2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

I HAVE 2003 CHEVY IMPALA AND HAS BEEN FAILING TO START FOR OVER A YEAR. AT FIRST WAIT 10 TO 15 MINUTES AND TRY IF IT DIDN'T START WAIT AGAIN AND CONTINUE THIS UNTIL IT DID START. THEN I FOUND IF YOU REMOVED THE BCM FUSE AND REPLACED IT, THE CAR WOULD START. SO I INSTALLED A SWITCH TO REMOVE POWER FROM THE BCM TO RESET IT. NOW DEPENDING ON THE OUTSIDE TEMP. IT TAKES 1 TO 20 TRIES TO START THE CAR. THIS IS VERY INCONVENIENT AND I FEEL DANGEROUS BECAUSE MY WIFE PRIMARILY DRIVE THE CAR. I HAVE READ SEVERAL FORUMS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO COME UP THIS A FIX FOR THIS. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE RECALLED BY GM. *TR

WHENEVER IT RAINS, THE FLOORBOARDS, IN MY 2003 IMPALA, ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY CAR FLOOD. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW LITTLE OR HOW MUCH IT RAINS, THE FLOORBOARDS ALWAYS FLOOD. THERE WAS ONE INSTANCE WHERE THE WATER WAS PAST MY ANKLES. THE WATER IS DRIPPING FROM UNDER THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT BOX AREA AND IT RUNS ALONG THE DOOR SEAL TO THE BACK PASSENGER SEAT. I HAVE BEEN TOLD FROM MY LOCAL CHEVY DEALERSHIP THAT IT IS POSSIBLE A BAD CABIN SEAL. AFTER FINALLY GETTING FED UP WITH THE SITUATION I LOOKED FOR A POSSIBLE SOLUTION ONLINE AND WHILE I DIDN'T FIND A SOLUTION I FOUND MANY OTHERS THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS ME. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM THAT HAS LASTED SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR 2 YEARS AGO. *TR

THE SECURITY LIGHT STARTED FLASHING ON AND OFF, CAUSING MY HEADLIGHTS TO FLASH WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSING THE LIGHTS IN MY DASHBOARD TO FLASH ALSO. IT ENDED UP STRANDING ME IN A PARKING LOT BECAUSE THE SO-CALLED SECURITY FEATURE ON THIS CAR SHUT THE IGNITION OFF AND WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO START MY CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A PERSISTENT BURNING ODOR IN THE VEHICLE. WHILE POURING OIL INTO THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ERUPTED INTO FLAMES. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE WITH WATER. A FEW UNKNOWN COMPONENTS WERE DAMAGED; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS STILL ABLE TO BE DRIVEN. SHE LATER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE, WHICH STATED THAT THERE COULD POTENTIALLY BE A FIRE UNDER THE HOOD DUE TO DROPS OF ENGINE OIL DEPOSITED INTO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 124,864. UPDATED 07/14/09 *BF AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR WAS COMPLETED, IT WAS DISCOVERED THE VEHICLE HAD AN INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAK WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO OVERHEAT. PRIOR TO THE RECALL, THE CONSUMER STATED SHE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE OVERHEATING. UPDATED 07/15/09.*JB

PLASTIC DOOR HANDLE ON BOTH BACK DOORS HAVE BROKEN OFF, MANY OTHER OWNERS OF LIKE IMPALAS HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM!*TR

2003 CHEVY IMPALA. "SECURITY" WARNING LIGHT ON DASH, THEN RANDOM WONT-START EPISODE. WAIT 15 MINUTES AND IT STARTS. NO CONFIDENCE THAT GM DEALERSHIPS KNOW WHAT'S WRONG, OR WILL PERMANENTLY FIX IT. *TR

