Electrical System. Review the 681 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Exterior Lighting. Review the 104 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 71 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

44 crash reports21 fire reports34 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

681 reports

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Mileage unknown · Jan 20, 2009

Electrical System

I HAVE A 2004 IMPALA. MY SPEEDOMETER STARTED ACTING CRAZY ONE DAY AND NOW DOESN'T WORK AT ALL. I THOUGHT I COULD DIAGNOSE THIS PROBLEM ONLINE AND FIX IT MYSELF. I WAS SHOCKED TO FIND HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND WHY THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10255751

Mileage unknown · Jan 19, 2009

Electrical System

2004 CHEVY IMPALA... APPROX 80,000 MILES - TACHOMETER & SPEEDOMETER ACTING WEIRD. APPARENTLY THIS IS KNOWN PROBLEM... GM SHOULD RECALL! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10255531

58,000 miles · Jan 18, 2009

Electrical System

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INTERMITTENT VECHILE SPEEDOMETER. & TACHOMETER STARTING TWO DAYS AGO, THE SPEEDOMETER ON THIS VECHILE STARTED ACTING ODD. AFTER TURNING A CURVE, THE SPEEDOMETER ROSE TO 70MPH AND REMAINDED THERE. HAD TO TURN MY KEY FROM THE ON TO OFF POSITION MANY TIMES TO GET IT TO RESET. HOWEVER THIS FIX ONLY WORKED FOR A FEW MINUTES. I AM AFRAID THAT IF I CONTINUE TO DO THE KEY CYCLE, MY STARTER WILL BE WORN OUT. ACCORDING TO A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP, THE REPAIR COST FOR THIS WILL BE $600. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN BROUGHT UP TO THE ATTENTION OF GM FOR A RECALL. MANY PEOPLE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DO SO; HOWEVER, GM DOES NOT SEEM TO CARE. THIS TYPE OF ISSUE CAN CAUSE MANY ISSUES UP TO AND INCLUDING ROAD HAZARDS. IT WOULD BE WISE FOR GM TO PLACE OUT A RECALL FOR THIS. I WILL BE COLLECTING EMAILS FOR THIS AT THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL ADDY: *TR

NHTSA ODI #10255477

55,000 miles · Jan 17, 2009

Electrical System

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I OWN A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA V6. ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO THE SPEEDOMETER STARTED ACTING UP. IT WOULD READ 30 WHEN I WAS STOPPED, OR 15 WHEN I WAS DOING ABOUT 60. SPEED READINGS ARE COMPLETELY RANDOM WHILE DRIVING NOW. IT VERY SELDOMLY WORKS CORRECTLY AND "TICKS" WHEN IT TRIES TO RESET. TEMPERATURE GAUGE STARTED ACTING THE SAME WAY AND IS PERMANENTLY STUCK WELL PAST THE OVERHEATING MARK. RECENTLY, MY AIRBAG LIGHT HAS ALSO PERMANENTLY TURNED ON AND REMAINS LIT EVERY TIME I DRIVE. I HAVE INCLUDED A LINK TO A DISCUSSION BOARD WITH COMPLAINTS FROM MULTIPLE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM FOR THE SAME YEAR/MODEL. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AS IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH CHEVROLET IS AVOIDING RECALLS FOR DANGEROUS INCIDENTS IN THE WAKE OF THE CURRENT STATE OF OUR ECONOMY! THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND HELP WITH THIS MATTER. HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/CHEVROLET/IMPALA/2004/ACCESSORIES-INTERIOR/SPEEDOMETER_GONE_HAYWIRE.SHTML. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10255453

66,000 miles · Jan 17, 2009

Electrical System

SPEEDOMETER IN 2004 IMPALA GOING HAYWIRE. NOT READING CORRECTLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10255418

50,000 miles · Jan 16, 2009

Electrical System

ABOUT 1 YEAR AGO, MY TEMP GAUGE STOPPED WORKING. NOW MY TACHOMETER EITHER SHOWS "0" WHEN THE VEHICLE IS MOVING OR IT WILL GO UP TO AROUND "4". MY CAR IS A 2004 IMPALA SS INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDWAY LIMITED EDITION NOW HAVING CLOSE TO 80,000 MILES. PROBLEM W TEMP GAUGE STARTED AROUND 50,000 MILES. CHEVROLET NEEDS TO RECALL THE INSTRUME…

