Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| 576201 | 06/01/1995 | 45851 | Coolant leak at the front cover outlet to heater inlet nipple (new torque specification). *sd | 04/25/1996 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 010601002A | 12/01/2002 | 010601002 | 10000782 | Revised piston pin removal / installation procedure. *tt | 03/31/2003 |
| 576124 | 08/01/1995 | 45815 | Cold engine tick or rattle after start-up (replace piston/pin assembly). *sd | 04/25/1996 | |
| 476135 | 10/01/1994 | 39725 | Oil leak at the rocker cover. *tw | 11/01/1995 | |
| 436604 | 01/01/1995 | 39083 | Exhaust manifold seal squeak. *tw | 03/06/1995 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 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 |
| 98576124A | 06/01/1998 | 57-61-24 | 601915 | Comments on a ticking type noise that begins shortly after cold engine start-up and gradually diminishes as the engine warms up. *yc | 08/28/1998 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||||
| 5366023 | 05/01/1995 | 43033 | Unknown | 11/01/1995 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | |||||
| 676001 | 02/01/1997 | 51353 | Excessive oil consumption (replace pcv harness). *tw | 12/15/1999 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||||
| MSG01124 | 04/01/1995 | 43019 | Unknown | 11/01/1995 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 06/11/2011 | 142353 | ||
| Vehicle intake manifold gasket is leaking. this is due to the manifold being made of plastic which breaks and causes it to leak. gm is aware of this flaw but i did not see recalls so i am reporting this matter in hopes there can be a recall for the faulty part. | |||
| 01/15/1997 | 10 | 03/04/1996 | |
| Vehicle is experiencing a constant coolant leak, the dealer has replaced the radiator because a radiator hose clamp broke, the thermostat, and water pump, because of the coolant leak the heater is blowing cold air. *slc | |||
| 01/28/2001 | 1 | ||
| Temperature gauge was reading hot engine, ,consumer started to add coolant, and there was no visable signs of leaking. a couple of days later, temperature gauge went to hot, then, within minutes it was back to normal. took to dealer, and they said intake manifold was leaking. manifold and head gasket had to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 11/17/1999 | |||
| The low coolant light came on while driving. consumer took vehicle to the dealer, and was told that everything was okay. they flushed the coolant and filled it. drove it again, light came on again, and temperature gauge began to run hot. took it to dealer again there were no leaks. they drained out the oil from engine and antifreeze also came out. *ak *yc | |||
| 03/01/1999 | 10/01/1995 | ||
| The temperature gauge started to go up and down. it was found that there was anti-freeze in the oil, a seal was replaced. but that has not solved the problem. looks like i will have to replace the engine. mechanic stated that there are problems with that engine, and showed the seal which was bad. he stated that it is a bad design. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 01/10/2005 | 1 | ||
| The coolant was leaking from underneath the vehicle while parked. vehicle was not drivable. consumer had the vehicle towed to a mechanic's shop, and the mechanic determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 03/30/2002 | 1 | 01/01/2095 | |
| Vehicle overheated several times and was taken to dealer. was told nothing wrong. it was taken again for same problem and the mechanic said the a/c compressor was overheating it. it was replaced, but that wasn't the problem because it overheated again. the last time it was taken an oil change was done and checked for overheating problem due to spouse taking sick daughter to see a doctor in los angeles. the dealer said it was fine and okay to take to los angeles. the vehicle overheated during the trip and the a/c was not used once due to cold weather. the vehicle was taken to chevrolet dealer in los angeles. the mechanic said the oil was contaminated with coolant and the dealer in las vegas should have noticed it. the head gasket and other related parts and fluids were replaced at my expense $1790. i complained to the manufacturer and first they offered $200+. i said not enough, so they offered $400. i said it didn't even cover the a/c compressor that was good and not the problem, not to mention the money i spent on car rentals when my car was waiting to be seen by a mechanic. it was negligence on the las vegas dealer that my daughter had to suffer in pain on the side of the highway. as for the power steering pump and hose. i beleive they broke something when trying to repair the overheating problem. the power door lock never really worked since i got the vehicle and the radio always got very hot which could lead to an electrical fire. i beleive this vehicle should have a recall on the engine and electrical system especially when i was shocked that other owners had the same problems. | |||
