NHTSA Complaint #10008024 — 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA

VEHICLE IS 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. AT 11,500 MILES, ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE COOLANT. (NO VISIBLE LEAKS). DEALER SERVICE MANAGER INDICATED "THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM" AND THAT PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS ON GM V6 ENGINES ARE WARPING CAUSING COOLANT LOSS. DEALER "FIX" WAS TO INSTALL "GM PELLETS" TO SEAL COOLING SYSTEM. IF ENGINE STILL LOSES COOLANT, INTAKE MANIFOLD WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED (APPROX COST=$800). ACCORDING TO VARIOUS INTERNTET CHAT GROUPS, THIS PROBLEM EXISTS AMONG A WIDE RANGE OF GM MODELS WITH 3.4 AND 3.8 LITER ENGINES, YET THERE IS NO RECALL OR ANY WRITTEN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM GM THAT THIS PROBLEM EXISTS. THERE IS ALSO NO INDICATION THAT REPLACEMENT OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WILL CURE THE PROBLEM, AS THE REPLACEMENT PART IS IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINAL.