Headlight Switch Problems of Chevrolet Impala - part 1

Both headlights unexpectedly turn off while driving. Flicker on and off and then go off. Used to be able to let the car sit a few hours and they would work again. Now 2 nights ago they went off while driving at night. . . . Won't come back on at all. Parking lights stay on, turn signals, and 4 way flashers still work, pull switch lever back for bright lights and both headlights work in bright mode as long as you keep holding back on the lever. This was an intermittent problem that no one has been able to figure out. Have had it looked at several times and problem still exists. Replaced hazard flashers swithc, replaced mutlifunction switch, replaced headlights switch. Problem still exists. Now lights are off and won't come back on no matter what we try. . . . . Looking on the internet this is huge problem for Impala's covering alot of years, this is a very dangerous issue when you loose your headlights totally at night while driving. . . . . . . Once they go out/off it doesn't matter if you stop, park, move, bang on them, wiggle wires and connectors, they may or may not come back on. So far, this time, ours are not coming back on. . . . . . Can't keep throwing money away to a dealer when they can't fix the problem either. They just want to start throwing parts at it and hopefully they finally fix it. . . . That hasn't worked so far either. . . . .

See all problems of the 2001 Chevrolet Impala 🔎.

The design of the headlights is faulty. The reflectors behind the bulbs do not project sufficient illumination of the road ahead, nor does it illuminate the left and right corners. I estimate that the very dim lights are good for 30-ft ahead at most, and they are so dim that they are almost useless when driving in am and pm hours. Switching to high-beams barely makes a difference. In fact, I always drive with the high beams on when driving in the dark, and have never had an oncoming vehicle flash its lights at me in attempt to get me to swiych to the low-beams. Further, turning corners in the dark is dangerous, as there is virtually no illumination of the corners by the headlights. All of this is exacerbated significantly when the pavement is wet and when it's raining. I suggest that you take a test drive in one of these vehicles, in " country" environments that are not lit by street lights. Do it again on similar roads when it's raining. Search google "impala poor headlight design" and you will find that this hazard is discussed in several forums and reviews for 2015 through 2018 Impalas. It boggles the mind to know that general motors has allowed this safety issue to be perpetuated through 4 Impala model years.

See all problems of the 2015 Chevrolet Impala 🔎.

The multifunction switch malfunctions. In switching from low beam to high beam the headlights do not switch and eventually go out completely. By holding the handle manually for high beams it cancels cruise control when activated.

See all problems of the 2003 Chevrolet Impala 🔎.

I was leaving a high school at night after basketball game. Cranked car and started driving. All lights working fine. It was on auto lights. About five minutes up the road all outside lights quit working. They just stopped. Pulled over and turned lights on and off. . . . Still not working. Switched from auto to manual headlights. Only high beam worked. And then only left side. Low beam not working at all. If I tried to dim lights. . . . Then they cut off.

See all problems of the 2008 Chevrolet Impala 🔎.

I was driving at night and turned on my brights and shortly after my headlights went out. I had to mess with the switch before they would come back on. They kept doing this until I switched back to dims.

See all problems of the 2004 Chevrolet Impala 🔎.

After sitting for a couple months, upon driving the car again the low beam headlights don't work. Replaced the multi-function switch, checked all the relays and fuses. Still not working. High beams and daytime running lights work. This basically renders the vehicle undrivable, as it gets dark at 4:30 in eth winter, and I am not able to drive it at night.

While driving on a smooth dark country road at a speed of 50 mph time 10:35pm I had activated the high beam headlights and approximately 10 seconds later the headlamps went off leaving only the daytime running lights on. Visibility was instantly decreased to an unsafe level without prior warning. I had immediately reactivated the low beams with the multi-function switch and the headlamps (low beam) resumed operation. Prior to this failure the high beam headlamps were not in operation for any long periods of time. This type of failure without prior warning could lead to the probability of an accident. This electrical headlamp problem should be addressed as a vehicle safety recall. I have checked on-line resources about this problem and have found several complaints of the same or similar issues with Chevrolet Impalas from the 2000-2005 model years.

See all problems of the 2005 Chevrolet Impala 🔎.

