2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 1,062 complaints · 7 recalls

Verdict & Safety Summary

Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (585 complaints · 55.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 43
  • Fires 21
  • Injuries 40
  • Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 585 of 1,062 owner complaints (55.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 585 complaints, 55.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 585 · 55.1% · 4 crash reports 1 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 91 complaints, 8.6% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 91 · 8.6% · 3 fire reports ENGINE: 86 complaints, 8.1% of reports ENGINE 86 · 8.1% · 3 crash reports 11 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 51 complaints, 4.8% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 51 · 4.8% · 4 crash reports 1 fire reports STEERING: 38 complaints, 3.6% of reports STEERING 38 · 3.6% · 6 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 34 complaints, 3.2% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 34 · 3.2% · 2 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 31 complaints, 2.9% of reports POWER TRAIN 31 · 2.9% · 1 fire reports AIR BAGS: 21 complaints, 2.0% of reports AIR BAGS 21 · 2.0% · 17 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 18 complaints, 1.7% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 18 · 1.7% · 2 fire reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 463 complaints, 43.6% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 463 · 43.6% · 13 crash reports 5 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 585 55.1% 4 crashes · 1 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 91 8.6% 0 crashes · 3 fires
ENGINE 86 8.1% 3 crashes · 11 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 51 4.8% 4 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 38 3.6% 6 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 34 3.2% 2 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 31 2.9% 0 crashes · 1 fires
AIR BAGS 21 2.0% 17 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 18 1.7% 0 crashes · 2 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 463 43.6% 13 crashes · 5 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2004; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 2004. 2004-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2004-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2005-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2005-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2006-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2006-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2006-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2007-Q1: 23 owner reports 23 2007-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2007-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2007-Q4: 34 owner reports 34 2008-Q1: 58 owner reports 58 2008-Q2: 43 owner reports 43 2008-Q3: 40 owner reports 40 2008-Q4: 40 owner reports 40 2009-Q1: 48 owner reports 48 2009-Q2: 32 owner reports 32 2009-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2009-Q4: 38 owner reports 38 2010-Q1: 51 owner reports 51 2010-Q2: 29 owner reports 29 2010-Q3: 21 owner reports 21 2010-Q4: 37 owner reports 37 2011-Q1: 32 owner reports 32 2011-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2011-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2011-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2012-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2012-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2013-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2013-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2013-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2013-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2014-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2014-Q2: 33 owner reports 33 2014-Q3: 42 owner reports 42 2014-Q4: 40 owner reports 40 2015-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2015-Q2: 16 owner reports 16 2015-Q3: 19 owner reports 19 2015-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2016-Q1: 22 owner reports 22 2016-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2016-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2017-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2017-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2004 Oct 2025 Recall campaign 04V287000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V287000 Recall campaign 07E021000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E021000 Recall campaign 08E063000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E063000 Recall campaign 09E005000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E005000 Recall campaign 14V400000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V400000 Recall campaign 15V201000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V201000 Recall campaign 15V701000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V701000
  • Campaign 07E021000 was reported 1,011 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V400000 was reported 3,398 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V201000 was reported 3,939 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V701000 was reported 4,142 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2004-Q1 Owner reports 2
2004-Q2 Owner reports 6
2004-Q3 Owner reports 9
2004-Q4 Owner reports 6
2005-Q1 Owner reports 5
2005-Q2 Owner reports 7
2005-Q3 Owner reports 7
2005-Q4 Owner reports 9
2006-Q1 Owner reports 6
2006-Q2 Owner reports 3
2006-Q3 Owner reports 9
2006-Q4 Owner reports 13
2007-Q1 Owner reports 23
2007-Q2 Owner reports 8
2007-Q3 Owner reports 17
2007-Q4 Owner reports 34
2008-Q1 Owner reports 58
2008-Q2 Owner reports 43
2008-Q3 Owner reports 40
2008-Q4 Owner reports 40
2009-Q1 Owner reports 48
2009-Q2 Owner reports 32
2009-Q3 Owner reports 17
2009-Q4 Owner reports 38
2010-Q1 Owner reports 51
2010-Q2 Owner reports 29
2010-Q3 Owner reports 21
2010-Q4 Owner reports 37
2011-Q1 Owner reports 32
2011-Q2 Owner reports 17
2011-Q3 Owner reports 16
2011-Q4 Owner reports 10
2012-Q1 Owner reports 10
2012-Q2 Owner reports 9
2012-Q3 Owner reports 7
2012-Q4 Owner reports 9
2013-Q1 Owner reports 12
2013-Q2 Owner reports 14
2013-Q3 Owner reports 9
2013-Q4 Owner reports 9
2014-Q1 Owner reports 15
2014-Q2 Owner reports 33
2014-Q3 Owner reports 42
2014-Q4 Owner reports 40
2015-Q1 Owner reports 16
2015-Q2 Owner reports 16
2015-Q3 Owner reports 19
2015-Q4 Owner reports 17
2016-Q1 Owner reports 22
2016-Q2 Owner reports 10
2016-Q3 Owner reports 6
2016-Q4 Owner reports 5
2017-Q1 Owner reports 10
2017-Q2 Owner reports 10
2017-Q3 Owner reports 3
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2018-Q2 Owner reports 2
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 2
2019-Q3 Owner reports 5
2020-Q1 Owner reports 2
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 2
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 04V287000
Recall campaign 1 07E021000
Recall campaign 1 08E063000
Recall campaign 1 09E005000
Recall campaign 1 14V400000
Recall campaign 1 15V201000
Recall campaign 1 15V701000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (7)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V287000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DEPENDING ON WHETHER ONE OR BOTH BOLTS BACKS OUT OR FRACTURES, THE RESULT CAN BE LOCKING OF THE AFFECTED WHEEL DURING BRAKING AND AN ABRUPT STEERING INPUT IN THE DIRECTION OF THE LOCKED WHEEL, REDUCED BRAKING AND NOISE FROM THE AFFECTED WHEEL, OR SEVERING OF A BRAKE HOSE, INCREASED BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL, AND REDUCED STEERING CONTROL. REDUCED BRAKING OR STEERING CONTROL COULD CAUSE A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS ARE TO TIGHTEN BOTH BOLTS TO THE SPECIFIED TORQUE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 28, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET 1-800-630-2438 OR PONTIAC 1-800-620-7668.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E021000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
    Consequence:
    FUEL MAY LEAK, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08E063000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THE WELD FAILS, LOSS OF STEERING COULD RESULT, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE STEERING SHAFTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 16, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DORMAN TOLL FREE AT 1-800-523-2492.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E005000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A BROKEN STEERING KNUCKLE COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND A POSSIBLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE STEERING KNUCKLES FREE OF CHARGE AND REIMBURSE THE REPAIR FACILITY OR OWNER FOR LABOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 23, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DORMAN'S TOLL-FREE HOTLINE AT 1-800-523-2492 AND PRESS 5.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V400000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V201000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    The leaking engine oil can drip onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the plastic cover and plastic oil fill tube extension and replace the front valve cover and gasket. These repairs will be done free of charge. The recall began on April 24, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14574.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V701000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
    Remedy:
    The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engine’s front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, or 15V-201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1-800-442-6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 1062 complaints · page 1 of 43

No complaints match the current filters.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources