Problems with 2003 Chevrolet Impala ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I took my 2003 chevy impala to have the repair preformed for the ignition recall. i dropped my car off the night before (tuesday) and got a phone call wednesday to pick it up. when i picked it up the car was driven around the lot to me and left running. i went straight home and turned off the car until morning. when i went to get into the car in the morning i could not turn the key. at 8 am i called the service department and he stated that i should bring it back and they would try to figure out what went wrong. i brought it in wednesday evening after work, thursday morning i received a call from the service manager telling me that the recall had no effect on my car that i needed a new tumbler now. i picked the car up thursday night and the sales lady that drove it around said that was impossible to start that she had to get a mechnic to start it. i found the general manager and asked him to reverse the recall by popping the cover off the key. he did and the car started with only a small grib trouble from the tumbler which is thought to be caused by the number of forced starts after the key cover was placed on the key. after inspection it was found that the cover from the recall was preventing my key from going in all that way to the tumbler to start the car. i am asking that the tumbler be replaced and a new set of keys because of the damage done to my key and the recall not being effective without damage to my tumbler. i am aware that my tumbler is directly linked to my security trigger for the car and now live in fear that i will have trouble with the car shutting down or the key no longer being effect to start the car at any given moment. it sits very loose in the tumbler now. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start intermittently. in addition, the contact stated that multiple unknown warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the mechanic diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. the vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the instrument cluster panel needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number:14v400000 (electrical system). the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 200,000.

This is in regards to the safety recall letter i received in sept. 2014 regarding the ignition in my car. i called the local chevy dealership to schedule an appointment to have the problem fixed on 9/29/14. they called me back on 11/10/14 and said they'd received the parts for my car. i took it in on 11/17/14 and left it all day. back on 9/29 i was told they were going to put a locking guard on the ignition and a lock on each key so that the key wouldn't slip out. do you know what they did? they put a small round metal key chain on each of my keys and glued it so that nothing else could be hung on it. that's how they fixed the ignition problem. what a joke! i've had no problems with my car, luckily. however, i doubt that this so called fix would do any good if there was a problem. this is the last time i have any dealings with sunfair chevrolet in yakima. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while in motion and stationary without warning. the vehicle restarted after 20 minutes. the vehicle was taken a dealer and repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system); however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 109,000.

I called gm chevrolet dealership, and was told not one death has been attributed to this problem. i asked if i did not come in would i have to worry? the agent said "i would be accepting that risk". yet, i can't figure out what the risk is if he said not one death was attributed to this problem. i asked to schedule a maintenance for this problem. he said i would have to call back tomorrow and see if they had the part in. i asked him to make an appointment and he refused. he said to call back and see if they had the part...i don't understand, if there is a recall why can't i make an appointment? i assume if i call back tomorrow i will continue getting the "run around". this appears to be discouraging the recall. *tr

The car randomly shuts off at times when u push the gas to hard while the car trying pick up speed .then i have to come to a complete stop put the car in park (all this while im in middle of traffic) an then start it back up . im not the only one having this problem my cousin having the same exactly problem but hers start right back up like mine or some times take a little while for this to happen . she also said she seen something come on tv saying some about if you have this problem contact somebody but she didn't get the number an never saw the ad on tv again. *tr

This vehicle was part of the gm ignition recall campaign. the "fix" at the dealership was simply adding two small key rings to my ignition key and putting an insert blank into key to make the hole smaller. i was told not to add any other keys to this ring. is this the fix that is supposed to save my life? why aren't the faulty ignitions being replaced? is the government going to allow this to be the solution to the ignition problem? it seems like we vehicle owners are the losers in this recall campaign. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact received a notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). however, the parts needed were not available. the dealer was unable to provide a specific date when the parts would become available. the manufacturer was contacted and could not provide an estimated date for when the vehicle would receive the recall repairs. the contact was not experiencing a failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver as the cruise control warning light illuminated intermittently. the contact also mentioned that when the ignition key was turned further to the right, the vehicle started to operate properly. the contact stated that the failure recurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was serviced under nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system) but the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags , electrical system). the failure mileage was 110,000.

