2011 Chevrolet CAPRICE: complaints, problems and recalls

WENT UNDER THE CAR, JUST PURCHASED FROM CITY OF WALNUT CREEK AUCTIONS, A 54K MILE EX-PATROL CAR...TO CHANGE THE DIFFERENTIAL OIL. FOUND TWO CRACKS ON WHAT IS A TENSION HOLDING BRACE IN THE LOWER SUSPENSION SUB-FRAME. SIMILAR ON EACH SIDE. OBVIOUS ENGINEERING DEFECT COMPOUNDED ON HOW THE WELDMENT WAS DONE. I PHOTO'D THE TWO SIMILAR CRACKS, THEN DRILLED AT THE END OF THE CRACK TO RADIUS THE STRESS POINT IT UNTIL THE ISSUE IS RESOLVED. THE CAR HAS BEEN UNUSED SINCE JAN 18' AND IS NOT RELIABLE UNTIL THE ENGINE NOISE IS REMEDIED, ANOTHER DEFECT I AM…

Owner-reported narrative. 35,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11163324 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2014-09-09 (September 9, 2014)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice vehicles manufactured October 15, 2010, to December 6, 2013, and 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 vehicles manufactured July 25, 2007, to February 18, 2009. In the affected vehicles, the driver may accidentally hit the ignition key with their knee, unintentionally knocking the key out of the run position, turning off the engine.

Consequence: 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. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position could cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the key blade from the original flip key/RKE transmitter assemblies, and cut and fit a revised key blade and housing assembly, in which the blade has been indexed by 90 degrees, to the original RKE transmitter assembly. GM issued an interim notification to owners on December 31, 2014. The recall began on February 4, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14445. Note: Until the recall has been performed, it is very important that drivers adjust their seat and steering column to allow clearance between their knee and the ignition key.

Reported: 2014-09-09 (September 9, 2014)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice vehicles manufactured March 24, 2011, to December 6, 2013. The affected vehicles are Police Patrol Vehicles (PPV), equipped with a specific transmission selector lever that contains two pins that can become displaced. If the pins get displaced, the driver may be able to shift the vehicle from "Park" without depressing the brake pedal or remove the ignition key without the transmission being in "Park." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 102, "Transmission Shift Position Sequence, Starter Interlock, And Transmission Braking Effect", and No. 114, "Theft Protection And Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence: If the transmission can be moved from "Park" without depressing the brake pedal, unintended motion may occur increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, if the ignition key can be removed without the transmission being in "Park," the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shift lever roll pin, replace the base pivot pin and attach a Brake Transmission Shift Interlock retention enhancement clip, free of charge. The recall began on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14549.

Reported: 2015-06-23 (June 23, 2015)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Caprice vehicles manufactured October 15, 2010, to October 22, 2013, and 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 vehicles manufactured July 25, 2007, to February 18, 2009. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cables that connect the seat belts to the vehicle at the outside of the driver seat and the front passenger seat may be bent from being sat on while entering the vehicle. This repeated bending may result in the cable breaking.

Consequence: If the cable breaks, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt tensioner assembly which includes the steel cable, free of charge. These replacement parts reposition the tensioner cable out of the path of entry into the vehicle and uses a more flexible cable, set at a more upright angle. The recall began on July 5, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 15206.