| 09/01/1995 | |||
| Vehicle started using up antifreeze, mechanic checked for leaks and pressure lossess, none found. check of oil ater a week found antifreeze in oil. independent engine rebuilder stated that there was a known problem with gm water intakes on the m engines. *ak | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 10/01/1995 | ||
| 6/11/99 oil running out of engine..intake manifold gasket failure. replaced.11/9/99 low coolant lamp on. coolant in water pump. pump replaced. low coolant light on..pressure tested. no leaks found.2/17/00 low coolant light on. nothing found by dealer. abs brake failure. 3/2/00 engine runs hot. pressure leak now found. coolant in oil. dealer failure since 6/99!!! consumer must pay!! help me! | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN | |||
| 10/16/1998 | |||
| Cooling fan continues to run even after vehicle is turned off, causing vehicle battery to run down. dealer notified. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 07/20/2001 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Vehicle started overheating. replaced themostat and was told by mechanic that the head gaskets were failing. took vehicle to chevrolet who ran diagnostics and informed me that head gaskets were leaking. dealer told me that intake manifold gasket failure is common in the 3.1 but failure of head gaskets are not as common. the dealer replaced both head gaskets at a total cost of over $900. i asked the dealer if there was a recall on this and he replied no. i have spoken to several people since the time of my repairs and they to are experiencing the same problems with their vehicles....overheating with associated head gasket failure. at this point i am very displease with general motors inability to recognize that a problem does exist with head gasket and intake manifold gasket failure on the 3.1 engine. i have found that local mechanics are willing to acknowledge the problem exists while the gm mechanics will not. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 06/22/2005 | 86558 | 1 | 06/14/1998 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1995 chevrolet lumina. the contact stated that the vehicle continues to overheat and must constantly apply antifreeze. the vehicle has no visible leaks and while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle stalled. the mechanic stated that antifreeze leaked into the engine and caused the failure. the current and failure mileages were 86,558. | |||
| 03/09/2003 | 108000 | 1 | 02/15/2003 |
| Intake gaskets leak. i just bought a car less than three weeks ago, and a few days ago, the car started heating up, the hot light lit up, and low coolant light came on. i pulled over right away and had to put some windshield washer fluid in the overflow bottle so i could get somewhere, to call someone. they brought antifreeze, and when we went to fill the radiator, it was already full. thinking maybe it was just a thermostat, we replaced that, but it kept doing the same thing, next suggestion was there an air bubble somewhere, so that was bled. still same problem. went to check the oil, only to find that the antifreeze was dumping into the oil pan. called the head shop only to find that this motor (3.1) is known for the intake gaskets going out all the time. looked for recalls, nothing listed for intake gaskets, so we called a dealer to punch in our vehicle identification number to see if there was any special recall problems for anything that has not been fixed yet. the search resulted in finding out that the intake gasket has been replaced at least once, under warranty. the car only has 108,000 miles on it, and now, two sets of intake gaskets that we know of, maybe more not replaced under warranty. that's ridiculous. i have got a dodge van that has 220,000 and the original intake gaskets have never went out. i really think there should be a recall, and replaced with a better set of gaskets because apparently the ones used are cheap, and worthless.*jb | |||
