Problems with 2004 Chevrolet Impala ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Just driving normally to and from work the speedometer will stop working not allowing the driver to be able to tell how fast they are going. even after shutting the car off the speedometer will not display the proper speed the vehicle is traveling. this is the same failure that gm had made a recall for their trucks and suv's but will not fix the car's gauge clusters. *tr

I have a 2004 chevy impala that has a malfunctioning speedometer. it will read i am going 140 mph when i am only going 20 mph. sometimes it goes the other way and it will read 0 mph when i am going 55 mph. i have read of similar complaints with the same make and model. i think it is a defect that needs a recall. this could be a real safety issue with not knowing the correct speed in which you are traveling. *tr

The speedometer on my 2004 chevrolet impala stops working randomly. it sometimes goes up way past 120 mph. oddly, i'm able to reset it by turning the car off and the turning the key to the a/c position. this only sets the speedometer back a little way each time so i have to turn the key back and forth like 20 times to get the speedometer to reset back to zero. it'll work fine for a little while and then it'll go crazy again. *tr

Speedometer failed by very slowly dropping to zero mph while traveling on i65. i did not realize the speedometer had failed until i realized i was passing other people and the car was getting quite difficult to handle. after slowing down and following a group of trucks i watched the speedometer slowly fall to zero over a period of 15 minutes or so. i have never had a speedometer do this, they either worked or did not work. fortunately no one was hurt though only because i realized i was driving at a significantly higher speed than the surrounding traffic which was already averaging 10 to 15 mph over the speed limit of 70 mph. *tr

I have noticed that for the past few weeks, whenever the temperature is below 20 degrees, the speedometer acts funny. the speedometer reads anywhere from 25 to 80 miles faster than my actual speed; today, i wasn't going any more than 30mph at the most, and the speedometer needle was pointing directly down to the car floor. a few people on a couple of message boards suggested turning the ignition key to 'accessories' on and off rapidly several times, but all it did was bring the speedometer down from 85 to 70. *tr

I am a single parent, mother of 2 boys who travels with me everytime i drive my car, for about 2 weeks now in my 2004 chevy impala the speedometer has not worked, when my car is parked the speedometer reads 60 mph and when i drive my car the speedometer had gone past the 120 mph all the way to the d for drive. i am so upset i can not afford to pay for a new cluster because from my internet search that seems to be the problem i don't have that kind of money. it's a safety issue because i don't know how fast i am really going sometime i might be going to slow for the person behind me and they might get upset thinking i am doing it on purpose an follow me out of anger who knows and if i am going to fast i may cause an accident. this is not good somebody has to do something about this, i am sooooooo upset. *tr

Speedometer does not work properly. think i'm driving the legal speed limit and come to find out i am not and have not been for a year or so now. new problem as of 11/08, headlights go out completely when high beams are turned on for a short time. major safety hazards and gm has done nothing to fix the problems (see carcomplaints.com re: 2004 chevy impala's). i can not afford to fix another problem with this car, so nothing has been done to fix it. *tr

Electrical system: instrument panel i just purchased a 2004 impala with 97k on it and while driving home at 65-70 mph it stated i was going 110-130. it created a very dangerous driving condition because their was light traffic and it is very distracting. i was unable to determine my speed the entire time. i believe this could be the cause of an accident because if this problem happens when you are going slower that it states what if it happens when you are going faster. serious potential to cause accidents because it happens randomly and does not go away. *tr

Speedometer became erratic and completely stopped working; stuck on 80 or 100 mph at all times. dangerous to drive in inclement weather due to inability to judge speed of vehicle accurately; possible motor vehicle accident and/or speeding tickets. nothing done by owner at this time due to costly repair; feel gm recall appropriate due to many online complaints for same issue. *tr

