NHTSA Complaint #10375131 — 2006 CHEVROLET IMPALA

TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REBUILT ONCE, THEN SUBSEQUENTLY REPLACED WITH A REMANUFACTURED UNIT FROM GENERAL MOTORS. THIS REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION IS NOW DISPLAYING ANOMALOUS BEHAVIOR. PRIOR TO EACH FAILURE, THE TRANSMISSION EXHIBITED A VARIETY OF INCORRECT BEHAVIOR, INCLUDING RAPID TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH LOCKING AND UNLOCKING, SLIPPING AND REVVING FROM A STOP, WITHOUT THE CAR MOVING, THEN SUDDENLY SLAMMING INTO GEAR WITH THE CAR MOVING AWAY FROM REST. THE MOST RECENT ISSUE HAS BEEN AN OSCILLATION ON 4-3 DOWNSHIFTS AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, AS WELL AS EXCESSIVE TRANSMISSION HEAT BUILD-UP WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER UNLOCKED. THE FIRST TIME THE TRANSMISSION DISPLAYED ODD BEHAVIOR, WHICH WAS TORQUE CONVERTER LOCK AND UNLOCK AT CRUISING SPEEDS, DEALER DROVE THE CAR ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM, AND UPON DISASSEMBLY, FOUND TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH MATERIAL IN THE PAN. THEY REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION WITH NEW SOFT PARTS AND REPLACED THE CONVERTER. VEHICLE HAD 59,000 AND THIS WAS ALL PERFORMED UNDER WARRANTY. ABOUT 23,000 MILES LATER, WHEN PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP, THE ENGINE WOULD REV UP MOMENTARILY, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. IT WOULD THEN SLAM INTO GEAR AND MOVE OFF. DEALER CONFIRMED ISSUE, DISASSEMBLED, AND DETERMINED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH HAD AGAIN FAILED. DEALER REPLACED TRANSMISSION WITH A REMANUFACTURED UNIT. THIS WAS ALL DONE UNDER WARRANTY. VEHICLE HAD APPROXIMATELY 86000 MILES AT THIS TIME. IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIVING CAR BACK AFTER REPLACEMENT OF TRANSMISSION, NOTED OSCILLATION ON 4-3 DOWNSHIFTS, AS WELL AS MUCH HIGHER TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURES WITH CONVERTER UNLOCKED (ABOUT 40 DEGREES HIGHER), AS WELL AS EXCESSIVE LOOSENESS OF THE TORQUE CONVERTER. RETURNED TO DEALER, WHO CLAIMED ALL WAS NORMAL. SINCE THAT TIME, WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. THE OSCILLATION AND HEAT ISSUES HAVE WORSENED, AND THE CAR IS NOW BEING SERVICED AT AN INDEPENDENT SHOP AND HAVING A PARTIAL REBUILD. *TR