2004 Chevrolet Impala Complaint Log

LOW BEAMS ARE NO LONGER OPERABLE ON THE CAR. SEEMS TO BE A RUNNING THEME WITH THE CHEVY IMPALA CARS. 2004 CHEVY IMPALA I HAVE ALREADY SPENT MORE IN REPAIRS THAN TO PURCHASE THE VEHICLE. TRANSMISSION, FRONT DRIVE LINE AND NOW MY PASSLOCK LOCKS ME OUT OF THE CAR- CAR WON'T TURN ON FOR SOMETIMES 3 DAYS. LIGHTS QUIT WORKING ABOUT ONE MONTH AGO I LIVE IN HAWAII AND CAN'T GET MY CAR TO PASS SAFETY INSPECTION TO GET MY STICKER SO I NOW HAVE A CAR WITH 60,000 MILES THAT CAN'T BE DRIVEN ON THE ROAD, CAN'T BE SOLD. IMPALA'S ARE MONEY SUCKING DANGEROUS LEMON VEHICLES. I CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX IT CAN'T SELL IT SO NOW WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS CAR???????????? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WAS INOPERABLE AND SHE WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE HOW FAST SHE WAS TRAVELING. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE HOWEVER, DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 132,000 AND THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

PLEASE HELP. I HAVE A 2004 CHEVY IMPALA. IT HAS THE GM PASSLOCK. THE SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON THE MESSAGE BOARD AND SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL NOT START. THE CAR HAS LEFT ME STRANDED ABOUT 25 TIMES. I'M AFRAID ONE DAY IT WILL BE AN EMERGENCY AND MY CAR IS GOING TO LEAVE ME STRANDED. THIS IS A VERY COMMON AMONG IMPALA AND OTHER GM VEHICLES. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ASAP. THANK YOU! *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 CHEVY IMPALA THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACH METER NEEDLES WENT HAY WIRE. THEY HAVE NOT GONE BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL STATE. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT CAUSED THIS PROBLEM, BUT WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT. *TR

I WAS COMING DOWN WESTBOUND ON RACQUET CLUB (CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CA) THE LIGHT WAS GREEN AS I WAS APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION. I WAS IN THE LANE CLOSEST TO THE CURB/SIDEWALK. I DO RECALL SEEING THE TRUCK COMING DOWN SOUTHBOUND FROM A FAR DISTANCE. I WAS HALF WAY ON THE INTERSECTION WHEN I SEE THE TRUCK COMING VERY FAST AND THE NEXT THING I KNOW IT HIT MY CAR IT SPUN ( I BELIEVE TWICE). THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND MY TWO KIDS WERE WITH ME. MY SON WAS SITTING IN THE FRONT SIDE PASSENGER SIDE AND MY DAUGHTER WAS IN HER CARSEAT SITTING BEHIND ON THE BACK ON THE RIGHT. SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF MY ENGINE. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH. THE OTHER VEHICLE RAN A RED LIGHT. MY CAR WAS TOTALED. THE POLICE, AMBULANCE AND FIRE TRUCK CAME TO THE SCENE. MY SON AND I WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL. MY SON WHO IS 11 BROKE HIS WRIST DUE TO THE ACCIDENT AND BRUISES ALL OVER HIS BODY. MY DAUGHTER SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES AND I HAD A CUT ON MY FOOT, MAJOR BRUISES ON MY CHEST AND MY LOWER ABDOMEN DUE TO THE SEATBELT. *TR

THE SECURITY LIGHT STARTED COMING ON, AND EVENTUALLY THE CAR BEGAN NOT STARTING. IT STARTED HAPPENING EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, AND NOW HAPPENS A FEW TIMES A WEEK. THE LIGHTS, RADIO, AND ACCESSORIES WORK, BUT THE CAR WILL NOT START. I HAVE TO WAIT 10 MINUTES TO TRY AGAIN. THIS BEGAN ABOUT A MONTH AFTER MY WARRANTY EXPIRED. I TOOK IT TO A SHOP, WHERE THEY "LOCATED HIGH RESISTANCE IN IGN CYLINDER CONNECTOR TO BODY CONTROL MODULE REMOVED AND CLEANED CONNECTORS AND REPROGRAMMED AS NEEDED". NEXT DAY, SECURITY LIGHT WENT ON, MORNING AFTER THAT, CAR WOULD NOT START! WAS TOLD AT THE SHOP "IF SECURITY LIGHT COMES BACK ON, WILL NEED TO REPLACE TUMBLER AND NEW KEY AND REPROGRAM $690+ TAX". I HAVE A 2-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER THAT I CARE FOR ALL DAY, AND I WORK NIGHTS- LEAVING WORK AT 1:30 A.M. I CANNOT HAVE THIS HAPPENING. THIS SEEMS TO BE A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM AMONG GM CARS FROM 2000-2009, AND I CANNOT FIND A TRUE REMEDY FOR IT. *TR

