Complain about a product or service

DexCool in GM Engines

Michael of Oglesby IL (05/08/08)
Simply put there is antifreeze in my engine oil due to degradation of the intake manifold and head gaskets by Dexcool Antifreeze.

950 dollar replacement of the intake manifold gasket resulted in a waste of money . The engine is ruined.

Richard of Dade City FL (05/08/08)
I bought the 2003 chevrolet in my name and it is now in my wifes name. it was bought new it is a 2003 impala I was told by the dealer that dex cool had eaten the gasket and now the dex cool is in the oil. And there is nothing that they can do for me. they akso said they have had a number of cars with the 3400 engin. I do belive gm should make the repair as now I have no car and don`t have the money to repair it as the dealer said it would cost 41800.00 TO FIX IT

Picchioni of Willow Springs IL (05/08/08)
engine still overheating after repairs! 31,000 mile only Is DEX-COOL causing the problem?

Karen of Medina OH (05/08/08)
My 2000 Olds Alero has 20,100 miles on it & I've been told Manifold gaskets must be replaced as anti-freeze is leaking.

Wade of Denver IN (05/07/08)
I had a leak coming from somewhere on the engine, so I took it to a mechanic to be looked at. The intake gasket was eaten away from the Dex cool. I have a 2002 Chevy Monte Carlo, with 68000 miles. Is this going to keep happening?

I had to have it replaced. It cost me $400.00 without vehicle for a couple of days.

Jim of Rowlett TX (05/04/08)
I have a 2000 astro van w/86000 mi. my intake gasket leaked and my engine is being overhauled. I have dexcool I flushed it at 50000 miles and put prestone in at that time. I also used mobil extended performance, that 6.00 a quart oil. so I am not using either one of them again.

Bodie of Louisville CO (05/02/08)
My 1992 subaru started leaking antifreeze last winter.

I took my 1992 Subaru to the dealer because it was leaking antifreeze. Apparently, the antifreeze, Prestone Dex-Cool, may have damaged the head gaskets and now I am facing a $2000.00 repair bill. The dealer identified the coolant as Dex-Cool right away and indicated this may have been the cause. I bought this stuff because it was suppose to be good for engines with aluminum radiators and I even emailed Prestone and got a return email stating OK to use it in my car.

Alfredo of Anaheim CA (05/01/08)
Dex Cool is continuing to ruin my gasket my malibu is leaking coolant I already had a machanic check it out and I was given an estimate as well as the solution to the problem with my vehical. I have a wife & child & a elderly grandmother whom I am her care giver and I don't know how I'm going to provide for my family with out proper transportation I need a solution to the finances that are going to cover the cost please help?

Pat of Center TX (04/30/08)
Had another problem with our 1999 Pontiac Montana. This is the third or fourth time in recent years the same problem has occured. Vehicle requires Dex-Cool product. Gaskets have detoriated each time . This time, it will require a NEW MOTOR. Gasket problems with the Dex-Cool product, has caused us major repair. Cost this time is over $4000.00,the time prior, $1500, the time prior another $1000 . I think GENERAL MOTORS should absorb the expenses. , since we were told, verbaly and in our Manuel, to use nothing but DEX-Cool.

Charles of Westland MI (04/29/08)
Went to check about the GM Dex Coolant recall. I have brown sludge in my radiator. They said it was from a bad valve cover caused by the Dex Cool and they can't do anything about it but to contact GM. They also told me that to replave the valve cover gasket would be about $900, but GM will only pay about $400. I'm having trouble trying to join the recall lawsuit...

Michael of Linden MI (04/29/08)
My intake is leaking due to Dexcool antifreeze. My truck was a new purchase. I am now experiencing antifreeze in my oil. I have always used dexcool when Ive had it flushed they put the dexcool back in. The radiator cap went first.

Jerry of St. Louis MO (04/28/08)
I have a 2000 Chevrolet Venture. The intake manifold gasket failed in 2002 less that 10,000 miles out of warranty. A $1200 repair. Mechanic told me I'd be back. Guess what? The vehicle is heating up almost immediately upon starting again, so the problem has resurfaced.

Roger of Franklinville NJ (04/27/08)
I'm a used car dealer, I hate the dex-cool product, it completely ruins alot of the used GM vehicles, maybe they planned it, who knows, I find so many of the GM used cars to have leaking intake and head gaskets, its a real problem!

We had to fix several GM autos with head gasket problems. HOPEFULLY YOUR READERS KNOW YOU CANNOT MIX ORANGE AND GREEN COOLANTS, IT TURNS TO MUCK.

Lisa of Dundalk MD (04/27/08)
Today I had my temperture gage replaced. I have had my car for 7 years and really never had this much problems. I've used dex-cool only and this year my car reached over 100,000 miles and i am having hugh problems with over heating and my dex-cool running out. I work partime and yesterday I had to take the bus. 3 busses to get home from my partime job. I had the dm dealership checked my car today and the temperature gage needed to be replaced and the coolant reservor. I was told that the cap was not tight enoungh and the temperature gage is leaking. I always trusted gm but thanks to dex-cool. No more.

Frankie of South San Francisco CA (04/23/08)
ive spent about 4000$ because of the faulty dex-cool coolant in my 2001 chevy impala 3.4 and now i think its messin my car up again please help

Benedict of Statesville NC (04/21/08)
My 2002 Pontiac Montana is leaking coolant through a gasket. I was told that the Dex-Cool anti-Freeze is the problem. My car was serviced once for this problem already. Now I'm going to have to pay up to $1000.00 for a repair bill. Someone needs to listen to all the people with the same problem.

Greg of Fairfield OH (04/21/08)
Dexcool in my 1999 Pontiac Grand AM SE has cost me a lot of money in repairs. I have replaced the gaskets several times, the water pump several times, and have had to flush and fill at least 4 times since owning the car. The gaskets are now leaking again and I have to add dexcool on a weekly basis.

Connie of Normal IL (04/12/08)
I have a 1997 Olds. 88 that had to have extensive repairs done to it. The bill was almost 1400.00 and I feel was due to the Dex-Cool related problems. The intake gasket and upper intake failed and dumped coolant into cylinders and it locked up and we had it towed to dealer for repairs. I would like to be involved in any settlement from GM in this manner and would like to know who to contact about this. Thank You

Ed of Pensacola FL (04/11/08)
2002 Chevrolet Venture intake manifold gasket failed. At the time I was unaware of class action litigation (and potential settlement) against GM regarding Dexcool coolant and gaskets and general problems related to Dexcool.

Felicia of Swartz Creek MI (04/06/08)
I have 1996 Blazer that came with the orange coolant. Also, I have purchased a 2003 Buick Century that I have had since November.

My Blazer has always had some sort of problem with it. I replaced the radiator a few months after having it. I have replaced the water pump, a couple head gaskets, and fuel pump. I don't know if the fuel pump had anything to do with it but still it's fustrating. I bought it for 3000 and I have spent the same amount on repairs. After all those repairs, it still has problems. During the hot summer months, it cuts off at every stop light. As for the Century, it was fine until I decided to fill it with Dexcool, after reading the manual. Not long after I put it in, it started running harder and making this ticking noise. It then dawned on me, after hearing the news about Dexcool, that this was the root of my car problems. I am very upset because I have two great cars and this crap has ruined it. Who is going to pay for all this?

Cindy of Kansas City KS (04/02/08)
Purchased 1998 Pontaic Bonneville.  DexCoolant ate gaskets out twice Incurred repair bills to repair heads and engine. Made formal complaint to GM on January 15, 2001.

Phil of Overland Park KS (04/01/08)
I have a 2001 s-10 chev. blazzer with 90,000 miles. I've purchased the vehicle in 2001 since then I've replace the water pump around 45,000 miles and just replaced the intake gasket due to losing anti-freeze that damaged the gasket. My mechanic advised me that he has replaced several of these on GM products because of the coolant called Dexcool that GM puts in their vehicles. Superior Chevrolet has always service my vehicle since new and advised me of the leak but wanted a ton of money to fix it. I know GM is aware of this problem but offers no help or willing to honor its warranty. I've been a loyal customer and have always bought chev's in the past and the future chev. purchases are to. My mechanic did fix my problem for now but I'am worried about having more. Is there anything you folks can do to recover my lost money.

Rowleen of Columbus OH (03/31/08)
Bought a used car damage done to engine and gaskets due to Dex-col coolant. Over $3,000 to repair.

Denis of Inverness FL (03/31/08)
after reading complaints about dexcool causing engine problems why are they getting away with saying they have no knowledge of it ?

Doris of Pontiac MI (03/31/08)
I own a 1196 Chevy Blazer built by Gm and have used Dex Cool. I have had to replace many parts and now my engine is gone, making a lot of noise I am either going to have to replace it or purchase another car. I am retired now and living on a fixed income and this has caused me a big headache, because, I am spending money that I can't afford.

Matthew of Independence MO (03/31/08)
Electrical problems and heater core problems and lower intake maniford problems with 2002 Buick Rendevous. The car used Dexcool which GM specifically uses and caused lots of issues.

Amy of Olathe KS (03/31/08)
I have a 04 Grand Prix and my coolant light keeps coming on and going off and my passenger side floor board is always soaking wet. I took my car to O'reilys and they told me that the light has something to do with the coolant. I havent really noticed the difference in temp.. My transmission fluid was leaking and I had the gasket replaced and havent had a problem with that since but my floor board keeps getting soaking wet and wont dry and the coolant light goes off and on when its cold out.

Shelly of St. Louis MO (03/27/08)
I own a 1998 Chevy Malibu and it now has over 100,000 miles. Recently my car started leaking Antifreeze, I only use dex-cool because thats what the vehicle manual said to use and that is what any automotive place uses when getting my oil changed or a flush and fill. I was told by CarX that I needed to get my intake manifold replaced last year. After reading all all info on Dex-cool, I now know it is the problem. I had the same problem in my 1987 Transam in 1in my 1990 and my Pontiac Grandprix. I will most likely have to replace my water pump as well and get all the dex cool flushed out. hopefully I have not damaged my motor. This is horrible if GM knew this product would cause problems and i hope we the consumer can get our money back that we have spent getting these problems fixed. This saturday I'm taking my car to Car X for them to confirm what needs to be done and what will be the total cost. I cannot drive my car right now for fear that I might blow my engine. this is just not right.

Yanko of Eastpointe MI (03/25/08)
I have an 2003 Montana and the head gasket is leaking and I am @#$$%^ now I have to spend 1000 dollars or more to get this fixed I want to be reimbursed, stupid GM idiot engineers you suck! And DEX-cool BLOWS the big one.

Sandra of Warren OH (03/25/08)
I purchased my 1999 Buick Century new in 1999. I had this car serviced by Valvoline, the oil and everything was maintained by Valvoline for years. I took it in and told them my heater was only heating when I would turn a corner. After changing oil and all it still was not heating right. my boyfriend took the cap off the radiator and it was full of rusty looking sludge and foam. I called valvoline and told them I had just had my car in and I had found this gunk in my radiator and I told them since I advised them about the heating priblem they would have had to open the radiatro cap and if they did they would have seen that gunk. I was told they could flush it for me for $89.95. I called around and got a price for a flush from Zip Lube and after taking it in to have it done he told me, he has seen this a lot with GM products and he changed it after flushing. He said it might need flushed again because the gunk will keep coming to the top. my my low coolant light started coming on, and I took it in for them to check again, and it wasn't hot, he said that the sencor must be gunked up. The low coolent light stays on all the time now, and it does not overheat because I keep an eye on it. Now the heater has gone out, in the middle of winter and I will be taking it in to have it fixed. I can hear what sounds like water gurgling behind the dash which I had never heard before. From what I have been hearing, this DEX-COOL antifreeze that GM put in my car is the problem, Valvolone kept adding the same stuff all the time I had taken the car in to them and I was told that it was required. I feel that gM has done Me a disservice by putting something into my car and requiring it which they have known for years not that it was ruining cars. This should have been a recall factor many years ago before it came to this point. I am on a fixed income and don't have the money to keep flushing my radiator every year and replacing what this crap has ruined.

