2000 Chevrolet Impala Steering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 09E005000 (STEERING) AND 08E063000 (STEERING). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 155,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH AND COMING TO A STOP, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACTS RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

TL* THE CONTACT RENTED A 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE VEHICLE SKIDDED OUT OF CONTROL TO THE LEFT, THE CONTACT APPLIED FORCE TO THE STEERING WHEEL BUT IT DID NOT RESPOND CAUSING THE CONTACTS VEHICLE TO BE SCRAPED ON THE LEFT SIDE FROM A GUARD RAIL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE THEN VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND SLIGHTLY WENT OVER A CURB. THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT FLASHED WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PULL THE VEHICLE OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART. THE DRIVER DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES AND NO MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE RENTAL COMPANY WAS NOTIFIED OF THE POWER STEERING FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.

LOUD NOISE FROM STEERING COLUMN WHINING NOISE HEARD THROUGHOUT TURNING MOTION REQUIRES MORE EFFORT FROM DRIVER TO STEER VEHICLE ON TURNS. *TR

MY STEERING LOCKS UP WHEN WHEN TURNING MOSTLY LEFT BUT HAS DONE IT WHILE TURNING RIGHT ALSO. WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL FOR THIS SAFETY ISSUE? *TR

I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING OF MY IMPALA WITH LOW MILEAGE. SEVERAL YEARS AGO I WAS NOTIFIED OF A RECALL INVOLVED IN THE IMPALA'S STEERING AND A PART WAS REPLACED AND DURING THAT TIME DEALER ALSO CHANGED OUT THE RACK AND PINION. I BARELY GOT MY VEHICLE HOME ON THURSDAY AND COULD HAVE BEEN IN A VERY BAD ACCIDENT IF I HAD NOT DRIVEN CAUTIOUSLY FOR THE FEW YARDS I HAD TO GO. I COULD BARELY TURN MY STEERING WHEEL AND THE VEHICLE SOUNDED SO AWFUL. I WAS VERY CLOSE TO MY HOME, SO I SLOWLY WENT A FEW YARDS. MY STEERING WAS GONE BUT SOME HOW I GOT MY CAR PARKED SAFELY AT MY APARTMENT AND THE TOW COMPANY HAD TO TOW IT LATER. MY MECHANIC JUST TOLD ME THAT THE RACK AND PINION HAVE FAILED AND THEY WERE JUST REPLACED A FEW YEARS AGO AND SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE SO WITH THE LITTLE MILEAGE MY VEHICLE HAS. THE RACK HAD CAUSED ALL THE FLUID TO LEAK OUT. HOW CAN THAT BE IF IT WAS GOOD MANUFACTURE PARTS THAT WERE PUT IN THE STEERING. I AM VERY ANGRY THAT THE COMPANY WILL NOT STAND BY THEIR IMPALAS AND THAT THEY CONTINUE TO BE ALLOWED TO HAVE VEHICLES THAT ARE UNSAFE. LUCKILY I WAS ALMOST HOME AND DID NOT GET IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

THIS HAS BEEN AN ON GOING PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING UNIT IN THE 2000 IMPALA, BUT THIS IS THE LATEST; ON JULY 14 ,2010 I TOOK THE 2000 IMPALA INTO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT WAS LEAKING FLUID. ASK THE SERVICE DEPT. MANAGER TO FIX IT. HE THEN DIAGNOSED THE CAR AS OIL SENSOR SWITCH LEAKAGE. AND HE COULD NOT MAKE REPAIRS BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PART, BUT THE DIAGNOSE COST WAS $75.00 , SO I PAID AND DROVE OFF WITH A LEAKING 2000 CHEVY IMPALA . LATER,I NOTICE THAT THE SERVICE MANAGER WROTE THE SERVICE ORDER UP AS THE CUSTOMER SAID THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING OIL. NOT TRUE, I SAID FLUID. THE LEAK GOT WORSE. I REPLACED THE OIL SENSOR BUT THE LEAKAGE DID NOT STOP. THEREFORE, I PARK THE CAR FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. ONE DAY I RAISED THE HOOD, TOOK A SMALL FLASHLIGHT AND TRACED THE LEAK TO TWO SEVER LINES. THE HARD RUBBER FLAP THAT IS MOUNTED TO THE CAR BODY TO KEEP DEBRIS OUT OF ENGINE RUBS AGAINST TWO FRAME MOUNTED LINES UNTIL IT CUT THROUGH BOTH LINES. FLUIDS LEAKS OUT AND CAUSED THE POWER STEERING UNIT TOFAIL. THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT, SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR SAFETY REASON. DEALERSHIP WANTS $135.00 TO LOOK AT THE CAR AGAIN, I TOOK PICTURES. HERE IS MY PARTIAL COMPLAINT, CAN EMAIL PICTURES AS WELL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 2000 CHEVY IMPALA LS. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH HER STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. THE CONTACT HAD TO PULL THE STEERING WHEEL REALLY HARD AND IN ORDER TO GAIN CONTROL OF IT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT DEALER. THE DEALER THEN INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A POWER STEERING PUMP AND THAT THERE WAS AN INTERNAL LEAK IN THE POWER STEERING HOSE. THE CONTACT HAD TO RENT A VEHICLE FOR FOUR DAYS WHILE THE DEALER FIXED THE PROBLEM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WASN'T ANY NOISE WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE CONTACT DID REPORT THIS TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,255 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 67,355. UPDATED 03/30/10. *LJ