FIRST SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING, NOW TEMPERATURE GAUGE IS NOT READING CORRECTLY. *TR

MY 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OR THE SAME COMPLAINTS ABOUT IMPALA MODELS FROM 2003-2006, AS WELL AS OTHER CHEVY MODELS. THE GAS GAUGE HAS GONE COMPLETELY OUT, AND THE VOLT GAUGE HAS NOW STOPPED WORKING, AND THE SPEEDOMETER RANDOMLY GOES HAYWIRE AND MOVES ERRATICALLY, READING INCORRECTLY. THE MOST COMMON REPORT IS THAT GM HAS INSTALLED A DEFECTIVE STEPPER MOTOR IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER OF THESE MODELS. AND THE DEALERS ESTIMATE A REPAIR COST OF $600 TO REPLACE THE CLUSTER COMPLETELY. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE. GM NEED TO STEP UP AND RECALL THIS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE PART.*CW

MY 2004 CHEVY IMPALA SPEEDOMETER HAS STOPPED TRACKING THE CORRECT SPEED. IT IS USUALLY READING MUCH LESS THAN I AM ACTUALLY MOVING BUT CAN REPORT MUCH HIGHER SPEEDS. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS DIFFICULT TO JUDGE YOUR ACTUAL SPEED WITHOUT IT. TYPICALLY WITH A WORKING SPEEDOMETER I HAVE TO BRAKE TO KEEP MY SPEED IN CHECK. THE CAR RIDES SO SMOOTH THAT IT IS EASY TO GO FASTER THAN ONE SHOULD. *TR

WAS IN MY CAR DRIVING SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE HOOD. RAISED THE HOOD AND IT WAS ON FIRE. *TR

2004 IMPALA, BRAKE ROTORS WARPING. CAR HAS APPROX 73,000 MILES. IN THAT TIME BOTH FRONT AND REAR BRAKE ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED OR RESURFACED APPROX 4-5 TIMES DUE TO PULSING WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. *TR

MY 2004 IMPALA'S SPEEDOMETER WILL GO UP OVER 100+ WHEN I AM ONLY DOING 60MPH MAX. THE TEMP GAUGE LOCATED TO THE RIGHT OF THE SPEEDO IS NOW DOING THE SAME THING. THE ONLY SHORT TERM FIX IS TO THE IGNITION SWITCH OFF THEN ON AGAIN UNTIL THE GAUGE READS ZERO AGAIN. ON E TIME ON MY WAY HOME (PA.) FROM )NJ.) THE GAUGE DROPPED PAST THE MAX ON THE SPEEDO AND I HAD NO CLUE ON HOW FAST I WAS GOING. FOR OVER 5 HOURS I HAD TO GO WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC AND HOPE THAT THEY WERE NOT SPEEDING. *TR

MY 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALAS TRANSMISSION JUMPS INTO GEAR MAKING THE CAR GO FORWARD IN AN UNSAFE MANNER. I CONTACTED GM AND THEY TOLD ME TOUGH LUCK. THE CAR ONLY HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT. I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY WON'T FIX THIS DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION. I WENT TO CAR COMPLAINTS DOT COM AND FOUND HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. *TR