I was traveling on a 2 lane road. a truck pulling an enclosed trailer was in front of me turned on his right blinker and began to brake to make the turn. i was traveling 77 mph, so i moved to the oncoming traffic lane (the left lane) in order to pass the truck. at the last second the truck swerved into the left lane in order to make a wide turn. i abruptly jerked the steering wheel right to avoid collision with the truck, but the vehicle seemed to lose power steering as well as power brakes. i was unable to straighten the steering wheel back after jerking it to the right to go back into the right lane; my vehicle hit the back of the enclosed trailer and then hit steep ditch where my back passenger tire popped and the vehicle flipped onto its roof. the vehicles airbags failed to deploy even though the vehicle has significant damage to the front , top and sides of it. i regained conscientiousness i attempted to turn the car off and remove the keys from the ignition. but i realized that the keys were not i n the ignition.i crawled out of the passenger window to exit the vehicle. the keys were later found by my husband loose in the vehicle. i hit my head hard when the vehicle flipped, good deal of blood on me from what ended up being multiple superficial lacerations as well as a deep wound in my left knee, which required 12 stitches to close up. i will have a scar from it for the rest of my life. i was rushed by ambulance to the hospital and was released around 9 pm. 2 days later we received the ignition switch recall notice in the mail gm refuses to answer any of our questions regarding this wreck. gm did retrieve the black box info from the vehicle., they refuse to provide us with any explanation to why the airbags failed to deploy or why there seemed to be a malfunction within the car which led to the accident. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the dealer provided two replacement keys under recall nhtsa campaign number: 14v4000000 (electrical system). however, one of the keys failed to function when inserting into the ignition switch. the dealer placed an order for the second key to correct the problem. the manufacturer was not notified of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was 207,893.

2003 chevrolet impala. consumer writes in regards to recall # 14350. * ld the consumer was unhappy with gm's cover-up, regarding the ignition switch problem. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact received nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled and the steering wheel seized causing the contact to crash. a police report was not filed and no injuries were sustained. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician was unable to find the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 186,000. updated 12/19/14*cn updated 05/26/2015 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact received a notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). the contact attempted to schedule an appointment with dealer in order to have the recall repaired performed but the dealer explained that they could not remedy the recall since the original vehicle ignition key was needed. the contact believed the recall was a safety issue and stated that he was not provided with the original ignition key at time of purchase. the manufacture was not aware of the issue. the contact had not experience a failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. while driving approximately 45 mph, the contact smelled burning wires. the vehicle was merged to the side of the road and the steering column was smoking. the fire department disconnected the battery. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the technician replaced the wiring harness and the combination switch. the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 137,400.

2003 chevrolet impala. consumer writes in regards to ignition key recall notice, but no parts. *smd

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. once the vehicle was started, the ignition failed to turn to the off position using the key, which caused the battery to die. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the battery was replaced, but the failure recurred. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 82,000. the consumer was under the impression the dealer was going to replace the ignition switch. the dealer only modified the keys. updated 12/22/14. *jb

Car would not start had to be towed and ignition switch replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. while driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled and the service engine light illuminated constantly. the contact also stated that the vehicle overheated and accelerated without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch failed and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximently 200,000.

2003 chevrolet impala. consumer writes in regards to trac unit repair and reimbursement. * ld the consumer stated when the traction light illuminated, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. they discovered the lower intake gasket was leaking, and replaced it. the consumer drove five miles, after leaving the dealer, and the traction light illuminated again, and the vehicle stalled. also, the ignition switch and catalytic converter were replaced. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 14v400000 (electrical system) and 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). the dealer was unable to supply the parts within a reasonable time frame so the contact was unable to determine when the vehicle would be repaired. the contact was to check with the manufacturer to determine if the parts would be supplied to a dealer to receive the recall repair. the contact had not experienced a failure. parts distribution disconnect.

The key comes out of the ignition while the vehicle is in motion. *tr

Recently purchased a used 2003 impala, i was unaware at the time of the numerous complaints on the issue of the passlock feature. the passlock feature shuts down the operation of the vehicle when it dosen't recognize the key. the key is the matching set for the passlock. for the short time we had the car we experienced a shut down during operation. lucky for us no one was injured, at approxmate 45 mph the car just shut down and the security light came on. had to dead steer and brake the car to a stop resulting in the car off the road in the ditch. tried to restart vehicle, did not even try to crank over. security light was on at the display had to sit for a few minutes and tried again then the car started. got it home fortunately without further incidents. since then there were several instances that the car would not recognize the key and shut down the car. i am very aggrivated that we have to experience such issues as consumers, without any attempts or concerns from the manufacturer to deal with such a wide spread problem. this a serious risk placed on the owners lives with these vehicles. especially when this has been a long ongoing problem and has been annotated hundreds of times. why has nothing been done about this, are we waiting for fatalities? *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala.the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). the recall remedy failed to repair the vehicle. the failure specifics were not available. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 141,000.

