Engine hesitates,stalls, and shifts hard. Had to replace ignition switch and lock cylinder, heat sensor, fuel cap, reprogram antitheft, water pump, always getting bubbles in tires, gauges dnt work, puddle on pass side, heater core, 2 sets of warped rotors, traction control(ABS) keeps going off, found wires under hood chaffed( by rubbing on belt I believe)which caused no start. New problems are lights on dash and head lights will turn off at night while driving, I have a coolant leak which I think its due to blown gasket, and tonight I am driving in fog and my front window fogs up in 2 seconds. I wiped w hand and realized I was heading towards a person walkn. Way to dangerous!!!!! I have had car for only 2 yrs. I am divorced w 3 kids and 1 special needs child w lots of appts. I need a reliable car, cant afford new car or a shop to fix car. I have had to become a mechanic cause of this car and I have no time for that, thank god for internet, I wnt take kids in car after dark, it unreliable and thats sad. Please look into issues.
2004 Chevrolet Impala engine complaints
Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 107, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I bought car 2 yrs ago and drove it for 3 months no problems then sat for 6 months, I start driving it and this is all the stuff that went out and stuff still going on. Radiator temp sensor, water pump, heater, water pump bearing, instrument cluster, low coolant sensor, radiator, vss, key stuck in ignition, lock cylinder, 8 wires under hood shredded in half due to rubbing on belt, power lock wont work on driver side door, chimes go off when key not in ignition. My problem now is key locked up again finally got it to turn then anti theft system comes on and the car wont reprogram codes. My code reader says it cant read from car.
(1) heating system failed. No heat, coolant was ok. Fan was running. Dealer examined. Three actuators in the electronics are failed and have to replace at a cost of over $550.00 (2) temperature gauge stopped moving. Dealer examined. Estimated cost of $~400.00 to replace ipc unit. There is one of the recalled ipc units for gm autos made between 2003-2007; but impala was not included in the recall list. I don't know why? Same electronics failed in one unit must be recalled from all the units.. These defects could increase heat in the engine block and could increase fuel consumption, failure of the engine and possibly cause fire, contacted gm but they were not cooperative and denied any claims.
Was driving down the highway and car started to slow down. No temperature light came on but car started to smoke a little underneath hood. Stopped car at an empty lot, and had it towed to a garage. They said my engine had overheated and needed a new head gasket. It had previously had a head gasket put on it about a year ago, so this would have been the second one. Mechanic advised me not to have a second head gasket job but instead advised me to get another engine for the car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the temperature gauge rapidly increased and a coolant odor was emitted inside of the vehicle. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 141,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Chevy impala 2004 ls- the vehicle is stopping completely while driving or sitting at intersection. There is no warning, no message, it just dies. The steering goes when this happens so I cannot even get off the road. Then there are times that the car will not start at all and I have been stranded. Eventually after about 20 minutes the car will start- I have already replaced the starter but the problem still exists. I have had the car checked out at 2 different shops (firestone) and they cannot find the problem. There are no codes coming up. They are completely perplexed. Chevy states their mechanics are better. Also the cluster panel is gone and chevy is aware of the problem but they only recalled certain models and did not include the impalas. I have 2 estimates regarding fixing this problem but the quotes are $500.00. I do not feel that I should have to pay for this when chevy knew they had this problem with cluster panels and omitted the impalas in their recall. So, to recap: the car dies in traffic (almost hit twice), I do not know how much gas I have, how fast I am going, or if the car is overheating. In dealing with chevy I was told to take the car to a chevy dealership. They gave me a place that is 2 1/2 hours house away from my home. I was also told that I would have the honor of paying for the diagnostics. In researching this problem, I have pulled up several complaints from other chevy impala 2004 owners that are experiencing the same multiple problems. I also noticed that most of the complaints are stating that the same issues occurred at approx. The same mileage as mine. I have discussed this with chevy customer service and basically that was ignored. This car is hazardous to drive and potentially will cause bodily harm. Dealing with chevy is pointless. All they can think of is how much money their defects will bring in.
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....
While driving in heavy traffic, it just stops running. My husband puts the car in neutral and is able to start it back up again. It has done it a few times since that occurrence. This could result in a very serious situation if the car stalls in an intersection and won't restart. The car also has a security issue that prevents us, as the owner from starting it. This has been an ongoing problem from the purchase date. If you turn on the ignition and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, it will start up. We now leave the car running when filling the car with gas because we have had to sit and wait for it to restart at the pump. This could cause a very serious problem also. If you go on line, you will see numerous complaints about both of these problems. We bought this car used and knew we would be responsible for some issues, but not this, it should be a recall issue. We have had to replace the rack and pinion (very costly) all new brakes and rotors, all new tires, and some other minor issues. I feel, as do numerous other gm owners, this is a factory defect in the security system (passlock key system), causing both problems. Anyone having this problem, should be able to take the car to the dealership and they should have to fix it at no cost to the owner of the vehicle. I took it to the dealership just after we purchased it and he said he would have to replace the ignition and something else at a cost of almost $800. I am certain this can be taken care of by rerouting wiring in the security system at a very minor cost, or just resetting the computer system. Any assistance you can give would be greatly appreciated.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start. On a separate occasion the vehicle restarted and was taken to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 98,000 and the current mileage was 103,000.
