2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE RAPIDLY INCREASED AND A COOLANT ODOR WAS EMITTED INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 141,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TRACTION CONTROL TRIES TO KICK WHEN BRAKING. BRAKES ACT AS THOUGH THEY ARE PUSHING BACK AGAINST MY FOOT PRESSURE AT THIS TIME. TRACTION CONTROL MAKES A GRINDING NOISE. VEHICLE HAS TROUBLE STOPPING. TRACTION CONTROL SHUTS OFF, WARNING LIGHT TO SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL COMES ON, ABS SHUTS OFF AND LIGHT COMES ON, AND RED "BRAKES" LIGHT TURNS ON. VEHICLE DRIVES AND BRAKES JUST FINE AFTER THAT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DRIVE. ON OCCASION THESE EVENTS HAPPEN WHEN GOING OVER A RAILROAD TRACKS OR OTHER SIMILAR BUMPS AND BRAKES ARE NOT INVOLVED. *TR

CHEVY IMPALA 2004 LS- THE VEHICLE IS STOPPING COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING OR SITTING AT INTERSECTION. THERE IS NO WARNING, NO MESSAGE, IT JUST DIES. THE STEERING GOES WHEN THIS HAPPENS SO I CANNOT EVEN GET OFF THE ROAD. THEN THERE ARE TIMES THAT THE CAR WILL NOT START AT ALL AND I HAVE BEEN STRANDED. EVENTUALLY AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES THE CAR WILL START- I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED THE STARTER BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. I HAVE HAD THE CAR CHECKED OUT AT 2 DIFFERENT SHOPS (FIRESTONE) AND THEY CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM. THERE ARE NO CODES COMING UP. THEY ARE COMPLETELY PERPLEXED. CHEVY STATES THEIR MECHANICS ARE BETTER. ALSO THE CLUSTER PANEL IS GONE AND CHEVY IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THEY ONLY RECALLED CERTAIN MODELS AND DID NOT INCLUDE THE IMPALAS. I HAVE 2 ESTIMATES REGARDING FIXING THIS PROBLEM BUT THE QUOTES ARE $500.00. I DO NOT FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS WHEN CHEVY KNEW THEY HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH CLUSTER PANELS AND OMITTED THE IMPALAS IN THEIR RECALL. SO, TO RECAP: THE CAR DIES IN TRAFFIC (ALMOST HIT TWICE), I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE, HOW FAST I AM GOING, OR IF THE CAR IS OVERHEATING. IN DEALING WITH CHEVY I WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE CAR TO A CHEVY DEALERSHIP. THEY GAVE ME A PLACE THAT IS 2 1/2 HOURS HOUSE AWAY FROM MY HOME. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT I WOULD HAVE THE HONOR OF PAYING FOR THE DIAGNOSTICS. IN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, I HAVE PULLED UP SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER CHEVY IMPALA 2004 OWNERS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME MULTIPLE PROBLEMS. I ALSO NOTICED THAT MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS ARE STATING THAT THE SAME ISSUES OCCURRED AT APPROX. THE SAME MILEAGE AS MINE. I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS WITH CHEVY CUSTOMER SERVICE AND BASICALLY THAT WAS IGNORED. THIS CAR IS HAZARDOUS TO DRIVE AND POTENTIALLY WILL CAUSE BODILY HARM. DEALING WITH CHEVY IS POINTLESS. ALL THEY CAN THINK OF IS HOW MUCH MONEY THEIR DEFECTS WILL BRING IN. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING. IT FIRST STARTED MISREADING SPEEDS, SAYING IT WAS 30 MPH ON HIGHWAY (I WAS AROUND 55 MPH) AND THEN STOPPED READING. IT WILL WORK AND THEN MONTHS LATER START MALFUNCTIONING ONE OR TWICE, UNTIL LAST WEEK IT TOTALLY STOPPED WORKING. AL OTHER GAUGES SEEM TO BE WORKING, BUT IT MAKES A 'LIGHT FLASH' NOW AND THEN. SOME INTERIOR LIGHTS (MIRRORS) WILL STOP WORKING WHEN IT DOES THIS PANEL FLASH. I'M TOLD IT IS A CLUSTER ISSUE, KNOWN FOR THESE MODELS. I BOUGHT THIS CAR STRAIGHT FROM THE DEALER, BRAND NEW IN 2004, AND HAVE MAINTAINED PER SPEC, REGULARLY. *TR

