2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE SECURITY WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AS THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 100,000.

MY 2003 IMPALA LS 3800 CAR CUTS OUT WHEN I START IT AFTER ITS BEEN SITTING A WHILE. I HEAR THIS IS MOST COMMON FOR THESE GM MODELS BUT I CANNOT FIND OUT THE ISSUE TO STOP IT. SHOP WORKERS COULD NOT TELL AT THE SHOP BY DOING A DIAGNOSTIC SCAN. I REALLY WANT TO GET THIS ISSUE RESOLVED. *TR

I HAVE BEEN HAVING RECENT TROUBLE WITH MY CAR NOT STARTING. I TRY TO START IT AND NOTHING HAPPENS. I GET A SECURITY LIGHT THAT FLASHES. I AM USING THE ORIGINAL KEY. I WILL SOMETIMES BE ABLE TO START WITH WITHIN 15 MINUTES LATER, BUT SOMETIMES I AM STUCK SOMEWHERE FOR HOURS BEFORE IT WILL START AGAIN. IT IS NOT THE BATTERY BECAUSE I JUST RECENTLY GOT A NEW ONE THINKING THAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM. I READ ONLINE THAT IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH A FAULTY PASS SECURITLY LOCK ISSUE WITH FLAWED GM SYSTEM. I ALSO READ THAT PAYING TO TRY THE FIX THE PROBLEM IS WORTHLESS BECAUSE IT WILL USUALLY JUST REOCCUR SO THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY TO FIX THIS WITHOUT CONTINIUING TO WASTE MY HARD EARNED MONEY. THIS IS BOTH A NUISACE AND HAS CAUSED ME MANY TROUBLES BEING LATE TO IMPORTATNT MEETINGS ETC. I ONCE HAD TO TAKE MY GRANNY TO THE HOSPITAL AND WAS NOT ABOUT TO BECAUSE MY CAR WOULDNT START. PLEASE DO WHAT YOU CAN TO GET THIS THING RECALLED AS I THINK IT IS UNFAIR TO ALL THESE PEOPLE. I LOVE TO BUY AMERICAN BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS AND MAKES ME NOT WANT TO BUT ANOTHER AMERICAN MADE CAR. THANKS *TR

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A PAGE LIKE THIS FOR A FEW YEARS NOW, I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW I GOT TO THIS ONE. THIS 2003 IMPALA STARTED ACTING LIKE THIS BEFORE THE MILES I PLACE DOWN, BECAUSE I BOUGHT THIS CAR USE AND MY WARRANTY END, I WAS TOLD I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING (THE DEALER STATED) WHEN I COME TO A STOP AND THEN START WELL TRY TO START THE CAR HESITATE AND THEN A HARD KICK/PUNCH AND IT WOULD DO THIS ONLY AT RED LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS, OR REVERSE. SO ON 05/12/2010 I BOUGHT THIS CAR TO A AUTO REPAIR SHOP THEY PERFORM A TEST AND IT CHECK OUT TWO OF THE SHIFT SOLENOIDS FOR THE TRANSMISSION WERE BAD SO THEY REPLACE BOTH SHIFT SOLENOIDS, SIDE COVER GASKET AND TRANSMISSION FILTER. COST ME $1,120.56 WITH IN A WEEK IT WAS STILL ACTING LIKE IT WAS NEVER WORK ON. I STARTED ASKING OTHER OWNERS ABOUT THERE IMPALA THEY ALL SAID IT DID THE SAME TO THEM. NOW HERE IT IS 2012 AND MY CAR STILL KICK HARD AND I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE ARE NO RECALL ON THE TRANSMISSION. I AM A LITTLE SHOCK MY MOTHER USE TO WORK FOR GM - *TR

