Comments on: GM Recalls Millions of Vehicles 1997-2003

By: Lance Brewer

Lance Brewer — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:06:15 +0000

Just today, February 5, 2012, I was out for lunch and received a call from my kids that our 2002 Grand Prix GT was on fire in the driveway of our home. The fire occurred about 10-15 minutes after my son had arrived home and parked. The fire was contained by firefighters and did not reach the interior of the car or the back. However, everything under the hood is a total loss, including partially melted tires. We did not receive notice of this recall, and are just discovering that this is a nasty problem with these cars. Class Action anyone? Our mileage was 125,000.

By: Tim Mcknight

Tim Mcknight — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:10:32 +0000

I own a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT, after the car warms up there’s a terrible hot plastic smell. I fear that I’m about to witness these same engine fires i dread reading about.I just had their pathetic fix for recall / spark plug retainers done today. I’ve had the car to my mechanic, after trying to desighpher where the hot plastic smell is coming from. Neither of us could figure out where this smell is coming from. This smells nothing like burning oil, I’m wondering if any of you smelled what i describe before it happened to you? and also wheather GM has done anything for any of you?mileage is right at 80,000

By: Catherine

Catherine — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:48:04 +0000

Two days ago I started my 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GT and the engine caught on fire. I had the recall repair made a few months ago and thought this took care of the problem. Has anyone gotten any satisfaction/compensation AFTER the recall repairs are made and a fire occurs?

By: Rachael

Rachael — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:24:01 +0000

I have a 97 Grand Prix, well mine went ablaze while me and my daughters were still in the vehicle, my baby is screaming in a full parking lot, on lookers screaming people running with extinguishers to help this wild fire and we were unable to control it luckily the fire department arrived quickly before an explosion. I have contacted GM after reading the recall and they denied my claim, stating that Nevada stautes expired 4 years from the date of manufacturer….AKA Lawrence Harrington absolute joke . when research shows my statutes expire 4 years from the discovery date………..GM buckle up i am coming after you…….

By: Rick

Rick — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 13:09:14 +0000

Hello, Everyone I have a 2003 monte Carlo ss I went out to start the car to warm it up to pick up my grandson to make a long story short I did not have to pick up my grandson becaues my wife picked him up so I went to the driveway and turned off the car and 3 to 5 minutes later I noticed fire dripping from under the front of the car I opened the hood and the car was on fire I put the fire out and noticed that all the parts that were plastic had burned or melted down I am glad I caught it while engine was off becuase the plastic fuel connectors had also melted I plan to rebuild is there anyway I could get GM to help with any repairs or all repairs?

By: Stacey

Stacey — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:49:39 +0000

I had a 2000 grand prix GTP and this happened to my car as well while at the gastation pumping gas. I have contacted GM and they gave me the run around at 1st then a case number and now waiting to hear back. I was wondering what has GM done for any of you? I wanna know if its even worth the time and hassle that you have all gone through. Only asking cuz Im a single mother and work two jobs. If im just wasting my time and mins on my cell phone would like to know. Thank you everyone!

By: karen

karen — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:04:16 +0000

Just because the cars say Chevy, Dodge, Ford or other American auto name mean it was made in America. I kept my sticker when I bought my 2002 Monte Carlo
and guess what lo and behold it was made in Canada with a Canadian engine and a Mexican tranny not the good old USA!! I too am having problems -oil in my coolant system. Was told it could be gaskets or crack in the motor it’s got only 54k on it. Seems that’s about the time people have trouble due to Dextro antifreeze they used
destroying the gaskets when it gets hot(antifreeze). So don’t blame american auto workers!!!! Just the greedy corporate CEOS. Have you notice that they are using cheaper labor but the price of vehicles go up every year!

By: james north

james north — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 02:57:40 +0000

i have a 2003 chevy venture having a problem with the front driver side blinker i see a lot of other peoples vans have the same problem just wonder if there was a recall on them

By: HOWARD WILLIAMS

HOWARD WILLIAMS — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:04:07 +0000

I bought a 2003 Buick Century Custom ,in Dec.2002 after about 3yrs.I had to have the transmission rebuilt,not only that the dashboard light are out ,I have family members that owns same car,that is an 2002 it have same issue with the dashboard,is there a recall about faulty dashboard pod;also fuel sensor or float problem issues .

By: Nettie G. Zimmerman

Nettie G. Zimmerman — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 04:44:43 +0000

I bought my 1997 Grand Prix GT brand new, loved the style and everything about it. I still have the car but later on the car started experiencing the manifold getting very hot, so hot that in the course of driving it would cut off, most times we would have to pull on side the highway to allow it to cool off. It got really bad after a while and we stop driving it because it was unsafe;. We couldn’t drive 5 miles before it would over heat and cut off. The car is sitting up right now and I am wondering if it would still be under the recall to be repaired? The overheating of the engine is the reason we stopped driving it. Need to know who to contact.

By: Ginny

Ginny — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:47:26 +0000

As to Chevrolet being an honorable American company, I have my doubts. My 2002 Chevy Impala caught fire. Thank God my 2 year old grandson, who was in the back seat, was removed without issue. However, Chevy dragged their feet when my car was towed to the dealership. It sat there for over a month, because Chevy wouldnot approve the repair. Being without my car for a month was long enough. I had the car towed to a garage where it was repaired within 30 minutes. This repair was paid for out of my pocket. They Chevy filed bankruptcy. All the claims Chevy made to stand by their products went down the tubes. Whatever happened to the American standard? Products made in America were once the best. I paid to repair a mistake Chevy made. Is this fair? Why buy American products when the American company doesn’t produce quality, doesn’t fix their mistakes? For over 40 years I have owned Chevy Vehicles. Well, after this, I doubt I will do that again.