I DROVE MY 2004 IMPALA TO THE STORE, WHEN I RETURNED TO MY CAR IT WOULD NOT START! SINCE I HAD JUST SIGNED THE PAPERS ON IT I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER ONCE IT STARTED. THEY PUT $500.00 WOULD OF REPAIR WORK INTO IT BUT THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. IT HAPPENED AGAIN JUST AFTER MY 3 MONTH WARRANTY EXPIRED. IT USED TO IT EVERY SO OFTEN UNTIL RECENTLY IT HAS BEEN DOING IT A FEW TIMES A DAY. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 CHEVY IMPALA AND SECURITY LIGHT BLINKS ON AND OFF. WHEN IT DOES THIS MY CAR WON'T START I READ ONLINE IF I LEAVE THE CARS KEY TURNED OVER FOR 10 MINUTES IT WILL START BUT HERE LATELY ITS GETTING WORSE. I HAVE READ ONLINE AND THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME MAKE AND THE SAME MODEL THAT ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. WHEN HOOKED UP TO A COMPUTER IT SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG WITH IT. I HAVE TALKED TO 2 DIFFERENT CHEVY DEALERSHIPS AND THEY JUST BRING UP HOOKING IT UP TO A COMPUTER. I THINK IT SHOULD BE RECALLED IF A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. HERE'S OTHER COMPLIMENTS THAT I HAVE FOUND ONLINE. HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/CHEVROLET/IMPALA/2004/ELECTRICAL/WONT_START_SECURITY_LIGHT_COMES_ON.SHTML. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY STATED THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,000.

IN THE CENTER OF THE DASH IN THE CAR WHEN I ACCELLERATE I HEAR TWO THING, A WATER SWISHING SOUND AND A GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD . THEN MY TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON AND SOMETIMES THE ABS LIGHT. THEN WHEN I GO TO BRAKE THERE IS ANOTHER GRINDING SOUND. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN EVERY TIME. BUT IT DOES HAPPEN OFTEN. *TR

SPEEDOMETER AND TACH QUIT WORKING. WOULD NOT RESET TO 0. ALL OTHER GAUGES CONTINUED TO WORK. SAW THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE PRODUCT FOR OTHER MODEL YEARS BUT NOT ON THE 2004. DEALER SAID IT IS NOT TYPICAL BUT A SIMPLE SEARCH ON LINE SHOWED A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS. GM GOT REIMBURSED BY THEIR PROVIDER FOR MALFUNCTIONING GAUGE MOTORS BUT THIS WAS NOT PASSED ONTO THE CAR OWNERS? HOW CAN THAT HAPPEN? *TR

LAST JULY THE DASH LIGHTS AND INTERIOR PANEL LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING. THEY COULD BE MADE TO WORK INTERMITTENTLY BY WIGGLING THE HEADLAMP SWITCH AND / OR BANGING ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. LAST NIGHT MY SON WAS DRIVING HOME AT APPROXIMATELY 9:30 PM ON A 4 LANE SECONDARY ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH IN MODERATE TRAFFIC AND ALL OF THE HEADLAMPS WENT OUT WITH NO WARNING, LEAVING HIM UNABLE TO SEE THE ROAD AHEAD. HE RAN OVER A CURB, BUT WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND BRING IT TO A STOP IN A NEARBY PARKING LOT. HE AND HIS PASSENGERS (2) WERE VERY SHAKEN EMOTIONALLY. THE CAR WAS LEFT THERE OVERNIGHT. WHEN IT WAS PICKED UP DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS TODAY, THE HEADLIGHTS WERE WORKING AGAIN. AFTER DRIVING IT HOME AND TURNING THE HEADLIGHTS ON AND OFF MANUALLY, THEY QUIT AGAIN. THEY COULD BE MADE TO WORK INTERMITTENTLY BY WIGGLING THE DIMMER SWITCH / TURN SIGNAL LEVER ON THE STEERING COLUMN. I CALLED THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP NEARBY AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THE PART WAS OVER $500. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A SEVERE SAFETY PROBLEM IF THIS IS COMMON TO THESE VEHICLES, AS MY SON AND HIS PASSENGERS COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY IF NOT FATALLY INJURED HAD THE CIRCUMSTANCES BEEN DIFFERENT. *TR