2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

WHILE DRIVING ON A RURAL AND CURVY ROAD, MY LIGHTS WHEN OUT WHEN I SWITCHED FROM MY HIGH BEAMS TO MY LOW BEAMS. I COULD NOT SEE FOR A FEW SECONDS AND LUCKILY THE HIGH BEAMS CAME ON WHEN I USED THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH TO ENGAGE THEM. I AM LUCKY THAT NO ONE WAS COMING BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO SEE WHERE I WAS GOING. THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH DID NOT ?CLICK? LIKE IT TYPICALLY DOES WHEN I SWITCH FROM HIGH BEAMS TO LOW BEAMS. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS INJURED WHEN I WAS DRIVING BUT IF THIS HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE TO SOMEONE ELSE THERE COULD BE TRAGIC RESULTS. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING OUR 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA THIS EVENING AND HAVE BEEN HAVING ISSUES FOR THE PAST MONTH WITH THE HEADLIGHTS. THE DIM LIGHTS WOULD NOT WORK AT ALL, ONLY THE BRIGHTS WORKED. THIS EVENING, WE SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING AND SUDDENLY THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH WAS SMOKING AND ON FIRE. WE SHUT OFF THE CAR AND WAVED THE FIRE OUT, LUCKILY WE GOT OUT SAFE. WE NOW HAVE NO HEADLIGHTS AND HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. I HAVE SEEN THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH MANY IMPALAS AND CHEVROLET NEEDS TO TAKE ACTION. SOMEONE COULD BE INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THEIR LIGHTS FAILING OR GET INJURED BECAUSE THEIR CAR STARTS ON FIRE. IT'S A LAWSUIT WAITING TO HAPPEN. *TR

FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW, MORE OFTEN WHEN SLIPPERY WINTER CONDITIONS EXIST BUT THIS CAN HAPPEN EVEN ON PERFECTLY DRY ROAD CONDITIONS. WHEN I BACK OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND PUT MY IMPALA INTO DRIVE AND START TO ACCELERATE THE DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHT FOR TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS BRAKING SYSTEMS. THIS HAPPENS WITH A NOTICEABLY LOUD GRINDING NOISE IN THE FRONT END. AUTOMATICALLY I RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR AND THE SYSTEMS HALF THE TIME SEEMS TO RESET ITSELF AS THE GRINDING NOISE STOPS, THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT GOES OUT AND THE ABS WARNING LIGHT GOES OUT AS WELL. I BEGIN TO ACCELERATE WITH NO PROBLEM AT THAT POINT. THE OTHER HALF OF THE TIME THE LIGHTS ALL STAY ON FOR THE LENGTH OF MY DRIVE, WITH THE GRINDING SUBSIDING WHEN I RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR. I TOOK THE CAR TO A CHEVROLET DEALER, EXPLAINED THE SITUATION AND THEY TOLD ME IT MAY BE A SPEED SENSOR GOING BAD. THEY WOULD HAVE TO DIAGNOSE IT AND POSSIBLY REPLACE THE SENSOR AND QUITE A LARGE COST. I ARGUED THAT IF MY BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY THAN THIS MAY WELL BE A SAFETY ISSUE AND CHEVROLET SHOULD REPAIR THE PROBLEM FOR FREE. NO CHANCE. I TOOK MY CAR TO ANOTHER DEALER WITH THE SAME RESULT. PAY FOR THE REPAIR. *TR

WHEN COMING TO A ALMOST STOP AND U START TO TAKE OFF ITS LIKE THE CAR ISN'T IN GEAR THE AFTER THE RPMS GO UP IT JUMPS IN GEAR SPINNING THE TIRES. THEN IT WILL PAUSE IN BETWEEN GEARS AND MAKE A THUMP WHEN IT GOES IN GEAR FROM 0-55. GM NEEDS TO FIX ALL THESE PROBLEMS WITH THESE TRANSMISSIONS. WE ALREADY PAID FOR THE TRANSMISSIONS WHEN WE ALL BOUGHT THE CARS FROM THE DEALERS AND SOME ARE NOT EVEN GETTING HALF THE MILES I GOT BEFORE THEY HAVE PROBLEMS. I HAD CARS I'VE NEVER TOUCH THE TRANSMISSION OTHER THAN MAINTENANCE AND IT OUT LASTED THE CAR! GM NEEDS TO FIX THESE NOW. I JUST GOT THIS CAR AND HAD IT ONLY A YEAR AND TWO MONTHS. I'M DISABLED I CAN'T AFFORD THIS REPAIR! NOTE: THE CAR IS IN MY MOTHERS NAME [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS AFTER DARK MY LIGHTS SHUT OFF . THIS CAUSED A PANIC AS I WAS IN CITY TRAFFIC AND COULD NOT SEE. MY LIGHTS WERE ON THE DIM MODE . I DISCOVERED I COULD MAKE THEM COME BACK ON IF I USED THE MULTIFUNCTION LEVER TO CHANGE TO BRIGHT LIGHTS. I'D THEN SWITCH BACK TO DIM AND THE LIGHTS WOULD WORK FOR 60-120 SECONDS AND THEN GO OUT. ONCE AGAIN I WOULD GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS WITH THE SAME RESULT. AFTER MY SECOND NIGHT OF THIS HAPPENING I DECIDED TO CHECK THEIR INNER NET . I HAD NOTICED THERE WERE 26 COMPLAINTS RELATING TO THE 2004 MULTIFUNCTION LEVER. I HAD A CAR LOAD OF PEOPLE THE FIRST NIGHT AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD I DID NOT HIT ANOTHER CAR . THE MULTIFUNCTION SELECTOR LEVER NEEDS TO BE RECALLED ON 2004 IMPALAS BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY HURT. IF NOTHING ELSE I THINK GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD REPLACE THE PART WHEN REPORTED MALFUNCTIONING AT THEIR COST. *TR

