2004 Chevrolet Impala Exterior Lighting

LAST YEAR AROUND THIS SAME TIME I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AROUND 4:30 AM ON I 85 NB IN ATLANTA, GA. GOING TO WORK WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY WENT TOTALLY DARK. I DIDN'T REALIZE IT UNTIL I GOT TO A STRETCH OF HIGHWAY THAT HAD NO LIGHTS. IT WAS VERY SCARY CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW IF ANY OF THE OTHER CARS COULD SEE ME. I GOT OFF THE HWY AT THE 1ST EXIT AND WAITED UNTIL DAYLIGHT TO GO CONTINUE TO WORK. I WENT TO THE 1ST MECHANIC THAT OPENED AND THE LIGHTS WERE WORKING AGAIN SO THE MECHANIC COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. 1 YEAR LATER ON 2/12/08, MY 7YEAR OLD SON AND I WENT TO THE DRUG STORE TO GET HIS MEDICATION AND AS WE WERE DRIVING UP SR 139, I NOTICED THAT I COULDN'T SEE THE ROAD!!! AGAIN, I'M ON A STRETCH OF ROAD WITH NO STREET LIGHTS AND THIS TIME I HAVE INTERIOR LIGHTS, BLINKERS AND PARKERS, BUT I HAVE NO HEADLIGHTS. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND CUT THE CAR OFF HOPING TO RESET THE COMPUTER OR WHATEVER WAS CAUSING THE PROBLEM AND WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR THE HEADLIGHTS STILL DIDN'T COME ON. I WAITED APPROX 45 MINUTES AND STILL IN THE DARK. I WAS SOOO AFRAID BECAUSE I HAD MY SON WITH ME AND I HAD ABOUT 2.5 MILES TO GO BEFORE GETTING HOME. I TOOK MY CHANCES AND DROVE HOME TRYING TO BE AS CAREFUL AS POSSIBLE AS ONCOMING CARS FLASHED THEIR LIGHTS AT ME AND HONKED. MY SON WAS SCARED AND KEPT ASKING IF OTHER CARS WERE GOING TO HIT US OR IF THEY COULD SEE US. I TRIED TO STAY CALM FOR HIM, BUT TRUTHFULLY, I WAS SCARED STUPID. I'VE BEEN READING UP ON SIMILAR SITUATIONS LIKE THIS AND GM HAS GOT TO STEP UP AND FIX THIS PROBLEM. WHY SHOULD IT TAKE FOR SOMEONE TO LOOSE THEIR LIFE FOR GM TO TAKE NOTICE??? I'VE OWNED A 99 GRAND AM, 00 OLDSMOBILE ALERO & NOW THE THE 04 IMPALA. I THOUGHT THAT I HAD MOVED UP AND BOUGHT A REALLY GOOD CAR THAT I LOVED NOT A DEATH MACHINE. MY NEXT CAR MIGHT HAVE TO BE A NISSAN OR A TOYOTA. MY GRANDMA & MOM ONLY BUY TOYOTAS AND HAVE NEVER HAD THESE TYPES OF PROBLEMS. BUT I'M TRYING TO KEEP MY FELLOW AMERICANS EMPLOYED EVEN THOUGH I'VE LOST MY JOB. *TR

PROBLEM SWITCHING FROM HIGH BEAM TO LOW BEAM ETC AND SUDDEN HEADLIGHT FAILURE AT NIGHT WHILE DRIVING DOWN ROAD. BELIEVE PROBLEM IS MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH WHICH HAS BEEN REPORTED BY NUMEROUS PEOPLE FOR THIS VEHICLE TYPE. STARTED OUT AS INFREQUENT BUT GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. *TR

2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA - THE HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT WITHOUT ANY WARNING WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! I AM STILL IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THIS PROBLEM CORRECTED. I HAVE ALREADY HAD THE LIGHT SENSOR REPLACED AND THE BCM REPLACED. NEITHER OF THESE CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. AFTER MANY DAYS AND HOURS OF RESEARCH, I THINK IT MAY BE RELATED TO THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH ON THE STEERING COLUMN. THIS MUST BECOME A RECALL AS THIS ENDANGERS MANY LIVES! *TR

TURN SIGNALS OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY WITH SWITCH IN EITHER POSITION. HAZARDS WORK FINE. YOU HAVE TO OPERATE HAZARDS TO GET TURN SIGNALS TO WORK. WHEN TURN SIGNALS ARE INOPERATIVE, THE DRIVER CANNOT USE THEM TO SIGNAL INTENT TO TURN THAT COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. *TR

MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH ON STEERING COLUM FAILED , AS A RESULT I HAVE NO HIGHBEAMS , IF I ATTEMPT TO PUT THEM ON ALL LIGHTS GO OUT , THIS IS A VERY EXPENSIVE PROBLEM THAT I THINK GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD COME GOOD FOR. *TR