Gauge cluster on 2004 impala fails. speedometer goes out and driver doesn't know how fast they are going. have heard many similar complaints with other gas gauge going, tach, etc... mine was just the speedometer - would sit at 120mph when only going 30. continued to do so until had the entire gauge cluster replaced at a local mechanic shop. have read many reports online about other impala owners having same problem. if it is that widespread and so known about for how many years, why hasn't there been a recall for the impalas like they did for the chevy/gm suvs and trucks? *tr

2004 chevy impala speedometer erratic,may show 85mph when traveling 50-55mph,or 40mph when traveling 70mph. when problem occurs you can re-zero the speedometer by turning the ignition switch on and off a number of times to get the needle back to zero, because with power off the needle is usually from 35-40mph indication to below zero indication. cold weather seems to make it not work at all until the vehicle warms up inside the car. i have a case file with chevrolet for monetary help,but i also believe this is a safety issue. thank you! *tr

I have a 2004 chevrolet impala and the cluster has gone out on it, similar chevy trucks and suv's have had the exact same issue, but the dealer told me that the cars aren't covered under recall. this is not a problem that i have had go out on any car and it is very odd that the same manufacturer is having the same problems with other vehicles. *tr

My speedometer stopped working about a year ago. one day i was driving at it just stopped working. after i turned my car off and then back on a little later it started to work again. then it would randomly stop working and then work fine again later. it would either stop working all together or read the numbers wrong by saying i was doing 45 mph when i wasn't even moving. i didn't have the money to spend on getting it fixed so i borrowed my boyfriends gps so i could read my speed. since then i noticed a pattern of the problems, every time i was getting close to the time to change my oil it would start acting up again. now the problem has gotten worse and all my gauges are acting the same way. my fuel gauge, temperature gauge, and speedometer all pick and choose when they want to work and when they don't and they frequently don't work now. i decided to see if there was a recall and noticed that this was a common problem in this type of car. from how common this problem seems to be there should have been a recall on this a long time ago. *tr

The speedometer shows wrong speed-faster than i am going-almost caused accident slowing down on freeway. chevy wants $500 to fix the problem which should be covered by them. *tr

2004 impala with 43,000 miles. speedometer failure. while driving, the speedometer slowly begins to read higher and higher values. while traveling approx. 55-60 mph, saw highest reading at 105 mph, read 73 mph standing still. repeatedly turning car on and off eventually will "0" the speedometer, but problem recurred the next day. *tr

The speedometer on my 2004 chevy impala is defective, it has not been working for at least a year. as there are many complaints about the same issue with the same car, it should be a gm recall. *tr

I own a 2004 chevrolet impala v6. about 3 months ago the speedometer started acting up. it would read 30 when i was stopped, or 15 when i was doing about 60. speed readings are completely random while driving now. it very seldomly works correctly and "ticks" when it tries to reset. temperature gauge started acting the same way and is permanently stuck well past the overheating mark. recently, my airbag light has also permanently turned on and remains lit every time i drive. i have included a link to a discussion board with complaints from multiple people who have the exact same problem for the same year/model. please look into this as it sounds as though chevrolet is avoiding recalls for dangerous incidents in the wake of the current state of our economy! thank you for your time and help with this matter. http://www.carcomplaints.com/chevrolet/impala/2004/accessories-interior/speedometer_gone_haywire.shtml. *tr

2004 chevy impala 1 owner purchase price $30,000 less than 50000 miles speedometer went out. not covered under warranty per dealership. i never know how fast i am going but rely on the tac gauge. gm needs to recall the 2004 for this problem before someone dies. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the gauges on the instrument panel were inoperative and displayed inaccurate readings. as a consequence, she cannot determine how fast she is traveling, which is hazardous. the contact is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer to identify the cause of the failure. the failure mileage was 55,000 and current mileage was 58,500. updated 3/16/09 *cn updated 03/19/09. *jb

