NHTSA Complaint #10219794 — 2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA

THE AIR BAG LIGHT BEGAN ILLUMINATING WITH THE RADIO LOCKING OUT ON OUR 2002 IMPALA AT 15,630 MILES. LOVE CHEVY HUMMER RESET THE COMPUTER. LATER THE SAME PROBLEM RECURRED. AT 16,009 MILES LOVE CHEVY HUMMER REPLACED THE INFLATABLE RESTRAINT SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE. LATER, THE SAME PROBLEMS RECURRED MANY TIMES BUT, WE FOUND THAT WE COULD RESET THE COMPUTER BY SHUTTING THE CAR OFF, OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOOR AND RESTARTING THE CAR. AT 23720 MILE THE CAR WAS TAKEN BACK TO TUSCALOOSA CHEVROLET. THE COMPUTER INDICATED THE PROBLEM WAS THE BODY CONTROL MODULE. IT WAS REPROGRAMMED. SEVERAL WEEKS LATER THE SAME PROBLEMS RECURRED OVER AND OVER. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO BARKLEY PONTIAC, CADILLAC, GMC. THE COMPUTER CODE INDICATED A BODY CONTROL MODULE WAD NEEDED BUT THAT SINCE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. IT WAS NOT REPAIRED AT THIS TIME. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. I WAS ABLE TO GET THEM BACK ON BY FLASHING THE LOW BEAM / HIGH BEAM LEAVER. NOTIFIED GENERAL MOTORS CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP SPECIALIST SPOKE WITH CARLEY LEBLANC. (SERVICE REQUEST: 71-437167435). AFTER SEVERAL EMAILS AND PHONE CONSERVATIONS WE WERE TOLD US TO FIX IT OURSELVES IF WE WERE SO CONCERNED. WE SENT ADDITION INFORMATION TO CARLEY LEBLANC AND LATER ANGELINA MONCIVAIS CONTACTED ABOUT OUR COMPLAINTS. AFTER SEVERAL MORE EMAILS AND PHONE CONVERSATIONS ANGELINA SAID SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO HELP US. IN JANUARY OF 2008 ALL WARNING INDICATORS STARTED CYCLING AND THE WARNING BELLS STARTED RINGING. ON FEBRUARY 6, 2008 THE IMPALA WOULD NOT START. I CHARGED THE BATTERY AND ON FEBRUARY 15, 2008 TOOK IT BACK IN TO TUSCALOOSA CHEVROLET. AFTER ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC CHECK WAS TOLD THE BODY CONTROL MODULE WOULD NEED REPLACING AT A COST OF NEARLY $600.00. CALLED GM ASKING FOR HELP SINCE THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR HAVE OCCURRED SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED NEW ON JUNE 6, 2002. AFTER ABOUT 2 WEEKS OF PHONE CONVERSATIONS WE WERE TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING GM WOULD DO. *TR