I began having electrical problems in my 2001 chevrolet impala in mid 2008, which continued to get worse until around late 2009 when the car was no longer safe to drive. These problems consisted of headlights flickering on and off randomly, intermittent turn signal failure, and a variety of other electrical related issues. Doing minimal research on the internet shows that many consumers have or are suffering from the exact same problems, and it appears that the majority of these claims are (temporarily?) solved by replacing the body control module in these vehicles. After replacing my body control module at the dealer ($600), the airbag light came on within a few days of the repair. I presume it is also related to a faulty body control module since that is what many voices on the internet say to check. I called my local chevrolet dealer and asked about another replacement, and they told me it would cost 170$ just to look at it and they said it was instead related to an airbag control module (more electrical). This vehicle has been in my family since it was purchased brand new, and has experienced a variety of electrical problems, most of which went away after replacing the body control module. After replacing the bcm, some have come back already. Please put a stop to this! It is highly dangerous to be driving down the freeway at night and have my headlights suddenly stop working or turn signals that are unreliable at best or an airbag that fails to launch during an accident. The symptoms seem to get worse the older the body control module, and I can see it happening all over again now that my airbag light is on after replacing my body control module.
2001 Chevrolet Impala electrical complaints
Page 6 of 9: complaints 131 to 160 of 225, newest first, as owners wrote them.
This has happened about a dozen times in last several months since I purchased the car. I go to start it and nothing. It will not turn over. Security light comes on. Radio and lights continue tol work. If I wait 10 minutes it will start. It happened again today making me late to work again.
Turn signal on 2001 chevy impala works intermittently. Expensive repair. Blog sites have many entries complaining of the same thing. This is a safety issue if my turn signals work on and off.
I bought a 2001 chevy impala 1 week ago and now it will not accelerate over 30 miles an hour plus it cuts off when it reaches those miles. I had new spark plugs installed, wires, coil packs and a new fuel filter installed.
2000-2005 chevy impalas experience flickering interior lights and exterior lights, faulty dash gauges, no shifter signs on dash, no manual interior lighting or exterior lights, no crank or start. Was told that a bad bcm was the problem. (body control module) part# gmab166 is very old for the make of car the it was put in. There is a the federal safety agency bulletin out and gm refuse to fix it. Bulletin $ 010603005 and 110501. Because of this hazard I crashed my car into the back of another going 65 MPH when the car just suddenly stalled and there wasn't adequate brake pressure to stop the car.
On my 201 impala, the turn signals sometime fail to operate - I have found that I can turn on the emergency signals and then disengage them to restart normal turn signals. Instrument lights also dim at times making it impossible to read speed or any other instruments - problems do not necessarily occur together but can and do at times - random in problem occurrence; mileage approx 144,000.
Dash and instrument lights dim to where I can't see what speed I'm doing while driving at night. I can't manually adjust them with headlight knob when this problem occurs making for a very dangerous situation while driving at night.
Passlock system failure intermittently. Car will not start for 10/15 min. I've been stranded late at night and in some bad weather. Dealership said they don't know what it is unless the problem happens at the garage, otherwise they don't know what the problem is. I've spent in the thousands of dollars. Have had bcm replaced, cylinders and sensors replaced. Still doesn't work. Dealership said they don't know what the problem is. There are many complaints on this problem. (see carcomplaints.com and look under electrical problems).
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevy impala. While driving the pass lock system light began flashing. When the pass lock system light flashed the radio turns off, the doors locks, the dome light flashed on and off, the truck lid opens, and sometimes the vehicle will shut off and will not restart. The fuse must be removed in order to restart the vehicle. The failure is currently causing the headlights to shut off intermittently while driving. The manufacturer informed the contact that they were unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The contact is concerned about the safety risk since a crash could occur due to the failure. The current and failure mileages were 150,000.
I have a 2001 chevrolet impala sedan. Without warning the turn signals stop working. If I stop the car and restart it, the signals usually start working again, but for how long? The mileage is 175,000. I went online and found that gm has identified that the hazard switch is the root cause. This switch is the same switch on several models. I went to chandler chevrolet in tappahannock , va .gm will replace the hazard switch on the 2001 malibu (this is the same switch that is in my car). Then the service manager said up to 150,000 miles. The federal safety agency investigation #peo2064 my other problem is that I have experienced right rear stop light failure. However the running tail light does work. At first the shop where I took it, reynolds garage in ottoman, va figured it was a burned out stop light element. Replacing the bulb did not bring the stop light back into service. Then we replaced the section of wiring harness. Still no luck. I left the car at the shop and mr. Reynolds spent a lot of time on it w/o solving the problem. I wonder if this right rear stop light problem is related to the failed hazard switch and its weak solder joints. Thank you for listening. *tr william e. Steinmetz
My 2001 impala with a 3.8 v-6 would not start after golf last thursday, so I had it towed to a repair shop. The shop put in a new fuel pump, fuel filter, spark plugs and wires. The bill came to $900. I had the same problem various occasions over the next couple weeks and decided to look on the internet. This site popped up when I "searched stalls while driving" because the car started stalling occasionally while driving under just about any condition. I bought a new crankshaft position sensor from car quest installed it myself in less than an hour and haven't had any problems for about a week now. Thanks for the info.