This particular issue occurs at random times and conditions. As I'm traveling at night and I pull back the dimmer switch lever, the headlights will go out and leave me totally in the dark. The only way that I can get the headlights to come on again is to continue to manipulate the dimmer/turn signal lever until the lights come back on.

See all problems of the 2002 Chevrolet Impala 🔎.

Headlights suddenly went out when driving. No warning. Could only use high beam lights when lever constantly pressed when driving. Very dangerous. Not fuses, not bulbs, ultimately $800 multifunction switch needed replacement. Appears to be a known hazard.

I would like to report an ongoing issue with 2014 Chevrolet Impala LS with standard halogen headlights. The headlight beam, both on high and low beams, is very narrowly focused so that the area immediately to the front and side of the car -- and objects located there -- cannot be easily seen. The lights work reasonably well on a straight road, but when executing a turn the path of the car is in near darkness as the lights point a narrow beam to the outside of the turning radius. This makes driving at night on anything other than straight highways an unnerving experience and I believe represents a serious safety risk both to the vehicle occupants, and to pedestrians who might be outside the headlights' narrow focal range. Note that the headlight design is unusual for a halogen unit in that it uses a shutter to switch between high and low beam, a feature more commonly found with hid lights. By comparison, our 2003 Chevrolet malibu, with separate reflector based halogen low and high beams, does a much better (I believe much safer) job of illuminating a broad area in front of and to sides immediately in front of the vehicle. I think that gm must address this serious safety issue on an otherwise fine vehicle.

See all problems of the 2014 Chevrolet Impala 🔎.

The contact stated that 2003 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the headlights failed to illuminate and the brake light continuous illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the dimmer switch need to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 186,300.

Driving at night, I turned on my high beams and my headlights went completely out. After driving in the dark for a while, I switched the headlights back to low beam and the lights began to work on low beam. The high beams do not work at all at this point, and the head lights go out when I switch to high beams, which is a very dangerous condition.

While driving at night the headlights went out pulled over on side of road, pulled on timmer switch headlights came back on. I have been reading about many issues related to headlight failure. Gm needs to recall my 16 yr. Old dauther 03 Impala, before she gets hurt.

I have had 1 turn signal switch replaced due to a wire that fried and started smoking causing white smoke to come out near the steering wheel. The high beam head lights were stuck on the on position killing the battery. That was last year. Theese switches cost about 500. 00 bc they are dealer parts. Now, 10/21/14 I was driving down the road at night and lost my low beam headlights. Machanics tell me same problem. I need another turn signal switch replaced. Ive been driving on only high beams now until I can afford another 500 bucks. To expensive for me to keep replacing.

We were driving on a rural blacktop after dark and the headlights went out. They would come back on for a moment than go back out. We drove most of the 20+ miles home with just the flashers on. We had the switch replaced and thought that took care of the problem but here in the last month (August 2014) it has started to do the same thing again.

Headlights went out while driving at night,hold dim/bright switch to have brights only,release switch to normal position,lights go out,normal clicking sound when engaging dim/brights not there.

The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Impala. The contact was driving approximately 60 mph with the headlights activated when they suddenly failed. The contact attempted to use the high beams however, they also failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the multi-function switch needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 210,000 and the current mileage was 214,000. The VIN was not available.

In the summer of 2013 my daughter reported the multifunction lever on her car was hard to operate when trying to activate high beams. One night while driving down a dark country road she attempted to operate the high beam switch and the headlights went out completely. Luckily she was able to safely pull over and put the car in park. At that time she played with the multifunction switch and was able to get low beams to come back. I've spoken with two mechanics who said this is a very common problem with the early 2000's Impalas which means there must be serious accidents / injuries associated because these are very popular cars. Chevrolet should issue a recall for this prolific, well-known safety issue.