The cluster for the 2004 chevy impala. it makes not sense that this system goes out after 75,000 miles on a car. the dealer ship want to charge 600.00 to replace the part for the car. i will never buy another american car because of this problem and the problem i am having with the security light keep coming on, and then shutting the engine off for 15min until the car will run again. that happen when i was out late at night and i was the only one left in the parking lot waiting on my car to start. i feel that is a security problem with my safety. i have to keep taking my car to the dealership to have that problem reset. my cluster is still out don't know how fast i am driving nor if my car is running hot, nor how gas i have n my car. *tr

After 20 to 30 minutes on the interstate, the speedometer slowly falls to 20 or 0 mph, all while you are still moving at around 70 mph. the odometer continues to function during this time. if you stop the vehicle, the speedometer seems to recalibrate, and takes another 20 to 30 minutes to reinduce. no trouble codes were set. to replicate the problem, you would need to get a dealer to drive on the highway for 1/2 an hour...it never fails around town. the dealer acted like they had never heard of such a thing, but they wanted big $$ to replace the instrument cluster. based on piles of corroborating information online, i replaced the instrument cluster stepper motors myself with switch part # x25.168 which fixed the problem. if you are handy, you can do it in an hour with only a screwdriver and a solder iron. the failing speedometer motor that i removed was binding slightly; the working motors for the fuel and temp gauges were not. gm's denial of this problem while it is all over the internet is hard to understand. i guess they would go bankrupt if they replaced the failing clusters, but they would not even provide information like the gm part number for the failing motor, nor would they identify the vendor. i had to use news group hearsay and order the parts from a vendor on ebay. *tr

Everything was working normally and all of the sudden my speedometer began going haywire. i've read that many other impalas have experienced similar problems. it's currently doing 90mph parked in my garage. it sporadically accelerates from wherever the needle is at the time but won't return to zero when it comes to a stop. *tr

My speedometer is not working properly. it will display anywhere between zero mph and 120 mph when driving approx. 70 mph (judging on the speed of other traffic. i have a 2004 chevy impala with 81,000 miles. repair at a gm dealership is approx. $400. i have spoken to gm customer service about them being responsible for the repair of a safety hazard. they don't seem to care. *tr

I have a 2004 impala. my speedometer started acting crazy one day and now doesn't work at all. i thought i could diagnose this problem online and fix it myself. i was shocked to find how many people have the same problem and why there is no recall for this issue. *tr

The speedometer on my car is very erratic. i can be driving at a consistent speed and the speedometer indicated that i am slowing down. after several minutes, my speedometer indicated i am going 0-20 mph when i know i am doing at least 50-60 mph. the speedometer failure typically occurs after i have driven 50 miles or so, but it occurring more frequently the longer i drive it. i have not had it repaired as the cost is approximately $500. *tr

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. *tr

I have a 2004 chevy impala that started having problems with the speedometer. the speedometer will read the wrong speed when it is moving and standing still. it would even read over 120mph when the car is turned off. i am an electronics technician and do almost all of my auto work myself. i have 2 brothers that are mechanics. it seems to me that the stepper motors are going bad inside the instrument cluster. the cluster should be recalled, but i cannot wait for this to happen. i found a gm parts website and tried to order the whole new cluster from them for $154.64. it only took me 20 minutes to pull the old one out. i received an e-mail stating that gm will no longer let the average person buy this instrument cluster. you now need to get it from a dealer at a largely inflated price. what a scam. not only are we dealing with a safety issue, it sounds like there is a scam going on also. i hope this is not being done to protect the dealers. i think that gm needs to step up to the plate and make things right with all of these upset people. i'll bet none of these people will buy another gm product again, including me. *tr

Speedometer goes haywire; "traction active" sensor comes on and makes a strange noise. *tr

2004 chevrolet impala ls ignition lock cylinder was replaced. *mw the consumer is seeking reimbursement, in light of the recall. *jb

All three gauges in the instrument panel have ceased functioning. at first, the defect affected only the temperature gauge. shortly thereafter, the speedometer stopped working. finally, the problem also affected the fuel gauge which no longer functions either. *tr