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NHTSA ODI #10255365

73,000 miles · Jan 15, 2009

Electrical System

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I BOUGHT A 2004 CHEVY IMPALA DROVE IT LESS THEN ONE YEAR WHEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BEGAN TO NOT WORK. IT STARTED OUT BY GIVING A HIGH TEMP. READING THEN THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD NOT GO BACK DOWN TO 0 WHEN STOPPED. WHEN THE CAR DROVE AGAIN THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD INCREASE WHERE IT LEFT OFF. I WAS ABLE TO RESET THE SPEEDOMETER BY TURNING THE IGNITION TO ACCESSORY THEN OFF THEN BACK ON; IT WOULD GO DOWN IN SMALL INCREMENTS. THIS TEMPORARY FIX IS NO LONGER WORKING AND THE SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT WORK AT ALL. I HAVE GONE TO NUMEROUS WEBSITES AND THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS CAR ONCE THE MILEAGE REACHES ABOVE 50000. I WOULD LIKE FOR THERE TO BE A RECALL SO THAT CHEVY IS REQUIRED TO REPLACE THIS DEFECTIVE PART AT THEIR EXPENSE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10255269

110,000 miles · Jan 14, 2009

Electrical System

SPEEDOMETER ON 2004 IMPALA MAXED OUT WHEN DRIVING AND ALSO READ 40-70 WHILE PARKED. THE ENTIRE CLUSTER PANEL WAS REPLACED. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED SINCE IT POTENTIALLY COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10254940

Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 2009

Electrical System

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CLUSTER IS OUT ON MY 2004 CHEVY IMPALA. THIS CONTROLS THE SPEED ODOMETER,TEMPERATURE GAUGE,GAS GAUGE,RPMS.FIRST THE SPEED ODOMETER WENT OUT THEN THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE MESSING UP NOW THE RPMS. I HAVE NOT HAD THIS CAR VERY LONG. ONLY HAS 66,000 MILES. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY CRASHES OR INJURIES YET. BUT I DO HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN. AND I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS SAFETY MATTER. THE PART IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND I CAN'T AFFORD IT. NO RECALLS HAVE BEEN MADE TO MY KNOWLEDGE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10254001

83,000 miles · Jan 5, 2009

Electrical System

2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA SPEEDOMETER OPERATING ERRATIC. DRIVING ON ICE IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE I WAS GOING APPROX 60MPH AND IT SHOWED 38MPH. I WAS GOING PAST THE MILE MARKERS AT ONE PER 60 SECONDS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10253776

Official recalls

15V701000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine; Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/header/muffler/tail Pipe

Oct 26, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. The affected vehicles were previously repaired under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 to address the possibility that engine oil may drip onto the hot exhaust manifold.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.

Remedy: The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, or 15V-201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1-800-442-6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/header/muffler/tail Pipe

Consequence: Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.

Remedy: The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, or 15V-201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1-800-442-6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine

Consequence: Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.

15V201000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine

Apr 6, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 2, 2015, that they are is recalling certain model year 2004 Buick Regal vehicles manufactured April 9, 2003, to June 1, 2003, 2004 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured April 8, 2003, to June 23, 2003, and 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles manufactured April 7, 2003, to June 23, 2003. On May 18, 2015, GM expanded the recall to cover an additional 49,751 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles manufactured January 6, 2003, to June 25, 2004. In the affected vehicles, the valve cover gasket may leak.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The leaking engine oil can drip onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the plastic cover and plastic oil fill tube extension and replace the front valve cover and gasket. These repairs will be done free of charge. The recall began on April 24, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14574.

14V400000 · Electrical System:ignition

Jul 3, 2014

This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.

04V287000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Jun 23, 2004

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH LOWER THAN SPECIFIED TORQUE ON BOTH FRONT BRAKE CALIPER TO STEERING KNUCKLE ATTACHMENT BOLTS. WITH IMPROPER TORQUE, THE CLAMP LOAD AT THE JOINT MAY NOT BE ADEQUATE TO PREVENT MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE CALIPER BRACKET AND KNUCKLE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: DEPENDING ON WHETHER ONE OR BOTH BOLTS BACKS OUT OR FRACTURES, THE RESULT CAN BE LOCKING OF THE AFFECTED WHEEL DURING BRAKING AND AN ABRUPT STEERING INPUT IN THE DIRECTION OF THE LOCKED WHEEL, REDUCED BRAKING AND NOISE FROM THE AFFECTED WHEEL, OR SEVERING OF A BRAKE HOSE, INCREASED BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL, AND REDUCED STEERING CONTROL. REDUCED BRAKING OR STEERING CONTROL COULD CAUSE A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS ARE TO TIGHTEN BOTH BOLTS TO THE SPECIFIED TORQUE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 28, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET 1-800-630-2438 OR PONTIAC 1-800-620-7668.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.