We were driving our 2004 Chevrolet Impala this evening and have been having issues for the past month with the headlights. The dim lights would not work at all, only the brights worked. This evening, we smelled something burning and suddenly the multifunction switch was smoking and on fire. We shut off the car and waved the fire out, luckily we got out safe. We now have no headlights and had to have the vehicle towed. I have seen that this is a problem with many Impalas and Chevrolet needs to take action. Someone could be injured in an accident due to their lights failing or get injured because their car starts on fire. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

I was driving down the interstate with my bright lights on and suddenly my headlights turned off. I reached down and pulled the headlight switch on thinking it was the day time driving lights, but they still did not turn on. In a panic I flipped the dimmer switch on the steering wheel and they came on. Since then I happened again with my brights about a month ago but happened 4 times last night, with my brights and dims, on my 6 mile drive home. I have owned dozens of cars in my life, most Chevrolet, and never had a failure of this magnitude while driving. This seems to be a serious failure and a huge safety concern for me as I have teenagers that drive my car and may not have be able to safely resolve an issue like this with out injury.

While driving at night with the high beams on, the headlights and instrument lights suddenly go dark. Manipulating the high/low beam switch on the steering column caused the lights to turn on again. This condition has happened several times and occurs without warning. It is a very dangerous situation.

Low-beam headlights have failed to come on and will no longer function. High-beams and daytime running lights still function, but at dusk the low-beams will fail to light; however high-beams can be used instead creating a traffic hazard. I replaced the multi-function switch with a new switch, and replaced the relay with a known good working relay. The relay will still work and actuate indicating that the relay is not the problem. I checked the bulbs and they are still good, fuses are fine, 12v positive power is present at the bulb, but the ground is not activated on either side at any time. All problems point to a bad body control module (bcm). I have checked online and there are many many complaints about this vehicle with the same problem. If the low-beam headlights fail on somebody while they are driving, it could cause a crash and with that comes the possibility of the fatality of the driver and passengers. The bcm computer is known to cause many problems with starting the vehicle, flashing the lights both interior and exterior and these will cause safety issues with the vehicle.

Last July the dash lights and interior panel lights stopped working. They could be made to work intermittently by wiggling the headlamp switch and / or banging on the instument panel. Last night my son was driving home at approximately 9:30 pm on a 4 lane secondary road at approximately 45 mph in moderate traffic and all of the headlamps went out with no warning, leaving him unable to see the road ahead. He ran over a curb, but was able to maintain control of the vehicle and bring it to a stop in a nearby parking lot. He and his passengers (2) were very shaken emotionally. The car was left there overnight. When it was picked up during the daylight hours today, the headlights were working again. After driving it home and turning the headlights on and off manually, they quit again. They could be made to work intermittently by wiggling the dimmer switch / turn signal lever on the steering column. I called the Chevrolet dealership nearby and was told that this was a common problem and the part was over $500. I believe this to be a severe safety problem if this is common to these vehicles, as my son and his passengers could have been seriously if not fatally injured had the circumstances been different.

This report is about sudden and repeated headlight electrical system failure in a 2005 Chevrolet Impala sedan, and a request for a nationwide safety recall and repair at gm expense for this issue. After getting in my 2005 Impala sedan at approximately 4:55 pm on 16 February 2012, I started up and drove out on the road then I smelled burning plastic and noticed the headlights (low beam) were out. I tried the high beams and they worked as did the left and right turn signals, the windshield wiper controls and the cruise control functioned. As darkness increased I had to hold the switch in the high beam position so I could see to drive so I could get home. From what I could determine the problem seems to be in the wiring to/from the multifunction light control switch or maybe it is the switch itself on the steering column. The fuses and relays and the all seemed to be in working order but the low beam lights still did not work. This failure is extremely dangerous and happens without warning. This is the second time this has happened to me now. With dealer parts cost for a replacement multifunction light switch at $350. 00 alone, not to mention labor costs and the criticality of lights while driving means this should be a required safety recall item. I have searched mechanical forums on this subject and there are many such occurrences documented, but gm does not seem to think there is a common problem or a reason to investigate and fix the malfunction. This problem is common knowledge at gm dealerships nationwide. Smelling burning plastic is an indication of a serious electrical problem which could lead to an onboard fire in the car in addition to causing injury and or death from a sudden light outage at night. Again, I request a nationwide safety recall and repair be initiated as it appears to be a manufacturing defect and an extreme safety issue.

Tonight, my headlights would not come on. I eventually flicked the low/high beam switch and they came on. About three weeks ago, I was driving home at about 55 mph in the dark on a single lane country road. The lights went out, they came back on for a moment, and then they went completely out. I drove home slowly with the emergency flashers on. If I had not been alert, I could have easily crashed. This is a serious issue.

