2004 Chevrolet Impala

WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF THIS AUTOMOBILE AND, UNTIL THIS DATE, WE HAVE HAD NO SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS. ON THE ABOVE DATE, THE TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER CEASED TO WORK PROPERLY. THE TACHOMETER WENT TO ZERO BUT THE SPEEDOMETER WENT UP AND DOWN SPORADICALLY. THE ENTIRE REST OF OUR VACATION, OVER A TWO WEEK PERIOD, BOTH WOULD CEASE WORKING UNTIL AUTO WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT. WE TOOK THE CAR TO OUR DEALERSHIP AND, AFTER SCANNING ON THEIR MACHINE, WAS INFORMED THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NEEDED REPAIR OR TOTAL REPLACEMENT AND WAS NOT COVERED BY ANY WARRANTY AND THE ALMOST $500.00 COST WOULD BE OUR RESPONSIBILITY. WE FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, NO MATTER THE AGE OF THE CAR OR THE MILEAGE, AND SHOULD BE AT LEAST PARTIALLY PAID FOR BY GENERAL MOTORS. WE THEN FILED A COMPLAINT WITH GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION AND HAVE BEEN ADVISED THEY WILL DO NOTHING TO ASSIST US WITH THE COST. WE CANNOT IMAGINE WHAT THE REACTION WOULD BE IF AN ELDERLY PERSON OR AN INEXPERIENCED DRIVER WERE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THEIR SPEEDOMETER SHOT UP TO 90-100 MPH WHAT THEIR REACTION WOULD BE. IT IS DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THIS WOULD NOT BE CLASSIFIED AS A SAFETY ISSUE. ANY ASSISTANCE WE RECEIVE IN ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON A RURAL AND CURVY ROAD, MY LIGHTS WHEN OUT WHEN I SWITCHED FROM MY HIGH BEAMS TO MY LOW BEAMS. I COULD NOT SEE FOR A FEW SECONDS AND LUCKILY THE HIGH BEAMS CAME ON WHEN I USED THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH TO ENGAGE THEM. I AM LUCKY THAT NO ONE WAS COMING BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO SEE WHERE I WAS GOING. THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH DID NOT ?CLICK? LIKE IT TYPICALLY DOES WHEN I SWITCH FROM HIGH BEAMS TO LOW BEAMS. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS INJURED WHEN I WAS DRIVING BUT IF THIS HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE TO SOMEONE ELSE THERE COULD BE TRAGIC RESULTS. *TR

WE WERE DRIVING OUR 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA THIS EVENING AND HAVE BEEN HAVING ISSUES FOR THE PAST MONTH WITH THE HEADLIGHTS. THE DIM LIGHTS WOULD NOT WORK AT ALL, ONLY THE BRIGHTS WORKED. THIS EVENING, WE SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING AND SUDDENLY THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH WAS SMOKING AND ON FIRE. WE SHUT OFF THE CAR AND WAVED THE FIRE OUT, LUCKILY WE GOT OUT SAFE. WE NOW HAVE NO HEADLIGHTS AND HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. I HAVE SEEN THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH MANY IMPALAS AND CHEVROLET NEEDS TO TAKE ACTION. SOMEONE COULD BE INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THEIR LIGHTS FAILING OR GET INJURED BECAUSE THEIR CAR STARTS ON FIRE. IT'S A LAWSUIT WAITING TO HAPPEN. *TR

FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW, MORE OFTEN WHEN SLIPPERY WINTER CONDITIONS EXIST BUT THIS CAN HAPPEN EVEN ON PERFECTLY DRY ROAD CONDITIONS. WHEN I BACK OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND PUT MY IMPALA INTO DRIVE AND START TO ACCELERATE THE DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHT FOR TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS BRAKING SYSTEMS. THIS HAPPENS WITH A NOTICEABLY LOUD GRINDING NOISE IN THE FRONT END. AUTOMATICALLY I RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR AND THE SYSTEMS HALF THE TIME SEEMS TO RESET ITSELF AS THE GRINDING NOISE STOPS, THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT GOES OUT AND THE ABS WARNING LIGHT GOES OUT AS WELL. I BEGIN TO ACCELERATE WITH NO PROBLEM AT THAT POINT. THE OTHER HALF OF THE TIME THE LIGHTS ALL STAY ON FOR THE LENGTH OF MY DRIVE, WITH THE GRINDING SUBSIDING WHEN I RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR. I TOOK THE CAR TO A CHEVROLET DEALER, EXPLAINED THE SITUATION AND THEY TOLD ME IT MAY BE A SPEED SENSOR GOING BAD. THEY WOULD HAVE TO DIAGNOSE IT AND POSSIBLY REPLACE THE SENSOR AND QUITE A LARGE COST. I ARGUED THAT IF MY BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY THAN THIS MAY WELL BE A SAFETY ISSUE AND CHEVROLET SHOULD REPAIR THE PROBLEM FOR FREE. NO CHANCE. I TOOK MY CAR TO ANOTHER DEALER WITH THE SAME RESULT. PAY FOR THE REPAIR. *TR

WHEN COMING TO A ALMOST STOP AND U START TO TAKE OFF ITS LIKE THE CAR ISN'T IN GEAR THE AFTER THE RPMS GO UP IT JUMPS IN GEAR SPINNING THE TIRES. THEN IT WILL PAUSE IN BETWEEN GEARS AND MAKE A THUMP WHEN IT GOES IN GEAR FROM 0-55. GM NEEDS TO FIX ALL THESE PROBLEMS WITH THESE TRANSMISSIONS. WE ALREADY PAID FOR THE TRANSMISSIONS WHEN WE ALL BOUGHT THE CARS FROM THE DEALERS AND SOME ARE NOT EVEN GETTING HALF THE MILES I GOT BEFORE THEY HAVE PROBLEMS. I HAD CARS I'VE NEVER TOUCH THE TRANSMISSION OTHER THAN MAINTENANCE AND IT OUT LASTED THE CAR! GM NEEDS TO FIX THESE NOW. I JUST GOT THIS CAR AND HAD IT ONLY A YEAR AND TWO MONTHS. I'M DISABLED I CAN'T AFFORD THIS REPAIR! NOTE: THE CAR IS IN MY MOTHERS NAME [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS AFTER DARK MY LIGHTS SHUT OFF . THIS CAUSED A PANIC AS I WAS IN CITY TRAFFIC AND COULD NOT SEE. MY LIGHTS WERE ON THE DIM MODE . I DISCOVERED I COULD MAKE THEM COME BACK ON IF I USED THE MULTIFUNCTION LEVER TO CHANGE TO BRIGHT LIGHTS. I'D THEN SWITCH BACK TO DIM AND THE LIGHTS WOULD WORK FOR 60-120 SECONDS AND THEN GO OUT. ONCE AGAIN I WOULD GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS WITH THE SAME RESULT. AFTER MY SECOND NIGHT OF THIS HAPPENING I DECIDED TO CHECK THEIR INNER NET . I HAD NOTICED THERE WERE 26 COMPLAINTS RELATING TO THE 2004 MULTIFUNCTION LEVER. I HAD A CAR LOAD OF PEOPLE THE FIRST NIGHT AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD I DID NOT HIT ANOTHER CAR . THE MULTIFUNCTION SELECTOR LEVER NEEDS TO BE RECALLED ON 2004 IMPALAS BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY HURT. IF NOTHING ELSE I THINK GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD REPLACE THE PART WHEN REPORTED MALFUNCTIONING AT THEIR COST. *TR