My car has the engine 3.1 L automatic. On January 4, I was going to go run errands so I went out to my car and cranked it to start the engine but instead, I heard a loud explosion, causing the front tires of the car to go up in the air and then land back on the ground. Smoke started coming out from the hood and a fire almost got started. I was scared to half to death causing me to almost have a heart attack. Morning inspection, I found that the intake manifold had exploded on the car and pieces of it were all over the engine. I feel that the pressure regulator may have been the culprit, but the plastic upper intake just literally blew up. Nobody was injured neighbors came out to see what the explosion had been, the window on my windshield cracked and major damage has been done to the Plenum. I have pictures but I’ve been unable to upload them but they are available. If you need them I went to Mission Chevrolet where I purchased the car but was referred to contact you in general. no recalls sent over this issue, but have I been driving when the explosion occurred it may have caused fatalities to myself, and perhaps other drivers on the freeway.
2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo fuel system problems
18 complaints (8% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 119,450.
- owner complaints
- 18
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- typical mileage
- 119,450
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Storage: fuel gauge system1
- Fuel injection system: injectors1
- Fuel injection system1
- Delivery1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo fuel system problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo fuel system
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Engine compartment fires
Ea02-030 is closed with gmea02-030 is closed with gm?s actions in 03v‑473 and 04v‑090 recalling approximately 529,000 my 1998-99 c- and h-body vehicles equipped with defective fuel pressure regulators.these vehicles were equipped with plastic intake manifolds that are unable to contain pressures that occur in some backfire events and defective fuel pressure regulators with leaking diaphragms that can provide a source of fuel to produce a combustible air-fuel mixture in the manifold.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by odi that no safety defect exists in the vehicles that are not included in gm?s recalls.odi will continue to monitor the incidence of manifold ruptures and related fires in other my 1995-2002 gm passenger cars equipped with the subject intake manifold.for additional information, see the attached closing report.
EA02030
What 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owned 2002 chevrolet monte carlo. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced at apple valley chevrolet (650 foxcroft ave, martinsburg, wv 25401) for a fuel control sensor replacement. The vehicle would not start after it was serviced at the dealer then caught on fire while the contact's husband was trying to start it up. The contact's husband was able to put out the fire with a hose. No police report was filed. The vehicle was still at the contact's residence. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,000.
Started car and heard a loud boom and then smoke under the hood and intake cover and harness on fire
The car's fuel gage stopped working. The car wouldn't turn over when I started it so I got a new battery since it said my old one was bad, but it's still not working. The security light is on and I don't understand why and if this is affecting it from turning on
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet monte carlo. While driving 2 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact observed flames under the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire. The fire department stated that the fire occurred due to a fuel leak. Prior to the fire, there were no leaks present. The contact also stated that the fire occurred after the vehicle was fueled. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a case manager would be assigned to the case. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet monte carlo. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a strong burning fuel odor was present inside and outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front valve cover gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 193,000.
Went to start car one day. Turned key and heard loud pop. Rushed to lift good and top of motor on fire. Luckily had extinguisher right inside garage door and immediately extinguished. Plastic intake cover was blown apart in multiple pieces. After searching on the internet I found there have been many of this same incident, somewhere claiming that it comes from a faulty fuel shift of valve or something. If you notice with low miles, this car is barely driven and always babied.
I have a 2002 chevy monte carlo ss and I am having electrical issues the windshield wipers don't always function properly neither do the turning signals my seats will move on there own ,there is a ticking noise coming from the doors once keys are taken out of the ignition also I have a problem when pumping gas into the car the pump keeps shutting off unless I hold it at a certain angle.
Went out to start car. Turned on key, set radio. Then turned key to start engine with a resulting loud explosion from under hood. In hurry to get up hood and extinguish fire experienced burns on hands from lifting hood and a fuel line that was squirting fuel/flames. Fire extinguisher extinguished flames. Upper intake manifold is blow apart with multiple sensors destroyed. Thank god this happened at home with an extinguisher handy and not driving down the road with no time to slow down.
I started the car up and I heard a pop and saw a blue flame. After repairing the car costing $3240.74 it once again caught another fire please help.
Questions about the 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo fuel system
Does the 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo have fuel system problems?
Owners have filed 18 complaints about the fuel system of the 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 8% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo fuel system problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 119,450 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo fuel system?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Chevrolet Monte Carlo have the most fuel system problems?
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo model years with the most fuel system complaints are 2000 (28 complaints), 2001 (20 complaints) and 2002 (18 complaints).
Other 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo problems
Engine 68Electrical 55Brakes 37Lights 33Airbags 20Steering 18Body 8Transmission 7Visibility 7Driver assistance 5Acceleration 4Seat belts 4Tires 4Suspension 3Locks 2Seats 2
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