2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA HAS STOPPED WORKING PROPERLY AND GIVES ERRONEOUS READINGS. CAN READ ANYWHERE FROM 0 TO 120+ MPH AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND FROM 0 TO 60 MPH WHEN YOU ARE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. ADDITIONALLY, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE INSTRUMENT IS ALSO MALFUNCTIONING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE CHEVROLET DEALER AND THEY INFORM ME THAT THE REPAIR WILL COST $460.00. THE SPEEDOMETER DEFECT IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS AS THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF SAFETY EQUIPMENT. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET CUSTOMER SERVICE 800-222-1020 WHO ADVISED THAT THEY HAVE A SERVICE BULLETIN #07-187 FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM ON OTHER CHEVROLET MODELS BUT THE IMPALA IS NOT INCLUDED ON THE BULLETIN. NHTSA NOW HAS 48 PAGES OF COMPLAINTS ON THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME VEHICLE. *TR

AFTER 20 TO 30 MINUTES ON THE INTERSTATE, THE SPEEDOMETER SLOWLY FALLS TO 20 OR 0 MPH, ALL WHILE YOU ARE STILL MOVING AT AROUND 70 MPH. THE ODOMETER CONTINUES TO FUNCTION DURING THIS TIME. IF YOU STOP THE VEHICLE, THE SPEEDOMETER SEEMS TO RECALIBRATE, AND TAKES ANOTHER 20 TO 30 MINUTES TO REINDUCE. NO TROUBLE CODES WERE SET. TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM, YOU WOULD NEED TO GET A DEALER TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY FOR 1/2 AN HOUR...IT NEVER FAILS AROUND TOWN. THE DEALER ACTED LIKE THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING, BUT THEY WANTED BIG $$ TO REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. BASED ON PILES OF CORROBORATING INFORMATION ONLINE, I REPLACED THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER STEPPER MOTORS MYSELF WITH SWITCH PART # X25.168 WHICH FIXED THE PROBLEM. IF YOU ARE HANDY, YOU CAN DO IT IN AN HOUR WITH ONLY A SCREWDRIVER AND A SOLDER IRON. THE FAILING SPEEDOMETER MOTOR THAT I REMOVED WAS BINDING SLIGHTLY; THE WORKING MOTORS FOR THE FUEL AND TEMP GAUGES WERE NOT. GM'S DENIAL OF THIS PROBLEM WHILE IT IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND. I GUESS THEY WOULD GO BANKRUPT IF THEY REPLACED THE FAILING CLUSTERS, BUT THEY WOULD NOT EVEN PROVIDE INFORMATION LIKE THE GM PART NUMBER FOR THE FAILING MOTOR, NOR WOULD THEY IDENTIFY THE VENDOR. I HAD TO USE NEWS GROUP HEARSAY AND ORDER THE PARTS FROM A VENDOR ON EBAY. *TR

SPEEDOMETER FAILED BY VERY SLOWLY DROPPING TO ZERO MPH WHILE TRAVELING ON I65. I DID NOT REALIZE THE SPEEDOMETER HAD FAILED UNTIL I REALIZED I WAS PASSING OTHER PEOPLE AND THE CAR WAS GETTING QUITE DIFFICULT TO HANDLE. AFTER SLOWING DOWN AND FOLLOWING A GROUP OF TRUCKS I WATCHED THE SPEEDOMETER SLOWLY FALL TO ZERO OVER A PERIOD OF 15 MINUTES OR SO. I HAVE NEVER HAD A SPEEDOMETER DO THIS, THEY EITHER WORKED OR DID NOT WORK. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS HURT THOUGH ONLY BECAUSE I REALIZED I WAS DRIVING AT A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER SPEED THAN THE SURROUNDING TRAFFIC WHICH WAS ALREADY AVERAGING 10 TO 15 MPH OVER THE SPEED LIMIT OF 70 MPH. *TR

