8.1
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- $450
- Average Mileage:
- 65,350 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 187 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (116 reports)
- replace instrument panel cluster (35 reports)
- use a GPS / TomTom instead (12 reports)
- replace motors in instrument cluster (6 reports)
- install new stepper motors on speedometer & tachometer (5 reports)
- put car in acc. power and put into reverse & start till 0's (4 reports)
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Chevrolet dealer.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
I have the same problem with my 2004 impala. Have read alot about this and it is real B/S I am working on a petition to give to GM to try to make this a recall. Please Help
email me your name where you live and your number please here is mine if you need it 519-590-7842.
give this to everyone you know with a impala.
P.S can you also include your millage
email is stevenmander@yahoo.ca
- smekm, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
To all of you with erratic gauge problems on your 2003-2006 Chevy. GM had a problem with the stepper motor in the instrument cluster and my car was one of them. In my analysis of this problem I found that the problem lies with the plastic material that holds the permanent magnet for the rotor of the stepper motor. This plastic that hold the magnet also comprises the main gear for the gear assembly that rotates the needle. Well, this plastic breaks and because of the break it bends and jams the gear. Now it can't rotate to the proper pulses from the computer. This gear assembly is part of the stepper motor and is only two centimeters long. So the whole motor has to be replaced, it is soldered in the main circuit board for the instrument cluster. I was able to find a replacement motor on e-bay for $9.95 + shipping. I bought several and everything is not running fine.
- Fritz H., Hartford, WI, US
The speedometer cluster and the temperature gauge is going crazy. Sometimes it shows going over 120 miles per hour when I am going 30miles /hour. The temperature gauge is recently going crazy too. I showed it to a GM dealership and they told me that I have to spend $700 to change the speedometer cluster.I had problem with this car when it was only 15000 miles with the brake. It was pulsating when I apply the brake. They told me that i have to change brake pads. I have 4 Chevy vehicles now. I recommend not to buy any more GM. It is little bit cheaper to buy. You will pay a lot of money after 20000 miles. Let this car company go out of business if they do not know how to make good cars. When I had problems with my 2004 Chevy Trailblazer very early, I wrote a letter to Rick Wagners office. None bothered to reply. Someone called and told me that it is my problem.
- kavumkal, Medway, MA, US
Well it's not the speedometer but I'm confident that's coming next. I just purchased a 2004 Impala yesterday from a local dealership. When I test drove the car I told the salesman the instrument clusters go bad on these cars. "Oh no not on this model year" he says. As I was driving the car home from the dealership the temperature gage went over the red area. I bought the car because I got a good deal and I like the features. I assumed I would need to spend $169 to fix the instrument panel myself. I have a call into the dealership hoping they will fix it because it was bad when I purchased it. But of course they will fix it with the crappy stepper motors that GM uses and it will need to fixed again down the line.
- big beaver, Chilton, WI, US
I, too, called the dealership where we bought the car. They stated there is no recall on this problem and that it would cost around $500 to replace the "cluster". This problem is not only affecting Impala's, it is affecting other 2004 GM vehicles. A family member purchased a used 2004 suburban last year and they had the same problem. Fortunately, it was noticed 2 days after they drove it off the lot and they were able to get the dealer to repair it. Here's a kicker! My husband is a sales manager for Schwans Sales. They purchase GMC Topkick trucks for their fleet. They have had several 2004 trucks needing the cluster to be replaced. Again the company had to soak the cost because the problem is not a recalled problem. This is crazy considering any employee who drives this size truck has a CDL license and is governed by the DOT's strict regulations. This is a safety concern at this point. We need to not only contact NTSB but also the better business bureau and our legislators. If the state of Iowa can fight against a corporation as big as Microsoft and win their dispute, then MANY of us can win this battle against GM!!!!!!
- Beckie N., A, IA, US
OH MY F*CKING GOSH! I spoke to a GM USA rep. and he fully admitted this was a factory malfunction.
Then WHY THE HELL DID I FORK OVER ALMOST 700 DOLLARS TO HAVE THIS FIXED! It SHOULD be recalled!
I was so upset when I found out they won't recall it.
THIS IS RIDICULOUS!
I bought an American made Car so i WOULDN'T have problems.
GRRRR!
- diannal, Vancouver, WA, US
why in the hell is the SPEEDOMETER going haywire isn't that a major function of your car. there should be a recall since i see there are lot of complaints about the same problem. i speed up and the dial doesn't do anything why should a cars speedometer go bad? i really dont understand there should be a recall and i don't know who to contact or how to start it but it must be done.
- Frankie R., Chicago, IL, US
Already listed the complaint earlier. Follow up through customer service will pay partial. Suggest to all to file complain through GM customer service 1-800-222-1020. On line file a complaint with the National Highway traffic Safety Administration @www.nhtsa.gov. Maybe we can force a recall.
Bob K
- Bob K., St. Louis, MO, US
Same problem as everybody else. Ours tends to reset itself eventually, but we are able to fix it right away if needed by repeatedly turning the key to acc and back until it resets (does so by about 5mph each time). For all the people who have read/posted here and all the people who will do so, please report this to the NHTSA by going to www.safercar.gov and filing a complaint.