Robert of Central Square NY (03/25/08)
I have the same problem with my 1997 Monte Carlo as many others do. My vehicle is being worked on as I am writing this. Last week I had the water pump replaced. Today, it's the gasket. I've been reading about the Dex-Cool problem and all the repairs related to it on different websites. Each complaint seems to be describing my car, exactly. The air conditioner never worked right since we bought this car two years ago. When I had the water pump repaired last week, the guy showed me all the sludge in the radiator and said I needed to get the radiator flushed. Did that. Now it's being repaired because of the gasket. $1,000 later. If GM knows about this, then why didn't they stop this Dex-Cool Antifreeze a long time ago? My car has 187,000 miles on it. The mechanic checked out the entire car to see if it was worth getting the gasket done. He said everything is in excellent shape except for this. Do I have a choice? I can't get a used car that is in this good of shape for $1,000. But, having seven children, I can't afford this type of repair. This has pushed me even further into a financial hardship. Thanks GM!

Joyce of Hemet CA (03/24/08)
I am trying to resolve the same problem many have obviously had with using dexacool in their radiators. I have a 1999 chev. Blazer and when I open the radiator cap the coolant looks like someone threw mud in it. The radiator shop said they have experienced many dissatisfied, unhappy GM customers with the same problem. I called the Chevrolet customer assistance number 1-800-222-1020 and was told they never heard of such a complaint! After reading everone elses complaints, I can hardly believe that. The dealership told me the same thing- that it was news to them!

Jim of Melbourne FL (03/24/08)
My 1999 Buick Pk. Avenue suddenly stopped running, I had it towed to a garage where it was diagnoiced with a engine that had siezed up. The mechanic determined that the cause of this was the intake manifold which leaked and mixed the anti-freeze with the oil. I will have to have the motor replaced as well as the radiator.

Carol of Cincinnati OH (03/24/08)
My Saturn uses Dexcool, and this is the second time I have had to pay nearly $600.00 for the manifold gaskets. In fact, this time I have a leak in the entire cooling system caused by dexcool. I want my money back from these repairs!!!!! This is crap.

Dan of Rockwall TX (03/22/08)
I have a 1999 Buick Regal which I purchased new in May, 1999. I have now had multiple repairs to the cooling system. Initially I heard a noise that sounded like water 'sloshing around' inside the car dash, but only the first thing in the mornings. Took it in and the Buick dealer had to replace the intake manifold (plastic!) along with some gaskets and Dex-cool. Next time it was another gasket under the throttle body assembly that had started leaking and I was getting a 'low coolant level' warning light although there was no sign of any leakage. Just the other day, I had to take it in again and this time they said that my radiator was very clogged up and needed to be replaced or flushed ($500-$800), my heater core may be bad too and possibly some water pump problems. I had noticed that my coolant bottle was getting a red looking gunk in it but since GM literature stated that there was no maintenance required of the cooling system for 150,000 miles I was not concerned. I mean, after all, I always take this vehicle into a GM dealer for their high dollar oil and filter chanegs and get their free inspections each time and they always said the cooling system was fine so who am I to question their Mr. Goodwrench experts. I had heard of a class action lawsuit about a year ago against GM and Dex-cool damages. When I asked my Buick dealer service representative about it, he knew nothing about it, but when he called me about my many recent cooling problems, somehow the local GM service representative just 'happened to show up' at the dealership and they went over my cooling system problems with the servcie technician and concluded that all of my problems were caused by someone mixing green glyucol based coolant with the Dex-cool in the engine. I mentioned that no one other than a GM dealer has ever touched my car, but also knowing that now since I have a GM technician, a Buick dealer service writer and GM representative on record that I had green anti-freeze in my car. I am fighting a losing battle my myself. I have already signed up for a class action lawsuit but have heard that a federal judge recently ruled that there could be no national class action suit. Any class action suit would have to be on a state-by-state action. I am interested in making GM live up to their responsibilty for a faulty product and to their 150,000 mile cooling system warranty. My car has 103,000 miles on it.

Grace of Albany NY (03/16/08)
At 47,000 miles, my Malibu needed a full intake manifold replacement due to the poor engineering of the gaskets in the manifold. They are destroyed by Dexacool anitfreeze. This is a common problem with this engine and their solution was to release a new design intake manifold gasket w/bolts that have a thread locker adhesive added. You can purchase them at the GM dealership and take them to your mechanic. Unfortunately I found this out AFTER I spent $683.00 replacing the unit only to find out that in another 40,000 miles or so the same thing will happen. General Motors should have sent out letters to their car owners - I am the original owner- telling them about this problem or at least to the dealers. I think a class action law suite should be initiated.

Sandra of Albuquerque NM (03/10/08)
Dex cool in 2001 chevy malibu purchased used in December of 2007. The coolant has caused engine problems with gasket need to be replaced.

Scott of Houston TX (03/05/08)
I have also had an issue with te Dex Cool and leaking intake manifold gasket. At this point I am holding my breath and hoping that it was only the intake gasket and there is no damage to the head gasket, heads, or engine block. This leak occured in my familys 2002 Oldsmobile Shiloutte. I am very disappointed that GM would allow this to happen to so many consumers. Car reapirs and expensive. They can also be very dangerous and risk lives. An engine seizure in city traffic could cause serious injuries and even death. The irnoic thing about this is that my wife purchased the Oldsmobile while I was deployed to a combat zone. I am an Army mechanic and usually take care of our vehicles. I wasn't home to take care of our Ford Windstar and it was having a lot of issues that my wife was paying to have repaired. She was pregant and had three other children to care for so she sold the other car and bought the Oldsmobile so she wouldn't have to worry about a faulty engine. 4 years later, I'm getting ready to deploy again and will be leaving my wife with an unreliable vehicle. If she trades this one it, it will be for a Honda.

Tim of Noblesville IN (02/28/08)
Head gasket and intake manifold gasket both had to be replaced, costing us close to $2000. GM knows of these faulty gaskets and should have recalled the vehicles and replaced them all. We paid about $23,000 for this vehicle new.

Larry of Oklahoma City, OK (02/26/08)
We took our 1998 Buick Century with 41,500 miles on it to City Chevrolet in Oklahoma City and found That our intake manifold gasket had been eroded by Dexcool coolant. We are now faced with an $800.00 bill to replace the gasket, and flush the coolant system. What should have been a $30. oil change has turned into a nightmare. We want GM to be held accountable for what this coolant is doing to engines and how corrosive it is. With this many miles, I shouldn't have had to even flush the cooling system yet!!!!!!!

William of Lodi OH (02/22/08)
After spending a few days reaserching my Venture's problems on the internet, I thought that I had discovered that G.M. had put faulty intake gaskets in many of their vehicles. I've found one site that is a petition to G.M. and the B.B.B. to recall the gaskets. Another site pertains to a class action lawsuit against G.M. that has been initiated in Canada over the gaskets. Your site says that DexCool is to blame. I sure don't know what is causing the failures, I just know that I'm a two-time victim! Starting with my 1999 Venture. Had to replace the intake gasket and water pump, for about $800. within a year, a coolant leak started up again. What do I do? Well, being the dedicated chevy man that I WAS, I went out and bought a 2003 Venture! Bought it from a chevy dealer 6 months ago. I did not start driving it then, I wanted to get every last mile out of my 1999, befor sending it to the dump. I suppose I'll hang on to that '99 now, and see if any lawsuits pop up! Back to the 2003... Two weeks ago, it was finally time to start driving the new one. The heater didn't work. I took it to the dealer, whom stated- intake gasket is shot. Needs $700. in repairs. They sold me a van with a bad motor, then they want me to pay $$$. to fix it! needless to say, I left there, and do not intend to return- ever. They did fill the radiator up, and the heater DID work for a few days. when I checked the radiator, the coolant level was very low. apparently, the coolant level sensor doesn't work either. the temperature guage never said I was overheating, but the next day, the motor started knocking VERY loudly when it's cold. This vehicle has only had license plates on it for exactly two weeks now, 79k miles, and it has had a bad knock now for 3 days! If it's not overheatng damage, then it's likely to be damage from coolant in the oil, contamination. What are the damages?? I do not know yet. I'm too scared to find out, because I can't afford it anyway! sure hope G.M. is forced to own up to their mistakes like Ford had to!

Brian of Caldwell ID (02/20/08)
I own a 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass, and just had it serviced. I was shown where the dexcool is now leaking on either side of the intake manifold, and with the coolant flush and replacement of the coolant with the reliable green coolant, plus replacement of the thermostat, it will cost a measley $1,000. This vehicle only has 68,000 miles on it. I have already personally replaced the intake manifold and water pump on my daughters 1997 Saturn. I was looking at trucks now that I am near retirement, but I will never own another General Motors product and will purchase either foreign trucks or a Ford. I will keep my receipts in case General Motors ever does loose a case or a class action suit as far as dexcool erosion is concerned and maybe one day I will get my repair costs back.

Cainon of Morenci MI (02/18/08)
I own a 1999 chevy silverado. As it has been a good truck in general i too want to voice my complaint on this coolant. I have now had 2 heater cores put into this truck-at a cost of $850.00 each time. I purged out the dex cool for the old green stuff because i could see mud and crud all over in my coolant system.

First of Augusta GA (02/18/08)
We have a bus with a GM chassie that has Dex Cool in it. We have 48,000 miles on the bus. We are beginning to experience problems with gaskets and the radiator is gummed up. We are looking to pull the radiator next week and attempt to save it. We will flush the system and replace the Dex Cool with conventional fluid. Our prayer is that further damage can be avoided.

Richard of Appleton WI (02/16/08)
My 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue has Dex Cool for antifreeze, I've fixed major gasket leaks twice, and had to replace the intake manifold, which had large pits in it, and was junk. I've never seen a intake in that bad of shape. My Pontiac has had gasket problems, and so has my son's Chevy, all have Dex Cool.

Carman of Deltona FL (02/15/08)
My car was leaking coolant. I took it to Firestone Auto service and to have a coolant flush done and was told that I needed to have the manifold and gaskets replaced. So today my car is in the shop, when they started doing the job they found that the water pump was bad. Also the the plugs need to be replaced. The guy told me it is just snow balling. Not sure what else they may find.So far the bill is $1,100.

The Gaskets, water pump, and Manifold intake set had gone bad because of Dex Cool as per Firestone Auto Care technician

Thomas of Chelsea MI (02/14/08)
I have a 1996 Buick Century. Despite what the GM dealer has said Dex Cool has caused many problems in my vehicle. Sludge started at about 20,000 miles, I have had to flush the system about ever 10,000 miles, replace intake gasket, and water pump. I have talked to trusted mechanics and they said Dex Cool is the problem. My car currently only has 73,000 miles on it. I switched to a different coolant and the vehicle runs much better, but I believe that the damage has been done and problems will continue to occur. It would be nice if GM would fess up to their faults, since from what I have seen and heard, this Dex Cool problem covers many years of production vehicles on the road today.

Rod of Huron SD (02/13/08)
I have a 1997 GMC Jimmy and started having problems with it overheating. It had dex cool in it.

Robert of Mercerville NJ (02/12/08)
My daughter goes to school at University of Iowa. She has a 98 chev. calvalier. The car started overheating. I told her not to drive it when the temp gauge reads hot. I said she should take it to the chev. dealer nearby thinking the problem is just a stuck thermostat. The service manager told her they would diagnose it. He also said the fee would be $88 cause that is what the labor cost is per hr. The car was there 8am. the next morning. Not hearing from the service manager all day she called at 5pm. He said they were just bringing it in and couldn't diagnose it till tomorrow. I finally called him around 12pm the next day and was told the car had a warped cylinder head and the cost for repair would be $2,250. The car never had an antifreeze leak that my daughter ever noticed. Ifound a couple of other repair shops in the area and asked one of them for a second opinion. I called the chev dealership up and told them that was to much money to put out on a 10yr. old vehicle. The manager said fine and she could get the car after she pays the bill. A few days later she took the car to the other repair shop and left my phone # with them. I recieved a call within a few hrs. The owner of the repair shop said he has gone over the car and can't find a thing wrong with it. He thought maybe I was confused about the warped cylinder head. He said sometimes the thermostat gets stuck and the car will overheat. Just what I thought. I told him what the dealership said and he said that definetly was not the case. He asked me if he could change the thermostat and the temp. sensor. Isaid yes. He kept the car another day and everything seems fine. His bill was $230 a lot less then the dealership rippoff would have been. This fellow was courteous, kind and honest. I always thought that dealership service was honest and accurate. I own 4 GM vehicles and will never take them back for dealership service again. For them to try and rippoff a young out of town college student telling her she needs all kind of work done on her car when its only a minor repair is TERRIBLE.

