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2004 Chevrolet Impala electrical complaints

Page 12 of 24: complaints 311 to 340 of 681, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2004 Chevrolet Impala electrical problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Apr 19, 2010 · Electrical · 55,000 miles · FL

Instrument cluster on 2004 chevy impala gives incorrect readings to include speed which could result in driving at excessive speeds without proper indication and resulting in unjust speeding fines.

Filed Apr 17, 2010 · Electrical · 35,000 miles · MO

2004 chevy impala, 35,000 miles. Was driving down the interstate and noticed that temperature gauge was reading in the red, pulled into a mcdonald's to see what was going on (normally the impala has an alarm that goes off when overheating, this did not happen) as I decelerated, I noticed that the speedometer did not move, but rather stayed at 60mph, and the temperature gauge also did not move. Upon turning the car off, the speedometer moved back to 0, the temperature gauge stayed in the red. Turning the car back on did not reset the temp gauge, but as I accelerated, the speedometer stayed at 0 for the rest of the trip (I had to use GPS to get speed). The speedometer has not worked correctly since. Doing some inspection later, I found this is an extremely common problem in impalas of most 2000-2010 impalas. Our local police force drives impalas, and the speedometers fail on roughly 60% at between 30k and 60k miles. A quick search online also revealed that it is a severe problem, and several people have been either pulled over, or had been going much to fast before noticing. Dealership says the only way to fix it is a complete replacement of instrument cluster($150 used, $400 new), and several people who have gotten the replacement simply have the problem again. As you can see, this is an extremely severe problem, and while the employees at the dealership say it happens all the time (at least 3 impalas with faulty speedometers per week), chevy as a company does not seem to notice. Please help! Links to some repair forums about similar problems: http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/chevrolet-impala/tjsmiqpd8j0ft5dk8 http://www.carcomplaints.com/chevrolet/impala/2004/accessories-interior/speedometer_gone_haywire.shtml http://www.automotivehelper.com/topic640920.htm http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t752665.html.

Filed Apr 14, 2010 · Electrical · 86,183 miles · CA

1.) this car is used and has a salvage title for vandalism, I have had for five months, I have noticed that all gauges (speedometer, tach & gas guage) do not function properly and safely 2.) the failure occurs daily; started off and on about two months ago 3.)I went to www.carcomplaints.com, this model, make, and year all have faulty gauges. This should be recalled by gm!!!! There are 124 complaints. I am going to a mechanic, but I know I shouldn't have to repair it if there are so many complaints about the gauges going haywire on cars with less miles than mine.

Filed Apr 14, 2010 · Electrical · MT

I have a 2004 impala and about once a week it won't start for about 10-15 minutes. Have to sit there a jiggle the key around. Took it in and the chevy garage could not figure it out at all and I was charge for this answer "I don't know" something is seriously wrong when you have thousands of people complaining of the very same thing in their impala. I received all kinds of possible solutions like a new computer that costs over a $1000.00 give me a break.

Filed Apr 8, 2010 · Electrical · 130,000 miles · AL

Dash gauges not moving at all, or when they do work they are not even close to being correct. My speed will show I'm going over 120 MPH (I know I am not going 60). Temp shows the car is running hot when it not. Rpm will stay on red. Some days the gauges will work fine and then all of a sudden they will go haywire. I am terrified that my gas gauge is going to stop working or show I have more gas that I do and I end up running out of gas. I am a 24 year old female and I don't know what I do if I ran out of gas somewhere all alone. I don't know what to put for as the date. It just started happening and I continue to have the problem. I googled 2004 impala gauges and there are a lot of people having the same problem. Some one is going to get hurt by not knowing how fast they are going, someone could be having problems with there motor and will not able to tell (running hot, low oil, etc).

Filed Apr 6, 2010 · Electrical · 49,974 miles · FL

I have a 2004 chevy impala that the electronic instrument cluster does not work on. The gas gauge, temp gauge, and speedometer have not worked consistently on this car since I purchased this car back on 09/2007. The speedometer will show that I am going 0 miles an hour when I am actually moving, and my gas gauge will be pointing straight down, same as my temp gauge. I have taken the car back to bill seidle chevrolet, the dealer that I purchased it from, and they will not address the issue. I have also contacted chevorlet about this situation and was told that it is not important enough and life threatening enough to have this addressed. Even though there are blogs out there with hundreds of people with the exact same problem that I am experiencing. I feel that this is extremely dangerous not just to my 2004 chevy impala but to virtually every gm owner since thru 2005, that there is a serious known safety issue resulting from the failure of the instrument cluster unable to determine speed of vehicle, when or if a vehicle is overheating, unable to determine how much or if any gas remains in the vehicle, these are serious issues when driving a 2004 chevy impala. A driver has no way of knowing critical information needed when driving a vehicle. The gas gauge, temp gauge, speedometer do not work. Chevy is aware of the issue and has consistently refused to make repairs of the faulty instrument panel. I implore you to please demand the chevy recall on this electronic instrument cluster failures for the safety of all of us. I challenge you to google 2004 chevy impala, invariably every result will pertain to electronic instrument cluster. How could this not rise to the level requiring a recall?