| 07/20/2001 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Vehicle started overheating. replaced themostat and was told by mechanic that the head gaskets were failing. took vehicle to chevrolet who ran diagnostics and informed me that head gaskets were leaking. dealer told me that intake manifold gasket failure is common in the 3.1 but failure of head gaskets are not as common. the dealer replaced both head gaskets at a total cost of over $900. i asked the dealer if there was a recall on this and he replied no. i have spoken to several people since the time of my repairs and they to are experiencing the same problems with their vehicles....overheating with associated head gasket failure. at this point i am very displease with general motors inability to recognize that a problem does exist with head gasket and intake manifold gasket failure on the 3.1 engine. i have found that local mechanics are willing to acknowledge the problem exists while the gm mechanics will not. *ak | |||
| 1 | 05/18/2001 | ||
| The vehicle threw a rod destroying the entire engine. nlm | |||
| 03/05/2001 | 1 | 02/01/1997 | |
| Car was purchased at a dealership. i understood it was a used car and i wanted to purchase the extended warranty, but dealership would not let us. two weeks after purchase the transmission blew. we bought another transmission from dealership and then that one failed. finally, i complained to the manufacturer and received a new transmission. this car has had a total of 3 transmissions, new head gaskets and now the engine failed. the locks on passenger and driver side do not work. the car was well maintained. i was told by the manufacturer that they could not help me in any way due to the age and mileage on the car. i know plenty of people who have had their cars for at least 8 or 10 yrs. and still have the same engine. i suspect the dealership knew something was wrong with this car and sold it to us anyway. the car was sold to us for $12,500 they added an additional 25% interest, so in the end we are paying over $20,000 for this car. it is now going to cost me $4,800 to fix the car. this price exceeds what i owe. this car has been nothing but problems since day 1 and now the windows work when they want to. this vehicle is used to get to work and home, it's not like i was out drag racing in it. i'm just very upset. any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thank you. | |||
| 01/28/2001 | 1 | ||
| Temperature gauge was reading hot engine, ,consumer started to add coolant, and there was no visable signs of leaking. a couple of days later, temperature gauge went to hot, then, within minutes it was back to normal. took to dealer, and they said intake manifold was leaking. manifold and head gasket had to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 12/31/2000 | 1 | 04/01/1999 | |
| Gasket failure caused anti-freeze to mix with engine oil and destroy lubrication to bearings causing breakdown and engine knock. engine needs to be replaced approximate cost of $4,000 | |||
| 12/08/2000 | 7 | ||
| Vehicle was parked. noticed coolant light on. placed coolant in engine and light went off. week later, light back on. this process was repeated numerous times. finally took vehicle to mechanic, and light came on and stayed. next day, mechanic indicated head gaskets had failed. mechanic contacted manufacturer, and informed consumer nothing could be done due to aluminum piece had melted & vehicle out of warranty. part was repairable. informed engine was no good and defective in beginning, and needed to be replaced.*ak | |||
| When driving at 40 mph vehicle overheated, and came to a complete stop in the middle of traffic. consumer had vehicle towed to the dealer. dealer noticed a head gasket had blown a rod. please provide any further details. *ak | |||
| While trying to start vehicle would not start. towed truck to dealer, and dealer stated engine head gasket was blown. please provide further informaton. | |||
| 11/17/1999 | |||
| The low coolant light came on while driving. consumer took vehicle to the dealer, and was told that everything was okay. they flushed the coolant and filled it. drove it again, light came on again, and temperature gauge began to run hot. took it to dealer again there were no leaks. they drained out the oil from engine and antifreeze also came out. *ak *yc | |||
| A bracket weld that holds motor mount broke, causing engine to fall of right side . dealer has rewelded bracket. *ak | |||
| While driving at 50 to 60mph vehicle made a loud snapping noise and jerked. this was due to the right motor mount bracket dropped the motor 3 to 4 inches to the ground. vehicle has been repaired. *ak | |||
| 03/01/1999 | 10/01/1995 | ||
| The temperature gauge started to go up and down. it was found that there was anti-freeze in the oil, a seal was replaced. but that has not solved the problem. looks like i will have to replace the engine. mechanic stated that there are problems with that engine, and showed the seal which was bad. he stated that it is a bad design. *ak | |||
| 01/29/1999 | |||
