Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||||
| 3147 | 3147A | 10010190 | Drl inoperative after bcm replacement. *tc | 11/04/2004 | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||||
| 3170E | 10019186 | Ipc, interior lights and/or headlamps flicker. *ak fb2 | 02/16/2006 | ||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 08/24/2012 | 91000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns 2005 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that while driving at 35 mph and after attempting to dim the headlights, all of the lights malfunctioned without any warning. the vehicle was not taken to dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the failure and current mileage was 91,000. pmb | |||
| 08/24/2012 | 91000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns 2005 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that while driving at 35 mph and after attempting to dim the vehicle headlights all of the lights failed to operate without any warning. the dealer was not notified of the failure. the manufacturer was notified of the failure who told the contact to notify the nhtsa of the failure and filed a safety complaint. the failure and current mileage was 91,000. lg | |||
| 11/15/2011 | 123402 | ||
| 16 yr old daughter driving down highway at night when headlights just quit. very dangerous situation. fortunately the lights came back on after driving with foglights only. 2nd time this has happened. vehicle in great shape otherwise and maintained appropriately. | |||
| 06/15/2008 | 45000 | ||
| I purchased a 2005 chevy impala in 2008. the first time i was driving on a state hwy, a very twisty road . i had my headlights on high, right in the middle of the first curve my headlights went out, i jumped the brake and flipped the lever back and forth and they finally came back on low beam, i almost wreaked. the second time i was on the freeway just coming itno the outkirts of town, heavy traffic, i flipped the lever back and forth and the low beams came back on. i spoke with a dealer who said they had no complaints from other owners and was told there was no recall. it has happened too many times and can't be pinned to any peculator times, now i drive with my lights on low all the time. i went online and found hundreds of people having the same problem. some had had to replace their whole steering columm to slove the problem. i can't afford to do this, but the car isn't safe. it keeps doing it and one of these times i will forget and it will catch me unawares and i will wreak. | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 100000 | ||
| At approx 100,00km the high beam is activated when signaling a right turn. when keeping the handle in certain position the high beam goes off but comes back again when released. lately remains on when the switch reurns to mid position. never experienced when signaling to the left. this behaviour may blind the incoming cars' drivers and also distracts my attention from the road. i did not do anithing yet for fixing the defect. | |||
| 01/08/2011 | 78000 | ||
| I was driving early morning it the dark and my headlights quit working on my 2005 chevy impala. they have not been fixed yet | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 180000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet impala . while driving at 25 mph the headlights started to flicker and the contact noticed an electrical smell. the contact then pulled into her residence and then after a few minutes the headlights turned on by themselves. the vehicle has been to a garage before for the multi function switch which they stated that it needed to be replaced.the vehicle will be taken to the dealer to have it diagnosed and see if there is any other problems with the electrical system. there have been no repairs at this moment. the vehicles identification number is not available. the failure mileage was 180000 and the current mileage was 190000.cv | |||
| 06/14/2006 | 52000 | ||
| Tl*-the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that while he was driving down the highway at approximately 70 mph, all of the vehicle lights (interior and exterior) failed to turn on when the sun went down and it became dark. he tried to use the high beam and low beam lights to turn them on manually. he pulled over and after several attempts, the lights turned on. in april 2010, while driving, the lights turned off again. he tried the high beam switch and the lights turned back on. he took the vehicle to the dealership but was told unless he could duplicate the problem, they could do nothing to assist him. he had not spoken with the manufacturer to-date. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the current mileage was 98,947. the failure mileage was approximately 52,000. | |||
| 01/12/2010 | 76000 | 1 | |
| Headlights and dash lights go out when bright beam is turned on. when you switch back to dims it comes back on. afraid to use the high beams. has happened twice since owning this vehicle. no recalls on this issue. *tr | |||
| 02/05/2010 | 1 | ||
| The lights on the car when on the brights will just shut off, and it only leaves the marker lights lit, until you pull the headlight knob out.. will do this intermittently.. has happened very often, everytime the brights are on. *tr | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 46124 | 1 | |