Security light comes on, traction light comes on, RPM's drop to 0, gas drops to 0, constant draining of battery and is dead after 10 or so hours. Many people on forums are all complaining of the same thing and even mechanics say that this is a very common problem with these cars yet there is no recall! I have spent as of now 1000 dollars on this problem and my dealer is telling me that might not fix the problem completely!!! I have put in a new alternator, new battery, new bcm, and now a new ignition switch! I currently have the old bcm and the new one is in my car.
Security light flashes and car will not start.
I have a 2001 chevrolet impala. I have had my car since february of 2009 and it is a terrific car with the exception of the car cuts off in the middle of traffic, on the highway and anywhere it likes. I could be driving down the road and the car just cuts off. The battery light comes one and I turn the car switch off and back on and it starts up again. I have taken it to several places and no one seems to know what the problem is. This is very dangerous for a person to be driving and this happen to them. I have gone on the 2001 chevrolet impala website for recalls, defects, and other issues and there are sooo many impala's with this same issue. I have three small children and this is not safe but it is my only source of transportation.
While operating my car, when moving or stopped at a light, the engine would suddenly shut down. If the car is moving at 50 to 65 MPH the engine would restart on its own. At 35 MPH or less I must coast to the side of the road, stop moving and put the car in park. The car will restart with the turning of the ignition switch to start.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. While attempting to start the vehicle, the contact noticed that it would not start due to the security pass lock. The issue has been occurring for the past three years. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 137,933.
Several electrical problems one turn signals and flasher only work about half time, one brake light works about 1/2 time driverside heated seat over heated could not cut it off took straight to dealer pogue chevrolet said they would have to put it on computer to see what the problem is, said it would cost $100.00 to check it out I asked them if they could check it with out me paying the $100.00 they said no I told them I could not drive it like that they unplugged the seat, later I was informed by my cousin who came up from florida this was a safety issue and I should file a complaint with you people he said chevrolet were obligated to fix any safety issues.
This problem started several years ago. At random engine will not start. This seems to affect many different models of cars. I have a 2001 chevy impala. I used to have to replace the battery bc it would happen every yr. Now I have to turn key to on and wait ten minutes to crank it. I am a single female and this problem is not only inconvenient but unsafe. Something needs to be done to correct it. I have spoken with my dealer and they acknowledge the problem but say nothing works for it and not to spend the money and there is nothing they can do. There has to be something because of numerous complaints here and on the internet.
2001 impala won't start at different times have to wait 20-30 minutes, door locks don't work anymore, inside lights don't won't when this happens they come on at different times, when security light comes on sometimes the AC doesn't work. I had the ignition lock changed but still same problem. This is a safety issue at night since I am a single parent with grandchildren and also in the heat of summer having to wait for the car to start.
I have 2001 chevy impala and it has starting issues. It doesn't start at times and it's getting to be more often and nothing will get it to start. I just leave it sit, sometiimes for 2 hours and it may or may not start. It quit while getting ready to stop at a red light and almost caused an accident, as I couldn't steer my car and it smelled hot. Also the blinkers won't work at times and I have to press my emergency flasher switch to get them to work. I have replaced the starter and the starting issue hasn't improved at all. It is very maddening as I never know when it will not start when I go to leave somewhere and it's very undependable to take anywhere. Please can you help with this problem? It has been happening for the last year and is happening more often lately.
