1997 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Engine Problems

MY 97 MONTE CARLO Z34 STARTED DYING ON ME WHENEVER I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND AFTER I HAD BEEN DRIVING IT FOR A WHILE. AND IT WOULD SHOOT FORWARD AFTER I STARTED IT AGAIN IN NEUTRAL(THE ONLY WAY IT WOULD START). PLACING MYSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF INTERSECTIONS UNWILLINGLY, I WOULD HAVE TO START MY CAR AND MAKE SURE NO CARS WERE COMING ANY WAY OR ELSE I WOULD HAVE CRASHED! NOW MY CAR IS COMPLETELY UNDRIVABLE AND DIES WHENEVER I HIT MY BRAKES, I TOOK THE CAR TO SEVERAL MECHANICS SINCE THIS STARTED AND HAVE HAD THE FOLLOWING CHANGED/REPAIRED: UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE GASKET SET, THROTTLE BODY GASKET, THERMOSTAT, SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES, AIR FILTER, NUMEROUS VACUUM LEAKS, VALVE COVERS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10282225

Incident

Jul 20, 2009

MY 1997 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO WAS RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH AN INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED (DUE TO LEAKING OF ENGINE COOLANT). TWO MECHANICS INFORMED ME THE REPAIR COSTS WOULD BE BETWEEN $800-$1000. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED SEVERAL GENERAL MOTORS VEHICLES BETWEEN 1996-2002 HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. THOUGH NO OFFICIAL RECALL WAS DONE, GM DID PUBLISH A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING THIS PROBLEM A FEW YEARS AGO. I KNOW CANADA HAS FILED CLASS ACTION SUITS AGAINST CANADA GM CONCERNING THIS ISSUE. THE CAR ONLY HAS 120K MILES ON IT, AND THE BLUEBOOK STATES THE VALUE TO BE AROUND $2200. DOES THE STATE OF MARYLAND HAVE INFORMATION ON THIS ISSUE REQUIRING GM TO PERFORM THIS WORK UNDER SOME KIND OF WARRANTY? *TR

NHTSA ID

10232010

Incident

May 23, 2008

Mileage

119,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE ENGINE FELL OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE SUB FRAME BOLTS NOT BEING TIGHTENED. THE BOLTS WERE RE-ATTACHED. AS OF AUGUST 14, 2007, NO OTHER FAILURES HAVE OCCURRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 145,000.

NHTSA ID

10199530

Incident

Apr 1, 2007

Mileage

145,000 mi

1997 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO VIN#[XXX] MILES 36,366 DATE 04/12/02 HEAD GASKET BLOWN (RESEAL INTAKE MANIFOLD) SERVICE#47886 ANDREW CHEVROLET 1500 WEST SILVER SPRING MILWAUKEE,WISC. 53209 REPAIR COST $916.58 REASON GIVEN WHY IT WENT OUT BY SERVICE TECH ENGINE HEATS UP AND COOLS DOWN. 05/14/04 MILEAGE 48,933 SERVICE #89628 HEAD GASKET AGAIN BLOWN(RESEAL INTAKE MANIFOLD WANT ANOTHER $8-900 REFUSED TO PAY AGAIN CAR SITS AT HOME. *LA UPDATED 07/25/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

10080904

Incident

Apr 12, 2002

Mileage

36,366 mi

COOLANT STARTING LEAKING WITH A MINIMAL AMOUNT AND KEPT GETTING WORSE. WAS INFORMED THAT INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET NEEDS REPLACED. HEARD OF SEVERAL MONTE CARLOS AND LUMINAS HAVING THIS PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID

10064344

Incident

Jun 1, 2003

MY 1997 MONTE CARLO IS IN NEED OF AN INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET REPLACEMENT. WHY ISN'T THIS A GM RECALL? THE REPAIR COST IS $800 AND MY INTERNET RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THIS IS A PREVALENT PROBLEM IN GM CARS. MY CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE UNTIL THE REPAIR IS COMPLETE. THE ENGINE COULD CATCH FIRE OR FREEZE UP WHILE DRIVING. GM NEEDS TO RECALL THESE DEFECTIVE PLASTIC GASKETS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED! *JB

NHTSA ID

10058347

Incident

Feb 17, 2003

Mileage

47,000 mi

BLOWN MOTOR. WHEN CAR WAS TAKEN APART TO REMOVE ENGINE THE BOLTS ON THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WERE NOT TIGHT AND WERE REMOVED BY HAND, NO TOOLS NEEDED.