| I own a 2005 impala ls and while driving at night the headlights go out. this has happened 12 times with my vehicle. the last time it happened i was driving on the interstate at 75mph and they went out. i cycled the light switch 3 times and they went back on. i have done some research on the internet and have found over 60 people reporting the same problem. i think there are a lot more people with this problem that haven't reported it. i contacted gm but had no luck. this is a serious problem and would like to know who i need to contact before anyone gets in an accident and gets hurt or dies.*tr | |||
| 02/10/2009 | 89000 | 1 | |
| Had problems with headlights going out weather it's low beam or high beam mechanic had to replace turn signal/high beam switch and then that one only lasted 3-4 months. this could really pose a danger has the headlights go out completely, the only thing i could due is hold back on lever to keep high beams activated. the marker lights would stay on. to have this work done is getting expensive if i have to keep replacing this switch. any help or suggestions would be helpful. i bought this vehicle used 2005 chevy impala. *tr | |||
| 11/17/2008 | 120000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet impala. the contact noticed that the instrument panel gauges were inoperative and displayed inaccurate readings. in addition, the windshield wipers failed sporadically, the rear passenger tail light was poorly illuminated, and the battery failed spontaneously. when the failures occured, she smelled a burning odor as if the wires were burning. the vehicle has not been inspected to determine the cause of the failure. the failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was unknown. | |||
| 01/27/2009 | 47110 | 1 | |
| Tuesday, 1/27/09, while driving on a local country road to work at 6:15 am, vehicle headlights and other exterior lights went dark. dashboard lights stayed on, but other exterior lights went dark for 8 to 10 seconds. same thing occurred again monday morning, 02/02/09. no dimming or warning, lights just went off and i was driving in darkness. 02/03/09 took impala to gm dealer to run diagnostic. they determined problem with the multifunctional high/low beam lever switch (this unit also houses the cruise control, windshield wipers, and directional light controls). est for repairs $735.00. 02/07/09 had the unit replaced at another garage for $435.00. i kept the defective unit. have since done research to find other people reporting this same problem occurring on other impalas ranging at least from model years 2001 thru 2005. in some cases the headlights stayed on, but they were unable to switch the headlights between high and low beam. i feel this is definitely a safety issue. i contacted gm customer service to relate what happened as i believe this is a very serious problem. i feel that due to the high potential for accidents involving injury or even death, this multifunctional lever switch should be recalled. *tr | |||
| 10/01/2008 | 60000 | 5 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet impala. the headlights failed 4-5 intermittently for over three months. when the high beam lights were used, the low beams failed. while driving, the contact heard a clicking noise before the lights failed. the low beam lights would illuminate again when he turned the high beam switch. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they could not duplicate the failure. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 62,961. updated 3/19/09 *cn the dealer was not able to duplicate the consumers conern. updated 03/25/09.*jb | |||
| 10/28/2008 | 55000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet impala. while driving 30 mph at night on normal road conditions, the headlights unexpectedly lost power. the failure occurred intermittently. the headlights activated automatically when the engine was started. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle will be taken to an authorized dealer for repair. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 55,000. | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 50000 | 1 | |
| Headlight intermittent failure on high beam. click to low beam and lights come back on. disconcerting when it happens at night at high speed. chevrolet dealer replaced body control module at $362, but did not solve problem. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2007 | 85000 | 1 | |
| Driving down paved road headlights will go out sometimes they will come back on and sometimes they won't. i also have reported my speedometer showing 80 or 90 mph when i am driving at normal speeds and 40 or 50 mph when completely stopped - sometimes it will not work at all. vehicle has not been repaired due to the cost involved. also have had a problem with my power steering pump and a wheel hub. hub replaced and paid out of pocket and it did not correct the problem. paid $600 to replace the hub. had to replace the tires because of that defect. *tr | |||
| 08/31/2007 | 55000 | 8 | 12/01/2005 |