The bcm (body control module) caused my 01 impala to do some crazy things. It started with turn signals intermittently working. My wife and I were in several near accidents because other drivers could not tell what we were doing. Then it progressed to each time that I applied the breaks the headlights would flash from high beam to low beam at least a dozen times. It distracted the drivers in front of me when driving at night. On many occasions it caused the entire dash instrumentation to fail with the exception of the speedometer. The message center would give me false indications of required maintenance and low tire pressure. Twice it locked the car out on "security" the vehicle would also intermittently start. After about 10minutes the vehicle typically started backup again. Once, the vehicle left the headlights on after vehicle was turned off. I had to disconnect the battery to keep it fromdraining the battery. Again, after about 10 minutes it would allow something to reset and all would be fine. After searching on the internet for similar problems on the make and model I took it toa gm dealer leading them towards the bcm. I didn't want to pay an exuberant amount of money forthem to chase an "electrical ghost". After $500 they replaced the bcm and the vehicle ran perfect for about 2 1/2 months and now the turn signals are intermittent once again.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that the electrical system in the vehicle was faulty and a major safety risk. The turn signals do not work, the dome light remains illuminated, the trunk opens automatically, the security light illuminates, the headlights flash off and on, and the daytime running lamps do not illuminate. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current mileage was 205,000 and failure mileage was 90,000.
I have a 2001 chevy impala and when you go to start the car it won't start. It doesn't do it all the time, but when it happens it takes numerous attempts with the key to get it started.
Service traction system, ABS light continue to come on. I have taken the vehicle to get serviced for this problem since I purchased it. It had one of the bearings replaced while under warranty, but I've had to replace the other bearing, and hub sensors at my expense. The ABS brake system activates for no reason and creates a vibration and inability to brake on time. The car also has a security light come on intermittently and the car sometimes doesn't start for no apparent reason. Usually if we wait about 30 min. It will turn back on, but I have had it towed to a dealership when nothing would turn it on. The check engine light is on and was first told it was the egr valve that needs to be replaced, but now am being told it needs a new catalytic converter. I've taken it to a certified dealership at least 5 times a year since 2006 and these problems are never corrected.
I own a 2001 chevy impala. Basically since the moment I bought it, it would randomly flash the "security" light then not start. I got several explanations about why (security fob, neutral switch, battery) and took it in several times for repairs. Because they couldn't replicate the problem, they said, well, don't worry, it's just an intermittent problem. I guess that's easy to say when you're not stuck on the side of the road with a non-starting car... Now I find out that chevy installed a passlock system which is supposed to keep your car from being stolen, but that since it was installed in their new cars, it causes this problem. They refuse to recall the cars and fix the security system problems, instead forcing their customers to waste time and money on something that they should fix.
2001 no-start situation similar to hundreds of others that are posted on the internet for the 2000-2003 chevy impalas & malibus (there may be other model years with similar problems). The car will not crank when the key is turned to the start position. No noise when this happens but sometimes security light will come on. It is an intermittent problem that we've spent over $1000 trying to resolve. It occurs with no rhyme or reason and has put our daughter in dangerous situations. Car always starts eventually and it seems that it's just a matter of waiting a range of 10 minutes to 2 hours. Always a pain in the butt but sometimes a safety issue with bad weather and other factors. Local gm dealer not too concerned about our problem and gm corporation doesn't seem to care either. Maybe the federal safety agency can get gms attention to resolve this problem because it's obviously affects many people.
My chevy impala ls 2001 don"t start sometimes.
Car stalling at stoplights and stop signs, and driving down the road with no warning. Numerous mechanics have looked at it and no conclusion has been made. Finally it stalled and now its stranded. It will not start.
I owned a 2001 chevrolet impala automobile. "security lock" light came on during normal drive 2 days before car failure. On the morning of failure, car doors were unresponsive to remote key. A continuous low droning noise emits from inside of dashboard. When key was inserted into ignition cylinder and turned, nothing happens. Engine did not start, electronic system checks did not come alive. Not even a sputtering sound from the car hood. After checking online for similar problem, profile fits the recurrent problem of passlock sensor of general motor cars. Car technicians quoted me $400 - $600 for replacement of ignition switch and cylinder; $600 on average for change of body control module. Http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t147983.html http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/chevrolet-impala/t30r7cej84ktjel1m/p4 to the best of my knowledge, this recurring problem has been reported on various sources for the past 7 years. To this day, it remains un-resolved. I implore the authorities to take charge and investigate thoroughly the extent of this "non-start" problem that afflicts thousands and thousands of chevrolet cars on the road. Sincerely yours, dexter (keng hao) chun
This is an ongoing repeated problem. My 2001 impala randomly won't start about 3 times a week. I will take the key out of the ignition wait 10 minutes and the security (passlock) system will reset and the car will crank, but no time in between...this has been going on for about 8 months now and I have seen numerous occasions of this happening to other people both that I have spoken with and that I have read online.. This does not just occur in chevrolets. One person said that it occurred in a pontiac. I would assume this is a gm problem...and why has this not been recalled? This is an extreme inconvenience from chevrolet and I have read instances where the problem had been fixed by replacing the ignition, bcm, etc. And this problem still continues. Why are there so many people with this problem and no known solution. Recall? Defect?
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