Filed Apr 5, 2010 · Electrical · 61,400 miles · WY

2004 chevrolet impala, instrument cluster gauge malfunction, beginning with temperature gauge showing incorrect temperature (cold start - temp readout 160 f), subsequently showing traction system failure indicator, finally progressed to speedometer failure at highway speed approximately one week later - speedometer began showing random speeds at approximately-steady cruise, reading 42 MPH at about 70 MPH. Internet research demonstrates multiple such instances. Chevrolet has addressed identical problem in silverado and avalanche models, but refuses to acknowledge that a problem exists in the impala.

Filed Apr 3, 2010 · Electrical · 55,000 miles · 00

2004 impala odometer malfunction in winter cold whether condition most of the time.

Filed Apr 1, 2010 · Electrical · 35,000 miles · PA

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. While driving 2 MPH in the rain, the speedometer stopped working. The failure had occurred since 2008 until the speedometer was replaced at a local repair facility. The contact sent the manufacturer three letters regarding the failure but the manufacturer stated that they would not repair the vehicle free of charge. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. The current mileage was approximately 75,000. Updated 06/17/10. *lj the consumer stated the needle would not return to zero when the vehicle was stopped. Updated 07/26/10

Filed Mar 15, 2010 · Electrical · 93,227 miles · KS

I was driving my car down the road and all of the sudden my speedometer and water gauge stopped working. It said I was going 120 MPH but I was only going about 30 MPH. The next day I went out to the car and started it while it was parked and it was stuck on 30 MPH and the temp gauge showed the needle in the red, but it was not started for more than a minute. I have read many complaints about this and this seems to be a familiar complaint.

Filed Mar 12, 2010 · Electrical · 24,000 miles · PA

2004 chevrolet impala speedometer quick working, no idea how fast car is going. The temperature gauge also quit, car could overheat without knowing.

Filed Mar 9, 2010 · Electrical · 100,000 miles · MA

2004 chevrolet impala speedometer stopped working properly. It sticks(does not return to 0 MPH when stopped) at the current speed on deceleration and increases readings from the deceleration point. So, car appears to going at 60 MPH even though it is moving slowly in traffic. Cannot determine proper speed to adjust speed to speed limits. My car registered 120 MPH in a school zone, even though I was trying to maintain proper speed. This defect makes the driver unable to determine actual speed vehicle is moving at.

Filed Mar 9, 2010 · Electrical, Lights · 80,000 miles · PA

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.

Filed Mar 9, 2010 · Electrical · 135,000 miles · NC

2004 chevy impala; speedometer misreading, and gas gauge malfunction. More prevalent in colder conditions. It happens constantly but occasionally works fine. Began malfunction in summer 2009. Consequences- speeding tickets. Nothing done yet because gm states there has been an investigation and that the impala does not fall under the parameters of the problem so they will not help. Dealer wants excessive monies to do repair in comparison to independents. This is 1 of 3 chevy vehicles in my fleet and all 3 are experiencing the same problem. The other 2 are silverados. All began experiencing the problem at about 135,000 miles. All are 2004 models. Have fixed 1 of the silverados in order to deal with speeding ticket. The other silverado seems to have begun functioning correctly after parking for several days in warm environment. Gm & the dealer stated that the vehicle is beyond the mileage agreement and the impala does not qualify for any help. Its seems very coincidental that 3 chevy vehicles of the same year make and similar mileage would all experience the same problem around the same time frame.

Filed Mar 4, 2010 · Electrical · 70,000 miles · MI

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. While driving 30 MPH all of the lights on the instrumental panel, headlights and rear lights shut off. He then pulled over to check and replace the fuses. The fuses blew out again immediately after he drove a few miles. The dealer diagnosed the failure and stated that there was nothing wrong. A different dealer stated that someone tampered with the light switch and it was repaired. The failure mileage was 70000 and the current mileage was 80000.

Filed Mar 3, 2010 · Electrical · 38,000 miles · FL

Chevrolet 2004 impala speedometer quit working and manufacturer does not fix although I am certain it is a manufacturing issue. Speed can not be monitored so is a safety issue.

Filed Mar 3, 2010 · Electrical, Fuel system · 65,569 miles · IL

The speedometer on my car has decided to read whatever it wants and it will stop at whatever speed. Now the temperature gauge has started doing the same thing. This started happening around 65k miles. Have found that this car has the same steppers in the instrument cluster that was on a recall for another vehicle. Have also found many other complaints about speedometer going haywire. This is a severe safety issue due to not knowing how fast or slow you are going in a residential area or on the highway.

Filed Mar 2, 2010 · Electrical · 72,000 miles · NJ

2004 chevy impala ss cluster malfunction. Speedometer not working, unable to know how fast I am going. No recall as of yet. Seems to be a common problem with chevy vehicles.

Filed Mar 2, 2010 · Electrical · 60,000 miles · WI

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. The driver stated that his speedometer malfunctioned while driving 65 MPH it indicated that he was driving 5 MPH. The vehicle was purchased 3 months ago and the failure has occurred 3 times. He has contacted the dealer and taken the vehicle in to be repaired; however, the dealer stated that he couldn't offer any assistance since it was working when the vehicle was purchased. The failure mileage was 60,000. The VIN was not available. The current mileage was 67,000.

