2003 Chevrolet Impala Exterior Lighting

I AM FILING A SAFETY COMPLAINT CONCERNING THE 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, SWITCHING LIGHTS FROM DIM TO BRIGHT, HEADLIGHTS GO OUT. I HAVE HAD TO PULL OVER, TURN OF CAR, AND RESTART TO GET DIM LIGHTS ON. WHAT CAN THIS PROBLEM BE AND WHAT MIGHT THE CURE BE. I HAVE CHECKED FOR RECALLS ON LIGHTING AND FOUND NONE. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. *TR

LOSS OF BOTH HEADLIGHTS WHEN I SWITCHED FROM HIGH BEAMS TO LOW BEAMS. I WAS ABLE TO RESTORE HEADLIGHT FUNCTION BY JIGGLING THE HI BEAM LOW BEAM SWITCH . I WENT TO LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER AND WAS TOLD I PROBABLY NEED A NEW MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH,APPEARS TO ME THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. *TR

2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA, HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. *TR

2003 IMPALA HIGHBEAMS WHEN IN USE DO TOTALLY GO OUT BLINKERS JUST STOP BLINKING AFTER INTERNET RESEARCH COMMON PROBLEM WITH IMPALAS WHICH GM WON'T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR. THEY RECALLED THE MALIBU HOW MANY PEOPLE NEED TO GET KILLED BEFORE THEY TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. NO BAILOUT FOR THEM. I CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX THEIR MISTAKES. I'M STILL PAYING FOR THE CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS SHUT OFF AND DO NOT ILLUMINATE AGAIN. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT MUST ACTIVATE THE HAZARD LIGHTS. FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS, SHE HAS NOT DRIVEN AT NIGHT DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,000.

HEADLIGHTS FAIL WITHOUT WARNING. OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY WHEN HIGH BEAMS ARE ENGAGED. HEADLIGHT DIMMER SWITCH WAS REPLACED. OLD PART IS AVAILABLE. *TR

I OWN A 2003 CHEVY IMPALA AND WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND WHEN I SWITCH FROM HIGH BEAMS TO LOW BEAMS MY LIGHTS GO OUT....JUST RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING ON THE EXPRESSWAY, MY LIGHT JUST WENT DARK...AFTER WORKING THE DIMMER SWITCH THEY CAME BY ON, THIS IS SCARY AND SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL .*TR

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND CHANGING TO HIGH BEAMS, THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. CONTINUAL MOVING OF THE LEVER GOT THEM TO COME BACK ON. LESS THAN A QUARTER MILE LATER, THE SAME THING HAPPENED, THIS TIME I WAS NOT TRYING TO CHANGE TO BRIGHT LIGHTS. *TR

DRIVING AT NIGHT USING THE AUTO HEADLIGHT FUNCTION, THE HEADLIGHT FAIL (QUIT) ON HIGHBEAM. AT 75 MPH THIS CAN BE A LIFE THREATENING EXPERIENCE, I WAS LUCKILY ON A STRAIGHT ROAD AT THE TIME. WHEN IT HAPPENED I TRIED TURNING THE LIGHTS ON WITH THE SWITCH, PUSHED AND PULLED IT AND THAT DID NOT WORK. I CAME TO A STOP AND WAS GOING TO GET OUT OF THE CAR AND THE LIGHTS CAME BACK ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 9 TIMES. IT ONLY DOES IT ON HIGH BEAM SETTING, IT HAS NOT DONE IT WHEN THE SWITCH IS PULLED TO THE "ON" POSITION AS OF YET. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AT NIGHT, THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING FAILED SPORADICALLY AND THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO MANUALLY TURN THEM BACK ON. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT IS IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE MANUFACTURER. THE VIN, ENGINE SIZE, AND NUMBER OF CYLINDERS WERE UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 45,000.

