2003 chevrolet impala. consumer writes in regards to vehicle starting problems and electrical system/ ignition recall notice. *smd the consumer stated the starting problems began two years into owning the vehicle. every mechanic charged him hundreds of dollars in parts and labor, only for the problem to return. in september 2014, the consumer received a recall notice. he took the vehicle to the dealer, where they put two rings on his key fob. they also informed him the ignition switch and sensor needed to be replaced, which cost him several hundred dollars. the consumer stated the starting problem has ceased. the consumer believed his problem qualified to be recalled, since several other vehicles were being recalled for ignition problems. also, the left front door latch assembly was replaced. *jb
We are dealing with a problem with the ignition switch/ security system on our car at least once a week now. this issue began about six months back and is definitely worsening. we are experiencing wait times of about ten minutes to clear the security system before we can start the car and have been told this will eventually end up completely failing soon. now this problem has caused the instrument cluster lights to fail and we cannot judge speed at night without a flashlight. i judge this a safety issue because this is my wife's car and she often has to depend on the car at nights and alone. *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet impala. while driving approximately 40 mph he attempted to open the rear passenger side window but it would not open. the failure continued to occur intermittently. he also mentioned that the headlights would flicker intermittently while driving various speeds and the door locks would also malfunction. the contact could only manually unlock the doors. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failures. he replaced the alternator himself but the failures continued to recur. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the vcm needed to be replaced, but it was not repaired. the failure mileage was 137,000 and the current mileage was 157,000.
Tl* - on december 25, 2006, the contact was driving 35 mph when her child got out of the child safety seat and opened the passenger door. the contact immediately pulled over and secured her child. the contact stated that this was the first and only time that this has happened. the contact has since called thorobred chevrolet from whom she purchased the car to find out why the car did not have child proof safety locks. the dealer tried to sell her a new car instead of providing her with information on how she could get some child proof safety locks for this car. the contact stated that this was the only dealership that she has contacted concerning the child proof locks . the contact stated that this was a safety issue, and she would like the child proof safety locks added to the car at no cost, or to be provided with a car that did have child proof locks. *ak updated 02/09/07. *jb
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle is equipped with automatic door locks. this feature locks the doors automatically when the vehicle is put into drive. due to a failure in the automatic door lock, the doors must be manually locked. the vehicle has been inspected however the problem cannot be corrected. also the keyless entry has been taken to the dealer 5 times for reprogramming. this only corrected the problem for a short period of time. updated 4/6/2006 - *nm
Dt: the contact stated the door locks were making a clicking noise and the doors would not lock. when he tried to lock the doors, they would slowly unlock. the battery died before he took the vehicle to the dealership. the dealership found the bcm, and the battery needed to be replaced. they state it was because the vehicle was not driven enough. the vehicle has been repaired, and there have been no further problems.*ak
Consumer is complaint regarding the absence of child safety locks on the rear doors on the 2003 chevrolet impala.*mr consumer's child fell out of the back seat, hit her face on the bottom of the door frame, then fell face first on to the rocks which had to be hand picked out of her face. while her face on the ground the automatic closing doors were closing on her legs, preventing her from removing herself from this horrible position. notified gm about the car not have child safety locks on the rear doors. *bf
Bought impala 2003 the trunk would not open properly, returned to have fixed, said it was working. it was not working properly. during warmer months the back doors would not open, had to open from front door reaching around to back. they noted nothing wrong with them.. my warrenty ran out, two months later passanger side back door handle broke off in my hand. 6 months after the other drivers side back door handle broke off in my hand. this seems to be a big problem, very very cheaply made. the front door handles at times stick and are also hard to open. this isnt a isolated incident, all the handles seem to have the same problem i am waiting for the day i cannot open any of them. chevrolet has ignored my complaints. the gears inside the front door panel was never oiled. overlooked, too quick to make and mass produce. i am very very unhappy!*ak
Dt: the consumer stated that the trunk latch on 2003 chevrolet impala was designed incorrectly. when he put a suit case in the trunk or anything heavy, the latch stuck very high, bent, and eventually the trunk would not shut. the dealer changed the latch once. the foreman and the mechanic at the dealership told him that there was a problem with this model. the warranty was soon to run out. *ak (11/18/05) per invoice, the driveability seemed to idle high. *sc
I own a 2003 impala. ever since i have owned the vehicle i have had problems with the door locks. the first time i had a problem all four doors locked on their own. the first time this happened my grandson was locked inside on a hot summer day. my dealership in conjunction with gm has tried to fix this several times, without success. in addition to all doors locking {has not occurred recently} sometimes the doors do not lock when the vehicle is put in gear. the driver side door locks sometimes from just closing the door. i do not beleive i can not get more information on this problem. my dealership admitted the had another gm vehicle that the doors locked and unlocked while the vehicle was being drive down the highway. i also have a friend , that had problems with a gm vehicle doors locking and unlocking while driving.