2004 Chevrolet Impala

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN. NO TEMPERATURE LIGHT CAME ON BUT CAR STARTED TO SMOKE A LITTLE UNDERNEATH HOOD. STOPPED CAR AT AN EMPTY LOT, AND HAD IT TOWED TO A GARAGE. THEY SAID MY ENGINE HAD OVERHEATED AND NEEDED A NEW HEAD GASKET. IT HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD A HEAD GASKET PUT ON IT ABOUT A YEAR AGO, SO THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SECOND ONE. MECHANIC ADVISED ME NOT TO HAVE A SECOND HEAD GASKET JOB BUT INSTEAD ADVISED ME TO GET ANOTHER ENGINE FOR THE CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON STARTING THE IGNITION, THE FUEL GAUGE REGISTERED AN INACCURATE FUEL LEVEL READING. IN ADDITION, THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR WOULD ILLUMINATE AFTER DRIVING IN REVERSE AND THEN IN DRIVE. THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD EMIT A GRINDING NOISE WHENEVER BEING TURNED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,000.

I HAVE HAD MY 2004 IMPALA INTO THE SHOP THREE TIMES NOW WITH REGARDS TO THE TRACTION LIGHT GOING ON WHEN I TURNED ALONG WITH TRAC OFF AND ABS WARNING LIGHTS GOING ON. INITIALLY THE SERVICE LIGHTS WOULD GO ON WHEN TURNING RIGHT OR LEFT. THE ABS WOULD MAKE A NOISE LIKE IT WAS CYCLING. JUST LAST WEEK ON THE HIGHWAY THE TRACTION SERVICE LIGHT WENT ON WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH. I HAVE HAD TO STOP AND THE BRAKES WOULD PULSATE WITH NO BRAKING CAPABILITIES THEN IT WOULD CATCH AND I WOULD BE ABLE TO STOP WITH PUMPING THE BRAKE. I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT. THE FIRST TIME A REPAIR WAS MADE TWO WEEKS AGO AND REPLACED WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLIES ON BOTH FRONT TIRES AND FRONT BRAKES WERE REPLACED. THIS IS TIME FRAME WENT THE BRAKES WENT OUT. I WAS TOLD THE BACK BRAKES WERE OK. THE SECOND TIME - THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE RIGHT BEARING AFTER THE LIGHTS WENT ON AGAIN AFTER 5 DAYS OF DRIVING. NOW IT IS IN THE SHOP TO REPLACE THE WIRE HARNESS FOR THE TRACTION AND ABS WHEN THE SERVICE LIGHTS WENT ON AGAIN. THE WIRE IS ROCK HARD. *TR

SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING JUST BEFORE 2 YEARS / WE THOUGHT IT WAS A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF US WITH HIGH RF OUTPUT INTERFERING / WE WERE SO WRONG / / / EARLIER THE GAS GAUGE WAS STICKING AND REQUIRED MULTIPLE TWISTS OF KEY TO ON WITHOUT STARTING CAR THEN OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF .... ... TO RESET IT / LATER IT GOT STUCK POINTING TO THE TEMPERATURE AND WONT MOVE AT ALL / / / LATER THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE STOPPED WORKING AND WILL POINT ANYWHERE / ALTHOUGH 1 TRIP IN 20 IT SEEMS AS IF ITS RANDOM SETTING COULD BE CORRECT / / / NOW THE TACHOMETER IS INTERMITTENT / SEEMS RIGHT WHEN IT WORKS WHICH IS ABOUT 4 OUT OF 5 TRIPS / / / AND THE SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON AT RANDOM / A FEW TIMES WAS UNABLE TO START THE CAR WITHOUT WAITING TEN MINUTES / / / SOMETIMES THE TRACTION LIGHT COMES ON ERRONEOUSLY / / / CRUISE CONTROL SEEMS TO HAVE STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY / / / NO IDEA WHAT WILL FAIL NEXT / THE INTERNET IS FULL OF PEOPLE WITH THESE COMPLAINTS / / / CONSUMERS REPORTS USED CAR RATINGS HAS THIS CAR AS BAD IN EVERY CATEGORY OF PARTS THAT CAN NEED SERVICING / / / DEALERS WANT THOUSANDS TO REPLACE MULTIPLE PARTS BUT WONT GUARANTEE THAT THEY WILL FIX THE PROBLEM / / / INTERNET NOTES THAT PEOPLE HAVE FOUND BAD SOLDER JOINTS IN THE BCM, BAD WIRING HARNESS CONTACTS, BAD SENSORS, ETC. AND OTHER DESIGN DEFECTS / / / I HAVE FOUND THREE INDEPENDENT COMPANIES MAKING ALTERNATE PARTS TO REALLY FIX THESE PROBLEMS. AND MANY SOLUTIONS TO HELP ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM. / / / IS THERE AN UNADVERTISED RECALL OR FIX PROGRAM BY GM TO FIX THE INSTRUMENTS AND THE BOGUS SECURITY SYSTEM THAT ONLY LOCKS USERS OUT ?? *TR / / / / /

