NHTSA Complaint #10315054 — 2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA

02 IMPALA 3.8 ENGINE WOULD NOT START. IT HAS DONE THIS COUNTLESS TIMES AND I WILL HAVE TO WAIT 20 OR 30 MINUTES FOR IT TO START. MY BATTERY IS LIKE NEW, AND NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE STARTER, I'VE HAD IT ALL TESTED. I'VE READ IT COULD BE THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM OR SOMETHING CALLED THE TUMBLER. MY SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON RANDOMLY EVEN WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I'VE READ THAT MANY IMPALA OWNERS CARS HAVE CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND I'M HOPING MINE DOESN'T DO THE SAME. MY CAR WAS A FORMER POLICE CAR. IT NOW HAS ABOUT 112,000 MILES ON IT. I HOPE I NEVER HAD TO GO SOMEWHERE IN AN EMERGENCY OR GET STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE AT NIGHT. I'VE READ SEVERAL FORUMS EXPLAINING HOW CHEVY KNOWS ABOUT THE DEFECT BUT WILL NOT FIX IT UNLESS YOU PAY ABOUT 600 TO ALMOST 1,000 DOLLARS. BUT THEN WHEN THEY CLAIM IT'S FIXED, THE PROBLEM HAPPENS ALL OVER AGAIN. I READ FROM A MECHANIC THAT WORKED FOR CHEVY IN THE PAST, THAT THEY POLITELY IGNORE COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS PASSLOCK AND SECURITY PROBLEM. I GUESS NO ONE WILL TAKE IT SERIOUSLY UNTIL PEOPLE START TO GET INJURED OR EVEN KILLED LIKE TOYOTA DRIVERS. MUST WE WAIT FOR THE DEATH TOLL TO RISE BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT STEPS IN TO ACT??? POLICEMEN DRIVE THESE CARS ALTHOUGH THERE SLOWLY BEING PHASED OUT WITH THE NEWER MODELS. A POLICEMAN THAT CANNOT GET TO THE SCENE OF A CRIME ON TIME BECAUSE HIS CAR WOULDN'T START. I GUESS THAT'S THE HEADLINE WERE WAITING FOR BEFORE CHEVY OR THE GOVERNMENT DECIDES TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE PASSLOCK PROBLEM THAT COUNTLESS AMERICANS ARE HAVING AND GM DOESN'T WANT TO FIX. THIS IS WHY I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER AMERICAN CAR BECAUSE THE PARTS ARE CHEAP AND GM COULD CARE LESS. THE TIME TO ACT IS BEFORE MAJOR INCIDENTS HAPPEN, BEFORE PEOPLE LOSE THEIR LIVES, BEFORE 5 CAR PILE UPS ON THE HIGHWAY, BEFORE AN EMERGENCY THAT GM DRIVERS CANNOT GET TO BECAUSE THERE CAR WILL NOT START. NOT AFTER!!! THAT'S TOYOTA'S PROBLEM NOW. ADVICE FOR GM AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT - GET IT TOGETHER!!! *TR