2004 Chevrolet Impala problems
Owners have filed 1,375 complaints about the 2004 Chevrolet Impala with NHTSA. Electrical system accounts for 50.4% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of exterior lighting at 8%.
Complaints1,375
Crashes80
Fires34
Injuries73
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Electrical system 50.4% · 693
Exterior lighting 8.0% · 110
Engine 5.2% · 71
Steering 4.8% · 66
Service brakes, hydraulic 4.4% · 60
Power train 3.5% · 48
Vehicle speed control 3.0% · 41
Engine and engine cooling 2.6% · 36
Severity
Of those complaints, 80 describe a crash, 34 describe a fire and 73 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 19 model years of the Chevrolet Impala in this data, 2004 draws the most complaints of any of them.
Filings have fallen off, 9 in the last three years against 24 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 70,000 miles.
In owners' own words
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. Electrical system · reported at 30,000 miles
Speedometer and tach quit working. Would not reset to 0. All other gauges continued to work. Saw there was a recall on the product for other model years but not on the 2004. Dealer said it is not typical but a simple search on line showed a substantial number of complaints. Gm got reimbursed by their provider for malfunctioning gauge motors but this was not passed onto the car owners? How can that happen? Electrical system · reported at 75,000 miles
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. Electrical system · reported at 30,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…