| After noticing anti-freeze on driveway, owner took vehicle over to dealership and found the engine gasket to be leaking. the head gasket was fixed by the dealership. *ak | |||
| 01/13/1998 | |||
| Engine has high torque. as a result, it is experiencing excessive oil consumption. every 1,000 miles burns 1 quart of oil. dealer contacted three times, and cannot remedy the problem. provide further information. *ak | |||
| 02/02/1998 | 1 | 08/15/1995 | |
| Noise from vehicle resulting from failure of the engine mounts and rear swar bar/toe bar mounts. | |||
| 08/31/1998 | |||
| While driving vehicle experienced smoke coming from the hood, and a odor which may cause a fire. dealer said they need to replace the intake manifold gaskets/ engine valve covers and 0 rings, etc. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 1 | 01/15/1995 | ||
| Transmission, engine mounts and fuel tank failed causing noise. | |||
| 09/15/1998 | |||
| While driving and attempting to pull into traffic the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road with no warning. *ak | |||
| 09/13/1998 | |||
| While driving at 25 mph, the oil light came on, and the vehicle made a funny noise and entire vehicle just shut down, leaving no power at all in the vehicle. the dealer replaced the oil sensor light, and noticed there was water in the oil. *ak | |||
| 08/25/1998 | 1 | 11/01/1995 | |
| Engine oil filler splash guard failure. | |||
| 1 | 06/22/1995 | ||
| Brackets on three connections on motor broke. | |||
| 02/01/1995 | |||
| Valve cover gasket leak had to replace about three times. tt | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 03/27/2002 | 1 | 01/01/2095 | |
| Coolant mixed with oil and ruined engine. required engine replacement. dt | |||
| 30 | |||
| Car stalls all the time | |||
| 08/25/2001 | 1 | 02/01/1995 | |
| With kids on a highway in different state when engine suddenly died. towed to dealer who says oil pump failed and now need new engine at $4000 ( current blue book value -$4000!). we had checked oil about 25 miles before and was fine and no dummy lights or gauges inidcated problem.*ak | |||
| 03/05/2001 | 1 | 02/01/1997 | |
| Car was purchased at a dealership. i understood it was a used car and i wanted to purchase the extended warranty, but dealership would not let us. two weeks after purchase the transmission blew. we bought another transmission from dealership and then that one failed. finally, i complained to the manufacturer and received a new transmission. this car has had a total of 3 transmissions, new head gaskets and now the engine failed. the locks on passenger and driver side do not work. the car was well maintained. i was told by the manufacturer that they could not help me in any way due to the age and mileage on the car. i know plenty of people who have had their cars for at least 8 or 10 yrs. and still have the same engine. i suspect the dealership knew something was wrong with this car and sold it to us anyway. the car was sold to us for $12,500 they added an additional 25% interest, so in the end we are paying over $20,000 for this car. it is now going to cost me $4,800 to fix the car. this price exceeds what i owe. this car has been nothing but problems since day 1 and now the windows work when they want to. this vehicle is used to get to work and home, it's not like i was out drag racing in it. i'm just very upset. any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thank you. | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 11/01/2000 | ||
| I am losing 2 quarts of oil per 1000 miles. it suddenly started and the solution is rebuild motor @ $1,200 to $2,500. wow!!!!*ak | |||
| 11/01/1999 | 2 | 06/01/1995 | |
| Motor failed after coolant leak into bolck replaced motor, replaced again after 10000. *ak | |||
| 03/15/1998 | 2 | 10/01/1995 | |
| Engine died cost $5000 to buy a remanufactured one and have it installed by a mechanic at a service station. remanufactued will not honor quaranty-states engine had internal combustion causing a part to brake and so we have had no car for the past 2 months | |||
| 06/02/1999 | 20 | 04/01/1997 | |
| Engine stalls only on interstates highways around 65 mph. | |||
| 02/01/2000 | 1 | 01/01/1995 | |
| Sudden oil consumption 1 qt per 1000mi. very rapid brake and rotors wear at about 4500 mi.*ak | |||
| First start of the day,vehicle will idle high, and then vehicle will stall at least 3- 4 times before it will actually act normally . dealr has replaced massive air flow sensor/ computer chip/ spark plugs, including wiring , and has erased memory. defect keeps reoccurring. *ak | |||
| Vehicle repaired for oil leak from timing chain cover. engine failed 100 miles later, possibly due to repair errors. | |||
