2004 Chevrolet Impala: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Oct 8, 2014 · Brakes, Engine · 297,336 miles · MO · crash · 2 injuries

Chevrolet impala 2004, traveling on a 4 lane divided highway, at 65mph, using cruise control, 2 adult passengers using seatbelts, driver saw truck entering the intersection from the drivers right side. The driver accelerated and swerved to avoid a collision. The impala was struck by the truck. Skid marks were made on the highway by the tires of the impala from the impact to where the impala stopped and the engine stopped. The driver worked to put the car into park to restart the impala in order to move the impala to a safer position on the highway, out of the lanes of traffic. Upon stopping the driver turned off the ignition key to the off position. The key was not on a key ring. The key had been removed from the fob and key ring upon receiving the safety recall notice, gm recall 14350. The hazard blinkers were turned on. The driver and passenger moved to the adjacent frontage road. The driver of the truck called the local police. The driver of the impala called 911. A police report was made. Pictures were taken of the damage to both vehicles and the skid marks on the highway, made by the impala. No skid marks were visible along the path traveled by the truck. The impala hazard blinkers were turned off. The driver attempted to start the impala. The impala did not start. The passenger worked to start the impala, the dash lights did not turn on, the head lights did not turn on. A witness moved a vehicle into position to facilitate a "jump start", the impala started, the security warning light was illuminated. The impala was driven a short distance and parked, odometer reading 297336. Arrangements for repair have yet to be determined.

Filed Mar 13, 2014 · Electrical, Transmission · 30,000 miles · IN

Speedometer changed twice by another chevy dealer, transmission slipping, all lights went off while driving at night, cruise control went off by itself. Called gm customer service and about the lights and cruise control, answer was to have it checked, also had the transmission checked by three dealers, only one said yes it was slipping (transmission had been slipping since I got the car). No paperwork due to cost to have it checked by two dealers. One dealer (where I got the car) no longer in business but had the paperwork for the transmission complaint. But they too said they could not duplicate the problems and because of this they refused to work on the car.

Filed Jun 5, 2013 · Acceleration, Electrical · 9,000 miles · VA

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 / / / / /

Filed Jan 25, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 120,135 miles · NY · fire

First at buying my chevy impala it had 115,000mi on it already but desperately needed a car being a single mother. After having the car a little over a month the fuel injectors blew where my car would no longer start. Got it fixed. Next I had to keep putting power steering fluid in (once every week) went to a mechanic, he said my power steering is going to eventually go.. Next 2 months after that my car caught on fire through the lighter. Electrical. Called the fire dept. They had to cut the wires and pull the fuse. 2 months after that, my transmission blew. Just like that. I was driving on the high way and approached an accident. After coming to a complete stop tried to pick speed back up and it wouldn't go anymore than 15 MPH. I pulled off to a rest area, sat there for 30mins. Reversed out of the parking lot, put it in drive, it wouldn't budge... Not to mention a month after buying the car. The turn signals,, brake lights, cruise control, flashers all worked when they wanted too and not when I needed it too. Came close to a few people running in the back of me due to back lights not working.. And my temp, gauge, speedometer and gas gauge do not work. Id be in park with a full tank of gas, it says im going 80mph and gas is empty.. Hate this car with a passion.. Very dangerous car...would never recommend this car to anyone....

Filed Jul 24, 2012 · Electrical · 84,000 miles · ID

While driving on the interstate to begin our vacation, the speedometer began showing increased speed while cruise control was set. We were going 65, but the speedometer eventually registered 120 MPH. After cruise was turned off, it continued to read 120 MPH, regardless of actual speed. We had to use our GPS to monitor speed for the entire 1300 mile round trip! Gm has recalled other models with the same problem. Why hasn't a recall been issued for the impala?

Filed Jul 23, 2012 · Engine · 97,000 miles · PA

Vehicle stalled out / stopped while traveling down the road. It has done it twice now. This car is fully equipped with cruise control and traction control. After the first time (three days ago) we took it to a dealer and they could not find any code (s) and or replicate it. It just happened again today. Both times the car started right up. This could be a disaster at high speeds on an interstate. Thank you. *tr the consumer stated the vehicle stalled for a third time. The dealer ran it for codes and immediately, it came back as a problem with the mass air sensor. It was replaced and so far, there have been no more problems. Updated ivoq 08/01/12

Filed Jun 26, 2011 · Electrical · 35,000 miles · IN

My dash cluster is malfunctioning. It says my car is overheating. Had it worked on and after found it was a known cluster problem. The speedometer is not accurate and I got pulled over for speeding. Next the cruise control went out. Now the gas gauge is next. Checked on line and gm is aware of these issues but has done nothing. Repair bill is around 500.00 dollars. Seems unfair to me. Will be traveling on interstate soon hope no one gets hurt due to speed/engine over heating and not knowing/running out of gas on a busy interstate. I thought I bought a dependable car...guess I was wrong.

Filed Jan 6, 2011 · Acceleration, Electrical · 70,000 miles · WV

While driving a consistent speed, speedometer will fluctuate from stuck at zero to 120mph. Happens constantly. Fuel gauge fluctuates also and doesn't always work. If using cruise control while speed appears correct, the impala will automatically increase its own speed while the speedometer does not change leaving an unsafe opportunity open for very tragic accidents to happen. I cannot believe that my 2010 pontiac vibe has had 3 recalls and this impala has not had any for the instrument panel. Do people really have to die or be injured before something is done to protect us?

Filed Feb 3, 2009 · Electrical · 42,000 miles · IL

While driving to chicago the tachometer went all the way to the red. After pulling over to confirm the car was not running hot, I found that I could reset the gauge by slowly turning the key on and off to the accessory position; until the needle reached its original position. This continued to happen sporadically for a month or so, and then I noticed I was driving on the interstate with the flow of traffic, but the speedometer was only reading 30 miles per hour. I had previously used my cruise control at the set speed, and was able to use the 'resume' button to give me an approximation of how fast I was currently going. This allowed me to get home safely. Again, I was able to reset the speedometer by turning the key in the ignition to the on and off position. The next failure came shortly thereafter, with the gas gauge. Knowing that it was a full tank, it was reading empty; again being reset with the on/off of the key in the ignition. I took the car to the local dealership to get these safety issues taken care of, and was informed this was going to cost me $600 because it was out of warranty... It only has 40k miles on the vehicle. I have been trying to resolve this through chevrolet ever since then, and they agreed to pay 1/2. This only leads me to believe that it is indeed a safety issue that should be covered by the manufacturer. I can't drive a vehicle without a speedometer, tachometer, or gas gauge, and I can only wonder how many other individuals are out there that have been in this same situation.

Filed Apr 21, 2008 · Electrical · 30,000 miles · UT

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. While driving 65 MPH with the cruise control activated, the speedometer dial dropped to 0 MPH. The speedometer then began displaying inaccurate speeds. The vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer. The current mileage was 52,203 and failure mileage was 30,000.

Filed Feb 8, 2008 · Electrical · MO

2004 chevy impala instrument panel failure. Consumer states that the cruise control set to 70 and driver was only moving about 40 MPH. Speedometer read 140 MPH and consumer was not going that fast.

Filed Dec 10, 2007 · Lights · TX

2004 chevy impala--both turn signals and hazard lights stop flashing. Tried to replace fuses, but all still good. Could not locate a turn signal relay in the fuse box. Spoke to a mechanic who said it didn't make since that there was no relay in the fuse panel. Looked up the turn signal switch part and it was on back order. The part alone was over $300.00. Mechanic also stated it did not make since that it would be the turn signal switch when all other components on the turn signal arm (windshield wipers, cruise control, etc.) still worked. Unable to go to the dealership since it was a sunday. Looked up other similar complaints on topix.com and found several people having the same problem. Was advised to turn on and off the hazard several times. In doing so (about 100 times) the signals started working. Therefore, it doesn't seem as if this is a turn signal switch issue, but a hazard switch issue. This is a very dangerous situation if driving and your turn signals stop working which could cause a serious accident.