Filed Feb 20, 2010 · Electrical · 114,241 miles · AL

I own a 2004 chevy impala and the instrument cluster has failed. My speedometer does not work and the temperature gauge shows that my car is running hot even though it is not. Apparently this is a common issue with gm and gmc vehicles. In 2007 a class action lawsuit was filed against his company in regards to their trucks with failed instrument clusters. The plaintiffs did win and there was a recall implemented. These are websites that I found that pertain to failure in the instrument cluster in 2004 chevy impalas. Http://www.allworldauto.com/comments/2004_chevrolet_impala_comments_and_complaints_c8-91-2004-409-1.html http://www.carcomplaints.com/chevrolet/impala/2004/electrical/electronic_gauge_cluster_malfunction.shtml http://www.automotix.net/autorepair/car_problems/474044-complaint/ http://www.instrumentclusters.com/.

Filed Feb 18, 2010 · Electrical · 51,000 miles · MA

I own a 2004 chevrolet impala. The day I bought the car (may 2008) the tachometer went bezerk. Shortly thereafter while driving I noticed my speedometer decided to do the same thing. I cannot tell how fast I am going or how the engine is performing. This failure happens often and is a cause for concern. The dealership refused to replace the part and quoted me over $600 dollars to have the part replaced. This price is absurd and I have since been researching ways to correct the problem on my own. This seems to be a fairly standard problem with these make and model vehicles and something needs to be done to prevent serious accident/injury due to this failure.

Filed Feb 18, 2010 · Electrical · 58,000 miles · ND

Speedometer sticks or shows inaccurate speed. Dealership says instrument cluster needs to be replaced.

Filed Feb 18, 2010 · Electrical · 97,227 miles · OK

2004 chevrolet impala speedometer quit working. It started registering a higher speed than the speed I was actually driving. It showed 90 MPH when I was stopped. The speedometer then began to climb as I drove a few city blocks. It finally came to a stop at the neutral letter. I called my local dealer and he said they have been seeing this problem. He said that the cluster was defective and it would cost approx. $500 to replace it.

Filed Feb 17, 2010 · Electrical · 91,400 miles · MI

2004 chevy impala my wife and kids are driving to florida and the speedometer goes out. Now if you are driving from michigan to florida and have no idea at midnight how fast you are going- that is a huge safety problem. From looking on the web this seems to be a very common problem with these vehicles. Recall on this would be great!

Filed Feb 16, 2010 · Electrical · 100,000 miles · NJ

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.

Filed Feb 16, 2010 · Electrical · 60,000 miles · CT

Speedometer does not work! Shows that I am going 130mph, then 60 when parked. Dealer say no recall even though my husbands truck had the same problem and they recalled the part in the silverado. $500 to fix. This needs to be recalled!!! I am reading hundreds of complaints on the impala for the same thing. My 21 year old daughter is driving this car on the highway every day..very dangerous!!!

Filed Feb 16, 2010 · Electrical · 70,000 miles · IN

Traveling on a dangerous stretch of highway, my speedometer malfunctioned. It registered me as going 90 miles per hour. After several close calls, as conditions were icy, I judged a safe speed and pulled over at the next safest spot on the road. My speed gauge did not reset to 0 MPH as normal, but stopped at 50 MPH. Now my gas gauge and temp gauge malfunction as well, leaving me no way of knowing how much fuel is in my vehicle. Researching this problem, I noticed many other complaints to this issue. Contacting the manufacturer, I was informed my warranty is expired and they have no obligation to fix the safety problem.

Filed Feb 15, 2010 · Electrical · 85,000 miles · MD

The speedometer has gone haywire. Sometimes it says I am doing 0mph and at other times it says I am going 120 MPH. Can not get an accurate read on the speedometer. The same can be said for my fuel gauge and coolant temperature readings. The panels are not working properly.

Filed Feb 9, 2010 · Electrical, Lights · 143,122 miles · MI

I just had my second multi-function switch (headlight dimmer, turn signal, cruise, wiper/washer) fail on this car for the same reason resulting in complete loss of headlights. This is a very common issue as seen by numerous bulletin board postings. I dissected the original switch to determine if this could be fixed. It became quite obvious what was happening. The contacts on the hi/lo beam portion of the switch foul and overheat. This switch had melted plastic from the switch housing that had flowed over the contacts and prevented proper switch operation. This is an incredibly dangerous situation that manifests itself with little or no warning. This overheating is obviously due to poor engineering that has resulted in undersized contacts that foul due to relatively high load currents in the headlight circuit.

Filed Feb 3, 2010 · Electrical · 40,000 miles · OR

Sometime around 2007 the instrument cluster started to mess up. It would say that I was going 100 MPH when I was parked in my drive way. My tachometer would say that the engine was doing 5000 to 6000 RPM when parked in my drive way. I did a little research on the internet and discovered I am no the only one with this problem. I called chevy and they told me that there were no recall on my vehicle. The problems still exists today.

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