WHILE DRIVING WITH HI BEAMS ON THE HEADLIGHTS WILL REPEATEDLY SHUT COMPLETELY OFF. I HAVE TO MOVE THE HI/LOW BEAM LEVER AND THE LOW BEAMS WILL COME ON. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS SINCE I LIVE ON UN-LIT COUNTRY ROADS. THIS IN NOT AN OCCASIONAL PROBLEM, IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME THE LIGHTS ARE ON. *TR

LAST WINTER I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON A DARK MORNING AND WITHOUT WARNING MY HEADLIGHTS WENT TOTALLY OUT. I KEPT FLIPPING MY HEADLIGHT SWITCH OFF AND ON AND MY DIMMER SWITCH UNTIL THEY CAME BACK ON. I CONTINUED DOWN THE ROAD AND IT HAPPENED REPEATEDLY UNTIL I GOT TO WORK. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY REPLACED A COMPUTER MODULE. I DIDN'T THINK TO MUCH ABOUT IT UNTIL THIS MORNING WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN. IT HAS BEEN COOL OR COLD OUT BOTH TIMES IT HAS HAPPENED SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH TEMPERATURE OR NOT. I HAVE LOST TIME FROM WORK BECAUSE OUR AREA AUTO DEALERS SERVICE DEPTS. ARE NOT OPEN ON SATURDAYS, NOT TO MENTION THE DANGER OF DRIVING A BLACK CAR IN THE DARK WITH NO HEADLIGHTS! *TR

2004 CHEVY IMPALA--BOTH TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS STOP FLASHING. TRIED TO REPLACE FUSES, BUT ALL STILL GOOD. COULD NOT LOCATE A TURN SIGNAL RELAY IN THE FUSE BOX. SPOKE TO A MECHANIC WHO SAID IT DIDN'T MAKE SINCE THAT THERE WAS NO RELAY IN THE FUSE PANEL. LOOKED UP THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH PART AND IT WAS ON BACK ORDER. THE PART ALONE WAS OVER $300.00. MECHANIC ALSO STATED IT DID NOT MAKE SINCE THAT IT WOULD BE THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH WHEN ALL OTHER COMPONENTS ON THE TURN SIGNAL ARM (WINDSHIELD WIPERS, CRUISE CONTROL, ETC.) STILL WORKED. UNABLE TO GO TO THE DEALERSHIP SINCE IT WAS A SUNDAY. LOOKED UP OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON TOPIX.COM AND FOUND SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. WAS ADVISED TO TURN ON AND OFF THE HAZARD SEVERAL TIMES. IN DOING SO (ABOUT 100 TIMES) THE SIGNALS STARTED WORKING. THEREFORE, IT DOESN'T SEEM AS IF THIS IS A TURN SIGNAL SWITCH ISSUE, BUT A HAZARD SWITCH ISSUE. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION IF DRIVING AND YOUR TURN SIGNALS STOP WORKING WHICH COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *TR

SUDDENLY THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS FAILED TO WORK. THE LIGHT WOULD GO ON AND THEN STAY ON. WHEN I TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART MANY TIMES THEY WILL AGAIN WORK FOR AWHILE AND THEN SUDDENLY STOPPED AGAIN. I'VE CHECKED THE FUZES, ETC. BUT NOTHING HELPS. THIS COULD PRESENT SAFETY ISSUES. CHECKING ON THE INTERNET I FIND MANY HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEMS. *JB

DRIVING ALONG AT NIGHT WITH HEADLIGHTS ON AND THEY JUST WENT OUT, LUCKILY, THERE WAS A BRIGHT MOON AND STRAIGHT HIGHWAY, HAPPENED 3 MORE TIMES ON WAY HOME, APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES. AFTER TURNING CAR OFF AND ON, LIGHTS OFF AND ON, THEY WOULD COME BACK ON. HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT AFTER DARK SINCE THEN. EXPERIENCED MORE PROBLEMS. *JB

THE BLINKER SWITCH MALFUNCTIONS FROM BRIGHT TO DIM, SOMETIMES GOES BLACK *AK.

DRIVING AT NIGHT, HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF ON THEIR OWN. PULLED FORWARD SEVERAL TIMES ON THE DIMMER SWITCH AND THEY CAME BACK ON. IF THE DIMMER SWITCH IS ON LO-BEAM & SWITCHED TO HI-BEAM, OCCASIONALLY THERE IS NO "CLICK". THIS IS WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OFF. IF I HEAR THE "CLICK" THE LIGHTS HAVE NOT FAILED. WILL SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT WITH DEALER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *JB

I LOST MY BRIGHT LIGHTS ON MY 04 CHEVY IMPALA. MY DAUGHTER HAD FILED THE SAME COMPLAINT ON HER 04 IMPALA ALSO IN OCT. OF 06. I NOW HAVE TO GET MY DIMMER SWITCH REPLACED, AND I KNOW YOU HAD A RECALL ON THE 02'S, WHY NOT THE 04'S ALSO?*JB

