2005 Chevrolet Impala

I WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH ON A STRAIGHT ROADWAY WITH BRIGHTS ON WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. THIS OCCURRED IN THE EARLY MORNING WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK OUT. THE PARKING LIGHTS REMAINED ON. PULLING THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON THE LEFT SIDE OF DASH TO THE "MANUAL ON" POSITION DID NOT HELP. I TURNED ON THE FOG LIGHTS AND RETURNED HOME USING THE FOG LIGHTS ONLY. UPON ARRIVING HOME, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE HEADLIGHTS TO WORK AGAIN BY SWITCHING TO HIGH BEAM AND BACK. THIS HAS BEEN AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM FOR THIS VEHICLE IN THE PAST MONTH. THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH FELT LIKE IT WAS FULLY ENGAGED AND GAVE AN AUDIBLE CLICK WHEN PULLED. I HAVE ORDERED A REPLACEMENT MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH TO REPAIR THIS. *TR

I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AT AT 6:30 AM ON 9-24-13 WHEN MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OFF. IT WAS PITCH DARK AND I WAS TOTALLY WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS. I WAS ABLE TO TURN ON THE FOG LIGHTS THIS CAR HAS, BUT IT WAS STILL HARD TO SEE. I HAVE NOTICED THE LIGHTS SEEMED DIMMER THAN WHAT I CONSIDER NORMAL. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A LOCAL MECHANIC. HE CANNOT FIND THE REASON FOR THE DIM LIGHTS OR THE LIGHTS GOING OFF BY THEMSELVES. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I AM SURPRISED A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED TO ADDRESS THIS VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. WHEN I CONDUCTED A GOOGLE SEARCH I NOTICED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH A NUMBER OF GM VEHICLES. IT IS A WONDER I DID NOT CRASH MY VEHICLE AS I NEVER EXPECTED MY LIGHT TO GO OUT AS I TRAVELED DOWN A HIGHWAY. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH AND AFTER ATTEMPTING TO DIM THE HEADLIGHTS, ALL OF THE LIGHTS MALFUNCTIONED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 91,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH AFTER ATTEMPTING TO DIM THE HEADLIGHTS, ALL OF THE LIGHTS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE BUT STATED THAT THE DIMMER SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

THIS REPORT IS ABOUT SUDDEN AND REPEATED HEADLIGHT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE IN A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA SEDAN, AND A REQUEST FOR A NATIONWIDE SAFETY RECALL AND REPAIR AT GM EXPENSE FOR THIS ISSUE. AFTER GETTING IN MY 2005 IMPALA SEDAN AT APPROXIMATELY 4:55 PM ON 16 FEBRUARY 2012, I STARTED UP AND DROVE OUT ON THE ROAD THEN I SMELLED BURNING PLASTIC AND NOTICED THE HEADLIGHTS (LOW BEAM) WERE OUT. I TRIED THE HIGH BEAMS AND THEY WORKED AS DID THE LEFT AND RIGHT TURN SIGNALS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER CONTROLS AND THE CRUISE CONTROL FUNCTIONED. AS DARKNESS INCREASED I HAD TO HOLD THE SWITCH IN THE HIGH BEAM POSITION SO I COULD SEE TO DRIVE SO I COULD GET HOME. FROM WHAT I COULD DETERMINE THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE IN THE WIRING TO/FROM THE MULTIFUNCTION LIGHT CONTROL SWITCH OR MAYBE IT IS THE SWITCH ITSELF ON THE STEERING COLUMN. THE FUSES AND RELAYS AND THE ALL SEEMED TO BE IN WORKING ORDER BUT THE LOW BEAM LIGHTS STILL DID NOT WORK. THIS FAILURE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME NOW. WITH DEALER PARTS COST FOR A REPLACEMENT MULTIFUNCTION LIGHT SWITCH AT $350.00 ALONE, NOT TO MENTION LABOR COSTS AND THE CRITICALITY OF LIGHTS WHILE DRIVING MEANS THIS SHOULD BE A REQUIRED SAFETY RECALL ITEM. I HAVE SEARCHED MECHANICAL FORUMS ON THIS SUBJECT AND THERE ARE MANY SUCH OCCURRENCES DOCUMENTED, BUT GM DOES NOT SEEM TO THINK THERE IS A COMMON PROBLEM OR A REASON TO INVESTIGATE AND FIX THE MALFUNCTION. THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE AT GM DEALERSHIPS NATIONWIDE. SMELLING BURNING PLASTIC IS AN INDICATION OF A SERIOUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WHICH COULD LEAD TO AN ONBOARD FIRE IN THE CAR IN ADDITION TO CAUSING INJURY AND OR DEATH FROM A SUDDEN LIGHT OUTAGE AT NIGHT. AGAIN, I REQUEST A NATIONWIDE SAFETY RECALL AND REPAIR BE INITIATED AS IT APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

TONIGHT, MY HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON. I EVENTUALLY FLICKED THE LOW/HIGH BEAM SWITCH AND THEY CAME ON. ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO, I WAS DRIVING HOME AT ABOUT 55 MPH IN THE DARK ON A SINGLE LANE COUNTRY ROAD. THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, THEY CAME BACK ON FOR A MOMENT, AND THEN THEY WENT COMPLETELY OUT. I DROVE HOME SLOWLY WITH THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON. IF I HAD NOT BEEN ALERT, I COULD HAVE EASILY CRASHED. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2005 CHEVY IMPALA IN 2008. THE FIRST TIME I WAS DRIVING ON A STATE HWY, A VERY TWISTY ROAD . I HAD MY HEADLIGHTS ON HIGH, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIRST CURVE MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT, I JUMPED THE BRAKE AND FLIPPED THE LEVER BACK AND FORTH AND THEY FINALLY CAME BACK ON LOW BEAM, I ALMOST WREAKED. THE SECOND TIME I WAS ON THE FREEWAY JUST COMING INTO THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN, HEAVY TRAFFIC, I FLIPPED THE LEVER BACK AND FORTH AND THE LOW BEAMS CAME BACK ON. I SPOKE WITH A DEALER WHO SAID THEY HAD NO COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL. IT HAS HAPPENED TOO MANY TIMES AND CAN'T BE PINNED TO ANY PARTICULAR TIMES, NOW I DRIVE WITH MY LIGHTS ON LOW ALL THE TIME. I WENT ONLINE AND FOUND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. SOME HAD TO REPLACE THEIR WHOLE STEERING COLUMN TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I CAN'T AFFORD TO DO THIS, BUT THE CAR ISN'T SAFE. IT KEEPS DOING IT AND ONE OF THESE TIMES I WILL FORGET AND IT WILL CATCH ME UNAWARE AND I WILL WRECK. *TR

AT APPROX 100,00KM THE HIGH BEAM IS ACTIVATED WHEN SIGNALING A RIGHT TURN. WHEN KEEPING THE HANDLE IN CERTAIN POSITION THE HIGH BEAM GOES OFF BUT COMES BACK AGAIN WHEN RELEASED. LATELY REMAINS ON WHEN THE SWITCH RETURNS TO MID POSITION. NEVER EXPERIENCED WHEN SIGNALING TO THE LEFT. THIS BEHAVIOR MAY BLIND THE INCOMING CARS' DRIVERS AND ALSO DISTRACTS MY ATTENTION FROM THE ROAD. I DID NOT DO ANYTHING YET FOR FIXING THE DEFECT. *TR