2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA WITH FAILURE MILEAGE 28,000 HE NOTICED THAT WHENEVER TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL HE HEARD A KNOCKING NOISE. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER INITIALLY BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT WAS A STEERING PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN TOLD HIM THAT IT HAD TO DO WITH THE STRUCTURE FRAME AND MEMBERS OF THE WHEELS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TECHNICIAN REPLACED A ROD ON THE TIRE, BUT IT DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE TECHNICIAN TOLD HIM THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND THAT HE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF ALL REPAIRS. THE CONTACT ALREADY PAID $150.00 IN REPAIR COSTS, AND THE FAILURE HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,000 MILES. *AK

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AGAINST WHAT WAS RECOMMENDED IN THE OWNERS MANUAL. THE GASOLINE STATION THAT HE TOOK THE VEHICLE WAS USING ETHANOL. THE OWNERS MANUAL STATED THAT THE ETHANOL WILL DAMAGE PARTS IN THE CARBURETOR, AND IN THE ENGINE, AND PARTS MADE OF RUBBER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 26,000. THERE HAD BEEN NO FAILURE TO DATE.*AK UPDATED 04/30/07. *JB THE CONSUMER PROVIDED 2 ARTICLES PERTAINING TO THE ETHANOL SITUATION. THE CONSUMER STATED THE SAME ETHANOL THAT DAMAGES DISPENSING FUEL PUMPS WILL ALSO DO DAMAGE AND POSSIBLY CAUSE FIRES IN AUTOMOBILES. UPDATED *TR

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA WITH 82000 FAILURE MILEAGE THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYED INCORRECT RATES OF SPEED. THE SPEEDODOMETER NEEDLE ALSO BEGAN TO SWERVE BACK AND FORTH SLIGHTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AS HAVING A FAILED INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER. *AK

THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ON THE 2004 CHEVY IMPALA GOES OUT-OF-CONTROL. IT REGRISTERS SPEEDS GREATER OR LESS THAN THE SPEED I AM TRAVELING. EVERYTHING WAS WORKING GREAT AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT STARTED GOING OUT-OF-CONTROL. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.*K

TL* -THE CONTACT COMPLAINED ABOUT THE STEERING COLUMN COUPLER. GMC HAS KNOWN FOR YEARS THAT THIS PART WAS POORLY DESIGNED, BUT FAILED TO COVER MAINTENANCE/REPLACEMENT ON IT. THE SOLUTION WAS TO CHARGE $165 + TO GREASE THE COUPLER AT THE CONTACT''S EXPENSE. GM C WAS FULLY AWARE OF A PROBLEM, AND DID NOT BRING IT TO THE CONTACT'S ATTENTION, AND THEN CHARGED THE CONTACT TO FIX IT TEMPORARILY. *AK

INSTRUMENT FAILURE, NOTHING CAUSED THE FAILURE, IT JUST STARTED SLOWLY AT 30000 MILES, HAD MILD SPEED MISREADINGS AT NIGHT, BUT SLOWLY BECAME WORSE AND WORSE. BUT NOW TEMPERATURE AND FUEL DOES NOT READ CORRECTLY ANY TIME OF DAY, BUT GOES CRAZY ON HOT DAYS. I TOOK THE CLUSTER APART AND THE MAIN PROCESSOR CHIP HAD A BLOB OF SILICONE DRIP ON IT DURING ASSEMBLY AND NOW HAS A BURN MARK ON IT. I HAVE TALKED TO NUMEROUS OTHER IMPALA OWNERS WITH SOME PROBEM.

MY 2004 IMPALA'S ABS TROUBLE LIGHT CAME ON AS DID THE "SERVICE TRACTION SYSTEM" LIGHT. THE DEALERS DIAGNOSIS BASED UPON ABS SCANNER CODES WAS THAT THE LEFT REAR WHEEL SPEED SENSOR HAD FAILED/SHORTED. GM'S SEALED WHEEL HUB DESIGN ON THIS VEHICLE MEANT THAT IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR THE ENTIRE HUB HAD TO BE REPLACED. SINCE THE VEHICLE HAS JUST OVER 40K MILES AND IS OUT OF WARRANTY, MY TOTAL COST WAS OVER $690 INCLUDING PARTS, LABOR, AND TAXES. THIS IS ABSURD AND RIDICULOUS. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR THE CONSUMER TO HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THIS KIND OF OUTRAGEOUS COST SIMPLY TO GET A SENSOR REPLACED. IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE NECESSITY OF REPLACING THE ENTIRE HUB, THERE IS NO WAY THAT THIS REPAIR SHOULD EVEN COST $100. AS A MECHANICAL ENGINEER, I RECOGNIZE POOR DESIGN AND POOR LOGIC WHEN I SEE IT, AND THIS SITUATION CERTAINLY FALLS UNDER THOSE CATEGORIES. I AM EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED THAT I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO PAY THIS IN ORDER TO RESTORE OPERATION OF THE ABS AND TRACTION SYSTEMS. IF THIS IS STANDARD GM DESIGN PRACTICE, I WILL DEFINITELY CONSIDER THAT A NEGATIVE WHEN PURCHASING MY NEXT VEHICLE. *JB

SPEEDOMETER ACTS LIKE IT FREEZES WHILE DRIVING. WHILE DRIVING RECENTLY THE SPEEDOMETER WAS STUCK ON 65 MPH. AFTER COMING TO A STOP AND STARTING AGAIN, SPEEDOMETER STARTED FROM THIS POINT AND WENT TO 120. I PARKED THE CAR OVERNIGHT AND THE SPEED WAS 65 MPH. I TURNED THE KEY ON AND OFF AND IT WENT DOWN BY 10 MPH. I DID THIS A FEW MORE TIMES AND IT FINALLY WENT BACK TO 0. IT REGISTERED CORRECT AFTER I DROVE IT BUT IT STILL ACTS LIKE IT IS STICKING OR HESITATING. MY FRIEND ALSO HAS AN IMPALA AND SHE STATED THAT HER SPEEDOMETER ON HER CAR DOES NOT WORK SOMETIMES EITHER. *JB

I HAVE A 2004 CHEVY IMPALA. IT NOW HAS 43,000 MILES ON IT. WE PURCHASED IT DEC. 30, 2004. IT ONLY HAD 13 MILES ON IT. OVER THE PAST MONTH IT FAILED TO START TWICE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND LEARNED THAT THE PASSLOCK SENSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $475.00. AFTER INVESTIGATING THE ISSUE, I'VE LEARNED THAT THIS HAS BEEN A COMMON FAILURE IN GM CARS FOR MANY YEARS. ONE WOULD THINK THAT THIS TYPE OF FAILURE SHOULD NOT BE SO COMMON, AND ESPECIALLY ON SUCH A YOUNG CAR. GM SHOULD BE PRESSURED INTO REDOING THIS SYSTEM. AT $475.00 PER CAR, THEY ARE MAKING QUITE A BIT OF MONEY TO MAKE THESE REPAIRS. *JB

TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING CORRECTLY. TACHOMETER WOULD VARY ANYWHERE FROM 0 TO 7000+ RPM WHEN IDLING, WOULD GO OFF THE SCALE OR FALL TO ZERO WHILE DRIVING. SPEEDOMETER WAS SHOWING 85 MPH WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH. SPEEDOMETER SHOWED 52 MPH AND WAS ACTUALLY GOING 70 MPH, VERIFIED BY STATE TROOPER USING MOVING RADAR. *JB