NHTSA ID

10005402

Incident

Aug 3, 2002

Mileage

68,000 mi

ENGINE POSSIBLY BLOWN, ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE COMPLETED, COULD BE HEAD GASKET, ANY RECALLS?*AK

NHTSA ID

766071

Incident

Aug 22, 2002

VEHICLE WAS LEAKING OIL. OIL IS CHANGED EVERY 5000 MILES, AND VEHICLE IS BURNING OIL TOO FAST. TOOK VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC, AND MECHANIC STATED GASKETS WERE CRACKED UNDER THE MOTOR. CONSUMER DID NOT KNOW THE CAUSE. *AK CONSUMER STATED THAT THEY REFUSED TO FIX THE VEHICLE BECAUSE MECHANIC STATED IT WAS THE HARDEST ENGINE TO GET OUT TO REPLACE GASKETS. *YH

NHTSA ID

8010990

Incident

Nov 1, 1998

WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING ENGINE LOSES POWER, AND ABS BRAKING SYSTEM BECOMES INOPERABLE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTATCED. RESULTS FROM COMPLETE DIAGNOSTIC WORK-UP WHERE THAT VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING THESE PROBLEMS DUE TO A LOW BATTERY CELL. CONSUMER REPLACED BATTERY, AND I WAS EXPERIENCING SAME PROBLEMS AS BEFORE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHUR DETAILS.*AK

NHTSA ID

891279

Incident

Mar 16, 2001

ENGINE WAS EXPERIENCING AN OIL LEAK SINCE DATE OF PURCHASE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED, UNABLE TO FIND CAUSE . VEHICLE IS STILL IN DEALER'S POSSESSION. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHUR DETAILS.*AK

NHTSA ID

891267

Incident

Mar 16, 2001

ENGINE LEAKS OIL OUT OF THE TOP SOME WHERE AND THE ABS HAS FAILED ABS LIGHT IN DASH STAY'S ON ALL THE TIME COST TO FIX BOTH PROBLEMS IS VERY HIGH FOR A CAR THAT ONLY HAS 38,000 MILES ON IT. *AK

NHTSA ID

740916

Incident

Feb 14, 2001

CAR STARTS HARD AND IDLES ROUGH. CHECK ENGINE CHECK LIGHT REMAINS ON. REPLACED PARTS WERE SPARK PLUGS. SPARK PLUG WIRES AND FUEL INJECTORS. *AK

NHTSA ID

723554

Incident

May 31, 2000

VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE FROM MAUFACTURER. DRIVER SIDE POWER WINDOW WILL NOT COME UP AT ALL, IT STAYS OFF TRACK. DEALERSHIP REPLACED WINDOW ONCE,BUT IT STILL IS HAVING PROBLEMS. CIGARETTE LIGHTER COLUMN WAS CRACKED, THE OUTSIDE WAS PUSHED ALL THE WAY THROUGH. DEALER REPLACED IT/ ARM REST CRACKED, IT WAS PLASTIC, AND ENGINE FLYWHEEL BROKE. ALSO, AT 2200 MILES THE DUAL CAM ARE VERY LOUD AND ARE RATTLING. CAR PAINT ON THE DRIVER SIDE IS TURNING BLUE. *AK

NHTSA ID

856725

THE DRIVERS SEAT COLLAPSED FORWARD WHILE DRIVING. WHEN TAKEN TO BE REPAIR WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT THE COLLAPSING WAS A NORMAL FEATURE OF THE VEHICLE. NLM

NHTSA ID

550757

SIX REWIRINGS AND CAR STILL STALLS AND SHUTS OFF, ABS FAILS ON WET ROADS, FUEL GUAGE FAILS, SHUTS OFF WITHOUT WARNING, ETC.

NHTSA ID

716769

Incident

May 1, 1997

HAVE HAD VEHICLE TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS FOR REPAIR. HAS BEEN CHECKED 5 TIMES WITH NO CORRECTION OF PROBLEM

NHTSA ID

715535

Incident

Jan 11, 1999

AFTER THE CAR FULLY WARMS UP, ABOUT 25 OR 30 MINUTES THERE IS A BURNING SMELL. THE DEALER SAID THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS BUT HAS ADMITTED TO SMELLING IT. I BROUGHT IT IN FOR SERVICE ON 10-28-99 AND LEFT IT FOR TWO DAYS. DEALER CHECKED ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND FOUND NOTHING AND ALSO CHECKED TEMPATURE BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT THE HEATER BLOWS EXTREMELY HOT AIR. I HAVE ALSO BROUGHT CAR IN NUMEROUS TIMES FOR FAULTY BRAKES AND EACH TIME DEALER CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THEM! .