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
The traction control turns on frequently. This causes the car to make a grinding noise. When braking the car makes a grinding noise and car is not stopping it feels like it's locking up and sliding. In a sudden stop needing to be made is at great risk of a accident. I have replaced a elbow shaped part that has busted open twice. Car is constantly over heating the radiator cap has a rustic clay like substance. It won't hold antifreeze, I don't see a leak but it needs refilled quite often. The engine smokes, the cars RPM's will flex up and down and the car will just cut off. I'm wondering if the rustic clay like substance has gone through my engine and is causing me many problems with it. I have found reports of lawsuits in past regarding dexicool in gm cars doing this and ruining the engine. The problems in the reports are just like mine and many others on here. Help!!'
Rocker arm bolts came out of head disabling cylinder #1. Causing engine to run rough and could not exceed 15mph. Threads in head failed. This happened again in december 28, 2010 affecting cylinders #3 and #5. Now again this issue as of march 9, 2012 in cylinder #2. In each occurrence threads from head were found in bolt threads. Bolts were loose disabling cylinder from working. This happens without warning and due to concern of further damaging engine, car requires towing. This seems to be a defect in the materials the head was made of.
Security light comes on while driving after car is turned off it wont start unless I turn on the ignition switch and let it sit for 20 minutes then the car will start. Turn signals lights rarely works properly and the check engine light stays on I've made the repairs under the codes and the check engine light is still on this is dealing with the emission testing.
Pass lock system "security" light comes on and the car will not start. Happens randomly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. The contact was driving 55 MPH when the vehicle stalled without warning and was crashed into by another vehicle. The contact sustained whiplash injuries and was transported to the hospital. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired because the vehicle would fail to start and there were other electrical failures. The manufacturer was not contacted in regards to the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000.
2004 impala w/ 3.8l engine stalls when decelerating, leaving the car very difficult and un-safe to drive. Currently, the engine starts right back up, but it takes my eyes off the road to put the car in neutral and re-start. I have tried a few inexpensive things such as premium gas, fuel injector cleaner, and a new fuel filter...no affect on the problem. There is no "engine light" which appears. I have owned this car since new and taken very good care of it. I do not want to take it to a dealership if at all possible because I do not trust them. Unfortunately, I may be forced to since this is my only car and I cannot afford a car payment.
Now at 117,000 kms. Or past my five year warranty. Since 88,000kms. Have complained several times about temp gauge very out of whack on highway trips, lead me to believe severely overheated, but no message from car, just gauge going almost 90 degrees past "danger point " of gauge. In last two years temp gauge replaced three times. Obviously not the problem. Returns to normal function in city or short haul driving. Stop frequently, and under hood check shows no signs of overheating. Conclusion- electrical, sensor, problem and dealer keeps coming up with costly new equipment fixes which do not work. Now they want to blame a water pump leak and gaskets, although reservoir carefully watched by me. No leaks there. Have never had to add fluid, although I keep it always in car-that is the dexcool-water mix. Never down lower than recommended, and the dealer wants to give me a new water pump and take 1000-1200 out of my pocket. They have never mentioned the temp sensor, or any other fix. Travel on mountain highways 3 times per year, gauge now gone way over the top 6-8 times. Always stop. No sign ever of hose, radiator, water, lowered reservoir, or computer messages as per manual. Have read of numerous similar problems of this make and model, the 04 chevy impala ls, always gauges. In my case I will not approve another temp gauge "fix" and now speedometer is acting up as well, just like other drivers reported.
