Three problems related to automatic transmission torque converter have been reported for the 2000 Chevrolet Impala. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2000 Chevrolet Impala based on all problems reported for the 2000 Impala.
Transmission failure. Vehicle making gear whining, and transmission slips at highway speed. Service shop indicated that there is a "solenoid switch" that is stuck in the torque converter. There is a 50/50 chance that the drum in the torque converter is cracked, therefore shop won't invest the large amount of labor required to replace this stuck switch. The repair will require a complete transmission rebuild. 120,000 miles on vehicle. $1500 of repairs for a stuck, $20 switch. Not right.
I have had numerous problems from day one with this car. At 60,000 miles, I had a transmission failure. There was a whining noise that came from the engine compartment, usually at highway speeds in 4th gear, or overdrive. I had the car diagnosed at a transmissioin shop, and was told that it was going to need to be completely rebuilt. This failure could have occurred on the highway, if I had not been vigilant in my investigation of the problem. As a result, I had a huge repair bill, was without the car for 1 week, and had to pay for a rental to drive to work. To correct the problem the transmission and torque converter had to be rebuilt, and repalced. Specific parts that I know of were, the "torrington bearing", which caused failure of a set of planetary gears, and the 4th gear spline. The repairman said that the bearing and the 4th gear spline are of substandard quality, and that replacement parts have purposely been made stronger, and heat treated, because this is a known problem in these transmissoins. 60'000 miles is much too early for a failure of this type to occur. Total repair bill was over $2,500. 00.
Consumer stated the torque converter clutch takes a long time to lock up on the transmission in cold weather, consumer was informed by a gm rep that this occurrence is normal, after checking in the gm service manual, consumer discovered the torque converter clutch does not lock up until the fluid temperature in the transmission reaches 266 degrees fahrenheit, consumer stated when the torque converter clutch is not locked up, the vehicles highway gas mileage is not close to what was advertised on the price sticker of car.