William of Wasilla AK (02/12/08)
GM Antifreeze has corroded and destroyed the heater core and other parts of my daughters 1998 blazer, despite the vehicle having only about 30,000 miles. I have been to multiple GM dealers who all denied there was any association with their coolant.

Thomas of Galloway NJ (02/11/08)
Sludge in radiator...had to have replaced. Manifold gasket had to be replaced also. Had transmission replaced. Could they have been a result from using the Dex? Again having transmission problems.

Brenda of Lake Orion MI (02/10/08)
I too am a victim of having a very costly repair on my 2003 Buick Rendezvous because of DexCool. Last month I noticed my car had a leak. I first thought it was transmission fluid but when I took it in to have it looked at I was told it was coolant that was leaking and that my head gasket needed to be replaced. I had no choice but to fork over the $2000.00 it cost for the repair and they needed to keep it for 5 days to complete the job. I knew nothing about this problem until I started to do some research online. I'm disgusted at GM for not doing a recall. I know there is a class action lawsuit against GM and their use of DexCool in the state of Missouri. What about other states? Something needs to be done. I always believed in buying American made cars. Not anymore after this. No wonder the American auto industry is suffering.

Rebecca of Reading PA (02/07/08)
i had a 1998 pontiac grandam and got rid of it because intake manifold gasket was bad. ithan bought a 1998 buick century with in 6 month it to started to leak .i reasearched and found out it was a common problem with gm .i contackted gm and was told take it to the dealer .the dealer confirmed it was the intake gasket and it would cause me 700 to fix. so with no other options i paid the 700.i thought this was the end of my problems nope 2 months later it started to leak again took it back to dealer was told it was anther gasket it would cause me 700 more.at this point i couldnt afford it so now i have no car.gm should recall this but they wont when i called them they denied it was a known issue

Sale of Honolulu HI (02/04/08)
After reading the instructions in my vehicle's owners manual, I proceeded to follow the books advise by adding this antifreeze to my vehicle, but it wasn't long before the low coolant light started flashing again and now I believe there's a problem with my cooling system, so I searched the internet and to my suprise, there is an article warning GM car owners of using this type of antifreeze. I never knew about the law suit but now I would like to add my name to the list.

Poor engine performance, costly repairs, psychological stress that I've been through because of this product.

William of Waynesboro GA (02/01/08)
I purchased my 1996 GMC Yukon SLT with 5.7L engine new in April of 96. Within 20K miles, I could smell engine coolant, and the fluid in the overflow tank was turning dark. The dealer flushed/refilled the system. At 35K miles the same thing happened again, and the dealer repeated the flush/refill and replaced the radiator cap. At 60K miles, coolant levels began to drop, developed a rusty color and brown sludge--so had to repeat the procedure (with Dex Cool) at my expense. Finally at 80K miles I got smart and went with the tried and true conventional green antifreeze.

Unfortunately, the damage had been done, and today, at 112K miles, I'm fighting the slow (1 gal. Every 5K miles) internal leaking of coolant using various leak-stop products; but afraid I'm fighting the inevitable of complete head and intake manifold gasket failure--along with failure of water pump, radiator, and heater core. Fortunately I have the ability to perform needed repairs myself. GM has done a tremendous disservice to their customers by not producing a quality product nor admitting to the problem and offering a reasonable fix. Too bad CUSTOMER LOYALTY doesn't mean anything to GM. I love having an SUV, and soon it will be spelled TOYOTA Land Cruiser.

Alicia of Marana AZ (02/01/08)
My husband owns a 2001 Chevy Silverado, and we just got it back from the auto repair shop where we had to have the water pump replaced. The mechanic (a friend of the family, so no worries about him fixing things just to make money) said that the DexCool corroded the gasket, and the water pump had to be replaced. He also insisted that we flush the system and no longer use DexCool, which he referred to as that orange [expletive] in the truck. Knowing he had our best interests in mind, I gave him the green light to fix the problems. $430 later, I can only hope that this was the extent of the damage done by DexCool. We will now only be using green coolant in our vehicles.

The repairs cost me approximately $430, including tax and labor.

David of Chicago IL (01/30/08)
Spent over 300 dollars replacing faulty plastic intake gaskett on 2001 Chevy Malibu 7 months ago. Now vehicle is again losing antifreeze through blown head gasket.

T of Union MO (01/29/08)
This is a follow up to a previous posting I had made about my issues with the coolant system (and other odd, unexpected repairs).

I was informed today by the local dealership that $1000 will fix my current problems because I had 2 leaks in my lower intake gasket. And, for another $500, they are having to replace my driver's hub assembly because it is loose and worn. Still yet, a 2002 model Pontiac GP SE, little over 5 yrs old and at 91,000 miles, I'm sadly disappointed and am being drained financially from starting over with another vehicle. I do trust this dealership because they did good faith work in April of 2007 for my bad catalytic converter, which I neglected to mention in my last correspondence, that went out just a couple hundred miles past the 80,000 mile warranty. See...one bad turn after another on the road of life with General Motors these days. And, I have all the repair statements to show it.

Richard of West Jordan UT (01/29/08)
How do I get on the class action suit against GM & On Star. GM sold me a Avalanche 2500 3/4 ton 2002 They are not making that 3/4 ton anymore and I can not get the ON Star Up Grade I am a 100% disabled Vietnam Veteran I need both those issues for safety. To me I payed $40,000 for false advertising, please advise me should I take this civil if there is no class action suite T

Kathy of Duluth MN (01/28/08)
We are using Dex Cool in our chevy malibu..as recommended by GM, and now have damage to the engine.

Suzanne of Lake Orion MI (01/27/08)
I am also one of those GM owners with the replaced Intake Manifold Gasket,and My Water Pump replaced too. Now I found out that my Head Gasket has a crack in it and is leaking Coolant into my oil. I own a 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix SE, the car is 12 years old. It was given to me by my deceased Parents. This car means the world to me and I am worried sick that I will soon lose it if the Head Gasket blows. It burns me that a big Corporation like General Motors are so blind, deaf and above all stupid when it comes to taking care of their customers after they buy their products. This type of nonsense has been going on for years and years. All GM thinks about is the BOTTOM LINE.

Joseph of South Wales NY (01/26/08)
I am having problems withthe cooling system,using DEX_COOL.At presant I am haveing intake gasketsreplaced on a 1997 chevy S10 blazer with the 4.3 engine.I had changed the coolantabout 4 years ago.The vehicle has 128900 miles.I am hopping that it did not ruin my head gaskets. My mechanic who I have used for several years said this is the most corrisive collant he every ran across. Also been told this by othermechanic and auto store personel I am on disability and did not need this problem.I had 2029500 miles on my 1988 blazer S10 with the green coolant.and never replaced an gaskets

Intake gaskets needs to be replaced ,and maybe the head gaskets.I hope the rest of the drive train are ok.

T of Union MO (01/26/08)
I purchased my '02 Grand Prix in 2002. It was a program car and upon the first oil change, the service shop showed me the sludge from the Dex Cool. Within two years, on cold days, my low coolant light would come on indicating I would have to add more. This went on until the beginning of 2007. After receiving the class action notification and consulting several service techs, I made the switch to the traditional anti-freeze. That was great until October 2007. As would luck would have it, the day I made my last payment, my check engine light came on and that cost me another $275. I was told the system did not look like it had been flushed properly when the switch was made and that it had to be done. I was also told I needed a new thermostat. It's now January and I'm experiencing problems. On a bitter cold day, my car's temperature was fluctuating up between 160 to 210. It would not produce warm heat in the cabin. When I called my local service shop, they suggested that it may be the intake. Looks like, according to other's testaments, that it may cost me up to $1000 for something like that. I've been a pretty loyal GM and Pontiac owner, but this car has failed my expectations. I had the entire front end replaced before 36,000 miles due to rack leakage and bad wheel bearings. I've had a fan relay go bad. The stereo display acts up on some days. It keeps blowing the bulb in the rear window brake light. And, now the coolant. I also know a co-worker who just had to have a new engine in their Envoy because of the Dex Cool situation. How sad when their vehicle was even newer than mine. I ask what's next for GM?? Or maybe, I shouldn't ask and just get rid of it before the nickels and dimes start!

Kenneth of Lock Haven PA (01/26/08)
I have a 1999 Pontiac grand am and i fouund out that the antifreeze was leaking onto the garage floor. I took the car to anastos brothers and they had to replace the intake manifold. This is the second time this has been replaced because when i first purchased the vehicle and it was under warranity McEndtyre also had to replace it. About two months later i had to get the oil changed in my car the mechanic found out that there was sludge in my oil. I then again took the car back to Anastos Brothers at which time they then again tore the engine apart and had to replace the engine manifold. Two weeks after taking it there and getting the manifold replaced the car was heating up and i took it back to anastos brothers and they had to replace the head gasket and the intake manifold again, they also had to flush the engine. The car has started to make a loud tapping noise and is now going back to the garage for furth3r repairs.

Karen of St. Louis MO (01/18/08)
Purchased a 99 Chevy Blazer for our daughter for college in October 06. At 84,000 miles started leaking antifreeze and the repairman said the antifreeze looked like sludge and this is a common problem with GM vehicles. Had to have intake manifold gasket replaced to the tune of $700.00. At 85,000 mile had to have the heater core replace to the tune of another $731.00. This is unacceptable and we will never buy another GM product nor will we let any of our 4 children buy one either. I have a 98 Ford F-150 Econoline van with 180,000 miles on it and have not had half the problems with this GM Blazer. It is a piece of junk. What a shame

Mark of Meridian ID (01/17/08)
Hello, I would like to comment on the Dex coolant issue. I have read all the complaints because I just got back from having my system flushed. (I would like to caution you all about shops taking advantage of you and charging you for things that were not needed.) Let me explain. I paid to have my system flushed and thermostat replaced at Midass suggestion because my heater was blowing cold air. $230 they charged me and it did not fix the problem. There was a happy ending to this story because when I took it back they flushed the system again and my heater is now working. Some shops may tell you that you need work that is not really needed. For instance your heater core may be plugged and instead of replacing it you may be able to flush it. In defense of my statement about shops telling you things that are not true, I had Brunel Tire Factory replace my front differential seal two times and now for a third time this weekend. The last time they told me I had a coolant leak and led me to my truck to show me. Low and behold they show me a green trail of coolant dripping from my engine. It is a good thing I did not fall for it and only because it was before Christmas and I could not afford the money It was only when I took my truck in to have it flushed that I realized I do not have green coolant it is orange or red coolant I will leave it up to you to figure out how I happened to have green coolant dripping through my engine Anyway, I have not had the problem with leaking gaskets as many have had and I will not say that your leak was not legitimate. I will say however that I will be flushing my system every two years at least because I think the Dex coolant may have a tendency to gum up easier if it is not changed out more frequently. Regards,

Joe of Wichita KS (01/16/08)
2003 Pontiac Aztek overheating, engine hot light comes on ,Antifreeze sludge 2001 overheating ,low coolant light comes on ,smell burning anti freeze.

Sharon of St Louis MO (01/15/08)
I have a 97 Lumina and of course used the Dex cool per Chevy recomendations and had to have extensive repairs done to my car. Not only did they have to replace the gasket, but they had to replace the manifold and the head.

Albert of Bloomington IL (01/15/08)
dexcool ruined 1996 gmc jimmy engine.

Fletcher of Arlington TX (01/15/08)
At 85k miles my car started getting hot, smelled coolant, and idled rough. Mechanic just called me and told me coolant in cylinder due to intake manifold gasket. Since then i have read all kinds of complaints and come to find out, GM knows dex-cool causes this issue, yet they want to take no responsibility for it. How is there no RECALL at this point. Issue is going to cost me around $1000 to fix. Anyone ever gets a class-action; I'M THERE WITH YOU because this is ridiculous.

John of Kansas City MO (01/14/08)
On January 11,2008 during a maintenance service checkup at Midas Auto Service Experts. I John/Shirley Douglas was inform by a Midas Technician, that our car manifold gasket has failed under it's coolant systems, it has been leaking and running out and building up around the car's engine block, and that is the cause of the burnt fluid odors...

Greg of Pinson AL (01/14/08)
I carried my 199 Pontiac Grand Am GT to the shop two weeks ago and had to have an intake manifold gasket installed. The mechanics, who I have used for years, informed me that it was the dexcool antifreeze that ate through the gasket. My car being older it took it as part of car ownership. A week later, I took my wife's car in, same exact problem. Both cars cost me $2000.00 that I could not afford. I went to do some service on my dad's Pontiac Montana and the reservoir was empty. I haven't gotten his into the shop yet but I wouldn't be surprised if it is leaking also.

Fhad of St. Ann MO (01/11/08)
My dex coolant isn't to be replaced yet but it is already steaming and overheating.

It is destroying my engine.

Gary of Prattville AL (01/11/08)
I join the ranks of dissatisfied GM customers who've had problems with Dex-Cool anti-freeze. The Dex-Cool in my 1999 Chevy Suburban destroyed the water pump and intake gasket allowing coolant to flow directly into the engine block. The coolant did not last as long as advertised - ~95K instead of 150K, and I understand it actually laster longer than most other people who've experienced the same problem. The question still remains - why would the manufacturer continue to use a product they know is so corrosive? Bottom line for me: although I love the Chevy Surburban, my next vehicle will not be a GM product. Can you say, Honda, Toyota, or BMW?

Greg of Lindsborg KS (01/08/08)
2001 Chevy Monte Carlo with 56,000 miles leaking Dexcool from intake manifold! Known problem by General Motors! GM will not help cover expence of this known problem they are having with many many GM vehicles!

Sheryl of West Bloomfield MI (01/01/08)
GM has had a lot of class action suits claimed against them for a faulty gasket. This has caused thousands of auto owners costly repairs. I've been searching the internet and found several sites with these two issues: Dexcool antifreeze and a faulty gasket. Apparently, the anti-freeze and or the gasket is the culprit. I have that problem in two vehicles.

Jeremy of Boise ID (12/31/07)
In Feb. 07 I found out that my 96 Pontiac Grand Prix had a leak in the lower intake manifold gasket and was leaking coolant into the oil. The car had close to 130,000 miles, so I wasn't all that surprised. I performed the work myself and saw that the heads were pitted where the manifold sits. That's when I read about the complaints about Dex-Cool. During the same month, my co-worker with the same car also had the same problem. My aunt has a 2000 Chevy Malibu that also had the same issue.

I recently purchased an 03 Pontiac Bonneville which has 35,000 miles. I smelled antifreeze and started looking around. The lower intake manifold was leaking coolant to the outside of the engine. I was so mad since I had the car for only about 6 months. A car with 35,000 miles should not have to go in for about $1000 worth of repairs to the engine. GM and Dex-Cool states that the coolant is good for up to 100,000 miles. I'm barely 1/3 of the way there. I should have drained the coolant the day I bought it and put the regular green coolant in. My other GM cars have been drained and replaced with regular green antifreeze. I'll never put this stuff in my vehicles again.

Physical damage to the metal parts of the car's engine, and the headache of getting the vehicles fixed.

Jeremy of Boise ID (12/31/07)
In Feb. 07 I found out that my 96 Pontiac Grand Prix had a leak in the lower intake manifold gasket and was leaking coolant into the oil. The car had close to 130,000 miles, so I wasn't all that surprised. I performed the work myself and saw that the heads were pitted where the manifold sits. That's when I read about the complaints about Dex-Cool. During the same month, my co-worker with the same car also had the same problem. My aunt has a 2000 Chevy Malibu that also had the same issue. I recently purchased an 03 Pontiac Bonneville which has 35,000 miles. I smelled antifreeze and started looking around. What a surprise....the lower intake manifold was leaking coolant to the outside of the engine. I was so mad since I had the car for only about 6 months. A car with 35,000 miles should not have to go in for about $1000 worth of repairs to the engine. GM and Dex-Cool states that the coolant is good for up to 100,000 miles. I'm barely 1/3 of the way there. I should have drained the coolant the day I bought it and put the regular green coolant in. My other GM cars have been drained and replaced with regular green antifreeze. I never put this stuff in my vehicles again.

Carole of Denton TX (12/28/07)
I have a 2003 Chevy Malibu that has almost 60,000 miles on it. I am having to have the manifold and intake gasket fixed and there is oil leaking into the coolant. My extended warranty company will not cover the Fluid Flush saying they do not know how oil gets into the collant. After reading other complaints I see that this may be a Dexcool issue. Now that I know this- I think back to my Pontiac Grand Am that I sold to my brother. It had to have a new water pump, radiator, and then the heater core failed as well. All could be related to Dexcool.

Michael of Helena MT (12/27/07)
ive owned my 2002 chevy venture for about 4 months now it has roughly 112,000 miles on it, i understand this is a lot of miles, but i've owned 3 other GM vehicles and never had a major problem with them, but anyways, 1 month after purchasing the vehicle the AC condenser blew a hole in it and i had to fork out 2,000 for that, and right now im in the middle of a new blown head gasket that formed the day i got a coolant flush from jiffy lube, i took it back to jiffy lube before i knew about the blown head gasket to see if it might have had a clog since it was overheating and wasn't blowing any warm air. Drove it across the street to a mechanic then they told me it was a blown head gasket, ive been hearing A LOT of these same problems happening and also some stuff about class action lawsuits... im wondering if the dexcool (which is the worst fluid ever designed) isn't deteriorating the headgaskets causing them to blow so easily... any information or remarks would be appreciated

Thomas of Kaukauna WI (12/12/07)
We experienced a loss of heat in our 1996 Lumina. I noticed a lot of pasty gunk around the radiator cap. I brought car to our mechanic. He informed us of the Dex-Cool issues and said our lines were very corrated and our water pump needed replacing because of the build-up. He cleaned the lines and installed a new water pump with a cost to us of $215.25.

Bob of Jenison MI (12/10/07)
i have a 1999 gmc yukon bought brand new,have already replaced water pump and intake gasket, now am losing coolant and overheating not leaking on the ground,probably a head gasket,after reading all the problems on this website i am inclined to believe it is a problem with general motors and the dex- cool coolant.

Carla of Palatine IL (12/07/07)
I purchased a new 2000 Chevy Monte Carlo with approximately 325 miles. In January, 2005, I noticed some antifreeze dripping in in the cabin on the passenger side. When I took the car to a local mechanic, I was informed I needed a new heater core. This was replaced and new antifreeze was added per GM guidelines. February, 2007, I had to have the radiator flushed again due to a dark sludge in the radiator that was mistaken for oil. The same mechanic that replaced my heater core also informed me that I had a head gasket leak and the oil was seeping into the radiator. When I took the car for a second opinion, it was discovered that this appearance is the result of Dexcool breaking down in the vehicle under normal use. January 2007, I had to have the radiator replaced because all gaskets were leaking and the car would not hold the antifreeze. This radiator replacement is only good for 40,000 miles.

Gary of Grass Valley CA (12/05/07)
As with many others I read about, Dexcool seems to be a problem. About a year ago the local dealer told me that the back of the intake manifold is leaking radiator fluid but not to be concerned unless/until the water gets in the crankcase. The repair is about $900.00. From All the complaints I read about, and over several years, many with leaking intake manifolds, General Motors should step up the the plate and do something about it.

Dan of Lone Jack MO (11/26/07)
Wife's 2001 Impala LS started having mechanical difficulty (accelerater pedal has to be tapped loose in the mornings) a couple of years ago. Took car to local Chevy dealership, but they said they didn't know what the problem was. Then took the car to our local Firestone and they knew exactly what the problem was - the coolant DexCool.

Joe of Rockton IL (11/26/07)
Intake Manifold Gasket needs to be replaced on 2003 Buick Rendezvous at 85K miles, appears GM DEXCOOL culprit. Coolant was warranty for 100K miles. Car is out of warranty. So I'm stuck with cost.

Melodie of Parma OH (11/24/07)
I spent $906.00 on Feb 6, 2006 for the intake set at Rad Air in Garfield Hts., Ohio. Dexcool is involved here. I took my car in today, Nov 23, 2007 for a standard oil change and am told that the engine oil is starting to get contaminated with coolant/antifreeze which indicates that the lower intake mainfold gasket may be deteriorating and requires replacement. This is the same thing that occurred in 2006, and I understand there may be a class action lawsuit with GM about this very thing. I have all the receipts and paper work, and would like to be included, if possible. Thanks

Lee of Clinton TN (11/23/07)
I'm interested in a filing a class-action lawsuit against the makers of Dex Cool used by GM. On 8/14/07 I brought my car into my usual mechanic for a standard oil change, at which time, the owner of Auto Medic, Kim, informed me that I had transmission fluid mixed in with the coolant and that my cooler lines in my radiator had a leak. I had to get a new radiator and it cost me $703 including tax/labor. When I returned to pick up my car, I asked him if he used Dex Cool and he said yes, that's what the recommended coolant for GM cars is.

I mentioned that there have been a lot of problems with Dex Cool, eating right through radiators, gaskets, spark plugs, etc. and he agreed that he had seen alot of problems with the Dex Cool being used as a coolant. At that point, he mentioned to me that it would probably start eating away at my manifold gaskets eventually, but there's nothing I can do about it as long as I keep using the Dex Cool.

Fast forward to Nov. 15th, my coolant light kept coming on, but at the time, I thought it was my battery logo. I continued to drive to work that week and Thanksgiving week until Wed. the 21st I made an appt. with Fox Chevrolet for Friday the 23rd of Nov. (today)(Auto Medic was closed) I initially thought my alternator was going bad again.....I just had it replaced 1/2/06. Today, (Nov. 23rd) when I brought it in, upon further inspection, the mechanic advised me that it was actually the coolant light coming on and that the intake manifold gaskets were leaking coolant. He brought me over to take a look under the hood and sure enough, coolant had leaked all over my engine.

I believe the Dex Cool was a direct cause of the leak. I've done alot of research on the product and I also had my mechanic at Auto Medic say the same thing. When I returned home today, I called Fox Chevrolet and advised the Service Mgr. (Terry Kennedy) that I DID NOT want Dex Cool put back into my car. I asked him to replace it with another coolant. He said it wouldn't be a problem.

I believe GM is negligent in not only still marketing the product Dex Cool, but they advise all service mechanics to use this product, and they specifically tell them Do not use a replacement coolant. Today's estimate is $772.00. My car is a 2002 Chevy Malibu LS. I purchased it in 2003 and it had 19,000 miles on it. I did all my homework prior to purchasing it. I paid CarFax a fee to find out if it was a rental (it was not) or if it had been previously wrecked (it hadn't) and also to find out if the mileage had been tampered with (it hadn't). These problems should not be happening to a 5-yr. old car. It only has 38,000 miles on it.

David of Lathrop MO (11/23/07)
My wife was complaining about smelling antifreeze while she was driving. I popped open the hood and did see some antifreeze on the side of the engine. I had it washed off and drove it to the garage, to have the oiled changed. The mechanic at the garage notice the antifreeze once again and told me of a similar problem they had with their son's car. I took it to a garage here in town, I bought the car as used, so I had no warranty. Sam's Garage, made a phone call to a GM employee, who said, unofficially, that they were having problems with the Dex-cool.

Taina of Lilburn GA (11/21/07)
I have a '96 Pontiac Sunfire SE. have had it for about 4 years now. I've always had issues with the coolant (ac not working, heat not working, overheating). As of late, it's been acting pretty strange. Last night on my way home from work, the temperature went from being pretty normal to going all the way in the red. I was about five minutes from my house, so kept driving. It cooled down a bit, but not considerably. This morning, I checked my fluids and sure enough my coolant level was almost completely dry and I noticed wet spots on the pavement under that side of my car. As I was getting ready to head back indoors, I noticed for the first time a little sticker telling me to use only Dex-Cool coolant. When I got to my computer, I googled Dex-Cool and came upon this consumer affairs site with all these complaints about the coolant and GM. From what I've read so far, I'm probably looking at a repair cost of at least $500, unless it's completely screwed my engine. The car isn't even worth that much. Y

Rita of Lyles TN (11/20/07)
I purchase a 1998 Buick Century in 1998. Problems began immediatly after purchase with overheating. Dealer replaced water pump then a thermastat so on and so on. In 2006 I talked to a mechanic that use to work for a GM dealer about my car and the problems I had been having (overheating, no heat, no air, lifters sticking etc. etc.) He opened the hood and before he did anything else said a 3.1 engine using dexcool no doubt. He ask me again how long I had been having the problems and i told him from the begining.

He told me something that he was told when he worked for that GM dealership made my blood boil. He said I bet that I can open up the radiator cap and stick my finger in and show you nothing but sludge. And he did indeed do that. It was horrible. He said that the seals and gaskets used in the 3.1 engine deterriates quickly because of some chemical in dexcool.

The next day took it to my dealer and told them that the car was making a knocking noise and while they were checking it out could they change the oil and take a look at my radator and fluids. When they were done I was told that the knocking was a lifter that had gotten stuck, and they put a heavier weight oil in it and a additive and to drive it a couple of days and that should unstick the lifter. I ask about the fluids and all that and they told me that they were fine. I even went as far as to say you mean the radiator fluid doesn't look gummy or thick and he said no that it was fine.

I saw the mess myself. About 3 weeks later I took the car to someone else because it was running hot again and this mechanic flushed the thing about 4 times and checked everything. He said I needed the head gasket and seals replaced and to have it flushed again. and Quoted me a price of 750.00 for the repairs. He was the cheapest I did call around. As of yet I dont have the money to fix my car, it is parked in the back yard waiting.

Caleb of Joliet IL (11/20/07)
I own a 1998 Chevy Blazer 4x4 and as soon as i bought it with 69,000 on it i got the cooling system (Dex cool)flushed at a GM dealership, assuming it's previous owners may not have done so. This fall (2007)i went to use the heat and noticed my temp running on the low side and only slightly warm heat. So i changed the thermostat myself and a few days later a coolant leak started. I think it's the water pump, which is not GM or anyone's fault, they just randomly go out. I attempted to change the pump myself, but found i needed a special wrench to hold the pulley in place to remove the fan/fan clutch assembly, so i had to put it back together and take to a local shop. I would rather do my own work however so i know it's right. I'm waiting on the mechanic's results. It may not even be the pump, but upon my analysis thats my best guess. so we'll see

Davidspudich of Acosta PA (11/18/07)
1997 chevrolet motecarlo 3.1 engine dexcool /intake leak

Jeanette of Tunnel Hill GA (11/12/07)
I purchased the 2001 Buick Century with 9 thousand miles on it. I have driven it for 6 years with regular oil changes. It now has 74+thousand miles on it. Last year, I had the cooling system flushed due to the Dex-Cool gunking up in the cooling system. The auto shop said the Dex-Cool has to be flushed every 5 years or 50,000 miles. This month -November 2007- the Lower intake gasket started leaking in one corner which requires an expensive repair, and flushing of the cooling system again. From what I have found out from the repair shop, this incident is very common with the 3.1 Liter GM engine. I believe GM has made the engine in such a way as to incur expensive repairs.

Pennie of Gardner KS (11/07/07)
The Dexcool problem in GM cars appears to be the culprit in my problem car as well. My neighbor discovered the problem in her car and made me aware of it. I took my car in to the dealer in April 07 because the temp light was coming on frequently and the car was overheating. The dealer replaced the water pump but my car continues to overheat and now I'm reading about ruined engines, my car has 82000 miles on it now and I'm concerned that the engine may be ruined due to the Dexcool problem. After my neighbor told me about the sludge clue under the radiator cap, I looked at mine and it appears very suspicious, rust colored sludge is evident.

Pamela of Ferguson MO (11/07/07)
I purchased my Cadillac Deville used 2004 and according to the manual I am to use Dexcool antifreeze. In April of this year I began to experience my car smoking and driving real sluggish. I then took my car to my mechanic and was told the gaskets needed to be replaced.

I

Elizabeth of Gardner KS (11/06/07)
Dex-cool problems - heavy sludge under radiator cap, mechanic says repair will be $750 and is caused by dexcool. Who knows how much this will end up costing...

Pat of Ottawa, Canada (11/05/07)
It's more than just the coolant itself. There are a number of factors at work from what I have researched. The intake manifold gasket fiasco (or head gasket issues to a lesser degree) is a contributor to the problem. If air gets into these systems, they'll sludge up.

The last TSB I read on this essentially stated that once all the coolant/sludge has been flushed, refill the rad. Replace the rad cap with a new one. Bleed the system (typically two bleeders). Fill the coolant reservoir, to the Full Hot mark when COLD. This ensures an adequate supply of coolant to keep the rad completely full. I've had a Buick (3.1), a Chev van (3.4) and an Impala (3.4) all with this issue and once I started to follow the above, things settled down. Just make sure the intake manifold gasket replacement follows the GM spec for the new series, including the bolt replacement. It's a disgrace that the company doesn't ante up for this design flaw.

Donald of Unionville NY (11/01/07)
we recently bought a chevy venture from a dealer in new jersey. we had the car about a week when it started running hot. i flushed the radiator and refilled with dexcool. used the minivan for a day and checked the raditator it was already turning brown and sludgy. drained and refilled with dexcool used for about a week. checked and needed to add more antifreeze. took it to my mechanic who has told me i need a new engine it is going to cost me over 1000.00 that i can't afford. can someone tell me why with all the complaints listed on the consumer affairs website why this product is still on the market and is there a class action lawsuit i can get involved in.

Leonard  of Woolwich ME (10/30/07)
1998 Chevy Blazer. Overheating peaks. Took it to the dealer and like you said heavy sludge buildup under the radiator cap. The tech. said your going to need an acid flush. That being done $250.00 less than a week goes by. Now the Blazer doesn't want to run (no Power) Called the garage I had to have it towed to the garage. Looks like the acid flush damaged the intake manifold gasket.

Well OK. They had replaced the gasket the water pump and the thermostat. $750.00 Got it back and all seemed well. Not so fast less than a week goes by on a cool morning went to use the heat and had NO HEAT Now I am really getting upset. Called them and brought it back they had to back flush the heater core. NO CHARGE Wow thank you. It's getting cold now went to use they heat again and barely warm. Now I am reading on flushing it out myself, and reading up on the DEXCOOL and found this sight. They have drained my bank account. What can I do now?

Chris of Peoria Heights IL (10/27/07)
Throw this complaint in with the other Dex-cool, GM rants. I noticed my 2002 Alero (69,000 mi) had a significant coolant leak coming from the engine.I also noticed the sludge in my radiator fluid reservoir. I figured it was a loose clamp on a hose or something minor, until I noticed it was running down my engine block. I took it in to get an estimate. Then they tell me about this lower intake manifold gasket. I didn't like the price of $700 for just parts and labor, not including the radiator flush and all. So I started searching the net to see if I could find out how to fix the stupid gasket myself and I was amazed and horrified to find all the people going through the same thing as me, and according to my fellow GM drivers, things are going to get worse......much worse. As far as I'm concerned, and I think all of you will agree, cars that use Dex-cool were lemons as soon as they came off the assembly line. I almost have my Alero paid off.......or so I thought. This sucks! I'm going to buy a Toyota or Honda.

Corey of Monroe MI (10/27/07)
I dont see how you people are going to blame coolant for most of your problems. seals go bad, thats all there is to it. and they go even quicker when not lubed prior or installed right. I've ran dexcool in 4 dif. chevys for their whole life and had nothin but expected problems. millions of people drive their chevys everyday with no problem, ever think of that? maybe you should think about who you take your car to, to get it fixed. i do all my work my self so i know its right, and never had problems. most of the stuff explained are things that regularly go bad, and your going to blame the coolant?

Jason  of Newark NJ (10/22/07)
It sounds like the DexCool got to my car also. Just left the Mechanic and he said I have a cracked gasket. I don't know if I even want to fix it. Time for a foreign car ASAP Toyota just recalled floor mats. Why can't GM recall something so serious??

Charles of Palatka FL (10/10/07)
Am second owner of a 1998 GMC Safari Conversion van. It was traded in by the prior owner on a newer vehicle after being taken in the a GMC Dealer with an overheating complaint. After we purchased it, the selling dealer reimbursed us for a radiator repair of $188 to replace a cracked intake side tank on the radiator, and subesquently it was determined that an intake manifold gasket was leaking (about $580 to replace) the DexCool coolant. Hopefully no further damage was done to the engine.

Wade of Ripon CA (10/10/07)
My 1999 Pontiac Montana started leaking coolant a few months ago. Just a small amount at first but now it is several ounces a day. So I brought it in to the dealer. They say the water pump seal and intake manifold gasket need to be replaced. My GMC has DexCool in it and it appears to be the culprit. Is there nothing that we as consumers can do besides never buy another GM product again?

Kath of Arlington Hts IL (10/10/07)
I am adding to your list of complaints for the DexCool Radiator situation. I bought a 1997 Chevy Lumina on Nov.4,2000 from a private owner, who probably did me a favor. He had the DexCool antifreeze taken out and replaced with the regular green antifreeze. In spite of this, I have had to replace the antifreeze November 15, 2002. Then November 2003 and January 2004 it was suggested that the manifold gasket be replaced.I replaced the serpentine belt. Then in March 2004, I replaced the leaking intake gaskets and the oil. The coolant and gaskets had to be replaced. On October 2004, I replaced the fuel pump. On November, 2006 I had the engine and engine block flushed and the coolant replaced, again. That is only the coolant situation. There were others that I replaced and repaired. The gas gage didn't work and twice I ran out of gas in the middle of the road. I got it fixed. Hopefully, with all the money that I put into my Lumina, I may have peace of mind for a while.

Jim of Moore OK (10/09/07)
I have a 1996 Chevy Lumina APV that came with DexCool antifreeze. The owner's manual says it's good for 150,000 miles. At 82,000 the water pump gasket began to leak so had pump replaced. The mechanic said the gasket and seal had been damaged by the DexCool coolant. He drained, flushed and refilled the system with regular antifreeze. Two thousand miles later the intake manifold gasket began to leak which cost me nearly $800 to repair and that mechanic also said it had been damaged by the DexCool coolant that came in the vehicle.

Steve of Chesapeake VA (10/09/07)
Bought New Pontiac Grand Prix in 2000. Coolant was DEX-COOL which was suppose to last up to 5 years and 150,000 Miles. Car was very will maintained and engine coolant never low. At 15,000 miles I detected sludge and browning of radiator fluid. Took to dealer who said radiator cap was bad which he replaced, but did not flush system or replace the Dex-Cool. I wrote to GM customer relations and asked for a complete flush with new radiator fluid which they did to keep me happy. Withing a few thousand miles the system once again sludging up. One week out of warranty the heater core let go. It was fixed under warranty after much complaining. About one week later I noted the radiator leaking at which time a traded car in as I no longer had enough confidence to drive it anywhere. Since then, my son in law has a 2005 Buick with dex-cool with 17,000 miles showing the exact same symptoms of sludge. Also drove a brand new GM rental with 3,000 miles on it. It also already had minor sludge build up at only 3k.

Dan of St Louis MO (10/08/07)
water pump,heater core,in my chevy. water pump,and now head gasket in my cadillac.the problem being dexcool anti-freze

Diane of Hampton GA (10/08/07)
I own a 99 Olds Cutlass that has 62000 miles on it. I am having problems with the coolant system like every one else that has Dex Cool in the vehicle. It is going to cost me $1000. to repair.

Williams of Folsom CA (10/05/07)
Due to apoorly engineered product, DEXCOOL, I have now had to R/R major portions of both the cooling system (heater core, freeze plugs, radiator, etc.), and a host of bystander components from system leakag on my Chevy S10. There is no excuse for GM not to be held accountable for such a pernicious product. The truck has spproximately 75K miles, and is only lightly traveled. My perception regards the volume of complaints to be an obvious result of shoddy engineering, slipshod product testing, and profound contempt of their customers' support and protection.

Peter of Lake Forest Park WA (10/01/07)
My 2000 Chevy Blazer has had a lot of problems with the cooling system. The dex-cool Coolant kept disappearing. Now I found that the coolant has been mixing with the oil and the oil has turned to something resembling butter. Now I have to replace the head gasket.

Orval of Frederic WI (09/30/07)
The use of plastic parts in the engine of my 1998 buick lesabre has cost me much grief and money.

Michael of Landenberg PA (09/30/07)
We recently purchased a 2004 Volkswagen Passat with one of the major selling features, having Onstar. After attempting to subscribe to the service, I was notified that I'd only have service for two months longer and afterwards the entire feature would not work in my car.

I was not told that the feature would not function in as little as 90 days after purchase. I paid extra for the feature in the car that I will not be able to use. No refund is available and Onstar has no upgrade for the Passat.

John Hintz of Medicine Hat, Canadda (09/28/07)
Bought a Chev Venture Van (year 1998) Holidays with family and engine overheats. Took to repair shop replaced engine temp sensor and thermostat. System flushed and new dex-cool installed. Was fine for approx 1200 kilometers and same problem. Took it back to budget brake and muffler and head gasket is blown, camshaft sensor out of calibration, bent valve, and still overheats at any given moment.

