Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet lumina. While driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 228,890.
Chevrolet Lumina engine failure problems
43 of the 2,945 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Lumina describe engine failure, most of them for the 1995 model year.
- owner complaints
- 43
- worst model year
- 1995
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,500
- typical mileage
- 76,800
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 4Overheating 3Won't start 2Steering lock-up 2Grinding brakes 2Transmission failure 1Premature wear 1Hesitation 1
What owners say
July 2009 I was driving on the interstate at around 75 MPH when the engine died and wouldn't start, pulled off the road, engine would crank but not start, after a few minutes it started and I drove home. I called a mechanic and he said it probably was the ignition control module, go to the junk yard and get one. From then through december 2012 I replaced the ignition module three times. In december 2012 I replaced both the module and the crank positioning sensor, thinking that it could be causing the module failure. Three months later the engine died again I had the module tested, it was ok, had the car towed to the dealer, they checked it for three days and said the heat from the engine had made the crank positioning sensor to separate internally and it was replaced again. Car ran fine for three weeks and wouldn't start after driving around town let it sit for a couple of hours, started up on the first try drove it home. April 2013 my judgment tells me that the plug to the positioning sensor is the problem, when engine is hot the plug either opens up or shorts out from liquid from the engine. I checked with the parts man and he said he had sold one positioning sensor all year (mine) and sold 30 plugs going to it, I'm replacing my plug!
My report: original diagnostic code was 3rd cylinder spark plug. Symptoms were consistent with this. Car drove fine that evening until the engine had trouble, sputtered and shut off. Mechanic looked at it and determined there was no coolant and came to the conclusion that the engine failed because this model and year is known for coolant leak internally by intake manifold gasket. There were no signs of coolant leak externally prior to this, didn't blow white smoke out the back, the low coolant light didn't go on, the oil was full, no milky stuff in radiator either, the car drove like new, and the car only had 76,000 miles on it. The car had one previous owner and was well-maintained by that owner and myself. I bought it 2 years ago with only 38,000 miles on it. I looked into why the intake manifold gasket would leak and found 2 reports. Because this was a defect, I should be compensated with and engine or money for the engine from chevy: problem reports: chevrolet lumina report: intake manifold gaskets may leak coolant or engine oil model years affected: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001 engines affected: 3.1l v6, 3.4l v6, 3.8l v6 the intake manifold gasket may develop and external engine oil or coolant leak. In some cases, an internal coolant leak may occur causing coolant to mix with the engine oil. Our technicians tell us that operating the engine with a coolant/oil mix can result in internal engine damage. Replacing the intake manifold gasket should correct these leaks. Unfortunately the 3.1 litre engine has a manufacture flaw. The gasket is plastic and rubber. Over time the plastic cracks due the heat and the rubber seal fails. Felpro has redesigned that gasket. Instead of being plastic and rubber it is steel and rubber.
Tl* the contact owns a 1992 chevrolet lumina. The contact was driving 30 MPH when the steering seized. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the mechanic confirmed that sub frame that controlled the rack and pinion was corroded and detached from the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 100,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 chevrolet lumina. While driving approximately 25 MPH on normal road conditions, the "service engine soon" warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection who replaced the engine egr valves. On a separate occasion, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for the identical failure and repaired. In addition, the brake system was cleaned, which contributed to a loud squeaky noise. The front driver's side automatic window mechanism was inoperative and has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 22,000 and current mileage was 157,000. Updated 04/24/09. *lj the egr valves were replaced. Updated 04/28/09.
I know of several owners of chevy lumina where paints is peeling and engine failure is there anything I can do to start an investigation.
Dt*: the contact stated after coming to a full stop at a crossover, the automatic transmission seized completely. A rattling noise, then a bump was heard inside the vehicle prior to the incident. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealer who determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact expressed concern because the vehicle only had 40668 miles. The contact planned to notify the manufacturer after filing a complaint with the federal safety agency.
Dt: consumer says vehicle gets hot and immediately stalls. Consumer has replaced engine once before. Consumer has been told the problem is the upper intake manifold. Vehicle is serviced regularly, and was taken in for recalls to the dealer. Engine in vehicle is currently bad and is costly to replace.
Car seemed to be overheating and running out of antifreeze much too often. Took it into a mechanic who told me my antifreeze was leaking into my oil, and that my head gaskets were cracked and leaking. Was told I would need a new engine, or the problem would just keep occurring.
No major warning leading to engine failure. Auto has 95,000+ miles on it and engine seized with no apparent warnings or problems observed. Found out that type of engine in my car has a defective manufactured part in the engine that caused the problem of which chevy will not recall. If problem would have occurred while driving on a highway, fatal accident could have occurred.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. The affected vehicles were previously repaired under recalls 08V‑118, 09V‑116, and 15V‑201 to address the possibility that engine oil may drip onto the hot exhaust manifold.
- Risk
- Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
- Remedy
- The remedy applied under recalls 08V‑118, 09V‑116, and 15V‑201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V‑118, 09V‑116, or 15V‑201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1‑800‑442‑6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.
Recall number 15V701000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- General motors is recalling 1,497,516 my 1997-2003 buick regal, my 1998-2003 chevrolet lumina, monte carlo and impala, my 1998-1999 oldsmobile intrigue, my 1997-2003 pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l v6 naturally aspirated engine. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which drops of engine oil may be deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking.
- Risk
- If the manifold is hot enough and the oil runs below the heat shield, it may ignite into a small flame and may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel and beyond increasing the risk of an engine compartment fire.
- Remedy
- 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, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during may 2016. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, oldsmobile at 1‑800‑630‑6537, and pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668 or http://www.pontiac.com or http:www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 09V116000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Lumina engine failure
Which Chevrolet Lumina years have engine failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1995 (9 complaints), 1996 (6 complaints) and 1990 (5 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix engine failure on the Chevrolet Lumina?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,500 (median of 9 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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