CHEVY 2004 IMPALA FOR NO REASON THE HEAD LIGHTS WILL TURN OFF AND WILL NOT COME BACK ON... I HAVE BEEN CAUGHT SEVERAL TIMES IN VERY DANGEROUS ROADS WHEN THIS HAS HAPPENED.... THANKFULLY NO CRASHES OR INJURIED. I CALLED CHEVY SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY CAN'T TELL ME WHY IT HAPPENS OR HOW TO FIX IT. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE HEAD LIGHTS FAIL INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE PROBLEM BEGAN FOUR MONTHS AGO AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SERVICE DEALER WHO REPLACED AN UNKNOWN MODULE. THE PROBLEM HAS NOW RETURNED AND THE HEAD LIGHTS GO OUT WITHOUT WARNING AND RE ILLUMINATE WITHOUT WARNING. MANIPULATING THE SWITCH DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MAKE THE LIGHTS RE ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT IS PLANNING TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER LATER TODAY FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE IS A POLICE CRUISER.

I WAS DRIVING HOME ONE NIGHT AT ABOUT 9:30 IN THE COUNTRY AND IT WAS PITCH-BLACK WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY HEADLIGHTS GO OUT. I HAD TO BE GOING ABOUT 55 MPH WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THEY WOULDN'T COME BACK ON UNTIL I PULLED THE DIMMER SWITCH IN AND OUT REPEATEDLY. LUCKILY I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA TO COME TO A STOP WITHOUT INCIDENT. WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS I WILL BE TAKING MY CAR IN TO A DEALER AND GET AN INSPECTION. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE HEADLIGHTS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. IT OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OF 50 TO 60 MPH. THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF WITHOUT WARNING AND REMAINED OFF UNTIL THE DIMMER SWITCH WAS PRESSED. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNALS BEFORE THIS OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN SEEN BY A DEALER. *AK . INCIDENTAL NIGHT TIME HEADLIGHT FAILURE OCCURRED THREE TIMES ON 01/27/2006; ONCE ON 02/12/2006, INVOLVING HIGH BEAM, AND 3 TIMES ON 02/18/2006, INVOLVING 2 HIGH BEAMS. SUBSEQUENT OCCASIONAL FAILURE UNTIL THE TURN SIGNAL/DIMMER SWITCH WAS REPLACED ON 03/14/2006. CONTACT PAID $345 FOR PARTS AND LABOR. *AK

1) EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE - IT ALL STARTED OUT OF THE BLUE ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO. I HAVE AN INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THE BLINKER MECHANISM OF THE TURN SIGNALS. WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK, THE LEVER IS TURNED FOR EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TURN AND THE SIGNAL STAYS LIT, BUT NOT BLINKING. MOST OF THE TIME, THOUGHOUT THE DAY, THE SIGNALS BLINK PROPERLY. 2) FAILURE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES - THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A SAFETY ISSUE IN THAT DRIVERS FOLLOWING ME WOULD NOT BE AS ALERT TO A NON-BLINKING LIGHT AS THEY WOULD BE FOR A BLINKING LIGHT. 3) BOTH MYSELF AND MY LOCAL GAS STATION REMOVED AND AND RESEATED THE POSSIBLE OFFENDING FUSE AND ASSOCIATED RELAY MODULE. HE EVEN INDICATED THAT BOTH CHEVROLET AND PONTIAC CARS HAVE TURN SIGNAL ARMS WITH SHORTS IN THEM. I COULD NOT FIND ANY RECALLS INDICATING A SHORT IN THE TURN SIGNALS.

THE NEW MODEL YEAR 04 CHEVROLET IMPALA SEDANS HAVE POORLY DESIGNED AND OR MIS-ADJUSTED DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS, CAUSING BLINDING GLARE TO ON COMING DRIVERS, DRIVERS IN FRONT OF THESE VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS WALKING AT NIGHT. THESE EXCESSIVELY GLARING LIGHTS DISTRACT AND CAUSE EYE PAIN TO OTHER DRIVERS AND TEMPORARY BLINDNESS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED ESPECIALLY FOR PEDESTRIANS WALKING AGAINST TRAFFIC AT NIGHT.*AK

ON GOING PROBLEM OF MOISTURE BUILD UP IN HEAD LIGHT HOUSING. DEALER STATES THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR ALL CHEVY IMPALAS AND NOTHING CAN BE DONE EXCEPT TO "BLOW OUT" THE MOISTURE. THIS CONDITION OCCURS EVERYTIME LIGHTS ARE TURNED ON. DEALER CALLS THIS THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT. ILLUMINATION OF ROADWAY AT NIGHT IS EFFECTED. PROBLEM REPORTED TO GM HOWEVER, COMPLAINT NUMBER 1-188065149, THEY DID NOT INDICATE THAT THIS WOULD BE LOOKED OR ADDRESSED. *JB