Bought this vehicle new (now has 108,161 miles on it). It has been well maintained, been very dependable, & never had any real problems (I can recall only an oil pressure sensor & blend door actuator). One time some years ago, while sitting in traffic on a very hot day, the engine began to overheat. Turning off the A/C brought the temperature down some, & once out of traffic, it went back to normal. At home later, I added a small amount of coolant to the reservoir. This was the only time the engine showed any sign of overheating.

Yesterday morning, driving 55-60 mph on the highway, the engine sputtered slightly & began to lose power. I thought I heard a barely discernible clink. I looked in the rear view mirror to see a massive cloud of thick white smoke out the exhaust. The engine instantly overheated, & before I could shut it off, it had died. This all happened in 3-4 seconds. I was about 1/4 mile from home (we live just outside of town) & was able to turn & coast down our lane to within 50' of the house (was lucky in this regard).

I can only speculate that a head gasket blew instantly (aluminum heads & cast iron block), filled the combustion chamber with coolant, & hydrolocked the engine. I tried to start after it had sat awhile- rotated 1/2 turn, & that was it. I have had head gaskets go bad a couple of times over the years, but never anything like this. I'm not sure at this point if we will replace the engine or get a different vehicle.

I purchased this car in March of 2016. In April of 2016, I found out that the head gasket was cracked and needed to be replaced ASAP. I am a college student and this was very unexpected. My car only had 70,000 miles on it at the time. Also, when I did get it fixed, the repair shop told me that this is a very common problem on this model. Chevy needs to fix this immediately so that others don't have to shell out $1500 + to get this repaired. The repair shop also told me that it usually happens around 65,000 miles so I was lucky.

I purchased my 2007 Chevrolet Impala from a reputable used car dealer. I bought the car because I just assumed there was nothing so bad that it would cost me a small fortune to repair. I looked for leaks yet didn't really see anything on the ground under where the car was parked. Under the hood everything looked clean and the oil was just changed according to receipt documents the dealer had from his mechanic who gave the car a clean bill of health.

I drove it home around forty miles or so and the next morning I saw a little oil on the driveway. I looking and it was a transmission fluid cooling line connector that needed replacing. I looked online and was going to pick it up and change it but decided to take it to the dealer and have the transmission flushed as I do on any used vehicle I buy. When the dealer brought it in they gave it a thorough inspection. Other than tires, four wheel alignment check and air filter which I get done at Firestone the oil leak situation reared its ugly head. Oil Pan gasket reseal, I asked if they replace it, never got an answer but on my modern Chevrolet of Winston Salem invoice it is documented as a reseal at a cost estimate of $432.02.

Next was the oil filter housing gasket at a cost of $64.45 and the one that threw me to the floor was a cylinder head gasket replacement at the cost of and estimated $1,670.77. I went off on the dealer about the kind of cars Chevy makes and I wonder why the government even bailed them out. There is no recall on the 3.5 yet there was on most every other motor they had in the Impala.

Needless to say I know that an extra cost would have been put in for every gasket needing to be replaced from the intake manifold on down to the head gasket which wasn't applied to the cost, that is why they give you an estimated cost. It doesn't leak bad yet I get about a two to three inch mark in the blacktop of the driveway overnight. When it sits a couple of days I don't notice it growing at all. In the spring I'll change the oil filter housing gasket myself. I don't really see anything coming from it though. I'll get it up on stands and check out the difficulty of the oil pan gasket also and change that also.

The car rides nice and is a pretty car indeed yet the issues coming from the dealer about the oil leaks on this motor should be telling GM to get it together and fix these issues. If not, the next time they are headed into bankruptcy the government should just sit back and let it go.

Car was brought in for a check up as I bought the vehicle the friday before. Gm garage found the issue and said that it is a problem with all GM V6 car engines. It is a normal on all 3.5L engines, and its hit and miss on the 3.6L and 3.9L. Mine has the 3.9L with Active Fuel Management. I have just about had it with these crap cars! had 2 priors 04 GP GT and 09 G6 GT... both are in junk yards due to fire! Should have known another GM car was nothing but problems!

The head gasket was leaking oil onto the outside of the engine on both engine banks. This is a problem GM should be addressing! RECALL????

2 friends also brought there cars in (09 impala 3.5L, and 08 G6 3.5L) both are in need of the same fix!!! This is bull! Why cant GM fix what the screwed up?

I brought the car to the local Chevy dealer for a four wheel alignment and oil change today and they inspected the car and found out that the lower intake gasket was bad and the oil has been leaking on both sides of the motor. I was so surprised because I have not seen any sign of the oil on my driveway. I asked how much would it cost for the repair? they said it would cost $1200.00. I started complaining.... In short, the manager called and talked to GM rep. Fortunately I only pay $400.00 for the repair. GM will pay for the rest of it.

Second GM vehicle I've owned with this problem. Pulled into the dealership for an oil change and realized the heater was blowing cold air. Tech had to add a gallon of coolant. Never noticed the problem before that day. I knew it was an intake or head gasket leak. No coolant on the garage floor, because it was leaking into the cylinder and evaporating during combustion.

I actually had a Pontiac Grand Am that we traded in when we leased this vehicle with the same problem, think it was a 98. I new it was losing coolant, just kept adding it and eventually stuck the dealership with it.

The dealer originally wanted $1255 for the repair. When I questioned the service tech he sent me to his manager who lowered the price to $500. Apparently GM and the dealership were willing to pay for a portion of the repair. Not happy about paying for any of it. Will see how it goes when I pick up the vehicle.