THE HEADLIGHTS GO OUT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT ON HIGH BEAM, ALMOST WENT OFF ROAD, IN JULY OF 2008. DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR AT NIGHT MUCH. THE LIGHTS STILL GO OUT AT NIGHT ON HIGHBEAM, DO NOT COME BACK ON FOR UP TO 40 SECONDS. HAVE STARTED TO LEAVE THE LOWBEAMS ON ALL THE TIME, HAS NOT YET GONE OUT ON LOWBEAM. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY TWO LANE HIGHWAY AT 4:00 AM MY HEADLIGHT SUDDENLY WENT OUT. I COULD NOT GET THEM TO TURN BACK ON, AND COULD NOT SEE WHERE I WAS AT ON THE ROAD. I DID MANAGE TO SAFELY PULL TO THE EDGE OF THE ROAD, AND AFTER TRYING SEVERAL THINGS TO RESTORE LIGHTS, I WAS ABLE TO HOLD THE DIMMER SWITCH BACK AND GET HIGH BEAM LIGHTS. I WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE MY TRIM TO WORK, USING ONLY HIGH BEAMS. EVERY TIME I TRIED TO USE LOW BEAMS THE LIGHTS WOULD COMPLETELY GO OUT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DECELERATING TO 10 MPH AND ACTIVATING THE TURN SIGNAL, THE HEADLIGHTS COMPLETELY DIMMED. TWO OR THREE SECONDS LATER, THE HEADLIGHTS ILLUMINATED AGAIN. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT CONDUCTED HIS OWN TEST; EACH TIME HE ACTIVATED THE TURN SIGNAL, THE HEADLIGHTS DIMMED AND THEN ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE DEALER, BUT HE HAS NOT TAKEN HIS VEHICLE THERE AT THIS TIME. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 29,299 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,250. UPDATED 4/8/08 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED LIGHTS WOULD GO OUT COMPLETELY WITH NO WARNING UNTIL REPAIRED ON 02/19/08. UPDATED 04/08/08 *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TURN SIGNALS FAILED AND WOULD NOT ENGAGE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE MODULE AND THERE HAD BEEN NO FURTHER OCCURENCES. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,100 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,047. UPDATED 05/21/08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALERSHIP REAPIRED THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 05/20/08. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH IN THE SNOW, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THE CONTACT PLAYED WITH THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH UNTIL THE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE LIGHTS DIMMED AGAIN SHORTLY AFTERWARDS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE DIMMER SWITCH MAY BE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 66,000. UPDATED 3/25/08 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THIS IS THE 2ND INCIDENT AND VERY DANGEROUS. UPDATED 03/25/08 *TR

MY HEAD LIGHTS FAILED ON MY 03 IMPALA. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT IT HAS HAPPENED. ITS SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN EVERYDAY. BUT THIS LAST TIME REALLY MADE ME FEAR FOR MY LIFE. I WAS COMING HOME AT NIGHT ABOUT TO SOME TO A CURVE GOING 40 MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OFF. I ALMOST WENT INTO THE DITCH AND THERE WAS A POLE RIGHT THERE I COULD OF HIT. I CAME ONLINE TO TRY TO FIND OUT IF ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND THAT LEAD ME TO THIS WEBSITE. IM REALLY AFRAID IF I DIDN'T GO AHEAD AND DO THIS THAT I WOULD REGRET IT. YOU PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM AND THAT ITS NOT A SAFE. I'D FEEL REALLY GUILTY IF THIS MIGHT HAVE KILLED SOMEONE IF IT ALREADY HASN'T. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD BE ON HIGH BEAMS, BUT THE LIGHTS WOULD SHUT OFF AUTOMATICALLY. WHEN THE LIGHTS SHUT OFF, IT WOULD TAKE 10-15 MINUTES FOR THEM TO ILLUMINATE AGAIN. THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR EVERY TWELVE TO FIFTEEN MILES. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE DEFECT WAS VERY FREQUENT FOR HIS TYPE OF VEHICLE. THE ESTIMATED COST TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE IS $500. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 75,000. UPDATED 02-14-08 *BF UPDATED 02/14/08 *TR