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN. NO TEMPERATURE LIGHT CAME ON BUT CAR STARTED TO SMOKE A LITTLE UNDERNEATH HOOD. STOPPED CAR AT AN EMPTY LOT, AND HAD IT TOWED TO A GARAGE. THEY SAID MY ENGINE HAD OVERHEATED AND NEEDED A NEW HEAD GASKET. IT HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD A HEAD GASKET PUT ON IT ABOUT A YEAR AGO, SO THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SECOND ONE. MECHANIC ADVISED ME NOT TO HAVE A SECOND HEAD GASKET JOB BUT INSTEAD ADVISED ME TO GET ANOTHER ENGINE FOR THE CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON STARTING THE IGNITION, THE FUEL GAUGE REGISTERED AN INACCURATE FUEL LEVEL READING. IN ADDITION, THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR WOULD ILLUMINATE AFTER DRIVING IN REVERSE AND THEN IN DRIVE. THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD EMIT A GRINDING NOISE WHENEVER BEING TURNED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,000.

I HAVE HAD MY 2004 IMPALA INTO THE SHOP THREE TIMES NOW WITH REGARDS TO THE TRACTION LIGHT GOING ON WHEN I TURNED ALONG WITH TRAC OFF AND ABS WARNING LIGHTS GOING ON. INITIALLY THE SERVICE LIGHTS WOULD GO ON WHEN TURNING RIGHT OR LEFT. THE ABS WOULD MAKE A NOISE LIKE IT WAS CYCLING. JUST LAST WEEK ON THE HIGHWAY THE TRACTION SERVICE LIGHT WENT ON WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH. I HAVE HAD TO STOP AND THE BRAKES WOULD PULSATE WITH NO BRAKING CAPABILITIES THEN IT WOULD CATCH AND I WOULD BE ABLE TO STOP WITH PUMPING THE BRAKE. I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT. THE FIRST TIME A REPAIR WAS MADE TWO WEEKS AGO AND REPLACED WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLIES ON BOTH FRONT TIRES AND FRONT BRAKES WERE REPLACED. THIS IS TIME FRAME WENT THE BRAKES WENT OUT. I WAS TOLD THE BACK BRAKES WERE OK. THE SECOND TIME - THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE RIGHT BEARING AFTER THE LIGHTS WENT ON AGAIN AFTER 5 DAYS OF DRIVING. NOW IT IS IN THE SHOP TO REPLACE THE WIRE HARNESS FOR THE TRACTION AND ABS WHEN THE SERVICE LIGHTS WENT ON AGAIN. THE WIRE IS ROCK HARD. *TR

WAS TURNING LEFT FROM STOP WHEN TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON ALSO ABS LIGHT AND TRACTION OFF SWITCH LIGHT, NOW IT HAPPENS IN REVERSE AND SOMETIMES WHEN I START THE CAR. IT MAKES A GROWLING SOUND,IF I SHUT OFF THE CAR AND RESTART IT ALL THE LIGHTS GO OUT. *TR

SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING JUST BEFORE 2 YEARS / WE THOUGHT IT WAS A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF US WITH HIGH RF OUTPUT INTERFERING / WE WERE SO WRONG / / / EARLIER THE GAS GAUGE WAS STICKING AND REQUIRED MULTIPLE TWISTS OF KEY TO ON WITHOUT STARTING CAR THEN OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF .... ... TO RESET IT / LATER IT GOT STUCK POINTING TO THE TEMPERATURE AND WONT MOVE AT ALL / / / LATER THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE STOPPED WORKING AND WILL POINT ANYWHERE / ALTHOUGH 1 TRIP IN 20 IT SEEMS AS IF ITS RANDOM SETTING COULD BE CORRECT / / / NOW THE TACHOMETER IS INTERMITTENT / SEEMS RIGHT WHEN IT WORKS WHICH IS ABOUT 4 OUT OF 5 TRIPS / / / AND THE SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON AT RANDOM / A FEW TIMES WAS UNABLE TO START THE CAR WITHOUT WAITING TEN MINUTES / / / SOMETIMES THE TRACTION LIGHT COMES ON ERRONEOUSLY / / / CRUISE CONTROL SEEMS TO HAVE STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY / / / NO IDEA WHAT WILL FAIL NEXT / THE INTERNET IS FULL OF PEOPLE WITH THESE COMPLAINTS / / / CONSUMERS REPORTS USED CAR RATINGS HAS THIS CAR AS BAD IN EVERY CATEGORY OF PARTS THAT CAN NEED SERVICING / / / DEALERS WANT THOUSANDS TO REPLACE MULTIPLE PARTS BUT WONT GUARANTEE THAT THEY WILL FIX THE PROBLEM / / / INTERNET NOTES THAT PEOPLE HAVE FOUND BAD SOLDER JOINTS IN THE BCM, BAD WIRING HARNESS CONTACTS, BAD SENSORS, ETC. AND OTHER DESIGN DEFECTS / / / I HAVE FOUND THREE INDEPENDENT COMPANIES MAKING ALTERNATE PARTS TO REALLY FIX THESE PROBLEMS. AND MANY SOLUTIONS TO HELP ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM. / / / IS THERE AN UNADVERTISED RECALL OR FIX PROGRAM BY GM TO FIX THE INSTRUMENTS AND THE BOGUS SECURITY SYSTEM THAT ONLY LOCKS USERS OUT ?? *TR / / / / /