I OWN A 2004 CHEVY IMPALA. I FOUND THIS WEBSITE FULL OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS AS MINE, WITH THE VEHICLE NOT STARTING WHEN IT SHOULD. I HAVE FIRST EXPERIENCED THIS AT 75,000 MILES AND I WOULD PUT IN THE KEY AND NOTHING HAPPENS EXCEPT THE LIGHTS AND RADIO COME ON. NO CLICK NO NOTHING... HAD THE ALTERNATOR REPLACED, AND IT STILL DOES IT. HAD THE STARTER CHECKED, IT STILL DOES IT. I HAVE BEEN STRANDED AT WORK, LATE FOR WORK AT HOME, AT RESTAURANTS IN BELOW ZERO WEATHER WITH A CHILD. PLEASE SEE THIS WEBSITE, BECAUSE THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS, AND IT APPEARS THIS IS A GM ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED. I CAN GIVE THE DATE THAT HAPPENED THE OTHER DAY AT WORK IN 110 WEATHER (WITH HUMIDITY) HAD TO WAIT 1/2 HOUR THEN IT FINALLY STARTED. SOMETHING IS WRONG, AND WHY SHOULD CONSUMERS HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS PROBLEM WHEN CLEARLY IT IS A GM PROBLEM. THE WEBSITE OF THE COMPLAINTS (THAT IN ORDER TO GET AN ANSWER YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR..SERIOUSLY COME ON) IS HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/CHEVROLET/IMPALA/2000/ELECTRICAL/PASSLOCK_PROBLEM_SECURITY_LIGHT_IS_ON.SHTML I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. BECAUSE THIS HAPPENS AT RANDOM TIMES, IT IS TOO HARD TO PINPOINT EXACT TIMES AND PLACES THAT THIS HAS INDEED HAPPENED. MY ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED BY A GM DEALER AND FUNNY THEY "NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE"... ALTHOUGH MY NEIGHBOR WHO OWNS A 2002 HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE SHE NOTICED THAT OCCASIONALLY THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT ALL OF THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WOULD FLICKER ON AND OFF WHILE THE CONTACT WAS ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE. A LOCAL DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE REPRODUCED. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 52998. UPDATED 12/7/09 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE SECURITY LIGHT WOULD COME ON. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE PASS LOCK SYSTEM. UPDATED 12/08/09.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE ANTI THEFT WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT WAITED A FEW SECONDS AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. SHE CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE CYLINDER ON THE PASS LOCK SYSTEM WAS FAILING, OR POSSIBLY THE BODY LOCK CONTROL MODULE OR THE BOX SENSOR. THE REPAIR WOULD COST $600. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT IS IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,800 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 71,989. UPDATED 07/28/09. *LJ THE CONSUMER DID NOT HAVE POWER STEERING OR BRAKES. UPDATED 07/30/09.*JB

I HAVE A 2004 IMPALA. IT ONLY HAS 36,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE KEPT IT WELL MAINTAINED AND IS GREAT SHAPE WITH LOW MILES. THE GAUGE CLUSTER ON THE CONTROL PANEL BEGAN ACTING CRAZY AS MANY OTHER POSTINGS I HAVE SEEN ON THE INTERNET. THE SPEEDOMETER AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE IS SCREWED UP. IT READS 100 WHEN I'M GUESSING 40 OR 50 MPH OR 10 WHEN I'M AROUND 35 OR THE TOTAL OPPOSITE. I CAN RESET IT TEMPORARILY BY TURNING THE KEY ON AND OFF UNTIL THE SPEEDOMETER AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE REACHES ZERO. IT IS SOMETIME OK FOR A SHORT WHILE. BUT IT DEFINITELY WILL GO WACKY AFTER I GO OVER 50 MPH OR IF I GO OVER 60 MPH HOUR ON THE INTERSTATE. THEN I HAVE NO SPEEDOMETER UNTIL I TRY TO RESET IT AND SOMETIMES IT TAKES ME DAYS TO GET IT BACK TO ONLY TEMPORARILY WORKING. I NOTICED THIS HAPPENING IN 2009 WHEN I GOT THE CAR FROM MY BROTHER AFTER HE PASSED AWAY. THE CAR AT THAT TIME ONLY HAD AROUND 28,500 MILES ON IT. BUT AS TIMES GOES ON, THE ISSUES ARE GETTING MORE PROMINENT AND WORSE. THERE ARE SOMETIMES I HAVE TO WAIT A DAY OR TWO TO EVEN GET IT BACK TO RESET. I HAVE CALLED THE LOCAL CHEVY DEALER LARIA CHEVY IN RITTMAN, OHIO WHERE MY BROTHER HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM ORIGINALLY. I TOLD THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD OF THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS I HAD READ ON THIS PROBLEM. HE INFORMED ME THERE WAS NO RECALL AND THE COST TO REPAIR IT WOULD BE AROUND $550 TO $650. I BELIEVE THIS IS A TOTAL RIP OFF BY CHEVY!! THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM, CONSIDERING THE MOUNTING NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS I HAVE ALREADY READ ON THE INTERNET. THERE IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY FACTOR INVOLVED AND I CAN NOT BELIEVE THERE WAS NO RECALL BY CHEVY OR BY THE NHTSA BOARD. I AM SO DISPLEASED WITH THIS VEHICLE THAT THIS WILL BE MY LAST CHEVY I WILL EVER BUY AND I HAVE VOICED MY DISPLEASURE WITH SEVERAL OF MY FRIENDS. I WILL GO BACK TO A DEPENDABLE HONDA CAR WHICH I DROVE FOR 12 YEARS AND NEVER HAD ISSUES WITH IT AS I HAVE HAD WITH THIS CHEVY!! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS. THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYED AN INACCURATE READING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT ANY GIVEN SPEED RATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER. THE VEHICLE WAS PREPARED FOR THE MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

