NHTSA Complaint #10410751 — 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA

I PURCHASED A USED 2001 IMPALA WITH A LITTLE OVER 145K MILES ON IT IN NOVEMBER 2010. IT DROVE FINE FOR ABOUT A MONTH UNTIL THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. NO PROBLEM. EVENTUALLY IT HAD COOLING ISSUES AND WE HAD TO REPLACE THE WATER PUMP. IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE TO REPLACE SUCH PARTS ON A USED VEHICLE. THE REAL ISSUES BEGAN IN THE SPRING WHENEVER MY CAR STARTED TO DISPLAY SECURITY WARNINGS, BATTERY WARNINGS, AND SERVICE VEHICLE WARNINGS FOR NO REASON. I COULD FIND NO MECHANIC OR ELECTRICIAN WHO COULD DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. EVENTUALLY, THE PROBLEMS BECAME WORSE: THE BLINKERS WOULD NOT WORK, MY ODOMETER, TEMPERATURE, AND FUEL GAUGE ALL QUIT WORKING. MY AIR-CONDITIONER WOULD NO LONGER COOL. THE RADIO "LOCKED". AND WHENEVER I APPLIED THE BRAKES, AN ELECTRONIC "POP" WAS AUDIBLE. CHEVY DEALERSHIPS ARE LEFT WITH THE EXHAUSTIBLE TASK OF DEALING WITH THESE ISSUES--WHEN THEY ARE NOT THEIR FAULT, BUT THE MANUFACTURERS. A QUICK SEARCH ONLINE WILL REVEAL THAT IMPALAS ARE PLAGUED WITH ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS FROM THE BODY CONTROL MODULE TO FAULTY AMPS IN THE TRUNK. IF THESE PROBLEMS ARE SO WIDESPREAD, WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN AN EFFORT BY THE MANUFACTURER TO HELP FIND A SOLUTION? IT'S QUESTIONS LIKE THESE THAT MAKE ME WONDER WHY OUR GOVERNMENT BAILED OUT A COMPANY THAT CAN'T STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT--OR EVEN CORRECT A VERY SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM IN THEIR VEHICLES. *TR