Fuel system or backfire is what I believe happened to it. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My safety was severely put at risk because the car exploded and caught fire while I was inside the car and fire came through the dash and air conditioner slots, anything could of happened whether shrapnel or burn. this also put others at risk if my spouse was in the car with me or the apartment complex I live in could have caught fire and endangered multiple people. No the issue has not been seen or confirmed by a dealer or service center. Yes the vehicle has been inspected by state fire marshal. No there was no warning lights or problems at all. We drove the car the night before, everything was normal and nothing was showing on the dash and the next day I jumped in, put my seat belt on and started the car to make sure it was running good and it exploded and caught flames.
2002 Chevrolet Impala: fire, smoke or burning smell
33 of the 795 complaints about the 2002 Chevrolet Impala describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 33
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 136,000
- recalls
- 1
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
My vehicle caught on fire after I returned from it getting serviced by Pepboys in Phenix City Alabama. My car was only getting serviced for the A/C and once I returned home, my car caught on fire in our drive port.
I bought a 2002 chevy impala and got it looked at before purchase the only thing that popped up on the code reader was there is an electrical problem, sometimes my signal lights work sometimes they don't, my speedometer doesn't light up or anything. I then start to smell gas when I turn on the heat or air it's unbearable. I then proceeded to check for any recalls and there are a few dealing with the engine cooling and exhaust/gas leak along with electrical issues. They said the car could catch on fire at any time. I have two toddlers so there is no way that this is a safe car.
On april 9th of 2017, our 2002 impala ls was brought in to have the vehicle serviced due to this recall: these vehicles have a condition in which drops of engine oil may be deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking, which may result in an under hood fire. This work was done in april 2017: dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design and remove the engines plastic cover and plastic oil-fill-tube extension. Summer of 2017 we had the oil and filter replaced, and afterwards lots of smoke came from engine. We thought the mechanic had simply spilled some oil on the engine. Summer of 2018 oil and filter was changed and smoke from the engine compartment, we again thought the mechanic had spilled some oil on the engine. In march of 2019 the vehicle was parked, facing downhill at an above average angle, and oil began to seep out of the engine and burn of on the hot exhaust manifold lots of smoke and potential fire hazard. The vehicle was returned to bob mccosh, who had performed the original gasket replacement in 2017, to have the original recall work inspected. Upon inspection a piece of gasket, about 2 to 3 inches long, was found to be protruding from between the valve cover and the engine. Upon further inspection of this gasket, the edge of the gasket visually appeared to have been caught by the bolt as it was tightened and this either tore the gasket or weakened it sufficiently so that the gasket failed. Said gasket is currently in my possession. We know it failed before the oil/filter change in the summer of 2017, because of the amount of smoke that issued from the engine compartment afterwards. This recall repair lasted far less than the 12month/12,000 mile warranty. The vehicle, today april 2019, still has less than 10,000 miles since the original recall work was done in march 2017.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet impala. The contact smelled an abnormal burning odor and noticed smoke coming from the seat. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. The contact noticed flames inside the vehicle. The fire department was contacted and extinguished the flames. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to her residence. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. Updated 11/07/17
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 chevrolet impala. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle caught fire under the hood. The fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that there was oil leaking from the vehicle. On one occasion while driving, there was a odor of burning oil and then suddenly there was a fire near the engine. The front passenger was able to extinguish the flames under the hood. The driver, the front passenger and rear child passenger inhaled smoke due to the fire that affected their breathing. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system) and the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 119,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Had vehicle in shop to repair recall for oil on manifold. Within a week of that being repaired I started smelling something electrical buring under the hood of my car. We were driving for about 2 minutes when it first started, we stopped looked under hood didn't see anything but could continue to smell it. Checked fuses they were all good, checked under the car still good. Nothing oiutof the ordinary but could still smell something burning.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet impala. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the rear engine valve cover and gasket leaked oil onto the exhaust manifold. A strong burning odor emitted inside the cabin. There were no flames visible. The vehicle was serviced under the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 chevrolet impala. While attempting to start the vehicle, there was a loud banging sound and smoke appeared under the hood. The space between the firewall and the engine block burst into flames. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 230,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police and fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine, engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 168,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, smoke began to come from under the hood and the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Electrical system
- Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS)...
- This bulletin provides information for electrical ground repairs using new General Motors replacement...
- This service bulletin provides information on Module Harvesting.
- This service bulletin provides diagnostic tips/steps on testing for possible EVAP leaks in the system to...
- This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco...
- Electrical system
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
- Risk
- If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
Recall number 14V400000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2002 Chevrolet Impala fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2002 Chevrolet Impala?
33 of 795 owner complaints about the 2002 Chevrolet Impala (4%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2000.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2002 Chevrolet Impala?
There is 1 recall and 69 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2002 Chevrolet Impala
Won't start 102Headlights 94Stalling 41ABS 38Check engine light 18Loss of power 18Wipers 18Harsh shifting 17Overheating 17No deployment 14Fuel gauge 13Door locks 12Grinding brakes 11Steering noise 11Airbag light 9Fuel pump 9Hesitation 9Adaptive cruise 8Knocking 8Warning lights 8Engine failure 7Battery drain 6Misfire 6Brake failure 5Fuel smell 5Jerking 5Oil consumption 5Power steering loss 5Power windows 5
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