also own a 2004 Impala LS which was serviced there too.
It has been said that electronics will/can be the downfall of the modern car and that is why it would be hard to trust any late model used car. A problem that doesn't set a DTC can be very difficult to find and fix.
This was a very frustrating problem, especially since I wanted to keep the car and eventually pass it on to a child, so I had paid for all maintenance to be done above what Chevy recommends.
The 2001 now has 101,000 miles. My 2004 (also 3.8L) has 105,000 miles and I drive it 500 miles a week. Recently replaced an oxygen sensor on the 2004.
Overall, both cars have performed very well, excepting the no-start and stalling problem, which wouldn't have been a big issue if the cause was known and fixed immediately.
We have partnered with JustAnswer to offer online auto repair help and advice from expert professional automotive technicians. You describe your electrical problem or ask your question and they try to help you figure it out. The fee is typically $9 to $15, but you can offer to pay more for really tough questions. You will usually receive an answer in 10 minutes or less, and you do not have to pay anything unless you accept the answer.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Jun 01
Impala ES 3.2L V6
I am glad to know some of the fixes for this not starting problem. I knew it was not a battery problem because when it starts it cranks fine. Also its good to know that this is a common problem with the impalas and not just mine. The 10 min thing seems to be right because occasionally i would wait (did not know about the 10 min rule) 15 min to 20 to start the car again. but I should not have to wait to start my car especially one made in America. Any way good to know I don't have to spend a lot of money to get it fixed. I'll just have to leave 10 min earlier.
freno
Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA
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