Dt*: the contact stated the ABS light illuminated and at various speeds, the brakes locked up causing the vehicle to skid. The dealership replaced multiple unknown components, but the problem persisted.
2003 Chevrolet Impala brakes complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 76, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have 34000 miles on my vehicle and have to take it in soon as the brakes are again pulsating. This will be the 6th time I have had to have the brakes replaced. There is a constant rubbing sound which I have been told by the dealer is a "normal" sound in an impala. There is nothing "normal" about this sound. 12/11/03 is the first time I reported a brake problem and have continued to do so until the present.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 MPH on normal road conditions the brakes were not responding adequately. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined the four rotors had to be resurfaced, however the pads were still in good conditions. The contact expressed concern because the vehicle has only 14950 miles.
Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was at the service dealer for an oil change, the service technician determined that the break rotors were cracked. The break rotors and break pads were replaced.
At about 45,000 miles the brake warning tab started making the scratching noise when I put on the brakes. Two days later the car was in the shop for front brake service. I was expecting just pads were needed, but not the case. I was told and shown the rotors had worn down too far to cut. Both front rotors were below safe depth. I could not believe this with only 45,000 on the car. The rotors were junked and my repair bill went to twice as much. Is this american quality or what! Other than this, I have and do like my impala. Chevy could call and make this right would put thing 100% right with me. Will they do that??? Jb
Dt*: the contact stated the rear rotors rusted. This was first noticed while changing the front brakes. Even though the rear rotors were rusted the rear brake pads were fine. The manufacturer determined the rotors may have rusted due to the environment. *ak updated 01/25/06.
At app. 32,000 miles I had my brakes checked and needed to replace 2 rotors. The vehicle is a 2003 impala, not driven in heavy traffic, the terrain is flat, mild winters with little road salt exposure. Old parts not available.
2003 chevy impala, bought new. All four brakes wore out prematurely. Warped, scored rotors. Car still under warranty, but not rotors. Dealership was notified, but was unable to resolve the problem. They said my driving habits and the climate were to blame. I've been driving gm cars in this area for 40 years, and never had this problem. Called chevrolet customer care center to report defective parts. Have parts. Claim denied. I had my own mechanic replace parts with heavy duty rotors. Lightweight rotors should never be standard on cars sold on lots in north conway, nh.
Vehicle braking system malfunction. Refer to odi # 10134740. System failure resulted in loss of vehicle control resulting in vehicle accident resulting in major vehicle damage to right rear of vehicle from passenger door to the bumper.
I own a 2003 impala I was very pleased with my vehicle,even though I have had to have my rotors and brakes fixed twice still pleased overall. However, about a month ago I took my car in for a normal oil change after returning home, I noticed I didn't have any anti-freeze in my car. I called a spoke to a service tech he informed me that I probably had a leak somewhere. I brought it in he informed me there was a hair line crack in my gasket and I needed a new water pump. The cost to repair it would be over one thousand dollars. What I cannot understand why did my low coolant indicator light come on. Why did I have to discover this problem on my own? After reviewing other complaints I find I am not alone with having a coolant concern. I feel that this should be looked into more carefully. It is certainly a problem with the coolant system in the 2003 impala and this failure should not be at the expense of the consumer.
Refer to the gm recall on 800,000 vehicles due corrosion affects antilock brake system. I own a chevy impala 2003 4dr sdn v6 fwd w/antilock brakes and aws. The system failed much like in the above stated recall last winter in michigan. While approaching a stop sign, upon attempting slow the vehicle using the brake system it failed doing just the opposite of what it was designed to do. There were grinding noises, vehicle pulling to one side, loss of control, vehicle took over. This happened at low speeds under 5 MPH. The loss of control due system failure resulted in said vehicle ending up in a 70 foot ditch whereupon it had to be towed out of. Damage was sustained to the front left fender, bumper and driving light.
Brakes fade when stopping hard.
Re: chevrolet impala 2003 purchased 4/7/2003 VIN [xxx] in general I have been very pleased with the vehicle above, but I have had two problems with the brakes since I purchase the car and it only has 11,225 miles of driving. I live in florida and my apartment is on the beach so I park close to the ocean about 8 months out of the year. The first problem occurred at 6,289 miles when the brakes were applied there was a vibration or grabbing feeling unlike normal smooth braking. The car was taken to quirk chevrolet in quincy, ma on aug 16, 2004. The technician said the brakes were rusted or pitted and needed to be ground down or replaced (see copy of work order from quirk attached). I asked him how this could happen. He explained that the brake mechanism is exposed to the air and not protected in any way, so that the salt air from the ocean environment could have caused the pitting in the brakes. The second problem occurred at 11,225 miles when the same feeling in braking was experienced by the driver. Again I took the car for repair at quirk and they reported ''inspected and found the front and rear brakes rusted badly, removed and replaced the front and rear brake pads and rotors. The cost about $725! Ps: I talked with customer service, vikie smith at 1 800 222 1020 regarding this matter on this date and she started a file or report in the computer at that time. Her direct line is 866 932 4368 ext 35336, file number [xxx]. On this date we had a conference call with the quirk service dept and they told me that the problem with my brakes is due to the fact that I live on the beach and I do not drive the car enough to keep the rust from building up on the brakes. *nm updated 07/19/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
Dt: consumer heard a grinding noise which sounded like metal to metal. The consumer made an appointment with the dealer, but the dealer was not able to get the consumers vehicle in for inspection. Consumer took vehicle to jims mufflers to get the brakes fixed. The mechanic took off all four tires and showed the consumer that he needed to replace front and back rotors and pads. The mechanic the cleaned calipers. The consumer spent about $500.00 for repairs. When the dealer looked at the brakes he stated that they looked as if they had sat in water. Consumer claimed that vehicle had not been in water. The mechanic stated that maybe the rotors or calipers were contaminated because brakes should not have looked that bad for the miles on the vehicle. The mechanic determined calipers may not have been working properly since the rotors were so rusty.*ak
2003 impala. Brakes started to pulsate severely at slightly over 36000 miles. Since brake problems are usually not covered by warranty (and it had expired anyhow), I took it to a locally reliable auto repair garage. He suspected a warped front rotor (as I did also). Removed and replaced both front rotors and pads. The pulsation was still there. Removed both rear rotors. Both were badly scored on the inside - not visible during routine inspection. In addition, both rotors were partially crystalized, again on the inside. The pads here were also scored badly. After reading reports on 2003 impalas on mycarstats.com, I decided to add my complaint to the list there, all similar in nature. Old parts are not available.
