Problems with 2004 Chevrolet Impala ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I am having problems with my 2004 chevrolet impala ls, and the speedometer that is in it. it has on numerous occasions gotten stuck at various speeds and will only go back down by starting and turning the car off numerous times. this is very hard on the starter and is horrible for gas mileage. this problem is also a very serious problem in that you don't know how fast you are going at any point and time, and i can not trust when it is working or not. it could also have significant legal ramifications if i get pulled over. that is something that i can not afford both financially and career-wise. i am a paramedic and my driving record can not afford to be affected or it will affect my job. i have done numerous web searches regarding this problem and have found that thousands of people have been having the same types of problems with their 2004 impalas as well as other 2004 chevy vehicles. i have also contacted chevrolet about the problem, and they have acknowledged that there is a problem with these particular instrument clusters, they are not willing to fix the problems with them, nor are they willing to help consumers with getting their vehicles fixed. i would please like to have a confirmation that this complaint has been read by somebody and that something is being done to correct this issue with chevrolet. thank you, timothy lorenz *tr

2004 chevy impala, 3.4l -- speedometer stops working after driving the car for about an hour. the problem seems more prone to appear if you are on the freeway going a nearly constant speed for a sustained amount of time. speedometer will work normally on short trips, or after the car has been sitting for a while. eventually, at some point, the problem happens again. specifically upon failure, when the vehicle is decelerating, the speedo needle drops, eventually to 0 (zero), but will not go back up again. this started happening after i purchased the car used (from a dealership), so there's no telling from my perspective how long it's really been happening. the car had approx. 71000 miles on it at the time of purchase. *tr

On my 2004 chevrolet impala, the speedometer is never right. this just started. i've been reading on this problem on other impalas and there is no factory recall for this problem. i don't have the money to get it fixed. this car will be handed down to my daughter when she is 16. how is she supposed to know her speed? gm needs to do something about this factory defect. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. the contact stated the speedometer failed. the manufacturer advised that they were aware of the failure and offered to cover partial costs of the repair. the dealer replaced the instrument panel cluster with a used instrument panel cluster. the failure did not recur. the failure mileage was approximately 40,000 and the current mileage was approximately 63,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. the contact stated while driving various speeds the vehicle would suddenly lose power and stall. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the ignition switch was defective and needed to be replaced. the ignition switch was replaced and the defect was remedied. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 30,000.

2. speedometer will stop working without any warning. car will be in motion and the registered speed will drop to "0". july 27th, we were traveling at 45 mph and the speed dropped to "0" while we were still traveling at that speed. we turned the car off and then back on again when we had a chance to park and it began to work again. later that day, we were traveling 40 mph (as noted on a gps that we were using during this trip) and the speedometer was registering 20 mph. the speedometer also dropped to "0" while driving later that week again. 3. the vehicle is still covered under an extended warranty so it was taken to the dealership. they did not find anything wrong with the vehicle and stated a gm rep informed them that they could not replace the cluster under warranty . *tr

Speedometer stuck at 100mph when car turned off. while driving speedometer goes past 120mph then resets back to 0mph while the car is moving. the gas gauge has also been affected. *tr

We have a chevy impala and the speedometer doesn't work properly. sometimes it stays at 0 and other times it says some ridiculous speed. it happens every time we drive the car. the problem hasn't been fixed yet. *tr

When driving at normal speed on interstate highway, speedometer keeps increasing without increasing speed, until needle goes all the way to bottom of dial, which would be about 150 mph. if vehicle is not driven for a day or so, it will return to normal, but goes crazy again, and impossible to know correct speed. dealer had replaced many speedometers on pickups and suvs, but will not cover this under warranty or recall. this has happened to many owners, see blogs!! *tr

2004 chevrolet impala ls, speedometer is way off. sometimes shows 60 mph when parked, or up to 160 mph on interstate, when traveling 65 or 70. no way to know what accurate speed is, and could be dangerous. *tr

I was driving my car and notice that i was going 80mph, but i could not have been going that fast. i pulled over to the side of the road scared! noticed that my car was still stuck on 80mph. a few weeks later the gage that tells me that the car is over heating went out on me as well. it cost way to much to repair this defect that many people are having with this make and model of car. *tr

