36 complaints reported

2003 Chevrolet Impala SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
36
Crashes
3
Fires
0
Injuries
2

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2004

MECHANIC ADVISED OWNER THAT REAR CALIPERS WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY RESULTING IN FRONT DISCS OVERHEATING. TOOK TO DEALER FOR REPAIR AND WAS TOLD THAT EVERYTHING WAS OK AND THEY "TOOK DOWN" THE REAR DISCS. LOOKED LIKE THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN WITH EMERGENCY BRAKE ON, SO AS TO GIVE REAR DISCS USED APPEARANCE. VEHICLE SHOULD NOT PASS SAFETY INSPECTION. STILL MAKING NOISE AND REAR BRAKE DISC'S APPEAR RUSTED. *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2004
Oct 2004

THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO VIBRATE WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THE ROTORS WERE DRENCHED IN BLUE. THE BRAKES AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED. THE VIBRATION RECURRED, THE DEALERSHIP TURNED THE REAR ROTORS AND SANDED DOWN THE REAR BRAKES BECAUSE THE WERE GLAZED. *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2003
Oct 2004

FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WORE OUT, CAUSING HEAVY VIBRATION IN THE VEHICLE WHEN BRAKING. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE DEALER REPLACED THE WARPED ROTORS AND CLEANED THE PADS BUT THE VIBRATION RECURRED. THE CONSUMER HAD TWO DIFFERENT TECHNICIANS FAX HIM A COPY OF GENERAL MOTOR DOCUMENTS PERTAINING ROTOR PROBLEMS. *NM

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2003
Sep 2004

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE CALIPERS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS AT THIS TIME. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Aug 2004
Sep 2004

ALL FOUR BRAKES WORE OUT PREMATURELY. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.*AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2004
Jul 2004

ALL 4 ROTORS ON MY CAR HAVE GONE BAD. CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW IN OCT 2002, AND AT 8500-9000 MILES IN MARCH OF 03, I HAD EXTREME PULSATION IN STEERING DUE TO FRONT ROTORS BEING WARPED. DEALER TURNED ROTORS, AND THEN 10,000 MILES LATER NEEDED TURNED AGAIN, AND NOW AT 33,000 MILES DEALER IS TELLING ME TO BUY NEW ROTORS AND THAT THE BACK ROTORS ALSO NEED TO BE TURNED. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 30 SOME YEARS AND NEVER HAD A CAR THAT NEEDED ROTORS TURNED SO SOON,, AND SO I AM SURE THERE IS FAULT WITH THE ROTORS THEY ARE PUTTING ON THE CAR. 2003 IMPALA. *LA

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2003
Jun 2004

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A STEEP INCLINE, I COULD FEEL THE PULSATING OF THE ABS, ALONG WITH DIMINISHED BRAKING POWER. AFTERWARDS, I NOTICED THE ABS WOULD COME ON NOTICEABLY EACH TIME I BRAKED FROM 40-60 MPH. THE OUTSIDE RIGHT REAR CALIPER DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE MAKING GOOD CONTACT WITH THE ROTOR AS ON THE OTHER BRAKES. THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT (DOBLER CHEVROLET IN HEMPSTEAD, NY) SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR JULY 8, 2004. THEY DIDN'T THINK IT WAS THAT IMPORTANT.*AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jun 2004
Jun 2004

NOTICED INCREASING NOISE AND VIBRATION WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. TOOK CAR IN FOR SAFETY INSPECTION AND FRONT BRAKE SERVICE. WAS INFORMED THE REAR ROTORS ARE BADLY RUSTED AND CORRODED , MAY NOT BE IMPROVED BY GRINDING OR TURNING, AND MIGHT NEED TO BE REPLACED, AND THE LININGS ARE AT 20-25% ON THE FRONT AND 15-20% ON THE REAR. I POINTED OUT THAT THE SERVICE GARAGE HAD DONE A SAFETY INSPECTION A LITTLE LESS THAN A YEAR AGO AND DOCUMENTED THAT THE REAR BRAKES WERE OK, AND THE FRONT BRAKES HAD 50% OF THE LINING LEFT. CALLED CHEVROLET CUSTOMER CARE CENTER AND SPOKE WITH DELOSHA PAYNE, WHO CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, CALLED ME BACK AND INFORMED ME THAT THE REAR BRAKES WORE AT A FASTER RATE THAN THE FRONT, AND WHOEVER ROTATED MY TIRES SHOULD HAVE CHECKED THE ROTORS AND INFORMED ME THEY NEEDED SERVICE. I HAD ASKED THIS GARAGE ABOUT ROTATING THE TIRES AT BOTH INSPECTIONS AND NEITHER TIME DID ANYONE INDICATE IT SHOULD BE DONE. I THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE RECOMMENDED IT. *LA

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jun 2004
Mar 2004

THE REAR ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THE FRONT ROTORS TURNED. ELEVEN MONTHS LATER, BOTH SETS OF ROTORS WERE DEFECTIVE AGAIN. WHEN TOUCHING THE BRAKES THEY PULSATED. THE MANUFACTURE STATED THAT BRAKES WERE CONSIDERED A WEAR ITEM. *JB *SC

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Sep 2004
Jan 2004

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES A SQUEAKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE REAR WHEEL. THE DRIVER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR ANALYSIS. THE MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THE CALIPERS WERE DEFECTIVE. THE DEALER CHANGED THE CALIPER TWICE BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTED. THE MECHANIC TOLD THE DRIVER THAT THE BRAKES WERE METALLIC THEREFORE THEY WOULD ALWAYS SQUEAK. *NM

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2004
Jan 2003

WHEN DRIVING AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND APPLYING THE BRAKES THERE WAS A SEVERE VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED BY THE MECHANIC THAT A POSSIBLE CAUSE WAS WARPED BRAKE ROTORS. *AK THE DEALER REPLACED THE WARPED ROTORS. *JB THE PROBLEM WOULD OCCUR WHEN THE VEHICLE REACHED BETWEEN 12 AND 15 THOUSAND MILES. *SCC

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2003

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2003 Chevrolet Impala has 36 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC complaints on file. 3 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.