Ralph of Fort Wayne, IN (09/24/07)
I have recently discovered similar problems as everyone below, as well as my sister. She owned a 4door 98' pontiac grand am, i own a two door pontiac grand am se. her car had the sludge, and a gasket blow w/ oil/dex-cool/and fuel all leaking together. she is now car less. i am now spending another 700 on replacing my heater core and flush the system of all dex-cool, but luckly will have fixed this problem b/4 any other major work is needed.

Heather Pollard of Georgetown OH (09/17/07)
the dexcool antifreeze that is required in my 1998 chevy blazer. has cost me lots of money i have had numerous heater coils, the antifreeze and oil is mixing together and had to replace the water pump all of the dexcool antifreeze.

Glenn of Kannapolis NC (09/16/07)
I own a 2001 2-dr. Blazer,just bought it 7 weeks ago!I just had the intake manifold.gasket,thermostat... replaced as well as all the red mud the Dexcool made in the system flushed and replaced to the tune of $600.00.I called around and found this to be a very common problem with GM products across the board.The mechanics I've spoken to see this in everything from Cadillac to Tahoe all years and the one who got my business had 3 waiting to be worked on the same day I was there and said that wasn't unusual for a days work for them!Where is the accountability for GM in this? I own a 2000 Impala LS with 73,000 miles on it, and have the same crap in the radiator and will have it flushed out and replaced ASAP,before it developes the same thing if it isn't to late already.I had the flush and fill done 3 years ago(30,000 miles) and they put the same crap back in it then and it looks just like mud in it right now!

Theresa of Coopersburg PA (09/15/07)
I have replaced my water pump twice in less then 3 years. Now i Think I have to replace my intake manifold gasket and how knows what else. I can not drive my car again because I am losing all my coolant.

Blake of Middleburg FL (09/15/07)
1998 Chevrolet Blazer 4.3 with DEX-COOL vehicle mileage 208K... Granted this vehicle has higher mileage but, rest assure it has been well maintained and kept up. I have had to replace the water pump a total of 3x and thought pump was out again but found out the manifold gaskets and other gaskets have now failed due to the fact the DEX-COOL has corroded them to nothing. But, worse yet the dex-cool has infiltrated into the vehicles oil causing bearing etc to seize up due to no lubrication. Keep in mind I first had coolant system flushed at 30k mileage, then again on each occurrence of water pump failure. Now the engine must be replaced as it has seized due to dex-cool. Dex-cool labeled as high mileage coolant should be labeled corrosive and do not use unless you want catastrophic engine failure!

Michael of Wyoming MI (09/15/07)
1999 Buick Century with leaking intake gasket due to use of Dex-Cool Antifreeze eating away at gaskets. Brown sludge is collecting in upper radiator and recovery tank even after a coolant flush. Less than 98,000 miles on this well maintained car.

Melissa of Burnsville MN (09/15/07)
A year ago I purchased a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am and have been having chronic cooling system problems because of Dex-Coolant sludging. I had to have my intake manifold re-done and when the mechanics flushed the sytem they said they have never seen coolant sludge plugs like mine before! 3 months later I had to have the system re-flushed AGAIN because of sludging. Now only 9 months later I am seeing sludge build up again and need to have it re-done to avoid more major engine damage!

Glenn of Kannapolis NC (09/15/07)
I own a 2001 2WD S-10 Blazer with 87,300 miles on it.This car has just had to have the manifold and gasket,head gaskets,thermostat,hoses clamps... replaced all because of this coolant problem that GM has caused by using this product.Every shop I have talked to has seen this in all GM vehicles from sedans to SUV's.Every body I have talked to says the same thing about the coolant used, turns rust colored or muddy and erodes the components,especially metal ones,that it comes in contact with.This s-10 was leaking water out of the thing as fast as I could put it in the recovery tank or radiator when the thing wasn't hot.This was a$600.00 repair for me and 2 days without a vehicle,A BIG DOLLAR EXPENSE! If there is some class action going on about this include me IN!There is no way that a company should not be responsible to its' customers in a matter such as this.I can see that there are plenty of others that have the same problem, and from what I am told by mechanics in my area,many more that will have it happen as well eventually!The mechanic that looked at my car has 3 more GM products just in the last 2 days that have the same problem.They were a Tahoe,Suburban and an Impala and that number isn't unusual for him to repair! I have owned a 2000 Impala for 5+ years now and I'm beginning to wonder if preventative maintainance is in order for this one,or trade while it's paid for as P.M. instead! Thanks for your time, Glenn Foster

Reedy & Christina of Elyria OH (09/12/07)
We purchased a 2000 Cavilier brand new, within 2 years the car had to have a new head gasket replaced, which needs to be replaced again. The car was sold using Dexcool. Other issues with the car include a bad fuel pump and at one time it was taken in for a bumping sound in the front passenger wheel well...come to find out when the car was manufactured a strut was put in backwards??? This outcome was stated directly from the dealership where the car was purchased.

Michael of Modesto CA (09/12/07)
dexcool got me over $1300 in repars and counting intack gasket thermostat ext in my 2000 chevy impala

Tom of Brownstown MI (09/12/07)
I currently own 2 Pontiac products (1998 Transport and 2001 Grand Prix). A couple of years ago I had the intake gasket replaced on the Transport due to coolant leaking on the back of the motor. The mechanic I called described the problem as soon as I gave him the year and make! He said they do them all the time. The problem? DexCool. My Grand Prix exhibited the same problem the following year after 120,000 relatively troublefree miles. Luckily(?) I had major engine problems and replaced the motor before I wasted money and time on the gasket. After 7 months the low coolant indicator began acting erratically. I wasn't losing any coolant but when I removed the rediator cap to check it out the telltale sludge was there. Can the DexCool be replaced by the green stuff? I filled out a form for a class action lawsuit last year but no one ever contacted me. There should be plenty of evidence. All the mechanics (except GM dealerships, of course) are aware of this issue.

Richard of Deep Run NC (09/09/07)
My girlfriend and I were on our way to Tennessee for the Labor Day long weekend... I noticed Friday night that my trucks (Chevy s10 2002)temperature gauge was running a little hot, but never went passed 210(half way). So Saturday afternoon I decided to pop the hood and check things out. When I popped off the radiator cap the antifreeze was brown muddy looking, rust deposits stuck to the inside of the radiator and the radiator cap seal was dry rotted and rusted.

On Sunday I flushed the radiator out about 15 times refilled it with Dex Cool and distilled water. I drove the truck about 10 miles in city traffic everything was fine I brought it back home let it cool off and topped it off with Dex Cool and Distilled water. I started back home on Monday got about an hour away and the truck started running HOT!!!! I replaced the thermostat got about 20 miles down the road and it ran hot again... I pulled off at an Advance Auto Store and had the Clutch Fan checked and it seemed to be okay. I added some water and antifreeze went about 5 miles it started running hot again then My girlfriend and I decided we were not going anywhere so we had to get a hotel room, and since it was a holiday weekend everything was closed and we could not get any help. I ran the truck later that night with the air running and it never ran hot went riding around the town we were staying in and it never ran hot...

So the next morning I took the truck to a service center and the professionally flushed out the radiator with green antifreeze(they said Dex Cool was BAD). I even left the thermostat out so I could get home. We didn't make it an hour and it started running hot again so we had to pull over again..... We had to do this all day long to let the truck cool off so it wouldn't run too hot. What should have taken us 7 hours to get home total took over 30. When I got back home I took my truck to a mechanic and they had to replace the radiator it was too gued up to be flushed out they also had to clean out my engine.... And they did not put DEX COOL back in it... It has the nice yellow green antifreeze and so far so good....

GM should be responsible for reimbursing me for all the parts and labor that was involved in incident. It cost $600 + to fix my truck not including my holiday pay from work and having to miss another day. GM needs to step up and take care of their customers no matter if their warranty has expired or not. From the looks of these other complaints they are well aware of this DEX COOL issue.

Kathleen of Haddonfield NJ (09/08/07)
I've had to replace my Intake Manifold Gasket with only 58,262 miles on my 1997 Buick Century. I've found online that GM has had a problem with this for years. I would like them to pay for my last car service and any other problems caused by this.

Russell of Bourbonnais IL (09/06/07)
Just got back from getting my oil changed in my 2000 Chevy Venture. Was informed I have oil in my engine coolant, indicating a bad head gasket. Manager told me about similar problems on same make caused by Dex-Cool Just paid it off and cannot afford a new vehicle, seeking retribution if what I read is true.

Penny of Jackson MS (09/04/07)
I have a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am. My low coolant light came on. I purchased Dex-cool antifreeze to put in it as my GMC manual request that only this type of coolant can be used in this car. Coolant light went off but a few weeks later came back on. I carried the car to Meineke car care center .I was told it was because the Dex-cool had ate up my gaskets.

Mohamad of Irving TX (08/29/07)
I bought a 1997 Pontiac Transport brand new in June 30,1996 Had to replace the engine at a cost of 2,200.00-- When my daughter took her Pontiac Transport later to Firestone and had to spend over 2300.00 and the mechanic at Firestone told her about the problem with the DEXCOOL it made me realize that I did nothing wrong and that the GM Dealer treated me very shabbily.Will never buy another GM. My dayghter also will not buy-She just bought a new Toyota ALL Green Vehicle

Rose Ann & Michael of St Charles MO (08/29/07)
I had a 2001 Chevrolet Impala the low coolant sensor kept going on when I took it in the dealer told me it was a bad sensor and that they needed to replace the sensor and also I had a bad intake manifold gasket and I would need to replac that also and it is not covered under the warranty the bill was going to be over $600 I took it to a local Mechanic he flushed the system numerous times replaced the sensor and refilled the syytem with regular antifreeze I sold the car with just about 90,000 miles and to this day about 2 years later is still running . I have a 2002 Buick Century with about 50,000 miles same problem we flushed the system and replaced the sensor we may still have to replace the intake manifold gasket as it may still be giving me a problem. I presently own a 2004 Chev impala and have already flushed the system

Jaime of Saint Louis MO (08/29/07)
My Pontiac GrandAM 99, had an intake manifold gasket leak and I replaced the water pump. I believe this is all linked to the orange muck called DexCool that was in my coolent reservoir.

Steve of Northport AL (08/27/07)
Intake gasket on my 1996 Chevy Tahoe, 97,000 miles on it had extreme malfunction after using GM Dex-Cool Prestone Antifreeze/Coolant. My daughter who was 20 yrs.old and by herself was driving this vehicle and was 300 miles from home when the Intake gasket malfunctioned. It left her stranded on the side of the road for 6 hours till I could get a wrecker to haul her and her vehicle home.

Michael of Haughton LA (08/22/07)
I inherited a 2000 Chevy Venture minivan from my grandmother in 2005. It had been dealer maintained until then when I took up the maintenance. It now has 51,000 miles on it. Much too few for coolant to be spewing out from somewhere around the serpentine belt. Also noticed the brown sludge when I opened the radiator cap. I do not know what to do.

Marleen of Dearborn MI (08/21/07)
I own a 2003 Malibu, 40,000 miles. I had to replace the intake manifold gasket and water pump. There has been many, many complaints about Dex Cool coolant causing the erosion of the gaskets and GM has done thing to remedy this. They should have a recall. I have the old parts.

Alisa of Englewood NJ (07/31/07)
I took my car in for an oil change and was told that my intake manifold gasket needed to be replaced. This appears to be a typical problem for GM cars made in the mid 90s to early 2000s, and I'd like to support any legal action against GM. I'd also like to make GM consumers aware of a class-action suit being filed by Girard Gibbs, LLP, which I was notified about by www.carcomplaints.com

David of Westmister MD (07/31/07)
My vehicle had 27485 miles and had to have the ead gasket replaced, now my vehicle has 85746 miles on it and the gasket or water pump needs to be replaced. All stemming from dex cool.

Edie of Yukon OK (07/30/07)
I am just as angry as all the others for being informed that OnStar will no longer function in my 2002 Chevrolet vehicle. I cannot believe that with all the advances in cell phone technology there isn't some way to upgrade the analog vehicles. I really feel like I have received the 'Onstar treatment' and the commercials just rub it in.

Ken of Clark NJ (07/30/07)
I had owned a 1997 cadilaac,at 119,000 miles the head gasket failed. I no longer own the vehicle.