Regular use of vehicle, speedometer gets stuck in place and doesn't read speed and temperature gauge is stuck as well in the same cluster. dealer informed me that there no recall on part even though i have spoke with others with the same vehicle having the same problem. my car is a 2004 impala under 70,000 miles. i use my gps to track my speed, because i feel it's not right for me to pay up to $460.00 for a part that i did not break or damage because of normal use. *tr

Speedometer sticks and will not reset or shows 80 mph when doing 30 mph. *tr

2004 impala with a 3800 engine.. speedometer is stuck at the highest point in reading, above 110 mph without the car even running. *tr

For 5 or more years when i try to start the motor i get nor response from the starter, the lights dim and other electrical driven things shut down. if i touch the solenoid terminal of the starter with a hot wire the starter runs and the engine starts. when i take the hot wire off the terminal the engine dies. sometimes if i clean the fuse contact and try again it will start but often will not. i have found that reaching under the dash and moving the wires that come out of the switch behind the dash key will get it to activate the started but even this some times isn't immediately effective. i have at time had to walk and try again at a latter time. this could be a very severe safety hazard. if me and my family members including many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren could be stranded when we stop along the road or even in the back country where we like to go. example: a severe storm or other reason to have get going fast such as injury or sudden sever illness, when i discussed this problem with chevy dealers they say that this recall will not even get me and inspection re the ignition switch without a large service fee. i feel that is a defective switch and should be replaced. it appears that the power wire to the coil is on the same circuit as the one activating the starter solenoid so if the engine should stall for any reason one may not be able to start it and you would have the condition that this recall is about. i t doesn't matter if i use a single key and i have tried both keys. the dealers don't will not even look at the switch itself. my experience shows that just putting a plug in the in the key slot will not solve the problem. . *tr

The speedometer in my car does not work correctly. the car only has 32000 miles on it & gm will not fix the problem. i feel it is a safety issue because you can not tell how fast you are going. the speedometer will be stuck at 30mph and i can be doing 40 or 50 mph. *tr

The speedometer needle would stick just out of the blue and every you would excel it would go up more but never come back down. the only way to get the needle to come down so it didn't wrap completely around would be to pull over and turn the key to the off position and then repeatedly turn the key from off to accessories on (the spot right before the car starts). each time you turn it from off to on the needle would drop about 3-5 mph. it sometimes took a few minutes and was a real pain if you were driving in a big city or town with a lot of stop and go because you would have to pull over about every 4 or 5 times just to get across town. this was recalled in the trucks and trailblazers i was told, so i am not sure why it was never recalled in the impalas. it was an expensive fix, but had to be done. *tr

The speedometer in my 2004 impala does not function properly. it is unpredictable in what speed it measures. sometimes it stays on "0" sometimes it's at "110" when i'm doing approx. 20mph. it's just broken. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the speedometer works intermittently and displays inaccurate readings. he took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the speedometer module needed to be replaced at a cost exceeding $600. the vehicle has not been repaired. the manufacturer did not assist because the vehicle exceeded its warranty by thirty days. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 31,000.

At 38,000 miles...the speedometor fails when you are on the highway. at first it just slowly dropped to 0. then the thermometer went haywire; i ck'd the engine everything was fine...it registers all around the globe now. now the speedometoer works when it wants to....i travel a lot, and this thing settles down after a long trip hopefully...last time it went to the bottom of the gauge. i just can't wait for a cop to see my malfunction. can he still give me a ticket if i legally have no idea how fast i am traveling? legally you should get that ticket! make me see a judge gm! i bought a gm certified car in order to find out that it does not mean anything! your brakes are killing me too! my boss's toyota is going on 80,000 mi. they will be good for 100,000.00 mi. i am the one putting on the highway miles here! i am at approx. 50,000.00 miles. remember...i got the car at 28,000.00 miles. i am a highway traveler.....in just a year i have put on 20,000.00 miles. highway miles! i think gm got bad brakes! the rotors are done! i thought i was buying a safe trustworthy car. i got trash. i will buy foreign next time; especially if you do not cover my instrument cluster gone wrong! *tr