I OWN A 2004 CHEVY IMPALA. MY SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON ONCE IN A WHILE AND THEN MY CAR WON'T START. I'VE BEEN TOLD BY MY DEALER THAT IT IS A PASSLOCK ISSUE AND THAT IT HAPPENS IN MANY GM VEHICLES. *TR

SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT KEEP ACCURATE READING. GAUGE CAN READ 110 MPH WHEN ONLY GOING 60 MPH OR CAN READ 30 MPH WHEN DRIVING FASTER. NEEDLE DOES NOT ALWAYS RETURN TO ZERO WHEN STOPPED OR IDLING. ALSO RACES AT TIMES. HAPPENS DURING COLD AND HOT WEATHER. ALSO, THE TEMPERATURE INDICATOR GAUGE NEEDLE STICKS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAUGE OR GOES IMMEDIATELY TO THE RED ZONE WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE FROM A COLD START OR AFTER LEFT PARKED OVERNIGHT. *TR

2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA SPEEDOMETER GETS STUCK OR WILL NOT WORK AT ALL. WILL NOT SHOW ACCURATE SPEED. *TR

THE INSTRUMENTS IN MY 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA STOPPED WORKING. FIRST THE FUEL GAUGE FAILED, THEN THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE FAILED, NOW THE SPEEDOMETER HAS FAILED. SINCE THE SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT READ CORRECTLY, I FEEL IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN AND SHOULD BE A COVERED REPAIR UNDER A RECALL. *TR

FIRST TIME CAR WAS TAKEN OUT TODAY, THE SPEEDOMETER READ 75MPH WHILE STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT. SCARY FOR ME PARTICULARLY BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME MY DAUGHTER TOOK THE CAR OUT ON HER OWN (1PM). SHE ONLY WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE MAYBE 5 MILES FROM THE HOUSE. WHEN SHE RETURNED, I TOOK OUT THE CAR. EVERYTIME I SLOWED OR STOPPED & STARTED, THE BEGINNING SPEED WOULD INCREASE. FOR EXAMPLE, I'D BE STOPPED AND IT WOULD REGISTER THAT I WAS AT 80+MPH. AT ONE POINT ON THE HIGHWAY, THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE POINTED AT THE "N". LATER THIS EVENING (8PM) WE TOOK THE CAR OUT AGAIN. IT SHOWED 60 MPH WHEN WE FIRST ENTERED THE CAR. THEN IT DECREASED, SHOWING 40MPH WHILE STOPPED. QUITE DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF VIA GM; A RECALL. *TR

ELECTRONICALLY PROBLEMS WITH DOORS LOCKS AND INSTRUMENT PANEL. BOTH PROBLEMS WERE REPAIRED. NOW A YEAR LATER, EXPERIENCING BOTH PROBLEMS. LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL COME ON AND SPEEDOMETER WILL GO CRAZY WHILE DRIVING. UNABLE TO LOCK THE CAR WITH EITHER KEY OR KEY FOB. *TR

