2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

EVERY NOW AND THEN YOU GO TO START THE CAR IT WON'T DO ANYTHING. ALL THE LIGHTS, RADIO, EVERYTHING COMES ON AS NORMAL BUT WHEN YOU TURN THE KEY OVER TO START IT WON'T DO NOTHING, CLICK, OR ANYTHING. ONE TIME WE LEFT THE CAR OVER NIGHT, LOCKED UP, THE NEXT DAY IT STARTED LIKE NOTHING WAS WRONG. ANOTHER TIME I LET THE CAR SIT FOR 15 MINS AND IT STARTED FINE. THEN ANOTHER TIME, I KEPT TRYING EVERY 10 TO 15 MINS FOR AN HR BUT NOTHING. THEN LET IT SIT FOR 25 TO 30 MINS THEN NOTHING BUT I LEFT THE KEY IN ON POSITION FOR A COUPLE MINUTES WHILE ALL THE LIGHTS RAN AND THEN IT STARTED FINE. SOME PEOPLE SAY ITS THE STARTER, IGNITION OR EVEN THE SECURITY. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM THERE'S EVEN VIDEOS OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING. ID SAY THAT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO SO EVERYONE W THESE VEHICLES KNOW WHAT'S WRONG. THANKS *TR

MY 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA LS HAS A BAD SECURITY LOCK SYSTEM. I GO TO START CAR AND IT WON'T START I HAVE TO WAIT 15-20 MIN. FOR IT TO START AND ITS BECOMING MORE FREQUENT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, IT JUST STOPS RUNNING. MY HUSBAND PUTS THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND IS ABLE TO START IT BACK UP AGAIN. IT HAS DONE IT A FEW TIMES SINCE THAT OCCURRENCE. THIS COULD RESULT IN A VERY SERIOUS SITUATION IF THE CAR STALLS IN AN INTERSECTION AND WON'T RESTART. THE CAR ALSO HAS A SECURITY ISSUE THAT PREVENTS US, AS THE OWNER FROM STARTING IT. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM FROM THE PURCHASE DATE. IF YOU TURN ON THE IGNITION AND LET IT SIT FOR 10 TO 15 MINUTES, IT WILL START UP. WE NOW LEAVE THE CAR RUNNING WHEN FILLING THE CAR WITH GAS BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD TO SIT AND WAIT FOR IT TO RESTART AT THE PUMP. THIS COULD CAUSE A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM ALSO. IF YOU GO ON LINE, YOU WILL SEE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT BOTH OF THESE PROBLEMS. WE BOUGHT THIS CAR USED AND KNEW WE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME ISSUES, BUT NOT THIS, IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE. WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE RACK AND PINION (VERY COSTLY) ALL NEW BRAKES AND ROTORS, ALL NEW TIRES, AND SOME OTHER MINOR ISSUES. I FEEL, AS DO NUMEROUS OTHER GM OWNERS, THIS IS A FACTORY DEFECT IN THE SECURITY SYSTEM (PASSLOCK KEY SYSTEM), CAUSING BOTH PROBLEMS. ANYONE HAVING THIS PROBLEM, SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SHOULD HAVE TO FIX IT AT NO COST TO THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP JUST AFTER WE PURCHASED IT AND HE SAID HE WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE IGNITION AND SOMETHING ELSE AT A COST OF ALMOST $800. I AM CERTAIN THIS CAN BE TAKEN CARE OF BY REROUTING WIRING IN THE SECURITY SYSTEM AT A VERY MINOR COST, OR JUST RESETTING THE COMPUTER SYSTEM. ANY ASSISTANCE YOU CAN GIVE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

I HAVE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH MY SPEEDOMETER STICKING THE PAST FEW MONTHS. MY HUSBAND TOOK MY CAR IN TO OUR LOCAL CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD WE NEED TO REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL WHICH WOULD COST AROUND $600. NOT HAPPY WITH THE FACT THAT WE WILL HAVE TO SHELL OUT THIS KIND OF MONEY FOR A FAULTY FACTORY PART, I CONTACTED THE CHEVROLET CUSTOMER COMPLAINT LINE. I WAS TOLD BY THE COMPLAINT LINE THAT THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING FOR US AT THIS TIME. I HAVE READ MANY COMPLAINTS IN REGARDS TO THE SAME ISSUES FROM THE FOLLOWING LINK: HTTP://WWW.AUTOMOTIVEFORUMS.COM/T752665-DISCUSS2004_IMPALA_SPEEDOMETER_PROBLEMS.HTML IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A FACTORY RECALL ON THIS ISSUE A LONG TIME AGO. APPARENTLY IT IS GOING TO TAKE AN ACCIDENT OR DEATH IN ORDER FOR CHEVROLET TO MAKE THIS RIGHT. THE GOVERNMENT JUST BAILED OUT GMC NOT TO LONG AGO; HOWEVER, GMC CAN'T STEP UP AND FIX THIS. WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS DOES THIS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. I INFORMED CHEVROLET THAT I WILL NO LONGER BUY THEIR VEHICLES. NO WONDER EVERYONE IS BUYING FOREIGN THESE DAYS. *TR

WHEN APPLYING THE BRIGHT HEADLIGHTS, ALL EXTERIOR AND DASH LIGHTS GO OUT. VERY SCARY! WHEN OPERATING SWITCH AGAIN LIGHTS RETURN, BUT HAVE DIM HEADLAMPS ONLY. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. NOW ONLY DRIVE WITH DIMS ON UNTIL I CAN AFFORD THE REPAIR. NOT SAFE! *TR

SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT DISPLAY ACCURATE MILES PER HOUR. WHILE DRIVING, THE ODOMETER WENT TO ABOUT 60 MPH, WHEN I WAS GOING ABOUT 40 MPH AND I TRIED TO DECREASE THE SPEED BY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT IT REMAINED AT 60 MPH. I CAME TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND STOPPED, THEN I NOTICED THAT THE SPEED WAS AT 10 MPH WHILE SETTING STILL. I ASKED ANOTHER PERSON TO DRIVE THE CAR TO SEE IF THE SAME TYPE OF THING WAS HAPPENING WITH THE SPEED ODOMETER, AND IT WAS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE MECHANIC SAID HE RESET THE ODOMETER AND SAID IF THAT DID NOT WORK, A PART WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. THAT WORKED ABOUT TWO WEEKS, AND THE SAME THING STARTED ALL OVER AGAIN. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE BECAUSE I CAN NOT TELL HOW FAST I AM DRIVING. WHICH POSES A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN ON THE VEHICLE, THE IGNITION FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THE KEY. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO WAIT APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE IGNITION WOULD RECOGNIZE THE KEY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 170,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 183,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER AND FUEL GAUGES BOTH FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE CLUSTER INSIDE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 98,186.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AND WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

THE CAR IS SHIFTING HARD FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR AND EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WHEN I SLOW DOWN AROUND A CURVE AND THEN THE CAR HAS TO SHIFT DOWN AND BACK UP RIGHT AWAY. THIS HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE AND WORSE AND FROM WHAT I HAVE BEEN READING, IT PROBABLY ISN'T THE TRANSMISSION BUT WITH THE VACUUM MODULAR OR TORQUE CONVERTER. I ALSO HAD A 2005 AND RECENTLY TRADED IT IN FOR A DIFFERENT VEHICLE, BUT IT HAD THE SAME THING WITH SHIFTING HARD BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND. *TR