The consumer has two vehicles a 2002 chevrolet suburban and 2003 chevrolet impala both are experiencing problems with the brake equipment. *mr the impala had badly warped rotors on the right rear. Only one rotor was badly warped. Both rear rotors were so corroded that they ruined the brake pads. The vehicle only had 18k miles on it. The suburban had 33k miles when the brakes produced a serious grinding noise in the rear. The rotors were so badly corroded that they did not give any warning. The wear sensors were not functional and the brake pads were destroyed down to the bare metal against the metal on one wheel. The consumer was aware that others have experienced the same problem with suburbans and gmc pick-ups. 2003 chevrolet impala VIN: [xxx] and 2002 chevrolet suburban VIN: [xxx]. *sc *jb information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Contact stated: having the same problem with brakes on car that investigation has been launched on. The brakes were gripping and vehicle kept going. Vehicle eventually stopped, but it took sometime to do so. Only happened in the winter.
This is not in repect to a accident or part failure. But I read today in the chicago tribune about an investigation into gm trucks in the salt-belt that had improper corrosion on the brake rotors, causing the brakes to fail. I just brought my 2003 chevy impala for a tire rotation at my california mechanic. The mechanic notified my that the rear brake rotors were showing an unusual corrosion. He said that road salt in illinois, where the car is used 50% of the year, may have been a reason, but it didn't look like the usual corrosion he is used to seeing on salt belt cars. The brakes have been pulsing rather strangely and my braking distance seems increased since the last time I left illinois. I was wondering if there were other non-truck complaints of this nature, given the similarities between my experiance and the truck investigation?
I own a 2003 impala. At 16000 miles I had to replace all four rotors and brake pads.
Brakes made grinding noise when applied ( 7403 miles ), pulsation heard and felt,right rear rotor severally pitted,turnedremaining 3 rotors and sanded pads.performed road variation test on tires right front failed and was replaced. At 15334 miles same problem, surface of rotors found to be very corroded,resurfaced front brake rotors and replaced rear brake rotors, also sent a product report to gm and attention of shop foreman and factory rep. At 18728 miles rotors corroded again resurfaced.this is third time for brake problems I am not confident in driving this 2003 chev impala and I have heard numerous complaints for the same problem ( unsafe ) the factory rep. Offered me $1000 voucher toward a new car. I have all the names and documention in my files.
While driving the vehicle's brakes failed. *nm the consumer stated the ABS did perform as designed.
Mechanic advised owner that rear calipers were not working properly resulting in front discs overheating. Took to dealer for repair and was told that everything was ok and they "took down" the rear discs. Looked like the vehicle was driven with emergency brake on, so as to give rear discs used appearance. Vehicle should not pass safety inspection. Still making noise and rear brake disc's appear rusted.
Experiencing clunk in steering; also failed rotors.
The rear rotors had to be replaced and the front rotors turned. Eleven months later, both sets of rotors were defective again. When touching the brakes they pulsated. The manufacture stated that brakes were considered a wear item. *jb
The steering wheel started to vibrate while driving. The dealership indicated that the rotors were drenched in blue. The brakes and rotors were replaced. The vibration recurred, the dealership turned the rear rotors and sanded down the rear brakes because the were glazed.
While applying the brakes, the brakes went to the floor. The consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle and drove it to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the driver that the calipers needed to be replaced, however the problem still occurs at this time. Please provide further details.
All four brakes wore out prematurely. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
All 4 rotors on my car have gone bad. Car was bought new in oct 2002, and at 8500-9000 miles in march of 03, I had extreme pulsation in steering due to front rotors being warped. Dealer turned rotors, and then 10,000 miles later needed turned again, and now at 33,000 miles dealer is telling me to buy new rotors and that the back rotors also need to be turned. I have been driving for 30 some years and never had a car that needed rotors turned so soon,, and so I am sure there is fault with the rotors they are putting on the car. 2003 impala.
While driving at 65 MPH, consumer applied the brake to reduce speed. Abs locked up, resulting in loss of contro. And had a front end collision. Upon impact, air bags did not deploy, driver sustained bruises to chest when it came in contact with the steering wheel.
While driving down a steep incline, I could feel the pulsating of the ABS, along with diminished braking power. Afterwards, I noticed the ABS would come on noticeably each time I braked from 40-60 MPH. The outside right rear caliper doesn't appear to be making good contact with the rotor as on the other brakes. The dealer service department (dobler chevrolet in hempstead, ny) set up an appointment for july 8, 2004. They didn't think it was that important.
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