By: allen l hartman

allen l hartman — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 23:50:35 +0000

Why did i have to finally reach my limit of spending money on my 3.8 before i found the recall? Iam not repairing a nice 1996 Boneville this time $1100 but have before$2500?120000 miles

By: Rickj1958

Rickj1958 — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 19:02:21 +0000

I have a 1998 Lumina that I bought from an individual around 2003. I’ve never heard of this recall. My car has been going through some oil, lately, but my mechanic says it isn’t burning any, it’s leaking. I didn’t see anything about a deadline on this recall, so I guess I’ll need to check into it. But, I’ve seen some comments on here about people spilling a little oil on their engines while adding/changing oil and then it catches fire. Some then complain that the “modification” didn’t work. I don’t mean to be mean, folks. I’m really not a “hater” type person, but it appears the recall was to fix a problem with oil catching fire after it had leaked out of the engine. And I agree with the commenter who said, “How about fixing the leak, first?” Seems to me that that would have been the best fix. However, even that cannot compensate for sloppy mechanic work. If you’re pouring oil in the engine and dribble/spill some onto the engine/exhaust and it starts to “steam a little,” GET BACK QUICKLY! THAT ISN’T STEAM! IT’S SMOKE! OIL DOESN’T STEAM! SMOKING OIL CAN BE VERY NEAR IGNITING! CLEAR THE AREA! Okay, I think I’ve made my thoughts clear enough on that. Another thing I hope will be helpful may seem obvious to some, but, still, I saw the comments. So I make this suggestion: Unless it is REALLY necessary, just don’t put oil into hot engines, plz. And if it IS REALLY necessary, PLEASE just be VERRRY careful! God bless! Well, I’m off to change my oil. …………….No! Seriously!

By: Bob Bladon

Bob Bladon — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:16:27 +0000

Subsequent to above problem, a mechanic in Calgary found that the solenoid in the shift linkage was defective. A new one includes all the linkage and cables (some $800) from USA plus labour. He disconnected one wire and car is BETTER than new re ignition and starting.

By: JAMIE

JAMIE — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:36:31 +0000

I have a 2002 grand prix that just caught fire last night. Once again I was low on oil so I was adding more, a little spilled over & it steamed up but next thing i know a flame is shooting up. Luckily I had a fire extinguisher in the house & was able to put it out quickly. I had taken my car into the dealership in 2008 when I received the original notice about the recall for underhood fires, at that time I was told my car didnt qualify becuase I dont have the supercharged motor. In Sept of 2009 when I took my car in for an oil change they told me they installed spark plug retainers. I told them I had been smelling oil burning in my car for along time but had previously been told I didnt fit in the recall. So by adding the retainers does NOT fix the problem of your car catching on fire!! I went to the dealership today and was basically told they fixed the problem per GM specifications and thats that. The service manger did tell me to cal GM customer service to start a case. I am urging anyone who had any kind of problems like this to call GM at 800-222-1020 to report these problems. The only way we’re going to get GM to do anything is if everyone calls them. If they find that several people have still had problems after getting the spark plug retainer they may look into the problem further. So please calll GM at 800-222-1020 to report any problems. Thank you

By: JArnold

JArnold — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:36:29 +0000

I bought a 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue in //june of 2009, one month after the recall. I had no idea that this was an issue until last night, when my car caught on fire! I drove ten miles, parked for two hours, then drove four miles. When I pulled in my driveway, I noticed smoke under the hood, when I opened it, FLAMES! I have called the Oldsmobile hotline, and I am waiting for a call back. After reading these posts, I am really dreading this process, I just hope that I can get it taken care of because this was my only transportation and it is out of commission. Luckily, I got my children out and got the fire extinguished before it got out of control. Please, take responsibility for a faulty product, GM! We bailed you out, now show us it was worth it.

By: robert

robert — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:24:16 +0000

I bought a 2003 impala in oct of 09, it ran good for a while but just recently the security wont let me start the car until after 10 min. now its getting worse! 20 min or more to start. i am very upset that chevy never told anyone about these problems before any of us bought these crapy cars. My father used to speak highly of chevrolet, not now! we will never buy anoyher chevy again! we should all do something about this, before more people get swindled!

By: Bob Bladon

Bob Bladon — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:32:22 +0000

I purchased a 2003 Buick Regal LS new on Oct. 5, 2003. There have numerous electrical problems (“unsolvable” per dealers. For several months I cannot retrieve the key from my ignition, and often restart and move up or down per incline. I have just turned 37,000 KM’s. It is not the ignition switch but something to do with the interlock between PARK, neutral safety switch and ignition lock up. It is close to 7 years since purchased and can take 15-20 tries to get key to turn and remove.
Often I hear a “scraping ” noise akin to plastic on plastic between steering wheeel and column and suspect the link – electical or mechanical rod to ignition – is the problem. The wiring to the trunk/rear lights, etc. is a series of ultra thin wires that disintegrate-ie-no back-up/brake/signal lights/trunk light/etc. I have owned over 25 GM vehicles of every brand, and am upset at the loss of interest. At 66, I cannot afford to keep paying.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:44:16 +0000

we never received the recall notice until after my Impala caught fire parked in a parking lot while turned off. Chevy has not done anything and told me I was out of luck. I liked my car and it was in great shape until the fire. the fire was 11/2008 and we still havent got any help from Chevy.

By: Shirlyn

Shirlyn — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:25:56 +0000

I had bought a 2003 Chevy, Impala in 2008. I got a recall in 2009. I got if fixed but in March 2010 it still went on fire after putting oil in and had a spillage. I want an investigation and I want accountability. Vehicles should not easily go on fire.
Shirlyn