MY 2003 CHEVY IMPALA SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON DURING DRIVING CAR WILL STALL OR DIE CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO CROSS TRAFFIC A T COAST TO GET THE EMERGENCY LANE OF ROAD WHICH IS DANGEROUS. MANY TIMES WHEN I GO TO START VEHICLE IT DOES NOTHING. AFTER DOING SOME ONLINE RESEARCH I FOUND THAT THIS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES. THIS IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. *TR

PURCHASED A 2003 CHEVY IMPALA ON 4/09 AND 3 DAYS LATER THE SPEEDOMETER DID NOT WORK. I HAVE NOTIFIED THE DEALER WHICH WILL BE CORRECTED; HOWEVER, I'VE NOTICED THAT NUMEROUS OTHER CHEVY IMPALA OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM OF A DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETER. *TR

IN THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, MY VEHICLE HAS BEGAN TO LOSE POWER, ESPECIALLY IN LOW RPM RANGE. THE VEHICLE SPITS ON SPUTTERS ON HARD ACCELERATION AND TAKES SEVERAL (30 OR BETTER) SECONDS TO REACH 55 MPH. I AM AN ASE TRAINED MECHANIC AND DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE AS HAVING A FAULTY CATALYTIC CONVERTER. A VACUUM TEST DETERMINED THAT THE PRESSURE DROPS SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE 2500 RPM'S AND TO 0 BY 4000 (WHEN IT MISFIRES). THE CAT MAKES NOISE AND EVEN JUMPED THE HANGER (TELLING ME THE CONVERTER IS TWISTING FROM THE BACK PRESSURE). ONCE I DIAGNOSED IT, I LOOKED AT A LIST OF GM TSB'S FOR THIS VEHICLE AND THIS WAS LISTED ON THERE ALONG WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO THE DEALER / TECH TO REPLACE FREE OF CHARGE UNTIL THE SERVICE LIFE HAS REACHED 10 YEARS OR 120K. MY VEHICLE FITS BOTH CONDITIONS AS IT IS A 2003 WITH 99K. I CONTACTED MY DEALER AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE IT FREE AS THE WARRANTY ON EMISSIONS ITEMS IS 80K. WHEN I EVEN GAVE THEM THE TSB NUMBER (SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT - CATALYTIC CONVERTER # 05551 - (9/14/05)) THEY SAID THAT WAS JUST IN THE CASE OF PLENUM DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THE CLOGGED CONVERTER. DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT IN NO WAY EVEN MENTIONS THE PLENUM. THIS IS THE ONLY VEHICLE I CURRENTLY OWN AND I HAVE BEEN OUT OF WORK FOR A WHILE. I CAN'T AFFORD TO REPLACE IT, NOR TO HAVE MY VEHICLE TIED UP FOR DAYS TO DO A 2 HOUR JOB. HOWEVER, IF IT CONTINUES, IT WILL BLOW UP. HOW CAN I RESOLVE THIS? *TR

I BOUGHT A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. ON VALENTINES DAY I PULLED OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FOR A FUNERAL, THE NEXT THING I KNOW MY THEN BOYFRIEND NOW HUSBAND TOLD ME TO GET OUT OF THE CAR THE WHOLE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. I AM GRATEFUL THAT WE GOT MY THEN FIVE MONTH OLD DAUGHTER OUT OF THE VEHICLE. WE HAD NO IDEA THAT COULD HAPPEN. MY FATHER CALLED AND INFORMED ME THAT THERE IS NOW A RECALL ON THAT MODEL CAR. THE CAR BURNT COMPLETELY. ON THE RECALL MY FATHER INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS FOR 3.8 LITER. I DO NOT BELIEVE MINE WAS A 3.8 LITER BUT MY VEHICLE WAS A V6. IT WAS EITHER A 3.4 OR A 3.6 LITER. I WAS WONDERING IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THAT COULD BE DONE ABOUT THIS INCIDENT. I LOST EVERYTHING IN THAT VEHICLE. IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. THE POLICE WERE NOT CONTACTED BUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS PRESENT TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. *TR