Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM | ||||||
| EA99003 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 01/13/1999 | 08/17/2000 | COOLANT FIRES | ||
| The plastic flow restricter valve is alleged to fail and leak coolant in the righ rear quarter of the engie copartment where it may be ignited by hot exhaust component surfaces. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM | |||
| 02/09/1999 | 02/01/1998 | ||
| Heat/defrost has failed twice both times flushed and repaired by myself (ase master cert. mech.) both in cold weather defrost would'nt clear windshield for proper visibilty gm claims there is no problem with dex-cool in the system and it's my problem not theirs. | |||
| 10/15/1998 | 1 | 05/01/1996 | |
| Major visability and safety problem caused by defroster/heater failure on most 1996 impalas due to chemical reaction with new (1996) dex-cool anti-frreeze in heater core causing accelerated loss of heat until complete blockage occurs. | |||
| 02/28/2000 | 1 | 11/01/1999 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - REAR WINDOW | |||
| 04/07/1997 | 25000 | 09/01/1997 | |
| Rear vision is impared when looking through back glass.the de-icer/defroster has turned ( foggy) .this is a real safety concern at night especially. | |||
| VISIBILITY - DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER SYSTEM - WINDSHIELD - HEATER CORE | |||
| 02/06/2003 | 1 | 06/27/2001 | |
| Heater core in my 1996 impala is constantly clogging, therefore no heat and no defrosters. cooling system flushed 2 times by chevrolet garage. they have no way to correct the problem. this problem is nation wide and not a local issue. *jb | |||
| 1 | 03/29/2000 | ||
| Heater core clogs up from (dex-cool) antifreeze, resulting in no heat for defrosters causing fogging of the windows, unable to rectify. *mjs | |||
| 04/10/2000 | 1 | 04/01/2000 | |
| Heater core blocked-no defrost capability-vision obstructed-dangerous situation-the impala club has hundreds of reports of this defect which appears due to the dex-cool anti freeze installed by gmc at the factory.according to input from the membership replacement of the core, flushing the system, replacement of the radiator and refilling with traditional anti freeze corrects the problem. failure in the systems with the dex-cool occurs in as little as 11,000 miles but many failures seem to occur at 40,000 to 50,000 miles. the dex-cool is stated to last for 100,000 miles. gm is presently refusing to correct the defect. *ak | |||
| 10/15/1998 | 1 | 05/01/1996 | |
| Major visability and safety problem caused by defroster/heater failure on most 1996 impalas due to chemical reaction with new (1996) dex-cool anti-frreeze in heater core causing accelerated loss of heat until complete blockage occurs. | |||
| 10/20/1999 | 4 | 02/29/1996 | |
| Heat doesn't work in the winter. heater core has to be flushed every winter because of build up. dealer says that this is rare, never heard before of this problem, and doesn't know its cause. *ak *ml | |||
| 10/01/1999 | 2 | 03/01/1997 | |
| Dexcool antifreeze clogs heater core, resulting in heater not working. has happened twice since puchase of car. | |||
| 01/10/2000 | 1 | 01/01/2000 | |
| Clogged heater core due to dex-cool coolant in car. took two trips to dealer to get fixed, and then only after giving them the tsb. dex-cool coolant is known for causing heater core blockage, but gm refuses to admit it, or offer an alternative. as the warranty on many of these vehicles is wearing out, cost of this constant flushing of the core is put on the owner. gm advertises the dexcool coolant does not need to be replaced, or serviced for 100,000 miles. this promise is obviously not being lived up to, and the owners of the cars are the ones paying the price. *ak | |||
| 10/01/1999 | 11/23/1996 | ||
| Heater does not come on due to heater core being clogged. dealer has flushed the system, and heater still did not function. water pump replaced. appears that a chemical reaction with dex-cool antifreeze, oem stopleak factory tablets, and aluminum and steel components including flow restrictor cause congealing of coolant which causes accelerated loss of heat until complete blockage of the heater core occurs. dex-cool was not used in previous gm models, and no heat problems existed. consumer believes a recall is in order. *ak *ml | |||
| 04/01/1996 | |||
| Heater core leaking at 37,000 miles costly repair got some assistance after i called 800 number then water pump leaking at 52,000 miles costly repair again no assistance then odometer light failed and had to replace complete speedometer head again very costly i have the popping sound in front suspension have never received anything from manufacturer as to a recall is there one | |||
| VISIBILITY - WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER - LINKAGES | |||
| 02/15/2000 | 01/01/1997 | ||
| Right (passenger side) windshield wiper linkage failed. the linkage in the cowl plenum chamber broke at the attachment to the right w/s wiper drive pivot. *ak | |||