2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

DURING OUR VACATION ABOUT 200 MILES FROM OUR HOME, WITHOUT WARNING, OUR 2003 IMPALA LS WITH 114K MILES STARTED RUNNING VERY BADLY. AFTER GOING TO SEVERAL REPAIR SHOP AND 8 HOURS LATER RODNEY'S MUFFLER IN MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI REPLACED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FOR A VERY REASONABLE PRICE AND WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT YET. I HAVE HEARD THAT THERE IS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON EMISSION PARTS AND WONDER IF THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED. *TR

CAR WOULDN'T START AT RANDOM ON DAY, WOULDN'T CRANK, SECURITY LIGHT WOULD FLASH WHEN KEY WAS TURNED TO ON, TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE PASSLOCK SENSOR AND IGNITION SWITCH. ABOUT A WEEK LATER DID THE SAME THING, NO CRANK AND SECURITY LIGHT FLASHING, THEY REPROGRAMMED IT AGAIN AND SAID THAT THE BCM MIGHT BE GOING OUT. DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS, THEN IT DID THE SAME THING AGAIN. CAR SAT FOR ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE TAKING IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY JUST HAD TO JUMP THE CAR AND IT STARTED. AFTER I GOT IT BACK THE THIRD TIME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON, THE AUTO LOCKS AND HEADLIGHTS DID NOT WORK. NOW ABOUT 3 MONTHS LATER, CAR IS DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN... *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE MECHANIC CALLED TO FILE THE COMPLAINT BECAUSE THE CONTACT DOES NOT REMEMBER MOST OF THE DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE CONTACT, A POLICE OFFICER, WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND SWERVED TO AVOID A DEER. THE VEHICLE STRUCK A GUARDRAIL ON THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE AND ROLLED OVER. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 130,000.

WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY TWO LANE HIGHWAY AT 4:00 AM MY HEADLIGHT SUDDENLY WENT OUT. I COULD NOT GET THEM TO TURN BACK ON, AND COULD NOT SEE WHERE I WAS AT ON THE ROAD. I DID MANAGE TO SAFELY PULL TO THE EDGE OF THE ROAD, AND AFTER TRYING SEVERAL THINGS TO RESTORE LIGHTS, I WAS ABLE TO HOLD THE DIMMER SWITCH BACK AND GET HIGH BEAM LIGHTS. I WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE MY TRIM TO WORK, USING ONLY HIGH BEAMS. EVERY TIME I TRIED TO USE LOW BEAMS THE LIGHTS WOULD COMPLETELY GO OUT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. 3,000 MILES AFTER SHE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE SHE HAD BRAKE FAILURE. ON APRIL 8, 2003, DEALER REPLACED REAR ROTORS, NOV. 19, 2003 FREED UP SLIDERS, MARCH 26, 2004 FULL ROTOR ASSEMBLY REPLACED IN FLORIDA, JUNE 7, 2005 COMPLETE BRAKE CHANGE. AUG. 16, 2005 RESURFACED BRAKES AND ROTORS, JAN. 16, 2006 REFACED REAR ROTORS, JUNE 30, 2006 REPLACED REAR ROTORS AND REFACED FRONT ROTORS, JAN. 10, 2007 RESURFACE WORK NEEDED TO BE DONE BUT DID NOT PERFORM REPAIRS, MAY 23, 2007 REPLACED ALL 4 ROTORS. THE CONTACT PAID FOR THE REPAIRS, MAY 22, 2008, REPLACED REAR PADS AND SERVICED CALIPERS. THE DEALER WILL NOT MAKE ANY ADDITIONAL REPAIRS AND FEEL AS THOUGH THEY HAVE DONE ALL THEY CAN TO REMEDY TO FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3259 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50295. UPDATED 7/3/08 *CN THE PASSENGER SEAT HEATER AND REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER WERE INOPERATIVE. THERE WAS A NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING. THE DEALER LUBED THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. THE REAR STABILIZER SHAFT AND LINK WAS REPLACED. UPDATED 07/15/08. *JB

I BOUGHT 4 NEW TIRES AT SEARS IN WLILMINGTON, N.C. LAST MAY, I HAVE PUT LESS THAN 12,000 MILES ON THESE TIRES. BEGINNING IN ;APRIL OF 08, I STARTED TO NOTICE A LOW TIRE AND PROCEEDED TO THE STATION TO PUMP IT UP. AS I WAS PUTTING AIR IN THE TIRE I HEARD AIR ESCAPING AND MOVED THE VALVE STEM AND IT WAS LOOSE. I PUT ENOUGH AIR IN IT TO GET AROUND THE CORNER TO THE SERVICE STATION AND HE SAID IT WAS THE STEM. I WAS TRYING TO DECIDE HOW I WAS GOING TO AFFORD A NEW TIRE AND HE SAID THAT HE COULD REPLACE THE VALVE STEM. HE CHARGED ME $10. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT THREE WEEKS LATER AND THEN AGAIN THIS WEEK, MAY 21! THREE TIRES OUT OF FOUR HAVE HAD THE STEMS REPLACED. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING OVER 40 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN TO A TIRE, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE STEMS COULD BE REPLACED. I CALLED SEARS AND THEY TOLD ME TO BRING A RECEIPT FOR FIXING THE TIRES AND THEY WOULD REFUND THE MONEY. *TR

DRIVING AT NIGHT USING THE AUTO HEADLIGHT FUNCTION, THE HEADLIGHT FAIL (QUIT) ON HIGHBEAM. AT 75 MPH THIS CAN BE A LIFE THREATENING EXPERIENCE, I WAS LUCKILY ON A STRAIGHT ROAD AT THE TIME. WHEN IT HAPPENED I TRIED TURNING THE LIGHTS ON WITH THE SWITCH, PUSHED AND PULLED IT AND THAT DID NOT WORK. I CAME TO A STOP AND WAS GOING TO GET OUT OF THE CAR AND THE LIGHTS CAME BACK ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 9 TIMES. IT ONLY DOES IT ON HIGH BEAM SETTING, IT HAS NOT DONE IT WHEN THE SWITCH IS PULLED TO THE "ON" POSITION AS OF YET. *TR

2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA INVOLVED IN FRONT END COLLISION INTO THE SIDE OF A 2000 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. IMPALA AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY EVEN THOUGH THE FRONT AIRBAGS ON THE CORVETTE DID. *TR

PASSLOCK SYSTEM ON 2003 IMPALA KEEPS LOCKING OUT THE FUEL SYSTEM KEEPING THE CAR FROM STARTING. THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED FOR THIS REASON, NOW IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN. *TR

MY 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA THE SPEEDOMETER READS 140 MILES AT ALL TIME OR SHOWS NOTHING. *TR