NHTSA Complaint #10297703 — 2007 CHEVROLET IMPALA

ON DECEMBER 24, 2009, AFTER PARKING MY 30 MONTH OLD 2007 CHEVROLET IMPALA LTZ ON LEVEL GROUND AT 6:30AM IN THE MORNING AND MINUS 13 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, I ATTENDED MY MORNING WORKOUT FOR 1 HOUR. ON RETURN AND AFTER SUCCESSFULLY STARTING THE CAR I FOUND THE STICK SHIFT ACCESS BUTTON COULD NOT BE PUSHED, DESPITE FOLLOWING THE RECOMMENDED PROCEDURES, AND THE CAR WAS STUCK IN PARK. IT WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL GM DEALER FOR $100. AFTER SIX DAYS AND $150 IN EXPENSES FOR ANOTHER CAR THE GM DEALER REPORTED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A "BROKEN GROUND WIRE" IN THE "SHIFT LOCK SOLENOID CONNECTOR" [INSIDE THE CENTRE CONSOLE WHERE THE SHIFT LEVER IS LOCATED]. THE COST OF REPAIR WAS $137. MY INTERNET RESEARCH SHOWS THIS PROBLEM OCCURS OFTEN IN CHEVROLET IMPALAS, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT THE PROBLEM IS IN THE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM COULD BE LIFE THREATENING IF THE PROBLEM OCCURS IN A REMOTE AREA AT THIS TEMPERATURE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A POWER TRAIN PROBLEM SINCE THE PART ALLOWS THE TRANSMISSION TO ENGAGE, AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. GM CLAIMS IT IS NOT PART OF THE POWER TRAIN. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE LIFE THREATENING, IS A DEFECT IN DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE, AND THAT THE PROBLEM IS A POWER TRAIN PROBLEM AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR