2004 Chevrolet Impala

SECURITY LIGHT WENT ON LAST MONTH. IT WAS TAKEN IN IMMEDIATELY FOR REPAIR. I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE IGNITIION CYLINDER. THE CAR ALSO MAKES A VIBRATING NOISE ON ACCELERATOR. I WAS TOLD THIS WAS THE DRIVE SHAFT AND THE CATALITIC CONVERTER. ALL REPLACED. THE CAR STILL MADE NOISE WHEN LEFT SERVICE AT NORTHEAST AUTO CENTER IN PHILADELPHIA PA WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED. YESTERDAY THE LIGHT FOR SECURITY IS BACK ON. 2004 CHEVY IMPALA VERY DISAPPOINTED. CAR HAS 55,000 MILES. AT 36K THE RADIATOR AND WATER PUMP WENT DURING FUNERAL PROCESSION. *TR

ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE STARTED ACTING STRANGE. NEVER GOING BACK DOWN TO NORMAL. THEN ABOUT 1 WEEK AGO, MY SPEEDOMETER STARTED GETTING STUCK AND NEVER GOING BACK DOWN TO ZERO WHEN I STOPPED. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR CHILDREN IN THE CAR AND DON'T KNOW HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING. WOULD LOOK REAL BAD WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS ALL OVER INTERNET ABOUT THIS EXACT PROBLEM FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THIS SAME DEFAULT OF THE GAUGES NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND CHEVY DOES NOTHING ABOUT IT UNTIL SOMEONE GETS INJURED AND SUES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT SMELLED GASOLINE IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FUEL SYSTEM REGULATOR WAS LEAKING. SHE SMELLED GASOLINE FOR OVER A MONTH AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC. SHE THOUGHT THE FAILURE HAD BEEN REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE ODOR REMAINED. THE CONTACT THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A GENERAL MOTORS DEALER AND THEY MADE THE REPAIR. THERE IS A SAFETY RECALL ON THE VEHICLE, BUT THE RECALL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN AS WELL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,899 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. *UPDATED 12/12/07 *BF THE DEALER STATED REPAIRED TRUNK LIGHT. UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER IN MY 2004 IMPALA WITH ONLY 42,000 MILES ON IT HAS SUDDENLY GOTTEN A MIND OF IT'S OWN. SOMETIMES IT WORKS AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WOULD BE OVER $500 TO GET IT FIXED. I HAVE LOOKED FOR RECALLS BUT CAN'T FIND ANY BUT HAVE FOUND PLENTY OF COMPLAINTS. I NEVER KNOW FOR SURE HOW FAST I AM GOING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYED AN INCORRECT SPEED AND WOULD FLUCTUATE SPORADICALLY. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,826. THE CONSUMER STATED GM ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. UPDATED 12/12/07

CHEVY 2004 IMPALA: SPEED AND TEMP GAUGE WERE READING ERRATICALLY AND AT TIMES STAYED AT A PARTICULAR SPEED AND TEMP WHICH WERE NOT ACCURATE. GAUGE CLUSTER WAS CHANGED OUT ACCORDING TO A DEALERSHIP. WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY REALLY DID. HAD VEHICLE IN TO SAME DEALERSHIP AGAIN FOR INTERMEDIATE STEERING COLUMN SHAFT FOR A KNOCKING SOUND. DEALERSHIP LUBRICATED SHAFT. TO ME, IF SOMETHING IS MAKING NOISE, THIS MEANS THERE IS CONTACT WITH AT LEAST TWO COMPONENTS CAUSING WEAR. I BELIEVE THE SHAFT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHANGED OUT. ALL PROBLEMS HAVE NOT RETURNED, YET. NO ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES OR SPEEDING TICKETS EITHER, THANK GOD. I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THE DEALERSHIP OR THE MANUFACTURER OF THIS VEHICLE WOULD NOT PICK UP THE COST OF A SPEEDING TICKET OR ASSOCIATED COSTS DUE TO AN INJURY OR DEATH. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS WHEN IS SOMEONE GOING TO STEP UP AND PUT SOME REAL HEAT ON THE AUTO INDUSTRY. DOES IT TAKE A DEATH OF A FELLOW CITIZEN TO TAKE ACTION? I THINK IT'S TOO LATE IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES. I DON'T RECALL THE DATES OF EITHER INCIDENT SO THE DATE I ENTER IS NOT ACCURATE. I COULD GIVE YOU THE PHONE NUMBER OF THE DEALERSHIP TO FIND OUT THE ACTUAL DATES, BUT YOUR NOT LOOKING TO MAKE WAVES WITH THE INDUSTRY. PLEASE TELL ME I'M NOT WASTING MY TIME WITH THIS COMPLAINT. PLEASE TELL ME THERE IS A GENUINE CONCERN AT NHTSA. PLEASE DO NOT INSULT MY INTELLIGENCE. YES I'M ANGRY AND DISSATISFIED WITH THE AUTO INDUSTRY WHOSE AIM IS TO LIVE OFF OF COMPONENTS BREAKING DOWN SO YOU HAVE TO BRING YOUR VEHICLE BACK IN. IT SURE WOULD BE NICE TO PURCHASE A VEHICLE, DRIVE OFF THE DEALERSHIP LOT AND NEVER HAVING TO RETURN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHEN DRIVING OVER SPEED BUMPS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD VIBRATION AND CLUCKING NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE OUTER HUBS, TIE RODS, AND INTERMEDIATE SHAFTS. HOWEVER, THE NOISE AND VIBRATIONS STILL OCCUR WHEN DRIVING OVER VARIATIONS IN THE ROAD. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 53,592 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,472.