- Travis G., Grand Rapids, MI, US
I chose this car over a nissan, which I'd previously owned for years, and regret it. My speedometer and tachometer are both crazy. The speedometer makes a complete turn and yeah I would like to be going 120 but 120 is about 30 mph. Crazy car.
- Ana G., San Antonio, TX, US
My wife was driving to work and the car runs fine. The speedometer was showing 80 mph when she was going approximately 30 mph. The speedometer went all they around to reverse indicator and then froze for a few days, then slowly back down. The faster you go, the speedometer went counter-clock wise back down to zero.
NOW AT TIMES SPEEDOMETER MOVES AND AT TIMES NOT!!! THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED AFTER REPLACING A $200 STARTER AND $140 DOLLAR BATTERY WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. NEXT CAR WILL BE A FOREIGN CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TIRED OF ALL THE BULL!!!!! WHO HAS $500 DOLLARS TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR WHEN CAR ONLY HAS 39,339 MILES ON IT, IN TODAYS ECONOMY!!!
I WILL BE WAITING ON A RECALL NOTICE AS SOON AS G.M. FINALLY REALIZES THAT THIS IS A OCCURING PROBLEM WITH MOST 2004 IMPALA'S!!!!!
- Paul C., AKron, OH, US
A year and some months ago my speed odometer stop working and then a few months
later the Temperature gage does not register correctly and now only the Fuel gage is
working on the dash board. I took it to several shops and it will cost $400+ to replace.
(the cluster) they call it. Once again more money to be spent on problems that I feel should not be occurring so soon with this vehicle.
- Darlene L., Newport News, VA, US
speedometer works for about 1/2 hour and slowly drops to 0. this week tachometer dropped to 0 while driving about 70 mph. need to complain to GM but reading everyones comment doesn't' look good
- Bob K., St. Louis, MO, US
Just as anyone else on this site the speedometer on this car is worth sh*t and should be fixed by GM thats never going to happen so mine is never going to get fixed.
- Jessica H., Mapleville, R.I, US
I have noticed many of you have had the same issue I'm having with the 2004 Impala Speedometer cluster. My initial reaction was not to worry about the problem but that will eventually lead to other issues. $550.00 is too much $$ to pay for a repair. This is not a part that can be abused by the car owner. It is a defective part and needs to be replaced by the manufacture.
- george w, Mandeville, LA, US
First tachometer, then speedometer - I can live without tachometer and was for last year, but without speedometer working, it is bad and before I found a way around it, I had to use my GPS to show me what speed I am driving with.
Now, I wait till I get to the stop light and turn of the engine, turn key till all dashboard lights are on and turn it off, back on and off and speedometer slowly resets itself to 0.
I agree with others - it should be replaced by GM, since they decided to release the lemon on the market, I will not pay $500-600 for fixing it. I will fix it for half the price, but they better give me 36K warranty.
GM is definitely out of the list of any future card purchases, if the car can't drive 100K without issues, it is not worth any money.
- Monika R., Rocky Mount, NC, US
I have been hearing about a lot of problems with the speedometer in the 2004 Chevy Impala models. I took advice from this site and filed a formal complaint with GM. They called me and required me to go to a Chevy Dealership Repair Shop for a $100 test to be done at my expense. And to everyone’s surprise the IPC (cluster) part number 10306205 was found bad. The estimated cost to repair is $484.00 (I looked up the part online and found it for less than $150.00). After reporting this to GM, they informed me that there is no recall for this part … I’m on my own. I informed them that I hope it doesn’t take a death to force a recall. Hope someone else has better luck then me.
- cherylg, Corpus Christi, TX, US
Like many I am having problems with my tach and speedometer. The tach more than the speedometer. The tach likes to stick at about 2000 rpm then it just goes up from there. The only way I have found to bring it back down is to turn the car off then turn the key enough to turn the gauges on and then back to off. Sometimes you have to do it 10 or 20 times, but that is usually enough to take it back to 0 where it will just happen again. Sometimes that doesn't work though. If the tach actually sticks at a number the speedometer usually will be stuck too, but you have to wait for the car to cool down before either will go back to 0. I know I need to get this fixed, but I don't have the $400-$500 to fix it right now. I heard that the tahoes and silverados are having the same problem and they have extended the warranty to replace them ( the warranty was a 6 year 70,000 mile thing) I am not 100% sure this is true, but if it is I think it should be the same for the impalas. I am not sure where to turn to get more advice, so if anyone else knows anything more I would like to hear what you have to say. Thanks.
- Tara L., Friend, NE, US
Have been having the same problems with my speedometer. Sent in a complaint to Chevy, called me back and said it wasn't on recall, but I should take it in to get fixed. I was not very happy, I don't have $500 to fix something that should be on recall. Obviously this is a problem on many impalas and should be on recall. Just curious how many complaints Chevy has to get before it goes on recall?
- 2004 impala, Bismarck, ND`, US
I gonna get it fixed soon. I was just waiting on my income tax to return. I just with I didn't have to spend money on it.
- Leshan F., Marietta, GA, US