MY SPEEDOMETER STARTED BY ZEROING OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I WOULD PULL OVER, SHUT THE CAR DOWN, AND RESTART IT, AND IT WOULD WORK FINE. IT HAS PROGRESSED TO IT NOT WORKING CORRECTLY AT ALL. *TR

FAILURE OF LOWER INTAKE GASKETS ON 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. *TR

FOR OVER A YEAR, I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR MY 2004 CHEVY IMPALA. FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, THE SECURITY LIGHT IN MY DRIVER?S PANEL INTERMITTENTLY DISPLAYED WHEN I PLACED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND MY CAR FAILED TO START. THE CAR WOULD EVENTUALLY START AFTER 15 ? 30 MINUTES. AT FIRST, THIS OCCURRED SPORADICALLY BUT THEN BECAME A MORE COMMON OCCURRENCE. WHEN I TOOK MY IMPALA TO A LOCAL AUTO-REPAIR SHOP, THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSIS THE EXACT PROBLEM. THEIR EQUIPMENT REPORTED A NUMBER OF ELECTRONIC ERRORS BUT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO PINPOINT THE PRECISE CAUSE OF THE CAR?S ISSUES. INSTEAD, THEY OFFERED TO RESET THE ELECTRONIC CODES AND ADVISED ME TO BRING MY CAR BACK AT THE FIRST SIGN OF ANY ELECTRONIC ISSUES. MY IMPALA OPERATED FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WITHOUT ISSUE. HOWEVER, A NEW ELECTRONIC ISSUE EMERGED WITH MY VEHICLE. I NOTICED MY CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AUTOMATICALLY. FOR EXAMPLE, IF I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP, THE CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AT A MODERATE AMOUNT OF SPEED AS SOON AS I RELEASED THE BRAKE. LIKE THE PREVIOUS ISSUE, THIS PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND SOON PROGRESSED TO A REGULAR OCCURRENCE. WHEN I TOOK THE IMPALA BACK TO THE AUTO-REPAIR SHOP, THE MECHANICS STATED THE AUTOMATIC ACCELERATION WAS DUE TO A FAULTY IGNITION SENSOR. AFTER I HAD THE FAULTY IGNITION SENSOR REPLACED, THE IMPALA ONCE AGAIN RAN WITHOUT ISSUE FOR A FEW MONTHS. HOWEVER, THE SOLUTION PROVED TEMPORARY AS THE PREVIOUS AUTOMATIC ACCELERATION ISSUE RETURNED. I ONCE AGAIN TOOK MY CAR TO THE AUTO-REPAIR SHOP AND ONCE AGAIN, THE MECHANICS BLAMED A FAULTY IGNITION SENSOR. AT THIS POINT, I HAD THE MECHANICS REPLACE THE IGNITION SENSOR. SINCE THAT POINT, MY CAR HAS OPERATED WITHOUT ISSUE UNTIL TODAY. THE SECURITY LIGHT IN MY DRIVERS PANEL NOW CONTINUALLY DISPLAYS WHENEVER I DRIVE. I FEEL AS IF I AM AT THE END OF MY ROPE. I HAVE SPENT A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE TO NO AVAIL. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON A STATE HIGHWAY IN ALABAMA, ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS IN MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BECAME ILLUMINATED. I DETERMINED THAT MY ENGINE HAD SHUT DOWN. AFTER SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL, I RESTARTED THE ENGINE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL IN MOTION. AFTER I ARRIVED AT HOME, I DECIDED TO TRY AND DETERMINE WHY THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. I WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT WHILE DRIVING, MY DRIVER'S SEAT WAS POSITIONED SO THAT MY KNEES WERE CLOSE TO THE IGNITION SWITCH. MY KNEE BUMPED THE IGNITION SWITCH, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT WHEN I START THE ENGINE, IF I SUDDENLY RELEASE THE IGNITION KEY (SWITCH) , THE IGNITION SWITCH STOPS JUST SHORT OF THE OFF POSITION. A SLIGHT BUMP OR JAR CAUSES THE IGNITION SWITCH TO MOVE TO THE OFF POSITION. I NOW DRIVE WITH MY DRIVER'S SEAT FARTHER AWAY FROM DASH TO ENSURE I DO NOT ACCIDENTALLY SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE. *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2004 CHEVY IMPALA RANDOMLY GO OUT AT NIGHT WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THIS SEEMS TO BE CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE DIMMER SWITCH. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE LIGHTS BACK ON IS BY ACTIVATING/FLICKING THE DIMMER SWITCH SO AS TO SWITCH BETWEEN HIGH/LOW BEAMS. NO SIGNIFICANT EVENTS LED UP TO THIS PROBLEM. IT APPEARED RANDOMLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED ROUGHLY ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS THROUGHOUT SEVERAL MONTHS UNTIL THE DIMMER SWITCH HAD COMPLETELY FAILED. APPROXIMATELY HALFWAY THROUGH THE TIME PERIOD FROM ONSET OF THE PROBLEM UNTIL FAILURE OF THE SWITCH, THE SWITCH ITSELF BEGAN TO FEEL ODD. IT WOULD ALLOW THE HEADLIGHTS TO CHANGE BEAM WITHOUT ACTUALLY CLICKING INTO POSITION. DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE FAILURE PERIOD, THE LIGHT FAILURE SEEMED CONSISTENT WITH THE IMPROPER OPERATION OF THE SWITCH. THE SWITCH NOW IS COMPLETELY FAILED WITH MY LIGHTS STUCK ON LOW BEAM. I CAN PULL BACK ON THE SWITCH TO ACTIVATE THE HIGH BEAMS, BUT THEY DO NOT REMAIN ON WHEN I RELEASE THE SWITCH. THE LIGHTS GO BACK TO LOW BEAM. I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING THE SWITCH WHICH IS PROVING VERY COSTLY. *TR

