Purchased aftermarket headlight assembly via Amazon. Wiring harness overheats during normal use, causing connector damage/melting. This is the third unit with an identical defect within one month — seller/manufacturer has replaced twice but the problem recurs. Poses fire/electrical hazard. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Chevrolet Impala headlights problems
491 of the 10,418 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Impala describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 491
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical repair cost reported
- $600
- typical mileage
- 75,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Won't start 20Stalling 19Door locks 14Warning lights 13Wipers 10Jerking 8Adaptive cruise 8ABS 8
Trouble codes mentioned
P2138 1P0523 1
What owners say
After I go back and forth between my bright headlights and regular All of a sudden my headlights shut off it happens after so many times going between them
Every year the side sensor goes bad.. This causes vehicle to loose important factors while driving. Headlight go off and on. Speed goes to 0, all codes flashing, gas and ram gone. Car also locks and unlocks randomly along with no heat or air.. This has happened twice even after fuse is pulled while waiting on yet another $1000 repair. This is so very unsafe. Car needs to be removed from roads or side sensor part coverd.
This problem has happened for many many years. Made appointments @ Fuccillo Chevy dealer, by then it’s gone off & they don’t know! Well, just occurred again when getting new tires @Dunn pulling in. 2011 impala Stabilitrak, engine power loss, then check engine light! Thank goodness the mechanic printed me the codes & what they mean!! SO- P2138 Throttle/pedal pod sensor voltage correlation DTC P0523 Engine oil pressure sensor/switch high input Same complaint of loss of power as I’ve now seen others write about!! Voltage referring to throttle ‘s ability to open/close properly. An electrical malfunction in manufacturing! RECALL!!! Obviously I actually have another impala- 2007 that the rear defrost wire’s actually burnt @ control junction, been replaced now. Could’ve caused a fire !! High beam lights come on intermittently when using the turn signals!! Stand by your product !!!! I have 2 Impala’s, 2007, 2011. My mother has Impala, 2015. My sister has an Impala, 2017. Impala family I guess- kinda funny, all are black Impalas!!! I’ve seen numerous complaints of this same issue! Defect! R u waiting 4 an accident or a death? GO !!!! Has happened numerous times b4 This report, Chevy dealer has previously stated can’t anything because the code disappears on its own. What’s with that? Resets itself?? It does!! Sure have had it happen, 20 x’s?? I make an appointment & by that time- gone! Seriously!!! Finally caught it 2 code it !!
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that on various occasions while driving at night, the headlights failed to illuminate properly, and the roadway was not adequately illuminated. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated, and no repairs were completed. The vehicle was then taken to Columbia Chevrolet (9750 Montgomery Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45242) where it was diagnosed that the headlight assemblies needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000. The consumer stated he replaced both headlights assemblies.
Continue headlight conversation
Driving at night my car headlights/instrument panel shut off on their own. I couldn’t see had to slam my brakes and pull over. Nothing I tried would turn them on. After almost a minute each time they just came back on theirselves. After googling this seems to be a known problem with Chevy impalas but no solution. This is highly dangerous. There were no warning lights that came on or anything. I was able to still drive the car, turn it on and off, etc but they wouldn’t come on until they did on their own. Thank goodness no one was behind me or something in front of me cause I was on a none lighted 55 mph road
Side detection module malfunction. Causing electrical issues and error codes. When happening Headlights Turn on and off without control. Huge safety problem when driving at night!
Passenger dim headlight keeps going out causing a unsafe issue. The plug gets hot and is damaged.A service bulletin was put out on this issue in 2014 so gm has known that this was a problem for a long time. I read several complaints on this issue and can't understand why a recall has not been issued unless gm thinks that it is safe to drive with one headlight. I know from experience that our state police department doesn't think that it is since I just got a warning because my headlight was out again.
The contact rented a 2020 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the headlamps failed to produce adequate lighting while driving. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,433. The VIN was not available.
Related recalls
Exterior lighting: brake lights
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala; and 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. Originally, in May 2013, GM recalled 1,627 model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; and model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. In October 2013, GM informed the agency that it was adding model year 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles to this campaign , representing an additional 8,050 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 9,677. On the affected vehicles, the brake lamps may intermittently flash without the brakes being applied and the cruise control may disengage. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
- Risk
- If the brake lamps flash when the vehicle is not slowing, a following driver may not adjust vehicle speed when the vehicle is in fact braking, and the brake lamps are illuminating as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module. The recall began on June 13, 2013. Owner's may contact Chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 or Cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339. GM's recall number is 13158.
Recall number 13V220000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Impala headlights
Which Chevrolet Impala years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (96 complaints), 2002 (94 complaints) and 2004 (89 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the Chevrolet Impala?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $600 (median of 63 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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