Car has 68,000 miles. A few days ago the engine light came on, which disabled remote start. I didn't realize this until I went to get into the car. I'm in MI and this past week has been very cold. I jumped in and drove it to work (less than 3 miles). On the way, the traction light came on. No surprise, as it was a little slippery. No other problems. On way home from work: Car starts up fine, no warning lights at all at start. Its about 13* out. Almost home: engine light comes on, traction light comes on, then right before turning on my road the stabilizer light comes on and reduce power light, car jerks and loses power like its going to stall out. It made it home. Next morning, engine light on but nothing else happens. I call around and dealership suggests I bring it in and hook it up to run a diagnostics for $98. I go over to parts store and have them run it first. Error codes show up that "don't really mean anything" and they reset the engine light. Runs a couple of days fine with no problems, lights coming on etc. Temp drops again and repeat the whole process all over. I bring to the dealership and they tell me it needs High Pressure Fuel Pump and new lines, after they asked me if I ran E85 in it, which I do because that is what they suggested when I bought it! I can't afford the $900 right now and I picked it up. I called another dealership to get another estimate and I'm told that this is a common problem (we're seeing this all the time. It's a problem with running E85 in cold temps). That person suggests I run MAO44 and Prem unleaded in it and it should run fine for a while. I"m also told that this is not covered by the Powertrain warranty and there has been no recall, even though "we're seeing this all the time".
Am I being taken for a ride or does this seem legit (I'm a woman and don't know a thing about cars and local dealership has taken advantage of that before)
Why wouldn't this be covered under powertrain warranty?
Why no recall if "we're seeing this all the time"

 

hard to say without knowing the dtc that were set or what the dealership said the cause of the problem is. Yes, they listed some parts but why.
I would contact the dealer and ask the service manager to answer your questions.

I can only speculate with the limited information provided.

the parts store does not have the correct scan tool to pull the dtc.

your vehicle is e85 compatible correct?

running e85 in a non flex fuel vehicle will damage the entire fuel system. Is that what the dealership said the problem is?

If the problem is bad fuel or a characteristic of the fuel at low temps, gm doesn't make the fuel so that is not warrantable.

 

Unfortunately, they only said that the codes showed a problem but they didn't know exactly where "until we get in there and look around" and wouldn't share actual codes with me. They said the high pressure fuel pump going bad is common "in these cars" and that the cause is running the E85 in the car when it's too cold outside. Yes, my car is E85 compatible and the dealer where I bought it suggested I run it for best performance along with getting the synthetic oil changes. They didn't say anything about bad fuel just that E85 itself should never be run in really cold weather. I did not take it to the dealership in which I bought it but to the dealer in the town where I live so as not to drive too far. They really weren't very friendly answering my questions when I asked and seemed pretty disgruntled that I wasn't leaving my car there to get fixed.

 

Hello Purplek69,

We wouldn't want any customer to experience what you've described and do truly apologize for the unexpected concern you encountered in your Impala. We'd be glad to connect with the involved dealership and review your situation in greater depth. Our team is available via private message and will need your VIN, contact information, and dealer name if this is of interest. Thank you for your time!

To learn more about GM's privacy policy, please visit Privacy Statement | GM.com

Jasmine
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

I have a 2013 Chevy Impala and ever since I bought it I've been having issues with it in the winter. When it's cold outside it comes up with service traction control, service stabilitrack and engine power is reduced. I've taken to a dealership where I bought the vehicle from and they can't figure out what's causing it either. Today, I was driving to work and my car stalled on the side of the highway and said starting disabled.
I want to know what is causing these issues and how to get it fixed.