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE RAPIDLY INCREASED AND A COOLANT ODOR WAS EMITTED INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 141,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TRACTION CONTROL TRIES TO KICK WHEN BRAKING. BRAKES ACT AS THOUGH THEY ARE PUSHING BACK AGAINST MY FOOT PRESSURE AT THIS TIME. TRACTION CONTROL MAKES A GRINDING NOISE. VEHICLE HAS TROUBLE STOPPING. TRACTION CONTROL SHUTS OFF, WARNING LIGHT TO SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL COMES ON, ABS SHUTS OFF AND LIGHT COMES ON, AND RED "BRAKES" LIGHT TURNS ON. VEHICLE DRIVES AND BRAKES JUST FINE AFTER THAT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DRIVE. ON OCCASION THESE EVENTS HAPPEN WHEN GOING OVER A RAILROAD TRACKS OR OTHER SIMILAR BUMPS AND BRAKES ARE NOT INVOLVED. *TR

CHEVY IMPALA 2004 LS- THE VEHICLE IS STOPPING COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING OR SITTING AT INTERSECTION. THERE IS NO WARNING, NO MESSAGE, IT JUST DIES. THE STEERING GOES WHEN THIS HAPPENS SO I CANNOT EVEN GET OFF THE ROAD. THEN THERE ARE TIMES THAT THE CAR WILL NOT START AT ALL AND I HAVE BEEN STRANDED. EVENTUALLY AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES THE CAR WILL START- I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED THE STARTER BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. I HAVE HAD THE CAR CHECKED OUT AT 2 DIFFERENT SHOPS (FIRESTONE) AND THEY CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM. THERE ARE NO CODES COMING UP. THEY ARE COMPLETELY PERPLEXED. CHEVY STATES THEIR MECHANICS ARE BETTER. ALSO THE CLUSTER PANEL IS GONE AND CHEVY IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THEY ONLY RECALLED CERTAIN MODELS AND DID NOT INCLUDE THE IMPALAS. I HAVE 2 ESTIMATES REGARDING FIXING THIS PROBLEM BUT THE QUOTES ARE $500.00. I DO NOT FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS WHEN CHEVY KNEW THEY HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH CLUSTER PANELS AND OMITTED THE IMPALAS IN THEIR RECALL. SO, TO RECAP: THE CAR DIES IN TRAFFIC (ALMOST HIT TWICE), I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE, HOW FAST I AM GOING, OR IF THE CAR IS OVERHEATING. IN DEALING WITH CHEVY I WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE CAR TO A CHEVY DEALERSHIP. THEY GAVE ME A PLACE THAT IS 2 1/2 HOURS HOUSE AWAY FROM MY HOME. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT I WOULD HAVE THE HONOR OF PAYING FOR THE DIAGNOSTICS. IN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, I HAVE PULLED UP SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER CHEVY IMPALA 2004 OWNERS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME MULTIPLE PROBLEMS. I ALSO NOTICED THAT MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS ARE STATING THAT THE SAME ISSUES OCCURRED AT APPROX. THE SAME MILEAGE AS MINE. I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS WITH CHEVY CUSTOMER SERVICE AND BASICALLY THAT WAS IGNORED. THIS CAR IS HAZARDOUS TO DRIVE AND POTENTIALLY WILL CAUSE BODILY HARM. DEALING WITH CHEVY IS POINTLESS. ALL THEY CAN THINK OF IS HOW MUCH MONEY THEIR DEFECTS WILL BRING IN. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING. IT FIRST STARTED MISREADING SPEEDS, SAYING IT WAS 30 MPH ON HIGHWAY (I WAS AROUND 55 MPH) AND THEN STOPPED READING. IT WILL WORK AND THEN MONTHS LATER START MALFUNCTIONING ONE OR TWICE, UNTIL LAST WEEK IT TOTALLY STOPPED WORKING. AL OTHER GAUGES SEEM TO BE WORKING, BUT IT MAKES A 'LIGHT FLASH' NOW AND THEN. SOME INTERIOR LIGHTS (MIRRORS) WILL STOP WORKING WHEN IT DOES THIS PANEL FLASH. I'M TOLD IT IS A CLUSTER ISSUE, KNOWN FOR THESE MODELS. I BOUGHT THIS CAR STRAIGHT FROM THE DEALER, BRAND NEW IN 2004, AND HAVE MAINTAINED PER SPEC, REGULARLY. *TR

I DROVE MY 2004 IMPALA TO THE STORE, WHEN I RETURNED TO MY CAR IT WOULD NOT START! SINCE I HAD JUST SIGNED THE PAPERS ON IT I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER ONCE IT STARTED. THEY PUT $500.00 WOULD OF REPAIR WORK INTO IT BUT THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. IT HAPPENED AGAIN JUST AFTER MY 3 MONTH WARRANTY EXPIRED. IT USED TO IT EVERY SO OFTEN UNTIL RECENTLY IT HAS BEEN DOING IT A FEW TIMES A DAY. *TR