HIGH-BEAM HEADLIGHTS SOMETIMES GO OUT, NO PATTERN DETECTED. RELAY IS SUSPECTED. *TR

HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT DURING VEHICLE OPERATION AND WOULD NOT TURN BACK ON. HEADLIGHTS CAME BACK ON NEXT TIME THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATED, BUT WENT OUT AGAIN DURING OPERATION A FEW NIGHTS LATER. *TR

MY WIFE STATED THAT HER 2003 IMPALA THE HEADLIGHTS DID NOT COME ON ONE NIGHT AUTO MODE SO SHE TURNED ON MANUALLY. 2 WEEKS LATER, SHE IS DRIVING IN THE DARK AND THE FOG, AND HEADLIGHTS GO OUT. STOPPED ALONG ROAD AND TRIED HIGH, LOW, AND PULL LIGHT SWITCH WITH NO LUCK. VERY DANGEROUS IF WOULD HAVE BEEN IN BUSY AREA. ABANDONED CAR AND HAD MOTHER PICK HER UP. MOVED HOME WHEN DAYLIGHT CAME OUT. NOW WAITING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN THE SHOP. *TR

TURNING SIGNALS STOPPED WORKING I HAD TO MANUALLY MOVE MY SIGNAL UP AND DOWN TO TURN CORNERS, GET OVER TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE. VERY DANGEROUS HAD TO HAVE HAZARD SWITCH/FLASHER UNIT REPLACED. *JB

THE HEADLIGHTS ARE DIFFICULT TO SWITCH FROM HIGH TO LOW BEAM ON MY 2003 CHEVY IMPALA. THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE TURNED COMPLETELY OFF DURING EVENING DRIVING THREE DIFFERENT TIMES. WE HAVE YET TO CORRECT THE FAILURE, ALTHOUGH INTEND TO REPLACE THE SWITCH. THESE INCIDENTS APPEAR TO CORRELATE DIRECTLY WITH NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE06017. *TR

MY HEADLIGHTS STOPPED WORKING WHEN I WAS OUT OF TOWN. ONLY HAD HI BEAMS IF I HELD THE DIMMER SWITCH TOWARDS ME. ONCE I RELEASED THE SWITCH, I HAD NO LIGHTS. TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE DIMMER SWITCH WITH ONE FROM A WRECKED CAR LIKE MINE BECAUSE A NEW ONE FROM GM WAS $500. *TR ALSO HAD HEAT/AC FAN STOP WORKING. NOW CAR IS MAKING A STRANGE HUMMING NOISE FROM THE FRONT END THAT IS NOT COMING FROM THE MOTOR. MY HUSBAND BELIEVES THE WHEEL BEARINGS MIGHT BE BAD BECAUSE OUR MECHANIC ASKED US IF WE HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THEM. HE HAS SEEN SEVERAL CARS LIKE MINE WITH WHEEL BEARING ISSUES.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE HEADLAMPS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT TOOK HER VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY CHARGED HER $669 TO REPAIR AND REPLACE THE UNIT. THE DEALER STATED THAT SHE HAD A FAULTY MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 102,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000.

PURCHASED A SECOND CHEVROLET IMPALA WITH SAME DEFECT WITH TAIL LIGHT COMPARTMENT. HOLDS WATER INDEFINITELY, NOT JUST CONDENSATION. I NOW HAVE A 2003 AND USED TO HAVE A 2002 WITH SAME PROBLEM. CAUSES LIGHT BULBS TO GO OUT FREQUENTLY AND ALSO ALARM WILL GO OFF WHEN OPENING TRUNK WHICH I SUSPECT MAYBE A SHORT IN WIRING DUE TO WATER. I HAVE CONTACTED A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER'S SERVICE DEPT AS WELL AS GM CORPORATE AND THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH PROBLEM BUT NO WITH NO RECALLS YET TO PROVIDE RESOLUTION OF WHAT I BELIEVE IS A SAFEY HAZARD WHEN LIGHT BULBS CONTINUE TO GO OUT. OF COURSE THEY WANT ME TO PAY TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY THAT MAY STILL HAVE SOME CONDENSATION PROBLEMS.