The steering wheel seems to becoming loose, afraid to drive vehicle car shut off while driving , had to pull over and restart car. small fuel leak in fuel tank. updated 4/24/2015 *js

At slow speeds after considerable driving distances, on two occasions, engine turned off, leaving no power for drive or steering. car re-started both times. no recurrence to date after ignition switch was replaced on 5/27/14. *js

May 16, 2014 at 6:30 am i parked the car in my driveway after taking my husband to work. i locked the doors after exiting the vehicle with my keys in hand. i was in my home at about 6:42 am when my neighbor began banging on my door and yelling that the car was on fire, i took a look out of the window and came down to get a closer look,stunned there was smoke everywhere and flames under the hood. i immediately called 911 they came it took a good bit of time putting the fire out.i spoke to the firefighters after and he said he believed it"s origin was electrical. we received a quote to repair,replace the engine coolant tube on may 6,2014 from tire discounters and my plan was to drop the car off the morning of 5/16. my husband and i are both heart patients and the loss of this car was devastating. i also would like to add that we had just purchased this vehicle on april 6, 2014 . the car is a total loss. we have the quote from tire discounters,video and pictures from the fire and the report from the incident. i pray for others that didn't learn of this recall in time with tragic results and i am grateful no loss of life occurred here but the pain of trying to get to appointments and getting my husband back and forth to work at honeywell begins again. thank you for your ear. *tr updated 12/11/2014 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. the contact mentioned that several attempts had to be made before the vehicle restarted. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle had been previously repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unavailable.

Every time it rains my entire vehicle floor is flooded. my radio has stopped working and my dashboard lights flicker. i have been researching and there are several models with this problem from 2002 to 2005. this happens often and can eventually lead to electrical problems. i pay a lot if money for this vehicle and still have a ways to go before i am done paying for it. i have 3 children that depend in thus car along with myself if there are so many people with this problem this is definitely a defect and should be recalled. *tr

2003 chevrolet impala. customer requesting reimbursement for ignition switch replacement. *mw

I was on my way home from work when my driverside head light went out so i stopped and bought a new bulb at the closest store when i replaced the bulb the light still didnt come back on then the dtr light also started having issues the only time you get any lights on the driver side is when you move the entire headlight assembly around then you get dim lighting so for the past couple months we havent been able to use our car at night. i keep checking for recalls but i havent seen any and we have always had problems with our dtr lighting including the ones that control our dash lights. cause we have none they work during th eday when they want too but at night we have no lights in our dash. also the drivers side heated seat has quit working. it all occured roughly around the same time. nobodys been able to fix the issues. *tr

Last friday i got in my car around 2:30am and it wouldn't start. i thank god i was on a somewhat safe street and with friends. my car wouldn't start for 15-20 minutes. the lights, radio and everything else worked but the car wouldn't start. this was happening on a regular basis a few months ago but then it stopped. i took it to the shop and was informed that i need to replace the ignition switch. i couldn't afford to get it replaced so i just dealt with it. as i stated before, it's been months since the last occurrence then it happened again. i continue to follow the gm recall hoping they will include the impala because of the ignition switch and other electrical issues. there are times when i am driving and the entire dash board lights up (check engine, check battery) and the all the things that light up on the dashboard when you first start the car. please address this issue before another fatality occurs. *tr

2003 chevy impala. consumer writes in regards to ignition key related recall problems. *smd the consumer stated he saw photograph of the key involved on television and realized it was similar to the one assigned to his vehicle. the stated the problem was related to a weak spring in the ignition assembly. *jb

My car will not start properly. the security light will flash several times but the engine will not turn over. sometimes the security light will just stay on and it will turn over. this has caused a lot of problems for me. i have two children and we end up stuck places for 10, 20, or 30 minutes, up to an hour. i have taken it to the dealership and they wanted $400. to fix the security chip and the key shaft because that is what is making the security system mess up. well now there is a recall on my car with the key, but they will not fix the chip for free and i do not have money to spend on it! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. the failure mileage and vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated continuously. the vehicle was not diagnosed. additionally, the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was unavailable.

The headlights just quit working on 2 5 2014. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the key would not turn from the off position to an on position intermittently. the contact stated that after numerous attempts the vehicle was able to start. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 14v400000 (electrical system). the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

Security light will stay on for a period of time. within a few days car will not start. when turning the key it will not turn over, but the security light is blinking. in 10 minutes, once the light stops blinking, the car will start. this poses a potential safety hazard for the occupants of the car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled when approaching a stop and security warning light illuminated. the contact had to wait several minutes before the vehicle could restart. the dealer diagnosed that the ignition switch and key needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the vehicle was not included in recall nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 171,000.

