NHTSA Complaint #10177294 — 2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA

IN JANUARY 2006 MY 2002 IMPALA LOSS POWER. I WAS GOING UP A VERY SMALL HILL AND I DIDN'T THINK I WAS GOING TO MAKE IT UP. I TOOK MY CAR TO MY LOCAL MOM AND POP'S GARAGE AND THEY PUT IT ON THE COMPUTER. IT SHOWED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS BAD EVENTHOUGH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT COME ON. I HAD THEM REPLACE NOT KNOWING THAT THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY FOR EMISSIONS AND THEY DIDN'T USE A GM PART. A FEW MONTHS LATER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID COME ON. AGAIN IT SHOWED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AS THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN SAID HE HAD NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH PUTTING A NON-DEALER PART ON A CAR BEFORE BUT DID REPLACE THE CONVERTER ONCE AGAIN WITH A NON-GM PART IN CASE THE FIRST ONE HAPPENED TO BE A BAD PART. A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS BACK ON. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER SHOWS AS WELL AS THE TRANSMISSION. OF COURSE, THEY WOULDN'T MAKE GOOD ON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER BY THIS TIME BECAUSE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND IT WASN'T THE ORIGINAL GM PART. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD COST $775 JUST FOR THEM TO LOOK AT THE TRANSMISSION. I CANNOT AFFORD THIS AND JUST BROUGHT THE CAR HOME. I'M STILL DRIVING IT BUT IT'S WORSE AND WORSE EVERY DAY. I WOULDN'T TRUST DRIVING THIS CAR VERY FAR. I'VE READ MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER & THE TRANSMISSION THAT YOU WOULD THINK GM WOULD HAVE TO STEP UP AND DO SOMETHING. AT THIS POINT I WOULD NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER GM VEHICLE AND MY HUSBAND IS DIEHARD GM. I'VE TAKEN VERY GOOD CARE OF THIS CAR HOPING THAT IT WOULD LAST UNTIL MY DAUGHTER STARTS DRIVING AND I COULD HAND IT TRUSTINGLY DOWN TO HER BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE THE CASE. MY HUSBAND DOESN'T TAKE CARE OF HIS TRUCKS LIKE I WOULD AND HE STILL HAS A 1995 THAT RUNS GOOD.