Speedometer doesn't always reset to zero. sometimes it will work correctly. sometimes it will stay at 10 or 20 mph at a stop. when you accelerate, ir shows that you are going faster than you really are. sometimes it will stay at 50 mph at a stop. then, when you accelerate it will go all the way past the limit and be at "6 o'clock position and stay there. sometimes i will use my gps unit to tell me my speed, but i know its not perfectly accurate. i have to shut the car off, and repeatedly turn the key on and off to get it back to zero. research on the internet has proven that a lot of people have been having the same problems. this is very dangerous. *tr

For no apparent reason, the temperature gauge and speedometer have completely stopped working on my 2004 chevy impala. it is a safety concern that i do not know what speed i am driving or the temperature of my vehicle. i have not repaired or replaced the instrument panel because i can not afford it. *tr

My wife was driving home from work when the engine stopped running and caused her to have to pull off the road. it took several minutes before car would restart. since the first time she had this happen at least 3 times a year since. i've driven the car several times after she has told me it happened again and had our mechanic look at it also. also have had the instrument panel gauges not working properly for 2 years now and haven't been able to figure out why, we think there is a short somewhere in the electrical system but have not been able to pin point it. the chrome plate aluminum alloy rims the chrome has been flaking off since the car was 2 years old and we now have to keep refilling the tires with air at least once a week. have gone to the dealer a couple of times but get a run around that its not a problem with the car. i have talked to a gentleman who also has the only other 2004 impala ss in our town and he has the same problems as we have had and gotten same response from our local dealer where we both bought our cars from. my impala ss at this time has just over 80,000 miles on it and in addition to problems mentioned above we had to have power steering pump, rack in pinion and alternator replaced and looking like the rack in pinion is going out again as i write this. i've become very disappointed with chevrolet over this car. *tr

The ignition stopped working. the key would not turn. the car only has 19,000 miles. this is going to cost $600 to fix. the car was purchased new in 2004. *tr

I bought a 2004 chevy impala drove it less then one year when the instrument panel began to not work. it started out by giving a high temp. reading then the speedometer would not go back down to 0 when stopped. when the car drove again the speedometer would increase where it left off. i was able to reset the speedometer by turning the ignition to accessory then off then back on; it would go down in small increments. this temporary fix is no longer working and the speedometer does not work at all. i have gone to numerous websites and this appears to be a common problem on this car once the mileage reaches above 50000. i would like for there to be a recall so that chevy is required to replace this defective part at their expense. *tr

Temperature gauge not working properly. temp gage will get stuck in a certain position and won,t return to normal unless you turn car off/on several times. *tr

Speedometer sticks and doesn't work. says going 120 miles per hour when stopped. doesn't show speeds when driving sticks in the middle. *tr

Speedometer and fuel gauge went out unexpectedly at around 45000 miles in july. fuel gauge doesn't work at all (below e all the time) and speedometer reads incorrect readings or just stays below 0. i had it "diagnosed" at a chevy dealer so i could call chevy and complain. they said they wouldn't fix it, and the projected cost was $400. this is gm's fault and i should not have to pay out-of-pocket to fix their mistakes. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. occasionally, when the contact attempted to start the vehicle, there was a delayed crank. the vehicle takes several hours to start sometimes. prior to the failure, all of the warning lights illuminated on the instrument control panel. the vehicle lost all power as if the battery failed; however, the exterior lighting was still operative. the contact also heard a dull humming noise. the contact was advised by another consumer who was experiencing similar failures that the computer chip was not recognizing the key. she took the vehicle to an authorized dealer, but they could not duplicate the failure or provide a sufficient repair. the dealer also stated that there could be several defects with the electrical system: ignition module; however, they were afraid to make repairs because they did not know if either of the remedies would resolve the issue. the starter and battery were replaced, but immediately after the repair the vehicle failed. the failure and current mileages were 52,000.