| I own an 05 impala we have had the headlight fail on us about 6-12 times we will be driving down the road and the headlights will go out i have tried running with the switch on and they still go out its has even happened to me on a curve i just about put the car in the ditch ive asked my dad witch is a gm certified mechanic about it and there's not a known problem that he knows of i would like this fixed before i do go in the ditch and my family is with or i get a call from the cops that my wife has smashed the car there is a problem and gm should have to fix the problem before some one is killed from it. *jb | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BACK UP LIGHTS | |||
| 12/02/2005 | 6572 | 3 | 06/27/2005 |
| Water in backup lights gm repaired 2 times but refuses to repair again says it is a characteristic of the vehicle. *nm | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 05/10/2008 | 1 | ||
| While driving, the headlights will go out for no reason. this has happened several times while driving at night. if i pull the light switch on and off it will usually work. flicking the high beams on and off may work too. this is a huge safety feature and i have found that there are many complaints on this same issue cannot find that there has been a recall when there should be. *tr | |||
| 09/11/2007 | 40000 | 6 | 03/28/2005 |
| I have an 2005 chevrolet impala with 45,000 miles and night time driving is very difficult and scary as the headlights will go off without warning and you never know when it will happen. i have had it in the shop multiple times and they have replaced parts and still has not fixed the problem. now the speedometer has quit working and is stuck on 140 miles an hour. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2006 | 74000 | 1 | 08/28/2005 |
| I own a 2005 chevy impala. the high beam headlights started going out a year and a half ago around july or aug. 2006. around 75,000 miles was when the problem started and i now have 96,000 miles. at first i was able to fix it by switching back to low beam and then could switch back to high beam and they would work. in feb. 2007 i had the car into the dealer to replace the blower fan and told them what was happening. i explained that when the lights were about to go out i could hear a buzzing in the satellite radio, like a shorting noise. first i was told that i had to bring it in when it happened so they could check the problem. the only issue was that i drive 40 miles each way to work and it would happen in the middle of the trip. when i went back to pick up the car i was told that it was a multifunction switch and it was about a $500 part. i decided i could deal with the situation and have held off on getting it repaired. last week i got in my car to go home from work and i didn't have any high beam lights at all. you can make them work if you hold the lever back. *cn | |||
| 01/16/2008 | 73815 | 3 | 03/11/2006 |
| Headlights go out intermittently. *tr | |||
| 08/16/2006 | 20000 | 1 | 03/13/2005 |
| Electrical-headlights stopped working. *tr | |||
| 06/02/2007 | 75000 | 2 | |
| While driving my 2005 chevy impala after dark the headlights just went out. was driving 55mph down the highway with my whole family was in the car. pulled the headlight switch in and out a few times and they came back on. about one mile later the both went out again. *tr | |||
| 04/16/2007 | 40595 | 2 | 11/07/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet impala. while driving 50 mph at night the headlights dimmed without warning. approximately fifteen seconds later the headlights illuminated again. the vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 40,595.*ak | |||
| 12/23/2006 | 55000 | 5 | 08/10/2005 |
| There are times when i am driving at night my headlights will go out. i usually can get them back on. it is scary when this happens. it has happened in rain storms at night and there is oncoming traffic. i have also had a wheel hub that has been replaced when my car was only 1.5 years old. i was told there is no recall on this and i can't find one. i had to pay to replace the new part on a fairly new car. i have the old part in my trunk. *jb | |||
| 11/09/2005 | 3 | 07/16/2005 | |
| Dt: the contact does not like the headlights in the car. the dealership adjusted the headlights three different times. the contact is still not satisfied. he says he cannot see to drive at night because the headlights only shine about forty feet in front of the car.*ak updated 12/07/05. *jb | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - HIGH/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH | |||
| 08/18/2008 | 1 | ||
| Low beam malfunction. low beam connector completely fried. connector melted on to the bulb. 3-5 bulbs need to be replaced each month and must take it to the auto shop to have a new connector placed on as well. chevy would not help, said it was not covered under warranty. dealer said that my whole electrical system would have to be re-done because there is too much power running to the bulbs. price estimate $3500. *tr | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS | |||
| 10/10/2006 | 66000 | 1 | 03/10/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated water collected in the tail lights. the vehicle was driven to the dealer who determined the tail lights needed to be replaced. | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL | |||
| 10/26/2009 | 1 | ||
| Turn signal lights stop working after being used a few times. may start working again after car has been turned off ,then on . 2005 chevy impala. *tr | |||