NHTSA ID

714113

Incident

Sep 20, 1999

I TOOK MY CAR TO BOB MCDORMAN CHEVROLET IN JANUARY (VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY) ABOUT SEVERAL CONCERNS I HAD. ONE CONCERN I POINTED OUT WAS THAT MY CAR "CRANKED" A LONG TIME TO START. I ALSO HAD THEM REPAIR MY DRIVER SEAT BELT, THAT WOULD NOT CONTRACT, HAD THEM CHECK MY BRAKES BECAUSE THEY WERE TAKING LONGER TO STOP ON WET PAVEMENT AND THEY WERE SQUEAKING. WELL, NEEDLESS TO SAY, NOTHING WAS FOUND TO BE WRONG WITH ANYTHING EXCEPT MY SEAT BELT. I ALSO REPORTED THAT THERE WAS A TICKING SOUND IN THE MORNING WHEN I STARTED THE CAR. THEY TOLD ME SOME TICKING IS NORMAL ON A COLD START. ON 03-29-99 I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN BECAUSE THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT KEPT FLASHING AND STAYING ON, THE IDLE WAS VERY ROUGH, CAR WAS MISSING TERRIBLY, SULFUR SMELL WAS PRESENT. BOB MCDORMAN CHEVROLET REPLACED THREE PLUGS AND WIRES. I TOOK MY CAR BACK ON 4-14-99 BECAUSE THE CAR WAS "RUNNING ROUGH" AGAIN. BOB MCDORMAN CHEVROLET REPLACED THE OTHER THREE SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES. ON JULY 26, 1999 I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY @ APPROXIMATELY 65MPH. I LOST ALL POWER AND MY CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. I CALLED CHEVY ON 07-27-99. I WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE CAR INTO A DEALER AND THEY "MAY" ASSIST WITH REIMBURSEMENT BUT COULD NOT GUARANTEE IT. I CALLED SEVERAL CHEVROLET DEALERS BUT COULD NOT GET MY CAR IN FOR A WEEK. BOB MCDORMAN WAS CALLED AND I SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER (STEVE ALEXANDER). HE TOLD ME THAT THEY COULDNOT GO BACK ON THE WARRANTY BECAUSE THIS WAS A NEW PROBLEM. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT MY CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGH ALL ALONG LIKE BEFORE IN "SPURTS" AND I FELT THE WARRANTY SHOULD COVER WHAT I HAD IT IN FOR BEFORE. TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, I TOOK MY CAR TO A GARAGE, THEY SAID IT WAS THE ALTERNATER ($453.16). NOW, IN THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER, MY CAR MISSES AFTER IT IS STARTED AND STILL IDLING ROUGH. TOOK IT BACK TO THE GARAGE AND WAS TOLD IT IS NOW MY FUEL PUMP. I CONTACTED

NHTSA ID

711423

Incident

Jul 28, 1999

VEHICLE CONTINUALLY EXPERIENCES ENGINE SHUT DOWN, UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE. MJS

NHTSA ID

547810

Incident

Jul 29, 1998

BRAKES HAVE BEEN WORKED ON AT LEAST 6 TIMES THIS TIME THEY TOTALLY LOCKED UP AND WERE SMOKING AT THE SERVICE DESK. I ALSO HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY ENGINE OIL AND ENGINE RUNNING RUFF AND HARD TO START. A OIL CONSUMPTION TEST WAS STARTED WHERE I HAVE LOST MORE THAN 15QTS OF OIL WITHIN THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. IT IS NOW AT THE DEALER AND THE ENGINE IS OUT. *AK

NHTSA ID

707764

Incident

May 18, 1999

VEHICLE EXPERIENCING ON-GOING / INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH ENGINE STALLING WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE BEEN IN / OUT OF DEALER SHOP AND NOTHING COULD BE FOUNDED. CAN NHTSA PROVIDE ADDTIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

840609

Incident

Apr 25, 1908

POWER STEERING RACK HAD CONSTANT LEAK. YH

NHTSA ID

782014

Incident

Jan 27, 1999

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON, INTERMITTENTLY STARTS HARD OR RIDES ROUGH. DEALER CONTACTED AND SERVICE PROVIDED SEVEN TIMES. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. WARRANTY EFFECTIVE. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.

NHTSA ID

834389

Incident

Jul 1, 1997

DUE TO THE DEFECTIVE EXHAUST MANIFOLD GASKET "NOT SEALING" CAUSED THE OIL TO LEAK AND WHICH MAY CAUSE A FIRE IF THERE IS A SOURCE OF IGNITION. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NHTSA ID

830780

Incident

Apr 1, 1998