Speedometer has gone haywire and is not accurate on 2004 chevy impala. displays 45 when doing 75, or when doing 45. safety issue. while on the i-94 i thought i was doing 45 behind a "slow" car, it turns out i was doing 75. when on sideroads, not sure if the car is moving at 25 or 40????? *tr

Speedometer and now the temp gauge faulty.. known problem with this 2004 chevy impala... gm fixed same issue in their trucks, but refuses to fix in this and other model cars... *tr

Speedometer reads intermittently. sometimes it comes back on and reads for awhile, other times no reading at all and still other times reads low or high....car is 4 years old has 60-70 k miles. speeding violation and distraction while driving. *tr

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. *tr

For two years the passive security system malfunctions and the vehicle wont start. we have to sit and wait for 20 minutes for the system resets itself. chevrolet denies there is a problem and wants thousands of dollars to fix it. this is a common problem for this model vehicle. at first the problem happened only once a month. now it is happening weekly. please help.. *tr

Speedometer has gone haywire. it is not registering the correct speed. it is gone haywire like everybody else's. *tr

2004 impala, speedometer problem works when it wants to,at times registers 0 and at other times the needle buries itself, would be able to click back to 0 by turning the ignition on and off until it went back to 0 but worked erratically,finally stopped working altogether, temp gauge same way. only way to fix problem was to have each and every gauge rebuilt and not replaced with gm part as the part they replace it with is the same '!@#$% originally installed, researched this on line and found 1000's of others with same problem, this should be recalled, as when the temp gauge buries itself you don't know for sure what is going on, if its for real or ???? *tr

This is an on-going problem that started in mid may, 2008. my security light comes on and then a while later, my car won't start for an extended period of time.... i have had this to the chevrolet dealer 3 times and have replaced the ignition switch and the body control module. they are at a loss of what to do next. i have heard similar complaints with the impala - and no remedies. *tr

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.

Driving my 2004 chevrolet impala on the expressway, at the speed limit of 65 in rush hour traffic my speedometer started advancing until it was over 120mph. i maintain my place, pacing the other but i had no idea of my speed. i found out that impalas have a history of defective speedometers. since my vehicle was over warranty, they wanted to charge me to replace the speedometer. a gm mechanic told me how to temp fix it, but i recurs often. gm must recall these defective speedometers! even if you take your vehicle to a mechanic or gm dealership you don't know if the temp fixed it or actually replaced the speedometer? someone is going to get killed because they can not judge their highway speed. i understand that some other gm vehicles (eg.tahoe) has the same problem. can you get us a recall and fix? gm mechanics know about this problem. *tr

The speedometer,gas gauge, temperature gauge have quit working in our 2004 chevy impala. the turn signals work when they want too. the heat panel controller only works on one side. on occasion the security light comes on and the car won't start. the rear defogger doesn't work. lights on the radio only work when they want too. every so often the transmission slips. i went on another sight and saw there are over 100 complaints for these same problems, we have been dealing with them for atleast 2 years, gm doesn't want to help out with any of these problems.. *tr

I drove my 2004 impala to the store, when i returned to my car it would not start! since i had just signed the papers on it i took it back to the dealer once it started. they put $500.00 would of repair work into it but that did not fix the problem. it happened again just after my 3 month warranty expired. it used to it every so often until recently it has been doing it a few times a day. *tr

2004 chevy impala speedometer broken. auto dealer will not repair under warranty. *tr

2004 impala ls speedometer failure at 51,000 miles. it stuck at 50 mph and then increased to over 120 at about 30 mph. this seems to be an inherent widespread problem for this and other year model impala's as well as other chevrolet's as per the web site ( http://www.carcomplaints.com/chevrolet/impala/2004/accessories-interior/speedometer_gone_haywire.shtml ). this is a dangerous situation and chevrolet will apparently not put a recall on it. someone suggested to let this site know about this and apparently has already done so themselves, so i hope my statement is of some help for all these people's problems, including mine. please put the pressure on gm to correct their mistake. i wouldn't have a clue about how many failures or number of injuries, deaths or possible speeding tickets for all the people involved in this. thanks *tr

2004 chevy impala instrument panel is not reading correctly. i have had several people with same year model car say the same happen to them. *tr

Speedometer failure. reads 0 mph most times. sometimes reads 5 to 10 mph when going 40 - 70 mph. *tr