CAR INTERMITTENTLY FAILS TO START. POWER TO ACCESSORIES GOOD, BUT IGNITION WILL NOT WORK. AFTER 30 MINUTES OR SO, IT STARTS, WITH NO PROBLEMS FOR 1 -2 MONTHS, THEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, WHO READ THE CODE AND REPLACED A PART, BUT AFTER A FEW MOTHS IT STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN. *TR

2004 CHEVY IMPALA. I GO OUT TO START THE CAR AND IT WILL NOT START. I WAIT 15-20 MINUTES AND IT STARTS. THE TRANSMISSION ALSO SHIFTS HARD. THE SPEEDOMETER SAYS I AM GOING 10 WHEN I AM GOING FASTER THAN THAT OR IT MAY SAY 100 WHEN IT IS PARKED. PLEASE, RECALL THIS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE WHEN THE SECURITY WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT OPERATE WHILE THE SECURITY WARNING INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED; HOWEVER, THE ENGINE STARTED AFTER APPROXIMATELY TEN MINUTES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE APPEARED TO BE MORE PRONOUNCED WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WAS 50 DEGREES. THE IDENTICAL FAILURE OCCURRED TWENTY TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN A DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE VCM UNIT AND CONNECTORS, WHICH HAD BEEN REPLACED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 105,000.

2004 CHEVY IMPALA HAS A MALFUNCTIONING "PASSLOCK" SYSTEM. THE IGNITION WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO START THE CAR AT TIMES - VERY FRUSTRATING. YOU MUST WAIT FOR IT TO RESET ITSELF, WHICH SOMETIMES TAKES A HALF HOUR, I KNOW MANY OTHER IMPALA OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON CAR WILL NOT START BATTERY AND STARTER ALL FINE. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THESE GMS AND STILL NO RECALL. LET THEM GO UNDER AND I HOPE THEY LOOSE THEIR HOMES AND BOATS. *TR

2004 IMPALA SPEEDOMETER NOT FUNCTIONING. WITH VARYING SPEED LIMITS THROUGHOUT THE CITY I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AND PREVENTS A DRIVER FROM BEING IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW. WIFE DRIVES A LOT ON HER JOB AND WOULD NOT LIKE FOR HER TO BE DRIVING TOO FAST FOR ROAD CONDITIONS. ONE CANNOT RELY ON OTHER DRIVERS TO DICTATE ONES SPEED. SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL. INFORMATION TELLS ME THAT THE '04 TRUCKS WITH THIS PROBLEM WERE FIXED BY GM COMPANY AND THE CARS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM BUT ARE NOT BEING REPAIRED BY GM. THE RATIO OF COMPLAINTS TO THIS PROBLEM COMPARED TO THE OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL TELL ME THAT GM SHOULD ADDRESS THE PROBLEM BEFORE THERE ARE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES INVOLVING THE INABILITY OF A DRIVER OF A 2004 IMPALA TO DETERMINE THEIR SPEED AND POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *TR

