2005 Chevrolet Impala Exterior Lighting
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
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
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
HEADLIGHTS GO OUT INTERMITTENTLY. *TR
ELECTRICAL-HEADLIGHTS STOPPED WORKING. *TR
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
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
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
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.
WATER IN BACKUP LIGHTS GM REPAIRED 2 TIMES BUT REFUSES TO REPAIR AGAIN SAYS IT IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE. *NM
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
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2005 Chevrolet Impala has 35 Exterior Lighting complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.