My impala 2004 has about 41,000 miles on it. the temperature gauge needle went right over to hot, i immediately brought my vehicle in and for a half an hour had it on a machine to let me know if it was serious. the result from this test was, i could get away with driving the vehicle as is and just watch my vehicle for any signs of overheating or get the problem fixed. a month or so later my security light came on and after shutting the vehicle off it was fine. this has happened on a number of occasions now and i called chevrolet and the first mechanic of course told me it was serious and bring it right in and the second chevrolet mechanic told me that it was okay to drive, just turn the vehicle off and wait about 20 min and the vehicle should start. was informed that it will be expensive to get these electrical problems repaired. after reading this sight and speaking with other impala owners i realized that my vehicle is not the only one having this type of problems and perhaps chevrolet should look into this and do the right thing and issue a recall. *tr

I purchase a 2004 chevy impala in january '06-my gas gauge went almost a year now. i have paid 700 to replace and now it doesn't work at all. now the speedometer has gone. i have read tons of consumer reports of things i can anticipate will go soon and i am disgusted that gmc,chevy, etc is not doing anything for its customers but rip them off with repair jobs that don't fix the problem. *tr

On multiple occasions, the speedometer on my 2004 chevrolet impala ls has gotten stuck. i would say that this has happened close to a dozen times now since i bought this car in november of 2007. i have read numerous statements from online forums about people having the same problems, and i have talked to three different dealerships that have reported this as being a common problem. i am wondering why this has not been a cause for a recall, as a speedometer seems like a pretty important piece of vehicle equipment. its especially frustrating since it will cost me $400 to have it repaired. i was also told by the dealerships that once the speedometer goes, eventually the rest of the cluster will start to fail. i am stating in the incident date portion the last date that this has happened to me. *tr

2004 impala police package. instrument panel failure. after 15-20 minutes driving, the speedometer drop back to about 15 at highway speed. with several stop it stay below 0 and never move again. gm should replace all defected instrument panel for impala like they do to other models as soon as possible. *tr

Automobile quit running while on highway and failed to restart. this situation, i feel, put mine and my wife's lives in danger. research has revealed this situation is common in this type of vehicle. passive security system overrides operators attempts to start car. calls to gm and gm representatives produced negative reaction to consumer complaints. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. while driving 90 mph, the speedometer gauge became stuck and remained at 90 mph, even while driving at lower speeds. the speedometer remains at 90 mph even while the vehicle is parked. in addition, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheating when it actually was not. the current mileage was 49,500 and failure mileage was 49,487. updated 10/16/08. *lj the transmission would slip when accelerating from a stopped position. updated 10/17/08.*jb

The electrical clusters suddenly stopped working. all the gauges on my panel do not work. this includes mph, fuel, rpm, etc. has anyone else had this suddenly happen? should it be recalled? *tr

The speedometer gauge is not reading correctly. first, it was showing your speed as 120mph, when you were stopped. it was never accurate. then one day, it just stayed at 0mph, even when you were moving. i had it fixed through a gm dealership, and they fixed the cluster. this part should be recalled. i have seen a lot of people with the same car, and same problem. gm needs to realize the danger with this defect. it is not a cheap fix either. i am saving my receipt in hopes that gm will realize the hazards with driving a car this way. *tr

Three time in the last 30 days my 2004 impala failed to start because of security system problem,i have been advised by mechanic ,this is a very costly repair.. it is said to be one of the modules in the system, i see many other people are having the same problem and g m does nothing. when will someone pressure them into recall on this problem. *tr

Speedometer and gas gauge are not working. they suddenly stopped being correct. sometimes they show i am going 100 while in park, or 75 while going 30. the gauges freeze and stay that way for several days. i have read online that many others are experiencing the very same thing. *tr

Failure of the instrument cluster -- most importantly the speedometer became grossly inaccurate or completely inoperative during the course of normal driving. in some instances the speedometer read 0mph at highway speeds and other times it would read 120+mph while the vehicle was stopped. chevrolet dealership found an internal gauge cluster problem and replaced the cluster. *tr

Speedometer has been sticking and will get stuck or stops working. will read 140 mph when the vehicle is actually going about 60. also when parked it will read out 70 40 100 etc etc. even when the vehicle is off. drops to 0 mph and jumps from 0 mph to 20 mph in motion or sitting in traffic. *tr

The odometer read 70 when going only 30. *tr

Speedometer gradually reads lower speed than actual vehicle speed, causing driver to speed up and go too fast. *tr