2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

WHEN HIGH BEAMS ARE ON, THE HEADLIGHTS WILL OCCASIONALLY GO OUT ENTIRELY WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING. THIS PROBLEM HAS CAUSED US TO QUIT USING THE HIGH BEAMS DUE TO THE SAFETY RISK. *NM

ABOUT 9:00 PM I WAS DRIVING ABOUT TWO KM. FROM HOME WHEN MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. I HAD HAZARD LIGHTS, PARKING LIGHTS AND REAR LIGHTS. I TRIED HIGH AND LOW BEAMS TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF BUT THEY WOULD NOT TURN ON. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP THE NEXT MORNING AND STILL NO LIGHTS. WHEN THEY FLIPP THE HI-LOW BEAMS THE LIGHTS CAME BACK ON-THEY DO NOT KNOW WHY THIS HAPPENED. *NM

COMPLAINTS OF ENGINE TEMPERATURE ALWAYS ENDED WITH NO FOUND PROBLEMS ON VEHICLE OWNED AND SERVICED REGULARLY SINCE PURCHASED NEW IN APRIL 2003. REGULAR OIL CHANGES AND ENGINE COOLANT FLUSH AS RECOMMENDED BY MANUFACTURER WERE COMPLETED AND STILL NO PROBLEMS FOUND. AT 75,671 MILES DEALER FOUND INTAKE GASKETS LEAKING AND SAID ENGINE DAMAGE WOULD OCCUR IF NOT REPLACED. REPAIR COST $658. FOUND THAT TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS INDICATE THIS IS A KNOW PROBLEM IN A HOST OF GM VEHICLES FROM 2000. PUBLIC IS BEING FORCED TO PAY FOR MAJOR ENGINE REPAIRS FOR POOR ENGINEERING ON THE PART OF THE MANUFACTURER. ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO THIS PROBLEM COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS ACCIDENT FOR THE LESS THAN KNOWLEDGEABLE DRIVER. ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS WITH POOR LESS THAN OPTIMAL ENGINE PERFORMANCE, LOSS OF COOLANT, OIL, ETC. SHOULD ALSO BE CONSIDERED. HOW MANY OF THESE REPAIRS HAVE BEEN DONE OVER THE SPAN OF YEARS BY THE MANUFACTURER? HOW MANY UNINFORMED CONSUMERS HAVE BEEN DUPED BY THIS LACK OF MANUFACTURER RESPONSIBILITY?*JB

RECENTLY, I HAVE HAD 3 OR 4 INSTANCES WHERE THE LIGHTS ON MY 2003 IMPALA WENT COMPLETELY OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I HAD SWITCHED THE LIGHTS BETWEEN HIGH AND LOW BEAM. THIS IS RATHER CONCERTING. MY FRIEND REPORTED THAT HER 2002 IMPALA HAS ALSO RECENTLY BEGAN DOING THE SAME THING. MY LIMITED RESEARCH LED ME TO THIS SITE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AT NIGHT WITH THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ENGAGED, THE HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. UPDATED 12/12/2006 - ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT THE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT WHEN SWITCHED FROM HIGH BEAM TO LOW BEAM. THE LIGHTS DID NOT COME BACK ON UNTIL THE CONSUMER BEGUN TO JIGGLE THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH. THE POWER WINDOWS WOULD NOT GO DOWN. THE DEALER REPLACED THE MASTER WINDOW SWITCH. *NM

MY 2003 IMPALA STARTED WITH A SLOW LOOSE OF COOLANT. EVERY WEEK OR SO WOULD HAVE TO ADD TO THE OVERFLOW, BUT NEVER SAW A LEAK. WAS OVER-HEATING TOO. EVENTUALLY IT WOULD HAVE A TICKING FROM THE ENGINE AREA WHEN STARTING CAR. IT WASN'T ALL THE TIME THOUGH. I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS OIL ON MY DRIVEWAY AND THE OIL WAS ABOUT A 1/2 QUART LOW. CHECKED AGAIN IN COUPLE DAYS AND NEEDED TO ADD A QUART BECAUSE LIGHT CAME ON. TWO DAYS LATER LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. TOOK IT TO A CHEVY DEALERSHIP WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE GASKET NEEDED REPLACING IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD BECAUSE COOLANT MIXED WITH OIL. ALSO NEEDED COOLANT FLUSH, AND OIL CHANGE AND ANOTHER GASKET. THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS LOTS OF SLUDGE IN ENGINE AND COULD CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE. THE CAR HAS 68,000 MILES ON IT AND IT COST ME OVER $1300 TO REPAIR. WHAT A SHOCK TO THE POCKET BOOK. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE BRAKES LOCKED UP CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SKID. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED MULTIPLE UNKNOWN COMPONENTS, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED.

I HAVE 34000 MILES ON MY VEHICLE AND HAVE TO TAKE IT IN SOON AS THE BRAKES ARE AGAIN PULSATING. THIS WILL BE THE 6TH TIME I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE BRAKES REPLACED. THERE IS A CONSTANT RUBBING SOUND WHICH I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE DEALER IS A "NORMAL" SOUND IN AN IMPALA. THERE IS NOTHING "NORMAL" ABOUT THIS SOUND. 12/11/03 IS THE FIRST TIME I REPORTED A BRAKE PROBLEM AND HAVE CONTINUED TO DO SO UNTIL THE PRESENT.

THE CAR STARTING SMELLING LIKE ANTI-FREEZE AND THEN A BIG PUDDLE APPEARED IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. THE ONLY THING WE DID WAS DRIVE FROM NAMPA, ID TO BILLINGS, MT, WHICH WE HAVE DONE FOUR TIMES BEFORE. IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE HEATER CORE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR HAS 68,000 MILES ON IT RIGHT NOW AS OF JULY 28TH, 2006. IN NOVEMEBER OF 2003, THREE MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR, THE HEATER CORE WAS REPLACED AT 31,000 BY THE LITHIA DEALERSHIP IN HELENA, MT. THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS ALSO REPLACED IN MAY 2006 BECAUSE THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING AND MAKING A TICKING NOISE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS THE BRAKES WERE NOT RESPONDING ADEQUATELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO DETERMINED THE FOUR ROTORS HAD TO BE RESURFACED, HOWEVER THE PADS WERE STILL IN GOOD CONDITIONS. THE CONTACT EXPRESSED CONCERN BECAUSE THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 14950 MILES.