SPEEDOMETER AND TACH QUIT WORKING. WOULD NOT RESET TO 0. ALL OTHER GAUGES CONTINUED TO WORK. SAW THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE PRODUCT FOR OTHER MODEL YEARS BUT NOT ON THE 2004. DEALER SAID IT IS NOT TYPICAL BUT A SIMPLE SEARCH ON LINE SHOWED A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS. GM GOT REIMBURSED BY THEIR PROVIDER FOR MALFUNCTIONING GAUGE MOTORS BUT THIS WAS NOT PASSED ONTO THE CAR OWNERS? HOW CAN THAT HAPPEN? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH AT NIGHT, THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO OPERATE WHEN ACTIVATED. THE CONTACT'S VISIBILITY WAS EXTREMELY POOR AND SHE PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. SHE HAD TO MANUALLY HOLD THE DIMMER SWITCH WHILE DRIVING TO ENSURE THE ACTIVATION OF THE HEADLIGHTS. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN NORMALLY, BUT HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT ACCEPTED BY THE SYSTEM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000. UPDATED 5/26/09 *CN UPDATED 05/28/09.*JB

2004 CHEVY IMPALA: IN AUG 2007 HAD PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL HUBS REPLACED. THAT WA AT 54,000 MILES. NOW IT IS MARCH 2008 AND 25,000 MILES LATER THEY NEEDED REPLACED AGAIN. I HAVE HEARD THAT IF THEY FAIL ALL THE WAY THE WHEEL LOCKS. IS THIS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE?? THERE ARE OTHERS OUT THERE WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND THE GM DEALERS IGNORE IT. *TR

SPEEDOMETER OCCASIONALLY MALFUNCTIONS. BROUGHT TO DEALER BUT DEALER STATES THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO UNTIL IT MALFUNCTIONS PERMANENTLY. *TR

GERALD KING NAME/FIRM/COMPANY: GENERAL MOTORS CORP. SUBJECT/CATEGORY: AUTOMOBILES QUESTIONS/COMMENTS: THE SPEEDOMETER IN MY 2004 IMPALA WORKS SOMETIMES AND DOES NOT WORK SOMETIMES. ON AUTOBEEF'S WEB SITE ALONE THERE ARE 109 COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SPEEDOMETER. IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. SEE BELOW 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA SPEEDOMETER GONE HAYWIRE SEVERITY RATING 8.1 PRETTY BAD TYPICAL REPAIR COST: $454.00 AVERAGE MILEAGE: 61,315 MILES NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS: 109 HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/CHEVROLET/IMPALA/2004/ACCESSORIES-INTERIOR/SPEEDOMETER_GONE_HAYWIRE.SHTML. *TR

MY CAR AS WELL AS OTHER GM CARS OF MY YEAR, 2000-2006 HAVE EXPERIENCED A "NO-START" CONDITION WHEN THE KEY IS TURNED TO THE START POSITION TO START THE ENGINE. IT IS A VERY PREVALENT PROBLEM THAT OCCURS WITH GM'S PASSLOCK ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM. MY CAR DOES NOT START RIGHT AWAY AT TIMES. THE "SECURITY" LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN I TRIED TO START THE CAR, IT WOULD NOT TURN ON AT ALL. WHILE IT WON'T START, THE "SECURITY" LIGHT WOULD FLASH SEVERAL TIMES. IT TAKES OVER 10 MINUTES FOR THE CAR TO START. ALTHOUGH, THIS MAY NOT SEEM LIKE A LIFE-THREATENING RECALL, BUT IT CAN BE. IF ANYONE WERE TO BE IN A VERY DANGEROUS AREA AND THE CAR TAKES OVER 10 MINUTES TO START, THE ODDS OF THAT PERSON GETTING HURT OR POSSIBLY KILLED ARE EXTREMELY HIGH! GM HAS NEVER EVER RECALLED THEIR PASSLOCK ISSUE, AND IT CAN COST OVER $2,000 TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM FOR WHICH THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. PLEASE TAKE THIS MATTER SERIOUSLY, IT CAN COST SOMEONE'S LIFE, SOMEONE'S LOST WAGES FOR WORK, AND A HOST OTHER UNFORTUNATE RESULTS IF IT'S GOING TO TAKE A CAR OVER 10 MINUTES TO START BECAUSE OF A FAULTY, ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM. *TR

