Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 010601002A | 12/01/2002 | 010601002 | 10000782 | Revised piston pin removal / installation procedure. *tt | 03/31/2003 |
| 98876121A | 04/01/1998 | 601058 | Vehicles may exhibit a clattering noise at idle speed originating from the timing chain and front cover area. *yc | 06/24/1998 | |
| 776001 | 07/01/1997 | 52935 | Information concerning engine knock/rattle or tap noise before engine has reached operating temperature or under light load conditions at operating temperature (replace piston and/or rod assemblies). ak | 11/13/1997 | |
| 776001 | 03/01/1997 | 51302 | Knock, rattle or tap noise from the engine before the engine has reached operating temperature or under light load conditions at operating temperature knock, rattle or tap noise from the engine before the engine has reached operating | 06/27/1997 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 020601014 | 04/01/2002 | 634708 | Subject regarding revised lower intake manifold installation. *tt | 10/07/2002 | |
| 010601010A | 06/01/2001 | 0106010101 | 620810 | Subject regarding polymer service pistons. *tt | 08/30/2001 |
| 990604005A | 04/01/2001 | 990604005 | 619360 | Some owners may comment on driveability symptons of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire due to clogged fuel injectors. *tt | 05/24/2001 |
| 876002A | 07/01/1998 | 876002 | 615073 | Some v6 engines may, on a very infrequent basis, have an oil odor condition that is generally encountered after the engine's oil has been changed.typically the odor lasts approximately 1000 miles after the change of oil and then does not re | 12/26/2000 |
| 990604005 | 02/01/1999 | 776304A | 604343 | Some owners may experience a driveability symptom of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire. *tt | 04/26/1999 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 10/09/2000 | 1 | 01/01/1997 | |
| Cavaliers/sunfires and s-10 pickups are covered by an extended warranty to 100,000 miles for this common failure. i am told that the beretta is not *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 08/08/2003 | 1 | ||
| The check engine light illuminated on the dashboard. *jb | |||
| 05/08/2002 | 3 | 04/01/2096 | |
| 3 head gasket failures on this vehicle. 1st repair was under warranty on 12/16/98 at 27392 miles. 2nd repair was after warranty period, paid by myself, on 2/01 at 62253 miles. both repairs were performed at valley chevrolet service center, 221 conyngham ave, wilkes-barre, pa 18702. head gasket is now leaking again at 77000 miles and the 1 year warranty on the last repair expired in february of 2002, 3 months ago. i contacted chevrolet corporation, and have a copy of their email response stating they will not take responsibility for this repair. they stated that covered problems occur early in the vehicles usage, (the first repair was under the original warranty period) and that this vehicle is too old and has too many miles for them to take responsiblity at this time.*ak | |||
| 05/08/2000 | 1 | 02/01/1996 | |
| Consumer has multiple problems with the vehicle. brakes & rotors had to be replaced at 17,495 miles. dealer said it was normal wear. on october 5th, the vehicle was in for a lube job, and dealer never detected that head gasket & freeze plug were leaking. consumer took it to a mechanic to be checked. vehicle has now 19,000 miles.*ak | |||
| 04/15/1999 | 1 | 08/01/1996 | |
| Engine head gasket faliure. engine damage severe. dealer and gm contacted with no results.*ak | |||
| 05/01/1999 | 10/01/1996 | ||
| Loss of anti-freeze due to defective engine intake gasket, and egr gasket. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 2 | 09/01/1996 | ||
| Oil should be changed every 3000 miles, i have to add oil every 1000 - 1500 miles, not under warranty anymore, it should not leak after seal was replaced. *ak | |||
| 08/09/2000 | 5 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Vehicle has intermitent loss of power which can occur at highway speeds. vehicle has been serviced five times; yet, the problem is recurring. the engine makes a ticking noise, and power drops to about 35 mph. dealer replaced fuel filter, fuel pump, fuel guage, o2 sensor. this time, the dealer insists that it must be a clogged catalytic converter. it is dangerous to lose vehicle power on a major highway, and it is aggravating to be told by a dealer that the problem has been fixed for the fifth time. | |||
| 12/10/1998 | 1 | 12/20/1995 | |
| Vehicle idled at about 3000 rpm for no reason. no engine check light came on, and no faulty codes were detected. consumer had air control valve replaced, but it did not fix the defect. problem still exists. *ak | |||
| 09/15/1999 | |||
| Loss of oil (two quarts) every 1000 miles of wear. there are no sign of leakages. dealer was not contacted. *ak | |||
| 12/09/1999 | 1 | 03/01/1996 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 08/07/1998 | 1 | 09/01/1996 | |
| Engine power loss and ticking noise continually, service bulletin repair of the pistons did not rectify problems. | |||
| 08/01/1996 | 2 | 07/05/1998 | |
| Engine block makes loud noise. yh | |||
| 9 | 04/20/1996 | ||
| Intermittent stalling; dealer unable to determine cause. *ak | |||
| 9 | 04/20/1996 | ||
| Intermittent stalling. *ak | |||
| 07/18/1997 | |||
| Consumer has been having engine trouble since the vehicle was purchased. passenger's seats rocks forward and back. manufacturer provided no satisfaction. *ak | |||
| 04/26/1996 | 2 | 01/31/1996 | |
| Engine failed. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 1 | 02/22/1997 | ||
| Serpentine belt failed. nlm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 12/10/1998 | 1 | 12/20/1995 | |
| Vehicle idled at about 3000 rpm for no reason. no engine check light came on, and no faulty codes were detected. consumer had air control valve replaced, but it did not fix the defect. problem still exists. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | |||
| 05/01/1999 | 10/01/1996 | ||
| Loss of anti-freeze due to defective engine intake gasket, and egr gasket. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 12/22/2003 | 76000 | 1 | 10/20/2003 |
| My 1996 chevrolet beretta has had chronic leaking problems around the lower intake manifold. first it was from various bolts, then from the main gasket even though the car only has 75k miles on it. i called car shops in the area and everyone i spoke to said this was a common problem with the gm 3.1l engines. it's ridiculous that there is a faulty gasket in these cars that costs about $600-800 to replace, but there is no recall. *ak | |||