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

What owners actually said

1,072 reports

82,000 miles · Dec 22, 2009

Electrical System

SPEEDOMETER STARTS AT RANDOM SPEEDS AND THEN CONTINUES LIKE IT STARTED AT ZERO. IT SOMETIMES SAYS 80 OR 100 MPH WHEN YOU ARE NOT MOVING AND THEN CONTINUES TO GO HIGHER AS YOU DRIVE. OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAST YOU ARE DRIVING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10296661

Mileage unknown · Dec 21, 2009

Electrical System

SPEEDOMETER HAS A MIND OF IT'S OWN SOMETIMES IT WORKS, SOME TIMES IT DOESN'T, THIS IS A REAL SAFETY CONCERN WHEN I CANNOT TELL THE TRUE SPEED IN WHICH I AM DRIVING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10296604

44,000 miles · Dec 21, 2009

Electrical System

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FIRST NOTICED A PROBLEM OVER A YEAR AGO WHEN THE TACHOMETER WENT TO ZERO WHILE CRUISING DOWN THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THE NEXT TIME I DROVE THE CAR IT WAS FINE. RECENTLY I NOTICED THAT THE COOLANT TEMP GAUGE WAS READING WAY PAST "HOT," HOWEVER THE CAR WAS NOT OVERHEATING. IT CONTINUES TO READ THIS WAY. NEXT IT WAS THE SPEEDOMETER READING MUCH FASTER THAN ACTUAL SPEED, APPROXIMATELY 50 TO 70 MPH HIGH. ONCE AGAIN THE TACHOMETER HAS GONE HAYWIRE AS WELL. SINCE THIS STARTED I HAVE NOTED THAT THE TACH AND SPEEDOMETER ARE FUNCTIONING, (THEY MOVIE HIGHER AND LOWER WITH CHANGES IN ENGINE AND VEHICLE SPEED) BUT APPEAR TO HAVE LOST THEIR "ZERO" REFERENCE. I RECALLED THAT THEY WOULD NORMALLY DROP TO BELOW ZERO AND THEN SNAP TO ZERO WHEN THE KEY IS FIRST TURNED ON. WITH THE ENGINE OFF I REPEATEDLY CYCLED THE KEY ON THEN OFF, GRADUALLY BACKING THE TACH AND SPEEDOMETER TO ZERO. THEY THEN FUNCTIONED PROPERLY FOR A SHORT TIME BEFORE WIGGING OUT AGAIN. IT IS MY GUESS THAT THE PROBLEM LIES IN THE GAUGES LOSING THEIR HOME PULSE. SO FAR, THE FUEL GAUGE HAS CONTINUED TO OPERATE NORMALLY. THIS FAILURE IS VERY DANGEROUS AS WELL AS LEAVING ME OPEN TO SPEED RELATED TICKETS AS I CAN ONLY ESTIMATE MY SPEED BASED ON EXPERIENCE. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM AND DISCOVERING THE HIGH NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ALREADY FILED WITH NHTSA IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS PROBLEM SHOULD RESULT IN A RECALL OF THESE VEHICLES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10296521

125,500 miles · Dec 20, 2009

Electrical System

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SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONING. THERE WERE NO KNOWN SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES THAT LED TO THE OCCURRENCE OF THIS ISSUE. ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO, DURING A ROAD TRIP, I NOTICED THAT I WAS DRIVING SLOWER THAN NORMAL TRAFFIC BUT MY SPEEDOMETER STATED I WAS DOING THE SPEED LIMIT 65 MPH. WHEN I LOOKED AT MY GPS, IT STATED I WAS DOING ABOUT 47 MPH. WHEN I SPED UP TO 65 MPH ACCORDING TO MY GPS, I WAS IN THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. AFTER I STOPPED, IT "RESET" ITSELF BACK TO ZERO WHEN THE CAR WAS IDLE. ABOUT A WEEK AGO, IT WON'T RESET ANYMORE. WHEN THE CAR IS OFF, THE NEEDLE POINTS STRAIGHT UP. WHEN THE CAR IS IDLE, THE NEEDLE GOES TO ABOUT 80 MPH. WHEN I'M DRIVING, IT GOES PAST 120 MPH. SO I'M CONSTANTLY USING MY GPS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE PROPER SPEED. I'VE BEGUN TO RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET ANY INFORMATION ON THIS ISSUE. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINT WEBSITES WHERE VARIOUS IMPALA OWNERS (2004-2006) THAT ARE ENCOUNTERING THE SAME ISSUE. I'M NOT WILLING TO REPLACE THIS PART; I HAVE OVER 126,000 MILES ON MY CAR. BUT THERE WERE OTHER OWNERS WHO DID NOT HAVE NEARLY AS MANY MILES AS I HAVE WITH THE SAME ISSUES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10296480

78,900 miles · Dec 18, 2009

Electrical System

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THE NIGHT OF 12/13, MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS READING VERY HIGH. I CHECKED MY COOLANT AND DID SOME TROUBLE SHOOTING. MY CAR WAS NOT OVER HEATING AS INDICATED ON THE GAUGE. TWO DAYS LATER, THIS PROBLEM RESOLVED, HOWEVER ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THE SPEEDOMETER DEVELOPED. ON 12/15, MY SPEEDOMETER WAS READING 60MPH WHILE I WAS PARKED IN A PARKING GARAGE. AS I ACCELERATED (GOING NO MORE THAN 10MPH) MY SPEEDOMETER WAS READING 120MPH. IT NOW RESTS AT 120MPH WHILE PARKED AND THE NEEDLE GOES ABOVE ANY READABLE MPH WHILE DRIVING. SINCE DEC 15TH, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAST I AM ACTUALLY DRIVING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10296321

105,980 miles · Dec 16, 2009

Electrical System

2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTION. INDICATES VERY HIGH SPEED (90-100 MPH) EVEN WHEN BARELY MOVING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10296103

60,000 miles · Dec 10, 2009

Electrical System

THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2004 CHEVY IMPALA IS DEFECTIVE, IT HAS NOT BEEN WORKING FOR AT LEAST A YEAR. AS THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE SAME CAR, IT SHOULD BE A GM RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10295299

52,360 miles · Dec 9, 2009

Electrical System

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FOR SPEEDOMETER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE SPEEDOMETER READS 45 MPH WHILE STOPPED AND AT 30 IT READS 80 MPH. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10295072

Mileage unknown · Dec 8, 2009

Electrical System

IMPALA 2004, SPEEDOMETER STOP WORKING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10295025

60,200 miles · Dec 7, 2009

Electrical System

2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA SPEEDOMETER WITH 60K MILEAGE COMPLETELY WENT OUT OF ORDER. IT COULD POINT AT ANY SPEED GAUGE IN DRIVING. VERY DANGEROUS ON THE ROAD. THOUSANDS OF IMPALA OWNERS REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE WEB. GM SHOULD RECALL BEFORE ANYONE HAS ROAD ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10294682

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.