I have not had an accident. i have had this car little over a year and had nothing but problems with it. started off security light flashing then not starting i could unhook battery and reset and it would start. lights would flash interior lights stayed on then didn't work voltage meter would bury to 0 but battery was fine air consign will not work when this happens door locks do then don't work blows fuses trunk will poc open radio will lock headlights flash t i ll i put manual lights on then automatic would work later. security light flashes a lot of the time all these things start acting up and it continues to get worse. sometime car will jerk and i have to reset by taking cable off then it works fine. i have kids and i do not feel very safe b in this car. some of hard working single parents can't afford to spend 700 here and there from trial and error when it seems a lot of models from this year have the issue.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. while driving 55 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was able to restart the vehicle. the contact also stated that the keys could be removed from the ignition while the vehicle was in the on position and running. the vehicle was repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). the contact was concerned that the recall remedy was not sufficient. the vehicle was taken to east hills chevrolet of douglaston (located at 240-02 northern blvd, douglaston, ny 11362, tel: (888)806-9064) where the ignition switch and ignition module were replaced. the contact stated that the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 81,482. updated 10/18/17*lj *js

The car will not start no matter hot or cold. once started the electrical system throws multiple errors, from security, battery, service engine soon, abs light, seat belt light, and brakes. the complete dash board goes dead including all gauges, from the speedometer, fuel and temperature gauge. the warning bell continues to ring as the battery light comes on - it does this continually while driving. often times it will not start. i have a 6 year old daughter and i am concerned for her safety when this happens. i have put a new batter, new starter and new alternator in this car. gm knows about the problems and they should be required to re-call these cars and fix the problem. *tr

The security sensor failed to read the key code and the vehicle will not start until the security sensor resets approximately 10-20 minutes. sometimes this happens multiple times in one day, then it won't happen for a while. a week ago my car would not start for 2 days. we tried unhooking the battery and starting the car, but it still wouldn't start until a few hours later. *tr

This problem had caused me problems in the year before it would not start. the ignition lock cylinder would not turn various times before including one time it cut off luckily near my home at a very low speed, but i was able to turn the steering wheel back and forth and it would finally start. but, on october 9, 2013 i was about 65 miles from home and tried to turn the key to go home and it would not turn. i had to call a towing company to tow it home. within a few days i had it towed to a service center and was told the ignition lock cylinder had to be replaced. total charge for repair was $423.56 ! i never thought much about until the recent recall for this problem in other years. i do feel this year should be included. i never thought about filing a complaint until i now think this problem could cause a crash. this needs to be addressed and repaired further if needed. i also feel my repair fee should be returned. thank you and waiting for reply to my problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, he attempted to decelerate but the engine stalled without warning. the contact restarted the vehicle but the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that they could not diagnose the cause of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 132,000.

Ignition lock -cylinder problem key comes out of the slot of the lock cylinder while the engine is running. this issue is the same problem as other recalls but is not included in the recalls. i would like this issue resolved. it appears to be the same type of lock cylinders as the recalled ones. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the ignition became difficult to turn to the start position and the engine was losing power. the contact mentioned that the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). however, the failure persisted and recurred on several occasions. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 143,000.

Ignition lock cylinder problem: the key comes out of the ignition lock cylinder when the engine is running or in park or any other time. this appears to be the same type of problem as the recalls but the vehicle has not been recalled. *tr

When the weather is hot, the car will not start. once started the electrical system throws multiple errors, from security, battery, service engine soon, abs light, seat belt light, and brakes. the radio is locked out and the ac fan runs but will not allow the ac compressor to function. also the head lights flash and the complete dash board goes dead including all gauges, from the speedometer, fuel and temperature gauge. the warning bell continues to ring as the battery light comes on. this is a could cause a very dangerous situation with no head lights and no working gauges on the dash, and should for some reason the security system shuts the car down while driving, could cause a serious accident. gm seem to be neglecting this issue, and even gm and their dealerships claim to know nothing about this. yet in multiple impala forums, this is the top issue with this vehicle. i would like to see something done about this before someone gets killed, and it is not fair for the consumer to pay thousands of dollars trying to chase this issue down. i just wish american car companies would stand behind their products, especially when the public's safety is in question. *tr