D & J of Lexington KY (07/28/07)
I have a 2000 Chevy Venture Van, I had a tune up and my radiator flushed when I was told it looked like I had oil in my radiator. My check engine light was on found out my CamShaft Positioning sensor went out too.. So decided to wait on the oil in my radiator to see if it had anything to do with a stop leak we had used. But van still started to over heat a week later. Then I found this web site.. Contacted GM and even sent them the link to this web site and still haven't heard anything from them.. Shame on them for taking advantage of people like this.. My husband is a disabled vet we can't afford to continually replace parts in the van, but we have to have it and can't afford a another car. Just hoping and praying that it won't destroy the engine before we can get the money to have it repaired. He drives a 2000 Trooper we are just hopin and praying his doesn't develope the same problem since it too uses the Dexcool.

Jason of West Farmington ME (07/23/07)
I own a 1999 Oldsmobile Bravada that had Dex Cool coolant. It has been regularly maintained and the coolant was flushed and filled just about 30,000 miles ago in early 2006. This week, I noticed the temperature gauge was running a bit above normal and I could smell a coolant odor. After the car cooled, down I opened the radiator and found a thick sludge compacted throughout the inside. This sludge was the consitency of clay and had literally formed over the course of a few weeks. It completely jammed up my cooling system to the point that it was no longer functioning. I had to replace the radiator, water pump, and all hoses, as well as have the water jacket and other cooling components flushed out with a special cleaning product to break down and remove the sludge. The mechanics said that they see dozens upon dozens of vehicles with Dex Cool related problems each month. I'm lucky to have gotten out of this with a $600 bill. A few more miles with this faulty coolant and I would have likely had a $2500+ repair bill. If you are driving a GM, make sure your coolant is green and not orange/red! And please complain about this product...it is costing consumers when the fix is a simple $50 flush and fill with an alternate product.

Martin of Redlands CA (07/23/07)
1998 Pontiac Transport, After 70.000 miles I too had a intake gasket fail and now 50.000 miles later, it is time once again for another intake gasket. also under warranty,Pontiac dealer in San Bernardino Ca claims he never heard of Dex-cool troubles. Claims if it were bad they would not still be using it antilock brakelight came on and now once again lights on. other common problems shared with owners of this model are, dashboard lights going out, wire harness decayed by battery acid, rear windows no longer work

Donna of Washington DC (07/19/07)
After 55,000 miles, I had to replace the intake manifold gasket in my 1998 Olds Cutlass after the car was leaking coolant. Like many people before, it cost $700 and was due to a design flaw in the vehicle. I feel I should be compensated for this problem. It has caused other engine damage that I am still dealing with.

John of Trenton GA (07/16/07)
I own a 2003 LS Edition Malibu! When I bought the car from the dealership it had 59,000 Miles on the car. As I took it home withim a month the coolent light came on I cheked the coolent and It was full! But the water resivor was like a rusty brown sludge!

I took my car in for service And Had the radiator fllushed and cleaned out and they put dex-cool back into my car. The sludge came right back. My dealership wouldnt fix my car. The water resivor was completly runined and all tehy did was flush it out and put Dex cool right back into it. So yesterday i went and bought a new water resivor and asked what to put into it.

The dealership once again said Dex-cool!

It hasnt even been 24 hours since I put the new resivor on and the sludge is already started to turn the new one into a sludgey mess! What can I do about this If any thing? Can legal action be taken or What. I still have a warrenty on my car but all they will not fix what i ask they will only Do what they think is best? Is there help for me out there?

Donald of St Louis MO (07/09/07)
My 1999 pontiac grand am recently blew a gasket causing permanent damage to my engine. Repairs are costing me between 1,500-3,000 dollars. I had multiple leaking problems with the dex coolant causing other major problems (fuel line damage/replacement, overheating) to my car. I recently paid well over a thousand dollars for those repairs alone and I have the receipts to prove this. If there is any way I can get in on the class action law suit I would appreciate any information that could help point me in the right direction.

Scott of Clarion PA (07/07/07)
I have a 2000 Pontiac Sunfire. I bought it in 2003, and just added anti-freeze to it for the first time last month. I have had to do it twice again since then, and my girlfriend's father says I could have a blown head gasket. I read your article and now I am afraid that I am going to have to spend money that I don't have to fix my car! I am a college student and I cannot afford thousands of dollars in repairs! I will NEVER buy another GM car until they fix this problem.

Gay of Glendale AZ (07/07/07)
I have spent over 2000 dollars getting my 97 chevy venture fixed and still more and more problems. It seems that the Dex-Cool ate away the water pump and the gaskets and ruined the block so now I have coolent in the engine block and I do not have the money to fix this automobile anymore so I now have to junk it because who would buy this piece of crap now! If I had known about the problems with dex-cool before I would have NEVER NEVER bought a Chevy. I had it flushed out and changed but the damage was already done and there was nothing that I could do.

Carl of Wenatchee WA (07/05/07)
Had a coolant leak in my 2003 Pontiac Grand Am. Coolant on driveway at home and where I park at work. Dropped it off at a Certified GM Service Center. They called back within an hour and said the intake gasket and the water pump had to be replaced. It will cost $1100.00. I googled water pumps and 2003 pontiac grand am and found a few web sites where it seems this Intake Gasket leak problem is wide spread. Many other owners posting comments of the exact problem and being charged anywhere from $800 to $2200.00 to fix the exact same problem. It has to do with the coolant that HAS to be used in the car and the plastic gasket installed in the 2003 Grand Ams. When the plastic gasket heats up then cools the coolant breaks down the gasket.

Lillian of Guild TN (06/30/07)
I have been reading complaints about Dex-Cool Anti Freeze with absolute horror! I own a 1999 Chevy Astro Van which I purchased used in 2005 and I, too, like so many people, have been using the recommended Dex-Cool and am wondering if that is the product that is causing a lot of symptoms I've been noticing that has started to happen to my van. I've noticed that my engine temperature gauge now is up slightly than what it used to be and I'm not sure if the engine hesitation is part of the oncoming problem I will be facing. I am also experiencing hard shift change in my transmission (though I'm not sure if that is one of the problems caused by Dex-Cool but who knows!) The coolant is like a slug sludge eating away all it comes into contact with causing problems (such as leaking oil, antifreeze, etc.) and by that problem happening causing one to spend more money repairing, replacing or hoping it'll go away. I am dependent on my only vehicle to get me too and from work so that I can have money to repair, replace, etc., my problems caused by something we all wouldn't have thought twice about. I really love my van and don't want to get rid of it...I'm going to flush out the radiator and hopefully the apparent future problems won't happen because I was wise to read what has happened to a lot of people.

I have been experiencing my air conditioner running hot and I have to turn that off and turn my heater on full blast to keep my engine block from cracking. I drive 50+ miles every day to go to work (driving up and down steep mountain) and need my vehicle to make a living. I cannot afford to fix any problems this Dex-Cool may or has already caused. I, as well as many other people, would like to see General Motors show us that they care about us and not only care about money (which by the way seems like their business is not as great as it once was before). I would like my car running just like it should be and not make me worry about transporting my little grandchildren with me up and down the steep mountains every day worried that some part of my car will fail.

Beth of Scotia NY (06/27/07)
Coolant flushes are frequent. Head gasket leaking. Coolant often topped off. Then I can smell coolant burning, but machanics find no leaks. Had coolant flushes often.

Reserve tank very sluggish even after flushes.

Leah of Burnsville MN (06/24/07)
I have a 1996 Pontiac Sunfire with 135K miles on it. I am leaking coolant AGAIN, and I assume I'll need to replace the head gasket AGAIN. Oh, and guess what? This will be the FOURTH TIME. Perhaps I'll just get a different car.

GM paid for a gasket replacement when it was just under 100K miles (it wasn't under warranty anymore), only because I hassled them. I located the company representative in my area directly and got him to help me. Regardless, this shouldn't happen and GM should fix the problem, even at 135K miles.

Dolores of Philadelphia PA (06/24/07)
I am now having problems with my coolant system, specifically the Air conditioner. I have a 2001 oldsmobile alero, which was declared a lemon after fighting with GM in or about 2003, Instead of replacing the vehicle, I was given about$4,000 after legal fees as a payoff. Now we are with the DEX cool problems, since I am just starting with the AC problem I don't know what my expensese will incurr... I am wondering, that since this car is a lemon, would I still be eligible for the class action suit in regards to Dex Cool.. The car was declared a lemon due to body misalignments. Oh the list is long of replaced things to much to mention here... But, I will say I have not had any mechanical problems, YET, they are just beginning ( air conditioning) with possibily other things contributing to it's malfunction. The car has 31,000 miles and has always been dealer serviced which does included the warning light for the cooling system coming on, but at the time I was having a oil change and didn't ask what was done in reference to it, the light was off when the car was returned and I was giving a bil, the car was under warranty at that time, it has since ran out...This GM car has been nothing but a headache. How can I get added to class action suit if I run into problems, my next car will be a Toyota..

Sharon of Roseville CA (06/20/07)
I have had my car for 10 years, '97 Chevy Malibu. Throughout the years I've had my car I've had problems with the coolant, either leaking or other problems. Now, I was at the John L. Sullivan Chevrolet dealership to get my car fixed again. In March, I originally wanted my gear shift to be fixed then they told me that my Intake was leaking, they resealed intaker and rechecked it $1577.37. A month later my coolant light comes on. they verified low coolant in the reservoir, traced to leaking water pump. They replaced the water pump and topped off with coolant, $367.51. Two months later, my coolant light again turns on,went back John L. Sullivan. They can't get coolant light to come on, but they said is loosing pressure and don't know why. They still have my car as of today 06/20/07. In between there I've had to take my car to Midas and had my right front brake rotot replaced, resurface left front brake rotor, two front brake calipers replaced, clean and adjust rear brakes, two rear wheel cylinders replaced. They also said I needed my front motor mount and Transmission mount replaced. I have yet to do that. $978.51. Since March of 2007 I have spent $2923.39 to fix my car, not including what taking place at John L. Sullivan now.

Richard of San Diego CA (06/12/07)
The buick century 2001 with 55000 miles has a leaky head gasket. This is not due to hard driving. Repair will be more than $2000. I don't want an American car again.

Terry of Covington LA (06/04/07)
took my 2000 Blazer in to have my Truck serviced for the dexcool problem, 4th dealer to look at it. I have already spent over $2500 on it to have dealers say it will happen again. Anyway Leson mechanic tried to tell me the lower intake gasget went bad causing oil to get into the coolant. I told him replace the radiator, hoses and thermostat, bypass the heater core if it can't be flushed. He looked at me like I was crazy and claims he nwvwr heard of the Dex Coll problem. Yea Right!

so know I am out another $1100. I'll never buy another GM. Not so much that there is an issue, but the fact that they know and will not correct it. Very Bad customer service.

Carolyn of Toronto, Canada (05/16/07)
Started losing coolant..so topped it up. Then it was all over the garage floor. Went to mechanic who charged me $100 to say..It's the head gasket..repair will cost $2600. Took car to another mechanic who replaced the timing gasket..and all seemed ok. Then leak started again a few weeks later..water pump replaced $260...ok for another month now constant overheating. Talked at length to Active Green & Ross people who said they can flush the rad and heatercore.. They said any other coolant deteriortaes FASTER than Dexcool and NO mechanic will go against the GM demand that Dexcool be used as it is designed for use with their engines. Rea dthe post about someone getting a mechanic wizrd to do some copper wiring adds and using Green coolant but NO mechanic I have talked to will take that chance. All they suggest is get more frequent coolant flushes. GM is cretaing more repair business for themselves by NOT fixing this problem..guess they have to compete somehow.. Trouble is..its us POOR folks who acnt afford better cars who are stuck with this FLAW...NEVER again GM!!!

Jonathan of Sheboygan Falls WI (05/16/07)
I have a 2002 Oldsmobile Alero I bought brand new in 02, at 28,000 miles I had the lower intake manifold gaskets replaced under warranty for leaking casued by Dex-cool engine coolant. My car is a show car that is stored every winter and now 2007 with 60,000 miles on the odometer the lower intake manifold gasket is leaking again! Dealerships want 600 dollars and up to replace...with all these problems, why must GM and Dex-cool disregard this problem??

engine coolant in engine oil, and being burned in the exhaust system, which can't help emmisions, or greenhouse gases.