The instrument cluster has went out on my 04 impala ls. first the speed odometer quit working,then the rpms quit and now the temperature gauge works about half the time.what's next the gas gauge? this is a major safety concern not having a properly working speed odometer. i have two small kids. this is the second complaint entered. there are several others with this same problem!! something needs to be done asap before someone gets killed!! no one seems to care about this matter. i can't afford to have this fixed. a recall needs to be issued. since this is a factory malfunction!!!! do something please!! *tr

Dashboard instrument failures. first the rpm gauge stopped working. then the temperature gauge stopped working. then the gas gauge stopped working. all within the last 6 months. *tr

Fall of 2008 noticed that my security light was coming on while i was driving and then when i would start my vehicle it would not start. called my dealership and they told me it could be a few things and that if i tried to start my vehicle and it would not start to shut off the ignition and wait about 20 mins, winter of 2008 noticed that the temperature gauge was completely over running as hot as it could go. brought it in to my chevrolet dealer and they did a test on it and said it was fine and that just make sure if it started to have smoke from the hood to get it in. i then lost my speedometer and my turn signals and called yet again to see if there by any chance was a recall because it had become obvious to me that after searching on line that there seems to be some sort of defect with the computer board somewhere. spoke with chevrolet again to find out that there was no recall on this problem. brought my vehicle in on march 4, 2009 and paid out of my pocket $1100.95 to get my vehicle where i could trust it. my vehicle is a 2004 chevrolet and when the problems started it had less than 44,000 miles on it. *tr

The speedometer on my 2004 impala does not work. should be considered a major safety hazard. dealer estimate to repair 500.00-700.00. gm does not respond. from internet research there are thousands of this year vehicle with this problem, why no recall?? *tr

The speedometer on the instrument cluster goes haywire. it sticks when driving highway speeds, and then remains showing a high speed when slowing down. when you then speed back up, it shows speeds upwards of 100 mph even when driving slower than existing traffic. it will only get back to 0 if i turn the ignition off and on many times. it is exceptionally dangerous to travel without knowing the correct speed that you are traveling. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. the contact was experiencing difficulty turning the key in the ignition. he eventually could not get it to turn at all, which prevented him from starting the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and will be towed to the dealer soon. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 95,000.

On several 2003-2006 gm vehicles, the speedometer stops working (the needle stops moving). the fix requires that the entire gauge cluster be replaced from within the dash. the speedometer typically fails shortly after the vehicle's 36k-mile warranty expires. carcomplaints.com has a forum thread with 125+ posts: http://www.carcomplaints.com/chevrolet/impala/2004/accessories-interior/speedometer_gone_haywire.shtml there are several other websites with forums of people who have the same issue... *tr

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. *tr

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

Instrument cluster failure on 2004 chevy impala. *tr

I bought a used 2004 impala in aug. 2008 and basically since the first day i got it i have had problems with the speedometer. the dealer promised to have it repaired, but has yet to do so. they keep giving me the run around, and now for the past month my stereo has stopped working. yesterday my fuel gauge started going haywire. the interior lights only work sometimes. the low tire pressure warning light wont reset. this is a safety problem that needs to be recalled. because of my speedometer not working i almost went off the side of a freeway on ramp from not being able to tell how fast i was going. i just had to pray that i had slowed down enough to make the curve. is someone going to have to be seriously injured or die before there is a recall on this. i have been to several websites researching the 2004 impala and there are hundreds of complaints all saying the same thing. its time that gm takes responsibility and does something about it. i am not able to have my car repaired because of the cost. it's way to expensive. i will never buy another gm vehicle. *tr