LAST WINTER I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON A DARK MORNING AND WITHOUT WARNING MY HEADLIGHTS WENT TOTALLY OUT. I KEPT FLIPPING MY HEADLIGHT SWITCH OFF AND ON AND MY DIMMER SWITCH UNTIL THEY CAME BACK ON. I CONTINUED DOWN THE ROAD AND IT HAPPENED REPEATEDLY UNTIL I GOT TO WORK. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY REPLACED A COMPUTER MODULE. I DIDN'T THINK TO MUCH ABOUT IT UNTIL THIS MORNING WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN. IT HAS BEEN COOL OR COLD OUT BOTH TIMES IT HAS HAPPENED SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH TEMPERATURE OR NOT. I HAVE LOST TIME FROM WORK BECAUSE OUR AREA AUTO DEALERS SERVICE DEPTS. ARE NOT OPEN ON SATURDAYS, NOT TO MENTION THE DANGER OF DRIVING A BLACK CAR IN THE DARK WITH NO HEADLIGHTS! *TR

SINCE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN 12/04, REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER PERFORMED VERY POORLY. IN 3/07 IT CEASED WORKING, HOWEVER DASHBOARD CONTROL SWITCH AND I/P CONTROL RELAY APPEARED TO REMAIN FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. TROUBLESHOOTING REVEALED DEFECTIVE CIRCUIT BREAKER (MECHANICALLY BROKEN ARMATURE) TO BE CAUSE OF COMPLETE FAILURE. FOLLOWING REPLACEMENT OF CIRCUIT BREAKER, I/P CONTROL RELAY, AND ANTENNA MODULE, REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER IS BACK TO PERFORMING POORLY. ELECTRICAL GRID APPEARS TO BE FUNCTIONAL - GOOD HEATING PATTERN (WHEN IT HEATS) WITH NO VISUALLY OBVIOUS DEFECTS. NO OBVIOUS PROBLEMS WERE FOUND IN I/P CONTROL RELAY AND ANTENNA MODULE THAT WERE REPLACED. ELECTRICAL DIAGNOSIS INDICATES EXCESSIVE CURRENT DRAW THRU DEFROSTER GRID, WHICH CAUSES CIRCUIT BREAKER TO TRIP AFTER SEVERAL SECONDS OF OPERATION. MANUALLY CYCLING THE DEFROSTER CONTROL ALLOWS BREAKER TO COOL AND CAN AGAIN BE ACTIVATED TO PROVIDE 10-15 SECONDS OF REPEATED OPERATION. NOTE THAT ELECTRICALLY DISCONNECTING THE GRID (AT THE WINDOW) DOES NOT CAUSE THE BREAKER TO TRIP, INDICATING NO SHORT IN THE VEHICLE WIRING HARNESS. WITH POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF THE OEM CIRCUIT BREAKER, DIAGNOSIS REVEALED TO OBVIOUS HEAT DAMAGE TO ANY OTHER COMPONENTS/WIRING IN THE VEHICLE. REAR DEFROSTER GRID APPEARS TO BE SOURCE OF THE EXCESSIVE ELECTRICAL LOAD IN THE CIRCUIT. PROBLEM DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ADDRESSED IN TSBS THAT I CAN LOCATE TO DATE. DISCUSSIONS WITH SEVERAL TECHNICIANS HAS RESULTED IN NOTHING MORE THAN GUESSES AT THIS TIME. *TR