2000 IMPALA . LESS THAN 50,000 MILES. RACK AND PINION NEEDS REPLACING. CHECKING WITH OTHER OWNERS APPEARS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. NO HELP FROM DEALERSHIP. APPEARS GMC CONTINUED TO USE A KNOWN DEFECTIVE UNIT FOR YEARS. WILL NOT FIX UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

I AM CONTINUOUSLY HAVING STEERING PROBLEMS WITH MY 2000 CHEVY IMPALA. I HAD THE RACK AND PINION REPLACED 11/07 WHEN I LOST CONTROL OF MY CAR AND COULD NOT TURN. I ALMOST WENT OF THE ROAD FROM THIS. I THEN HAD TO HAVE THE STEERING LUBED FOR SOME KNOCKING NOISE AND VIBRATION. HERE IT IS 2 YEARS LATER AND I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. KNOCKING NOISE AND VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEN I TURN LEFT. I ONLY HAVE 106,000 MILES ON THIS CAR. WHEN IS IT YOU WILL HOLD THE COMPANY LIABLE FOR AN ISSUE THEY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT ALL ALONG? HOW MANY DEATHS WILL IT TAKE? *TR

MY FINGERS DEVELOPED CURVATURES AND TWISTED KNUCKLES. I DEVELOPED LOWER BACK PAIN. SHOULDER PAIN. NECK PAIN. CARPAL TUNNEL. SCIATIC PAIN. REQUIRED PHYSICAL THERAPY BECAUSE I COULD NOT LIFT MY ARM ABOVE SHOULDER HEIGHT. THE STIFF "HIGH EFFORT" STEERING WAS RESULTING IN MY BODY GENERATING FORCES TO OVERCOME THE RESISTANCE OF THE STEERING SYSTEM WHICH WERE RESULTING IN SHOCK LOADS TO MY SKELETAL SYSTEM JOINTS AND BONES. OTHER DRIVERS OF THE STIFF STEERING CHEVROLET IMPALA, SATURN'S, PONTIAC GRAND AM, PICK UP TRUCKS ALL EXPERIENCE THE SAME DEFORMITIES WITH HAND/FINGER FUNCTIONAL LOSSES. *TR UPDATED 05/27/10.*JB

THE STEERING INTERMITTENTLY LOCKS OR IS DIFFICULT TO TURN BEYOND A CERTAIN ANGLE. IT OCCURS MOST OFTEN WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN. WORKING THE WHEEL BACK AND FORTH USUALLY LOOSENS. SEVERAL TIMES I TOOK IT TO MECHANICS, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. *TR

ON THURSDAY 01 NOV 07 AND MONDAY 05 NOV 07 MY WIFE WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN OFF A BUSY HIGHWAY WHERE WE LIVE. WHEN SHE TRIED TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT IT LOCKED OR WOULDN'T MOVE PLACING HER IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION OF POSSIBLY BEING HIT BY ON-COMING TRAFFIC. I CONFIRMED THE STEERING WHEELING LOCKING WHEN TURNING LEFT ONLY WHEN I GOT HOME BY DRIVING THE CAR AND HAVING IT LOCK ON ME ONE TIME IN A PARKING LOT. I HAVE SEEN A WEB SITE CALLED WWW.DIRECT.CA/TRINITY/GM-STEERING-PROBEM.HTM WHICH HAS RECORDED OVER 250 U. S. COMPLAINTS. IT MENTIONS POLICE CHEVROLET IMPALA STEERING CAN LOCK-UP WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED. MY POWER STEERING FLUID IS AT CORRECT LEVEL AND CAR HAS HIGHER MILEAGE AT AROUND 148,000. WE ARE PUTTING A RE-MANUFACTURED STEERING RACK AN PINION IN THIS WEEK TO TRY AND SOLVE THIS PROBLEM AS RECOMMENDED BY WEB LETTER. *TR

INTERMEDIATE SHAFT STICKS AND MAKES CLUNKING SOUNDS WHILE DRIVING. TSB SUGGESTED LUBRICATION KIT, THAT FIX WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. REPLACED SHAFT, NEW SHAFT HAS DEVELOPED SAME PROBLEM. THE DESIGN APPEARS FLAWED AND POSSIBLY DANGEROUS TO HAVE A STEERING COMPONENT BINDING. TO MY KNOWLEDGE THERE IS NO PERMANENT FIX FOR THIS AND A NEW INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WITH THE SAME DESIGN IS NOT A PERMANENT SOLUTION. *NM