WHEN TO START CAR AND WOULD NOT START. LIGHTS AND RADIO WOULD COME ON. HAD A NEW BATTERY PUT IN AND THE ALTERNATOR CHECKED. 2 WEEKS LATER WHEN TO PICK UP NIECE FROM THE BABY SITTER, WAS INSIDE FOR 3 MINUTES CAME BACK OUT CAR WOULD NOT START AGAIN. AFTER 45 MINUTES OF TRYING TO START IT FINALLY STARTED. YESTERDAY, WENT OUT TO MY CAR TO DRIVE TO A MEETING AND ONCE AGAIN IT WOULD NOT START. ABOUT 40 MINUTES LATER I WENT BACK OUT TO TRY IT AGAIN AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. I DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND SEVERAL COMPLAINTS. APPARENTLY THIS IS A PASS CODE ISSUE. I DO NOT FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO GO AND GET ALL THIS WORK DONE WHEN THERE IS NO REAL SOLUTION. THE CODE WILL NOT ALWAYS COME UP SO NOBODY KNOWS WHAT EXACTLY IS WRONG WITH THE CAR. IN SUMMARY, THE SECURITY SYSTEM THINKS THAT I AM TRYING TO STEEL MY OWN CAR. THIS HAS LEFT ME STRANDED IN THE COLD 3 DIFFERENT TIMES. I AM A 25 YEAR OLD LADY. THAT IS TOTALLY UNSAFE AND AS THERE IS NO REAL SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM THAT ANYONE CAN FIND HOW AND I SUPPOSED TO GET IT FIXED. I HAVE A CHILD ON THE WAY. THIS IS NOT THE ONLY YEAR THAT DOES IT EITHER. ALL IMPALAS HAVE THIS ISSUE FROM THE YEARS 2003-2005. HOW CAN A RECALL NOT BE ISSUED. I CALLED CHEVY AND THEY BASICALLY SAID TO GO TO A DEALER BUT THAT IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE ANSWER WHEN I READ THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AT THEIR DEALER ON THE SAME ISSUE AND ARE STILL HAVING ISSUES. PLEASE HELP!! HERE ARE SEVERAL ARTICLES ON THE ISSUE: HTTP://WWW.JUSTAUTOREPAIR.COM/CHEVROLET/IMPALA/589-SECURITY-LIGHT-NOT-STARTING-IGNITION-2003.HTML HTTP://WWW.CHEVYHHR.NET/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=30631. HTTP://ANSWERS.YAHOO.COM/QUESTION/INDEX?QID=20081001165133AACVYJCHTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/CHEVY_IMPALA.HTML. *TR

OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, THE HEADLIGHT LENSES HAVE BECOME CLOUDY AND MURKY. CLEANERS DO NOT HELP. WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT (WORST IN RAIN OR SNOW AND AT HIGHER SPEEDS) THE VISIBILITY OF THE HEADLIGHT LAMPS PROJECTION BECOME LESS AND LESS. DO NOT SUGGEST USING THE HIGH BEAMS AS THESE WOULD BE A COVER-UP. WHEN SEALED BEAMS WERE USED FROM 1940 TO 1996, THIS PROBLEM DID NOT HAPPEN. (THE CLOUDY/MURKY LENSES) UNTIL THE MANUFACTURER'S WENT OVER TO PLASTIC LENSES BECAUSE OF THE NEW SAFETY CODES REQUIRED. UPDATED 01/30/12 *BF

THIS CAR FIRST FAILED TO START IN MAY OF 2010. SINCE THEN, IT HAS REPEATEDLY LEFT US DOWN, AND WE AND MECHANICS HAVE TRIED VARIES FIXES. USUALLY THE CAR WILL START AFTER A TEN MINUTE SESSION OF HAVING THE KEY TURNED ON, THEN OFF FOR FIVE SECONDS. MOST TIMES AFTER THAT, IT DOES START. HOWEVER, THIS IS BECOMING UNTENABLE. AFTER CHECKING ONLINE, I FIND THAT I AM ONE OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

I PURCHASED MY 2003 CHEVY IMPALA IN 2009. CAR RAN PERFECT WHEN WE PURCHASED IT. AFTER 6 MONTHS THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP. THAT IS NOT THE MAJOR ISSUE. THE MAJOR ISSUE IS THAT THE CAR DOES NOT START ALL THE TIME. CHANGED BATTERY AND IT STILL DOES NOT RUN. IT WILL START BUT ONLY RUNS UNTIL YOU PUT IT IN GEAR. IT THEN STALLS OUT! THIS CAR HAS BEEN GREAT BUT IS NOT UNRELIABLE.. *TR

IGNITION SWITCH WILL NOT TURN. I'VE HAD IT REPLACED AND THE COMPUTER WILL NOT RECOGNIZE THE NEW KEY. *KB

AS WITH MANY OTHER OWNERS OF A 2003 IMPALA THE SECURITY SYSTEM CONSTANTLY MIS FUNCTIONS AND LEAVES ME STRANDED WITH THE CAR UNABLE TO BE STARTED. THE SEARCH ON THE INTERNET EXPOSES THE FACT THAT THIS IS COMMON WITH MANY MAKES AND MODELS OF CHEVY. *TR