My car would randomly turn off while driving on the streets and on the middle of the highway going 55 miles per hour, or while stopped at a light . The car would stall up to 3-4 times per day most of the time and as time went on it got worse. I replaced the fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator, the battery, the fuel filter, the ignition switch, and the car still turns off in the middle of nowhere. The last time it happened was when my wife was driving to work the car stalled a few yards away from a railroad crossing (since she quit driving on expressway), luckily it didn't happen on tracks, no train was coming at that time. She had to wait approx. 25 mins for it to start after trying a few times. The next day the same thing happens but this time it didn't turn on, so she called the dealership and they sent a tow truck. The tow truck driver, when he arrived approx. An hour later, tried to start it but it didn't start either. So, when arrived at the dealership they tried starting it and by then it started. The shop manager, whom I had related this incident to was aware of the situation, so he then assigned a mech to stand by the analyzer monitor while the engine was running. They kept the engine running until it finally died on them again, while the mech was still there, I don't know how long (didn't ask). At this particular time the analyzer indicated that the crankshaft position sensor was the cause of the stall. Needless to say it was replaced and is now a month later and it's running just fine. Not a hint of stalling nor anything else. My concern is that anything can happen on a highway from a car that turns off randomly due to the crankshaft position sensor.
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.
Was in my car driving smoke came from under the hood. Raised the hood and it was on fire.
Failure of lower intake gaskets on 2004 chevrolet impala.
Engine temperature gauge stopped working, then shortly afterwards the speedometer failed. Does not read the correct speed or reads 0 most of the time.
Failure: lower intake gasket failed due to dexcool antifreeze. Dexcool installed at factory. Vehicle had sudden serious coolant leak . Vehicle overheated on highway and stranded owner. Vehicle was taken to dealer for service. Dealer told owner to replace gasket and coolant. Service technician replaced dexcool with another long life brand of antifreeze. The original dexcool also clogged the radiator which required extra flushing with additional chemicals.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. While driving in reverse or accelerating at various speeds, the contact heard a loud noise. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they found that the motor mount bolt locks were opened, which may have caused the engine to fail. The dealer tightened the bolts. The contact was aware of the safety risk involved. The current and failure mileages were 77,000.
Car was taken in for brakes. Rotors warped @ 21,500 miles. 12,000 miles later, warped again. Was told this was common and there was nothing they could do for me. Repair cost out of pocket. Car was taken in for an overheating problem. Was told it was totally natural for my car to get that hot. Unbelievable!! Now I have an intake or a head gasket that is bad. Again, nothing they can do. Again, cost out of my pocket. This will be the last chevy I service. My car only has 34,000 miles it. The service center told us, "cars are made different these days. Stuff happens." if they can't stand behind their cars I won't buy another. 34,000 miles and my car is junk. I think a recall should be issued regarding these problems. Bad brakes and bad gaskets.
We have a 2004 chevrolet impala, which is a piece of crap. We purchased this car used, it had 26,000 miles on it. I filed a complaint w/ chevy on phone number 866‑790‑5700. Our case # is 71-578092134. They were no help, since our warranty had expired. Our traction system & check engine light kept coming on. The traction system shut off & would not turn back on. It also knocked off the ABS system. Not safe. We took it to a local mechanic, the repairs were a new thermostat & thermostat sensor, & drivers side rear hub bearing. The cost was $500.00, the dealership wanted @1100.00!!!!!!! For the same repairs. The repair shop stated to me that they have approximately 5-10 impalas a week in their shop for the same repair!!! It appears gm screwed up. We are not the only ones who have this problem. We also own a 1995 gmc 1500 sierra, have not had to fix anything as major as the impala. Gm's warranty is the worst in the business. Gm was no help at all.
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.
2004 chevy impala with steering failure. Customer states that the vehicle would not stop, so she had to hit a curb, when the car was restarted she drove about another mile and the failure occurred again. *kb the problem was determined to be a speed sensor for the electric power assist in the steering column. The consumer also stated the engine would misfire. The dealer replaced the camshaft position sensor.
My 2004 impala ss has had several failures of the instrument panel cluster. The first was incorrect speedometer readings that lead to total failure of the speedometer (sticking and/or erratic behavior of the speedometer needle). The second was improper fuel level indication (high level shown with low fuel light coming on - almost no fuel left). The latest is incorrect oil pressure indication. All of these are known issues with the model of stepper motor used to drive these gauges in many gm vehicles. My total cost for repair has been in excess of $300, not including the current oil pressure gauge repair (stepper motors for speedo and fuel level gauge). I plan on having all stepper motors replaced with the latest generation replacement (switec x25.168). This is something that gm needs to take responsibility for and correct as it is a very widespread issue.
Vehicle has been stalling intermittently at any speed. Vehicle has stalled a total of ten times. The vehicle has been taken to the local mechanic shop five times and the dealership twice but no codes were found during testing. So far I have had new plugs/wires (tune-up), new coil pack, new ignition module and new crank sensor, and new fuel filter. The vehicle completely dies at any speed. Told possibility of bad fuel pump but dealership cannot be 100% certain this will fix the problem. While driving at 70-75 miles an hour the car completely shuts down. It is a miracle I have not been severely hurt or killed. Problems began in may 2007 and have been ongoing since then.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2004 Chevrolet Impala?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history