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2000 CHEVY IMPALA WITH 85,000 MILES. INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT FAILS EVERY 20-25,000 MILES. IT HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES ALREADY, AND IS FAILING AGAIN. DEALER ADMITS IT IS A DESIGN FLAW THAT AFFECTS ALL 2000-2005 DESIGN IMPALA'S. YOU KNOW IT IS FAILING WHEN YOU FEEL CLUNKING AND LOOSENESS IN THE STEERING AT LOW SPEEDS WHEN CORNERING. I HAVE TALKED WITH MANY OTHER IMPALA OWNERS, AND THEY HAVE IDENTICAL PROBLEMS. COSTS $250 EVERY TIME THIS PART MUST BE REPLACED. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN WHEN A CRITICAL STEERING COMPONENT REPEATEDLY FAILS. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS AT 5 MPH, THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKED AND COULD NOT BE PULLED TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WERE CURRENTLY EXAMINING THE VEHICLE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE.

LTR RE DEFECTIVE STEERING SYSTEMS IN NUMEROUS AUTOMOBILES ESPECIALLY THE 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA CAUSES CARPAL TUNNEL, HANDS AND FINGER DEFORMALTIES. *TS

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE VEERED EXTREMELY TO THE RIGHT DURING RIGHT LANE CHANGE. WHEN VEHICLE WAS IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE WAS OBSERVED TO BE LOOSE AND WOBBLY. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A CERTIFIED INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE POWERSTEERING RACK WELD BROKE FROM THE FRAME AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER WAS ALERTED BUT REFUSED TO REPAIR THE DEFECT UNDER WARRENTY. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT 50 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY DURING DRY ROAD CONDITIONS.*AK 08/02/06 UPDATED. *TT

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TURNING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING COLUMN MADE A GRINDING NOISE AND THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE STEERING SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONSUMER DECLINED TO HAVE THE STEERING SHAFT REPLACED. UPDATED 08/25/06. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH WHILE APPLYING BRAKE PRESSURE THE STEERING COLUMN MADE A GRINDING NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. THEY DETERMINED THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE LUBRICATED OR REPLACED HOWEVER NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT ALERTED.

1. CHILD CLIMBED INTO FRONT SEAT AND PULLED GEAR SHIFT FROM PARK INTO NEUTRAL. 2. THE GEAR SHIFT LOCK MALFUNCTIONED OR BROKE, AND AS A RESULT THE CAR ROLLED INTO THE STREET AND OVER THE NEIGHBOR'S MAILBOX. 3. CONTACTING THE DEALERSHIP TO GET IT FIXED. *NM

INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT KNOCKING ON APPLYING THE BRAKES, ACCELERATING AND MAKING A TURN.

THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP WHEN THE VEHICLE IS MAKING TURNS WHICH INCREASES THE RISK OF A CRASH. TAKEN TO DEALER FOR CHECK UP, AND RESULTS SHOWED THAT A GEAR IN THE STEERING BOX NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*AK. THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING DURING TURNS. SOMETIMES IT DIDN'T WORK AT ALL, OTHER TIMES, IT WORKED WHEN STARTING A TURN THE STOPPED PART WAY THROUGH THE TURN. A SMALL PERSON WOULD HAVE A PROBLEM TURNING THE VEHICLE. TOOK VEHICLE TO USED CAR DEALER, AND MECHANIC ADVISED HIM THAT A GEAR IN THE STEERING BOX WENT BAD, AND PUT A NEW STEERING BOX IN. *AK

I STARTED HEARING A "CLUNKING" IN THE FRONT END. I CAN ALSO FEEL "JERKING" IN STEERING. IT IS ESPECIALLY DOMINANT WHEN I AM GOING SLOWER AND USING BRAKES, I SEEM TO BE ABLE TO FEEL AND HEAR IT BETTER WHEN SLIGHTLY TURNING TO THE RIGHT. I CAN ALSO BE STOPPED AND JUST TAKING OFF TO MAKE A TURN AND CAN HEAR THE CLUNKING. I AM SCARED THAT SOMETHING IS GOING TO FALL OFF SOMEDAY AND I WILL HAVE NO STEERING. HAD IT LOOK AT AND MECHANIC THOUGHT IT WAS A BROKEN TIE ROD END HE FOUND ON RIGHT SIDE, THAT WAS REPAIRED 2/7/05.. BUT CLUNKING AND JERKINESS IS STILL THERE. *JB

CLUNK NOISE FROM FRONT OF VEHICLE DURING DRIVING, ALSO CAN FEEL IT IN STEERING WHEEL. DEALER FIXED IT IN SEPT 2003, SAID THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN,BUT WOULD JUST GREASE THE STEERING WHEEL FIRST TO SEE IF IT WILL FIX IT. IT DID BUT NOW IT IS BACK, AND OF COURSE NOT IN WARRANTY. *NM