2004 CHEVY IMPALA. SECURITY LIGHT GOES ON AND THEN CAR WON'T START. I HAVE TO WAIT ABOUT 20 MINS. TO START. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS AND SPENT PLENTY OF MONEY BUT STILL HAVING PROBLEMS. RESEARCH ONLINE HAS REVEALED THIS IS A LONG KNOWN PROBLEM. WHEN WILL CAR MANUFACTURERS BE FORCED TO 'FESS UP AND FIX THIS? NO WONDER THE BIG THREE ARE GOING UNDER. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2004 CHEVY IMPALA WENT HAYWIRE WHILE I WAS ON A HIGHWAY. IT STARTED TO SHOOT WAY UP, TELLING ME I WAS TRAVELING 100 MPH, THEN WOULD DROP DOWN AND IT APPEARED I WAS GOING VERY SLOW. THIS WENT ON FOR A COUPLE DAYS AND THEN FROZE ABOUT 23 MPH. THIS COULD CREATE AN UNSAFE CONDITION BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW HOW FAST YOU ARE REALLY TRAVELING. MY SON'S 2004 CHEVY PICK UP HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, ALMOST IDENTICAL MILEAGE AND GM FIXED IT NO CHARGE. WHEN I INQUIRED ABOUT THAT, THEY SAID, "IT'S A DIFFERENT PROBLEM". MY COST TO REPAIR WAS $545; THE WHOLE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAD TO BE REPLACED. LOOKING ON CARCOMPLAINTS.COM, THERE ARE 106 COMPLAINTS (LAST TIME I CHECKED) FOR THE SAME ISSUE, YET GM REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE 2004 CHEVY IMPALA. *TR

04 IMPALA LS SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING AROUND 30000 MILES ALL GAUGES FAIL TO WORK NEVER KNOW HOW FAST I AM GOING COULD BE A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SPEEDOMETER GETS STUCK AT VARIOUS PLACES DOES NOT MOVE WHILE DRIVING. AS WELL AS THE TEMP GAUGE HAVE NOT GOTTEN IT FIXED AS OF YET. WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL? *TR

SPEEDOMETER STATS SLOWING DOWN WHEN DRIVING. EVENTUALLY READS ABOUT 20 MPH WHEN DOING REALLY 70 MPH. *TR

2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA DASHBOARD CLUSTER FAILURE. THE INSTRUMENTATION PROVIDES INACCURATE DATA, SPEED, FUEL AND TEMPERATURE GAUGES ARE NOT ACCURATE. SPEED SHOWS MORE THAN 100 MPH STANDING STILL. CAR HAS 44,000 MILES AND NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY SERVICE. *TR

MY 2004 CHEVY IMPALA SPEEDOMETER IS NOT WORKING. I HAVE MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR WITH ME YOU PEOPLE SHOULD RECALL THIS PROBLEM. I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN TO ME OR MY CHILDREN. *TR

1. CAR WILL NOT START 2. UNPREDICTABLE, CAR WILL NOT START UN LESS YOU LEAVE THE KEY IN THE ON POSITION FOR 10 MIS. 3. DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX. 100'S OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM CAUSING THE ISSUE. *TR

SPEEDOMETER IS GIVING FALSE READINGS. GAUGE WILL NOT GO DOWN PAST 60MPH EVEN WHEN PARKED AND TURNED OFF. RECENTLY BOUGHT CAR USED FROM A FRIEND WHO ALSO COMPLAINED OF THIS PROBLEM. SPEEDOMETER GOES HAYWIRE FREQUENTLY. LUCKILY I HAVE NOT BEEN PULLED OVER. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM DUE TO LACK OF MONEY FOR REPAIRS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS KEEP CUTTING OUT WITH INCREASED FREQUENCY WITH ALL EXTERIOR LIGHTS INCLUDING THE DASH LIGHTS. ALSO, THE SPEEDOMETER WILL STOP WORKING AND JUST KEEP INCREASING UNTIL IT POINTS STRAIGHT DOWN. BOTH HAVE HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. *TR