1996 Chevrolet Corsica

WHILE DRIVING ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. NOTICED A PUDDLE UNDER VEHICLE. WATER WAS COMING OUT OF EXHAUST PIPE & THE MUFFLER. VEHICLE WOULD FAIL TO PICK UP SPEED. ALSO, FLUID WAS LEAKING OUT OF ENGINE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP & WAS INFORMED HEAD GASKETS WERE GONE. CONSUMER WANTS REFUND FOR PURCHASE OF PARTS. *AK *ML

THE COOLANT (GLYCOL+WATER) STARTED SPRAYING FROM A HOLE IN THE RUBBER HOSE (~1/4" DIA) WHICH RETURNS THE COOLANT TO THE TOP OF THE COOLANT TANK. THE GLYCOL THEN PARTLY DISSOLVED THE OUTSIDE OF THE HOSE. I HAD BEEN SMELLING GLYCOL FOR MANY MONTHS. THEN A LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME UP. I HAD THE HOSE REPLACED AT A MOBIL SERVICE STATION 2 TIMES, THIRD TIME AT A FIRESTONE STATION. AGAIN, YESTERDAY I FOUND ALMOST ALL THE COOLANT GONE, AND HOSE DAMAGED AGAIN. I REPLENISHED THE COOLANT, AND WILL TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER SOON. I THINK THAT I KNOW THE CAUSE: DEFECTIVE HOOD AND HOSE LOCATION: THE SPACE IS TOO TIGHT. SOME METAL PART OF THE HOOD COMPRESSES THE HOSE, AND THE HOT GLYCOL SOFTENS THE HOSE. THEN A HOLE DEVELOPES. IT PRESENTS 3 HAZARDS: 1) A FIRE/EXPLOSION CAN OCCUR BECAUSE FINE SPRAY OF GLYCOL CAN BURN. ALSO, THE LEAKING GLYCOL HAS SATURATED THE INSULATION UNDER THE HOOD, AND CAN BURN, 2) EXPOSURE TO CAR OCCUPANTS OF A CARCINOGEN, GLYCOL, 3) THE ENGINE CAN GET TOO HOT, AND CAN BE DAMAGED. I DO NOT KNOW THE EXACT SOLUTION, BUT THINK THAT THE HOSE/TRUNK SPACE HAS TO BE ADJUSTED, AND A MORE COMPATIBLE HOSE MATERIAL HAS TO BE USED. *AK

I HAVE HAD MY VEHICLE FOR 2 YEARS THE FIRST TIME THIS FAILED IT WAS APPROXIMATELY AT 32000 MI. IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND IT NOW HAS 58000 MI ON AND HAS FAILED AGAIN WHICH I KNOW IT SHOULD NOT BE DOING THIS FOR THAT FEW MILES ON A VEHICLE. I AM ALSO AWARE THAT GM HAS CHEAPEND THIS MODEL. I HAD A 1990 CORISCA AND HAD NONE OF THESE TYPES OF PROBLEMS. THE DEALER WILL NOT SERVICE IT AND WANTS $650.00 IN REPAIR COSTS WHOSE TO SAY THAT WILL RESOLVE IT SINCE IT HAS FAILED 2 TIMES NOW. NO SAFETY DEFECT (S) MENTIONED INSUMMARY. *AK

CAR WILL SHUT DOWN SUDDENLY WHEN DRIVING, WILL NOT RESTART, HAPPENED ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. HAVE TAKEN CAR TO MECHANICS 5 TIMES AND THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. THEY HAVE REPLACED THE WHOLE COMPUTER, THE EGR VALVE, AND REPLACED A GROUND WIRE TO TRY AND REMEDY MY CARS PROBLEM. ALSO DID NOT START UP ONCE, TRIED FOR 45 MINUTES TO GET TO START AND THEN IT FINALLY STARTED LIKE NOTHING WAS WRONG. ALSO HAS DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS AND WHEN LIGHT KNOB IS NOT TURNED ON, LIGHTS WILL JUST COME ON BY THEMSELVES AND THEN SHUT OFF AGAIN BY THEMSELVES USUALLY ABOUT 4 OR 5 TIMES WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING ALONG. *AK

MY CAR INTERMITENTLY DOES NOT START OR QUITS WHILE DRIVING. DEALER SERVICE CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM AND I AM SENT ON MY WAY FOR IT TO HAPPEN AGAIN. IT FIRST STARTED IN DECEMBER OF 1998, A COMPUTER MODULE WAS CHANGED IN JANUARY OF 1999, BUT THE PROBLEM IS BACK AND AS I SAID, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I FEEL VERY UNSAFE WHILE DRIVING THIS CAR, AFRAID THAT IT WILL QUIT AND I WILL BE EITHER STRANDED OR INVOLVED IN A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS ACCIDENT.

A FEW MONTHS BACK THE PAINT STARTED FLAKING OFF IN VARIOUS PLACES ON THE CAR. IT'S OBVIOUS THAT IT'S NOTHING DONE BY ANYONE OUTSIDE OF THE MANUFACTURER. THE CAR HASN'T BEEN ON BAD ROADS AND HAS BEEN TAKEN REALLY GOOD CARE OF. THE DAMAGE IS CLEARLY THE SAME PROBLEM THAT THE 1988 GRAND PRIX HAD, THAT WAS RECALLED. I OWNED A GRAND PRIX FROM THAT YEAR AND WAS GIVEN A PAINT JOB FOR NO CHARGE. I CALLED THE CHEVROLET HELP LINE TO FIND OUT IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON THE PAINT FOR 1996. AN OPERATOR TOLD ME THAT THERE WASN'T A RECALL, BUT THEY HAD RELEASED A SERVICE NOTICE ON THE PROBLEM. I CALLED SEVERAL DEALERS THAT TOLD ME THEY HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THIS NOTICE. THIS IS CLEARLY DAMAGE DUE TO NEGLIGENCE FROM THE FACTORY. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM SOMEONE REGARDING THIS MATTER BEFORE TAKING FURTHER ACTION. I WOULD LIKE THE CAR REPAINTED.

THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION TO THE OWNER SINCE HE WAS OUT OF THE COUNTRY WHILE IN THE ARMY. WHEN THE CHEVROLET COMPANY WAS FINALLY NOTIFIED THEY STATED NOTHING COULD BE DONE SINCE THE CAR HAD MORE THAN 32,000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME OF THE REPORT. SINCE THE REPORT WAS FILED WITH CHEVROLET, THE AUTHOR HAS NOTED MANY OTHER CORSICAS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE ABOUT THIS AND THIS ISN'T THE FIRST CHEVROLET VEHICLE I'VE OWNED WITHIN THE LAST FIVE YEARS THAT HAD SOME PROBLEM WITH THE PAINT.