The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Impala. The contact was driving approximately 40 mph with the headlights activated and suddenly without warning the headlights stopped illuminating for a few seconds. The same malfunction recurred on three separate occasions. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000. Updated 03/14/lj the multi-function switch was replaced at a cost of $ 495. 78.

Yesterday, 12/1/2011, my passenger headlight failed. Over a year ago, I had went to replace the bulb, and it came on after jarring it, so I waited to replace the bulb until today. This morning, neither bulb worked. Thinking this may be a problem with the headlight switch, I turned automatic lighting off, then back on. That failed, however the brights did work. I pulled over and rapped on the driver headlight housing a few times, and the light came on. Then I did the same to the passenger side, which also came on. Very unsafe to affect the visibility of a driver, especially since I suspect this can happen while driving, or leave somebody stranded at work when they go to leave and have no headlights.

See all problems of the 2007 Chevrolet Impala 🔎.

When applying the bright headlights, all exterior and dash lights go out. Very scary! when operating switch again lights return, but have dim headlamps only. This has happened several times. Now only drive with dims on until I can afford the repair. Not safe!.

The headlights on my 2004 chevy Impala just suddenly went out during night time driving. The only thing that would give me any light was to hold back on the dimmer switch lever. I have since learned that this malfunction has happened to hundreds of owners of Impalas. The switch is quoted as costing over $500 and instalation another $200. That's alot for a commonly defective plastic part! it's also a very poor design to have all headlights go out simply because the dimmer switch is malfunctioning.

Roughly around 2 1/2 to 3 years ago, I was driving across a levee when my headlights went completely went out-the lights came back on the next day. Then again 2 days later went completely out, therefore, I had the dimmer switch replaced. 2 months ago my headlights went out again. This time when they came back on, they only worked on bright. I cannot dim my lights and have been pulled over twice-once by a state trooper and another time by the local police department.

I have a 2003 chevy Impala with the day time running lights on car from factory. While my daughter was driving on evening she lost all her headlights and they couldn't even be turned on manually. Had it not been for some street lights in her location she might have lost control of car. The problem was diagnosed as being in the multifunction switch in the steering column. A gm replacement part was quoted to me at $500 plus installation. This should have been a recall item as I understand from my mechanic that it is common. It is very unsafe and costly to fix. The average person cannot fix this switch because it involves removing the air bag first. Should look into this before someone gets seriously injured.

The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the headlights malfunctioned when switching from low beams to high beams. The manufacturer was notified, but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was now experiencing another new safety concern in regards to the pass lock, where the components were wearing out. The security system would not recognize the key when it was inserted into the ignition. This locked the contact in the vehicle and prevented it from starting. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle had not been driven since this pass lock failure. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were 102,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the headlights suddenly failed. The contact had to utilize the high beam headlights in order to illuminate the roadway. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they advised him that the bright and dim switch would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000. Updated 5/24/11 the consumer stated the manual switch did not work. The consumer stated he had to use the highbeam lights. Updated 096/03/11.

Both headlights shut off at night with no warning. Sometimes low lights turn off and then come back on after a few seconds. Sometimes high lights shut off and do not come back on unless the lights are manually switched to low. This happens as much as once a month travelling at 65 mph ever since I owned the vehicle. There is no indication when and where this will happen. It is just random. If you are unaware how to get the lights to come back on, they will not. Dealership is aware of several owners with the same problem, but does not know how to remedy!.

In my 2004 Chevrolet Impala night driving is unsafe. I will be driving down the road when its dark and I will have a chance to turn on my bright headlights for a better vision of the road. After turning them on I can drive about 5 or so miles and the headlights will shut off. The only way to regain the headlights is by turning off the brights. You loose all lights, not just the brights. The only lights on are the parking lights. Very unsafe and you cannot see the road. Also everyones in awhile the lights will blink. It happens at least once every time if I go on at least a 20 minute drive and are turning brights on and off. No buttons are involved when the lights go out. They just automatically shut off by themselves. Very scary and very unsafe if you don't know how to get them working again. Have heard that it may be the brights switch but those are way overpriced.