SPEEDOMETER FAILED APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR AGO. INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REPLACED AND NOW THE SPEEDOMETER HAS STOPPED WORKING AGAIN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH IN THE EVENING, THE EXTERIOR HEADLIGHTS ON BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES FAILED. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND TURNED THE DIMMER SWITCH ON AND OFF, WHICH ALLOWED THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS TO REGAIN POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE DIMMER SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DIMMER SWITCH WAS REPLACED THAT SAME DAY. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL; THEREFORE, THEY WERE NOT LIABLE FOR THE REPAIRS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,924 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,919. UPDATED 12/30/08 *CN UPDATED 12/30/08. *JB

SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. THINK I'M DRIVING THE LEGAL SPEED LIMIT AND COME TO FIND OUT I AM NOT AND HAVE NOT BEEN FOR A YEAR OR SO NOW. NEW PROBLEM AS OF 11/08, HEADLIGHTS GO OUT COMPLETELY WHEN HIGH BEAMS ARE TURNED ON FOR A SHORT TIME. MAJOR SAFETY HAZARDS AND GM HAS DONE NOTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEMS (SEE CARCOMPLAINTS.COM RE: 2004 CHEVY IMPALA'S). I CAN NOT AFFORD TO FIX ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR, SO NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO FIX IT. *TR

DASHBOARD INSTRUMENT FAILURES. FIRST THE RPM GAUGE STOPPED WORKING. THEN THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE STOPPED WORKING. THEN THE GAS GAUGE STOPPED WORKING. ALL WITHIN THE LAST 6 MONTHS. *TR

BEGAN NOTICING CLICKING IN STEERING DURING TURNS. MY 2004 HAD APPROXIMATELY 21,000 MILES ON IT AT THAT TIME. TOOK IT TO DEALER WHO TEST DROVE IT AND COMMENTED THAT CHEVROLET HAS HAD AN ON-GOING PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING SHAFT. A FIX WOULD COST OVER $300. I WROTE SEVERAL LETTERS TO GM ASKING WHY I WAS ASKED TO PAY FOR REPAIRS ON AN ITEM THEY SOLD KNOWING IT WAS DEFECTIVE. THEY EVENTUALLY OFFERED TO PAY HALF THE COST OF THE REPAIRS. I HAD IT REPAIRED BY THE DEALER AT A COST OF AROUND $140. AFTER DESCRIBING IT TO FRIENDS WHO ALSO OWNED CHEVY'S (TRUCKS) THEY COMMENTED THAT THEIRS WAS DOING THE SAME THING. MADE US WONDER WHY A RECALL WASN'T ORDERED.. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYED 120 MPH. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, PARKED THE VEHICLE, AND THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYED 70 MPH. THE CONTACT DROVE TO HIS RESIDENCE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS RELATED TO HIS VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THEY WERE NOT LIABLE FOR THE REPAIRS. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 49,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,970.

I AM A SINGLE PARENT, MOTHER OF 2 BOYS WHO TRAVELS WITH ME EVERYTIME I DRIVE MY CAR, FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS NOW IN MY 2004 CHEVY IMPALA THE SPEEDOMETER HAS NOT WORKED, WHEN MY CAR IS PARKED THE SPEEDOMETER READS 60 MPH AND WHEN I DRIVE MY CAR THE SPEEDOMETER HAD GONE PAST THE 120 MPH ALL THE WAY TO THE D FOR DRIVE. I AM SO UPSET I CAN NOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR A NEW CLUSTER BECAUSE FROM MY INTERNET SEARCH THAT SEEMS TO BE THE PROBLEM I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY. IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW FAST I AM REALLY GOING SOMETIME I MIGHT BE GOING TO SLOW FOR THE PERSON BEHIND ME AND THEY MIGHT GET UPSET THINKING I AM DOING IT ON PURPOSE AN FOLLOW ME OUT OF ANGER WHO KNOWS AND IF I AM GOING TO FAST I MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS NOT GOOD SOMEBODY HAS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, I AM SOOOOOOO UPSET. *TR