Bob of West Grove PA (05/15/07)
I have always purchased buick products, however I how now decieded not to puchase ANY BUICK PRODUCTS AFTER TWO DECADES OF BUICKS. TOO BAD!!! WHAT A SHAME. I LOVE MY BMW.

I have no issues with my current auto other than the fact, If I didn't do the work myself. I would be unemployed by the dealership and there current charges. Thank God I was given the gift to work on auto's. Even the new fancy fangled models. I feel bad for the people that are on fixed incomes being taken advantaged of. Over and out. Good luck to all you people looking for the CEO to come clean about any issues with DEX-COOL. Doubt that he/she will ever come clean about the real issues that face all the new issues facing the currect concerns. I hope that the true buick that I used to know will make good on all the complaints and this isn't the downfall of a good company. Maybe the CEO needs to reduce yearly bouns and give that to the employees to make Buick the company it used to be. Have a nice life. Bye.

Danilo of Wilmington MA (05/13/07)
I Have A Pontiac Grand Am Gt 1999 with 85000 miles. I bought it with 45000 miles and ever since i bought it, I have been having problems with it. I took it to one mechanic and they could not figure out what it was, and then to another, and then to another,etc. Then finally I took it to a good mechanic who specializes in GM engines 3.2 liters and 3.4 liters. He said he gets about 2 cars a week with the same problem.

He said he would fix it but it would not be cheap. He said that Dex-Cool was the worst thing you could ever puit in your car. I had to get my intake manifold, Head Gasket, and fix the damage to the heads. He had to put in oil and drain it out on my engine 6 times to get the crud out. In total i spent over 2200 dollars. Now i think this is an outrage them not having a recall on this because my car is running fine right now but my machanic said never to put Dex-Cool in my radiator again and on the coolant tank it self says no maintenace required for 5 years or 150000 miles.

Janelle of St. Cloud MN (05/06/07)
I just had to have the water pump and seals, intake manifold gasket and seals, thermostat, and radiator cap replaced. Also there was the oil changing and cooling system flushing related to this problem. I am horrified to find out that this will almost definitely happen again very soon and it is caused by this Dex -cool crap and that GM knows about it.

Lisa of Warwick RI (05/03/07)
I Have a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am Gt with about 86,000 miles on it and currently is getting another new head gasket. I have had 2 intake manifold gaskets put in and this is my second head gasket. $3000 later (for both) they tell me they cannot guarentee it won't happen again. GM and Dex-Cool are responsible and need to compensate or correct this probelm. Being a single mother with 2 children. I can't be spending this rediculous amount of money over and over again just because of their mistake.

Jody of Broomfield CO (05/02/07)
My horror story about dex-coolant starts like this. I go to get a normal oil change at 75,000 miles for a 2000 Buick Century and the technician comes in and shows me my radiator cap and oil cap with this brown sludge on it and explains that the manifold gasket is bad and needs replaced. $900 dollars later, I have my car back to have the same thing happen six months later. They do a radiator flush to make sure that is not the problem. Six months even later and the gasket needs to be replaced yet again. Well, that fix lasts for another four months and the sludge is back. I started doing some research on the internet and find out it is the coolant that is causing all the problems. It is just sad that General Motors cannot step up and admit that there is a problem and tell people to stop using the coolant.

Melissa of Knoxville TN (05/01/07)
This being the first major problem, I was surprised when she started overheating, took it to my dad, checked levels and such and sent me off, no obvious leaks yet. Weeks passed and now i had coolant as my passenger all the time just to get a few miles I'd have to fill it up everyday, had everyone handy i know look. no one could figure this leak out. now if I drive more then 10 minutes i'm overheated. I put it on the local market, for cheap,for a mechanic, when a honest fellow told me my car was worthless, and directed me to this website. He explained that the dexcool was eating away at the plastic in GM's radiator.

Holly of Knoxville TN (04/30/07)
Yet another Dexcool problem. My 1999 Catera started giving me problems right after I bought it with only 51k miles. After about $3000 worth of work, I still need more..All thanks to Dexcool..meanwhile, I am being told to make sure that I ONLY use Dexcool.

Patrick of Allentown PA (04/26/07)
I am in the process of shopping for a new car on a tight budget because of the failing coolant system in my 1996 Chevy Lumina with only 80K miles. Why do I have to you ask? Two words: DEX COOL. Back in April 2005 I had to have the intake manifold gaskets as well as my water pump repaired for a total of about $800. A year later, I had to have my radiator cap replaced because it was stripped. Those repairs were at 70K and 75K miles, respectively. Now, 2 years later I notice a coolant leak under my car and it is my radiator leaking. My mechanic said I have a slowly worsening leak in my intake manifold gasket again, too, due to the Dex Cool coolant. Pluse I haven't had air conditioning in my car for 2 summers now! I had a 1993 Lumina that ran like a dream for 110K miles until I sold it right before inheriting this piece of junk! I will never buy another GM product again! GM should be ashamed of themselves for all the problems their coolant has caused and deserve all the financial problems they have because of their inability to service their customers and man up to the problem!

Amanda of Chaffee MO (04/26/07)
I purchased a 2000 Grand Am GT in June of 2004 from a used car dealer. The car had around 94,000 miles on it. The third week I had the car, the transmission started acting funny. I took it back to the dealer and told them about it and that they needed to fix it since I had the car less than 30 days and had driven less than 1,000 miles (per the typical lemon law/warranty offered by the dealer). They drove it and told me nothing was wrong with it. The 31st day I had the car, the transmission would not stay in a gear, it kept switching back and forth from 2nd to 3rd gear. I took it home and parked it. I called the dealer and insisted that they come and get it and fix it since i had made them aware of the problem before my limited warranty expired.

They ended up keeping my car for a week and replaced the transmission--at about 95,000 miles. Later in the summer, it started running warmer than normal. I took it back to the dealer ship and they couldn't find any reason for this. They took the radiator/resivoir cap off and switched it out with one from another Grand Am. That stopped the problem for about a month. It started running warm again and I took it back again--it was due for an oil change anyway.

So, they changed the thermostat and the oil and charged me $250. I was a parts runner for an auto parts store, and I know that a thermostat is only around $5, so i was pretty aggravated about that. Well, the car was fine until December of 2004. The water pump went out on it and had to be replaced. I got lucky and only had to pay for the part ($20) because of a mechanic friend.

The car did fine again until September of 06. It just died on me going down the road. Twice in one weekend actually. Once it was towed home. My fiance had also just purchased a 98 Chevy Silverado that blew a head/intake gasket ($1200) the same weekend and had to be towed (thank you AAA)(The Chevy also blew a head on 01/01/07 and the entire motor had to be replaced--thankfully covered by the used car dealers extended warranty--now, its having cooling issues with the radiator as well).

The problem with my car ended up being the fuel pump that time, which is in the gas tank, and cost $500 to fix. Then it was the driver side power window motor (this has nothing to do with DexCool, but still a pain), another $300. Now, its April of 07--the car had 152000 miles on it now--so i've only put 58,000 miles on it. I've been with out the car for over two weeks due to the overheating problem again. My fiance and I had received a letter in the mail about the possible class action suit against the makers of dex cool, but i never really gave it much thought and did not make the connection until these past few weeks that i've been without my car and started reading more into it.

I have replaced the thermostat (again) and the radiator/resevoir cap (again) and now will have to replace the radiator. The resevoir is all gunked up with the nasty sludge everyone is talking about. The thermostat had corroded so bad that it wouldn't open. The heater will only blow cold air, so hopefully with the new radiator--and GREEN antifreeze, an engine flush to get rid of the gunk and the new thermostat in place it will be okay again. However, I do believe that i will be trading it in if it happens again after going through all of this. Maybe a Mazda 6 or a Ford F150..........

Christina of Ashburn VA (04/26/07)
I have a 2003 Chevy Trail Blazer LTZ with 65000 miles. Yesterday I heard a noise come from my truck (sounded like a belt rubbing). It lasted a few minutes then went away. Yesterday evening it started again so I took it directly to to the service center. My water pump was moving so they told me I could not drive my truck. I know all of the guys there so they take very good care of me.

Well this morning the service center called back as they have my truck torn apart and guess what Dexcool is in my truck. The dexcool broke down my seals on my radiator and leaked (very very small leak) destroying the belts and the bearing on my water pump. My truck is 5000 miles over its extended warranty so I was told the by the Chevy dealer sorry can't help you there. The service center is going to flush out all dexcool and put in regular anti-freeze after they replace everything else.

Lenette of Pensacola FL (04/25/07)
We have a 99 GrandAM SE that has had a continual overheating and leaking issue. We have spent a lot of money over the years trying to deal with it. We bought the car used from a GM dealership in 2004. We have spent $1100 in the last few weeks trying to get it repaired.

They have done everything and it seems to be getting worse. They have replaced the water pump (2nd one in a couple of years), the intake manifold gasket, the thermostat and flushed the radiator twice.

We are taking it back in the morning because two days after picking it back up from the shop, it is overheating again. I didn't realize there was a common problem with all of these vehicle from the DexCool. I am sure that is what is going on after reading all of the other complaints. We need help.

Jennifer of Normal IL (04/25/07)
On my 2001 Chevy Malibu I had to have my lower intake manifold gasket, costing me over $700.00 and being without a car for two days. My car only has 87,000 miles on it and the lower intake manifold gasket should not have had to been replaced, if it was made properly with the proper coolant.

I was without my car for 2 days, depending on rides to and from work and to and from my son's daycare. I had to pay out over $700.00 for the repairs. And who's to say it won't happen again.

Richard of Cincinnati OH (04/24/07)
My check engine light kept coming on at approximately 50,000 miles. I took it to the Oldsmobile dealer and had a diagnostic check done to my car, at which time I was notified that my manifold gasket was leaking and needed to be replaced. Instead of paying $900.00 to get it replaced there, I took it to a trusted friend of the family who has his own shop and he did the work for $300.00 (and I bought the parts needed). My car now has 65,640 miles on it, and I took it to another mechanic and was informed that not only was my manifold gasket leaking, AGAIN, but that I also had coolant leaking into my oil and oil leaking into my coolant, all because of the new and improved antifreeze called Dexcool that damages the plastic seals throughout the engine! This car is barely 4-years old and has this many problems with it already???

Christina of Antioch TN (04/24/07)
I did not know what was going on.Now that i hear about this I am pretty sure that that is why I am having the same thing happen to me. I will have to replace my intake manifold. both of them.which is a bunch of bull.

There is a huge leak and its not cheap to keep buying somethin to stay in there to keep the d*** thing cool. and it says dont buy anything else for it so what the h*** are we supposed to use.

Dawn of Canton MI (04/23/07)
The use of Dex-cool in gm cars. It ate my lower intake manifold gasket and had to be replaced.

It cost me $800 to fix. I don't have that kind of money, I am a single mother, that was layed off from my job and now returned back to school. I had to borrow a car for a week, since mine was being fixed. According to this website, it appears that many GM customers have had the same problem. I find that unacceptable and would think GM would care about there customers. I guess not.

Jim of Strongsville OH (04/19/07)
While driving my 1999 Chevy Blazer just stopped running (stalled). I pulled over and tried to start the engine, it wouldn't turn over. I had a full tank of gas and the radio worked, so I was stumped. I called for tow and waited to hear from the machanic. When he called i was shocked to learn that I had what he described as a blocked engine due to an internal anti-freeze leak. He sais the engine was shot and that I needed a new engine. My vehicle has 102K miles (breakin mileage these days)and I maintain it very well. I was planning to drive it for another 100K miles. Of course the blue book value on my vehicle is only slightly more than the $3400.00 estimate to repair, so now I am basically forced to purchase another vehicle. I started researching the internet for similar problems and found your web-site. I too have only used DEX Cool antifreeze and can't beleive that GM is allowed to get away with this.

Rob of Mount Laurel NJ (04/18/07)
My 2001 Malibu, 35000 miles needs a intake manifold gasket replacement, $1400 repair. In addition, my 2001 Olds Aurora, 52000 miles also has leaking gaskets estimated repair is $800. GM should be responsible for these repairs since they are all Dex Cool related.

Andrew of Claremont CA (04/16/07)
My Chevy Astro Van has 69,000 miles on it and I've replaced the radiator and water pump. Now DEXCOOL coolant is leaking everywhere. I couldn't keep the coolant reservoir full so I put the van on jackstands to look underneath. Turns out I have two blown head gaskets, blown in