2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

ENGINE ACCELERATES TO 3,000 RPM DURING WARM UP (SOMETIMES). USUALLY OCCURS ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AFTER COLD START. HAS LASTED 10 TO 15 MINUTES WHILE DRIVING. HAS NOT REPEATED DURING SAME DAY AND NOT HAPPEN AGAIN FOR DAYS OR WEEKS DURING THE PAST FIVE MONTHS. REPLACED ECM (COMPUTER), IAC (IDLE AIR CONTROL), COOLANT TEMP. SENSOR AND CLEANED THROTTLE BODY. DEALER CANNOT SUGGEST SOLUTION. UNABLE TO GET CAR TO DEALER WHILE PROBLEM IS HAPPENING. SCANNED FOR DTCS MULTIPLE TIMES, NONE. CONTROLLING SPEED WITH BRAKE IS NOT A GOOD SOLUTION. SAFETY HAZARD! *TR THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE BODY CONTROL MODULE FAILED, THE KEY FOB WOULD NOT WORK, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START, THE INTERIOR LIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON AND THE HEAD LIGHT WOULD NOT TURN OFF. THE CONSUMER HAD TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY, IN ORDER TO TURN THE HEAD LIGHTS OFF. AFTER RECONNECTING THE BATTERY, EVERYTHING RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE BCM WAS REPLACED. UPDATED 03/19/13

BRAKE LINE FROM MASTER CYLINDER BLEW, BRAKE FLUID LEAKED AND BRAKES FAILED. BRAKE WARNING LIGHT DID NOT COME ON UNTIL BRAKES WERE INOPERABLE. LINE WAS FOUND TO BE RUSTED THROUGH. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. BRAKE WARNING LIGHT SHOULD COME ON IMMEDIATELY WHEN A BRAKE LINE RUPTURES TO GIVE THE DRIVER TIME TO STOP BEFORE BRAKES FAIL COMPLETELY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM WOULD ACTIVATE AND THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE STARTED. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO WAIT APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES BEFORE HE VEHICLE COULD BE STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 120,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 133,000.

WHEN I ATTEMPT TO START THE VEHICLE, THE SECURITY LIGHT FLASHES, RADIO LOCKS UP AND THE CAR STALLS. AFTER READING THE MANUAL AND CONTACTING A DEALER, I WAS ADVISED TO TURN THE KEY INTO THE ON POSITION AND WAIT FOR THE SECURITY LIGHT TO STOP FLASHING, THEN START THE CAR. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED IT TOOK OVER AN HOUR FOR THE CAR TO START. THE SECOND TIME, IT TOOK OVER AN HOUR AS WELL. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME AND IM ON DAY 2 OF LEAVING THE KEY IN THE ON POSITION AND NOTHING IS HAPPENING. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AGAIN AND AT FIRST I WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO BRING IT IN FOR A SECURITY SYSTEM RESET. THEN I WAS TOLD THAT I NEED TO REPLACE BCM WITHOUT ANYONE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT MY CAR. AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE, THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS SAME ISSUE ON MODEL 2000-2005. GM IS CLEARLY AWARE OF THIS DEFECT BUT REFUSE RECALL. THOSE THAT HAVE PAID OVER $500 TO FIX REPLACE THE BCM ARE STILL HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. CAN GM BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE FLAW THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF YET CHARGING PEOPLE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO FIX A PART THAT MAY NOT BE BROKEN? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE WAS PUTTING OIL IN THE VEHICLE WHEN SHE BEGAN TO SMELL PLASTIC BURNING AND THEN SAW SPARKING COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AS SOON AS SHE SAW THE SPARKS, THE ENGINE IGNITED INTO FLAMES. THERE WAS NO INJURIES AND THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE POLICE AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND FILED REPORTS. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FIRE. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED BUT PROVIDED NOT ASSISTANCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

MY TURN SIGNALS WENT OUT. WILL NOT WORK AND IDK WHAT'S GOING ON BUT I HAVE READ MANY SAME COMPLAINTS THE NET. *TR

THE CAR WILL NOT START AND I HAVE TO SIT AND WAIT 5 MINUTES OR SO UNTIL IT WILL START. I HAVE BEEN READING ONLINE THAT THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM AND CHEVROLET HAS NOT DONE A RECALL TO FIX IT, IT IS VERY SAD. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS ELECTRICAL PROBLEM FIXED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE CONTACT NOTICED THE SECURITY LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MECHANIC STATED THE KEY HAD TO REMAIN IN ACC MODE FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE IT WOULD START. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE OVER TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE PASS LOCK KEY SENSOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE DEALER STATED THE FAILURE DID NOT OCCUR WITH BOTH KEYS USED TO TURN THE VEHICLE ON. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 158,000.

MULTIPLE TIMES THE KEY HAS BEEN UNABLE TO TURN IN THE IGNITION. USUALLY AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE KEY WILL TURN AND I AM ABLE TO START THE CAR. HOWEVER, ON SEPTEMBER 30, I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND THE CAR HAS NOT STARTED SINCE. I CAN NOT TURN THE CAR ON TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL. THE KEY WILL NOT TURN AT ALL AND I READ THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY A COMMON PROBLEM. *TR

HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT, HAVE INSTALLED 2 PARTS WILL LAST A COUPLE MONTHS THAN WILL GO OUT AGAIN. WILL GO DIM THAN GO OFF. *TR