| 02/10/1999 | 2 | 03/01/1995 | |
| Engine blew after 40000 miles. | |||
| 02/25/1999 | 1 | 07/01/1995 | |
| Was told that the motor was moving more then designed to and chevrolet was aware but no recall . | |||
| 03/09/1999 | 1 | 06/01/1998 | |
| No heat, anti-freeze leaked into motor, destroyed motor-need new motor. | |||
| 01/16/1999 | 06/01/1998 | ||
| No heat,anti-freeze leaked into motor, destroyed motor-need new motor. | |||
| 12/01/1998 | |||
| Engine has consumed a build up of fluid or water which causes the vehicle to stall, cause unknown. owner seeks refund for repair cost. *ak *ml | |||
| 04/01/1998 | 3 | 09/01/1995 | |
| Poor acceleration and erratic idle after several repairs to engine components. | |||
| 05/15/1998 | |||
| While driving about 65 mph, there was a sudden loss of power. driver was able to pull van to the side of the road, turned off ignition and exited the van. at that time, there was a fire in the engine compartment. no determination has been made on fixing the van. *ak | |||
| 05/17/1998 | |||
| The engine backfired and blew off the power hose to the vaccum system, and that resulted in a very fast rpm (2000), and loss of power brakes. the hose does not have a clip and that causes the problem on the vehicle. this happens to all 95-98 luminas. *ak | |||
| Vehicle died while driving on the highway. | |||
| 4 | |||
| Engine fails, intermittent stalling and failure to start. | |||
| While driving at highway speeds, the rpm drops down, causing the vehicle to decrease its speed briefly. please describe details. | |||
| 06/30/1995 | 0 | ||
| Engine failed. *dsh | |||
| 05/31/1995 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle lost power. *skd | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 08/02/1999 | 1 | 08/08/1996 | |
| Belt tensioner broke off at bracket. nlm | |||
| 08/01/1999 | 08/08/1995 | ||
| Accessory belt failed, causing no power steering / fan air conditioning, etc,. repair work was done at owner's expense. manufacturer was contacted and could not remedy the problem. provide further information. the belt tensioner broke off causing failure. *ak *yc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 11/13/2006 | 134000 | 1 | 11/01/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 mph, the engine hesitated without warning. upon initial inspection by the contact, it was determined the failure was possibly related to the exhaust system. the dealer and manufacturer were not alerted. | |||
| 06/15/2002 | 0 | ||
| I have a 1995 black lumina. the clear coat and the paint is peeling off. it has ran hot ever since i bought it. i have had the thermostat changed and radiator flushed.i have to keep the heat on low even in the summer to keep it from over heating! the brakes need adjusted or replaced on a continues basis. i bought the car used,off a car lot, it was three to four yrs old and right after i bought it was discovered it had a main seal oil leak that would cost near a grand to fix!! the transmission winds loudly and "jumps" even though the trans fluid is checking out fine. egr solenoid went out on my car in 2001!! why does this part cost a fortune and was told it would mess up my emission controls if not fixed? just to make my service engine light stay off!! | |||
| 07/04/1999 | 12/01/1998 | ||
| Leaking from exhaust manifold | |||
| 02/02/1999 | 3 | 12/01/1995 | |
| First failure 11992miles/second failure 33613miles/ third failure 57719miles the dealer does not recognize the third failure as defect in this car part. *ak | |||
| 08/01/1997 | |||
| Occupants of vehicle experiencing sickness with carbon monoxide symptoms when riding/driving vehicle over long distance trips. *ak | |||
| 07/21/1995 | 1 | ||
| Clamp on the exhaust system failed. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 01/04/2000 | 2 | ||
| I owned a 93 lumina, which i had the transmission rebuilt 2 times, due to complete failure. now i own a 95 lumina, which i had to replace the transmission with a brand new one due to major failure. the computer and map sensor failed, requiring replacement by the dealer. chevrolet can do better than this. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 01/01/1995 | 60000 | 1 | 08/10/2001 |
| I have the 3.1 motor in my van. it has a steady jerking action when the excellerater is pushed down. when i let up of the pedal it will usually smooth out. nobody seems to be able to fix this problem. also door locks are giving me problems. what is going on at general motors? i have driven chevys and buicks all my life.*ak | |||
| 02/01/1997 | 1 | 02/01/1996 | |
| Intake manifold cracked caused engine to leak coolant, creating an overheating condition. | |||