Problems with 2004 Chevrolet Impala EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The toggle between low beam and high beam quit working, it won't stay in high beam, but that didn't affect my life very much. but suddenly, the driving lights went out on this 2004 chevy impala. this is dangerous, not just a minor inconvenience, and now i cannot drive at night at all, dramatically affecting my life. the part is extremely expensive to replace, between $550 and $800, and that seems to rise to the level of a manufacturer responsibility, given the similar consumer items that have switches that perform satisfactorily far longer in the life of a product. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the headlights failed sporadically. the contact mentioned that the were replaced as a temporary remedy but it failed to repaired the problem. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 200,000.

2004 chevrolet impala 3.4l v6, 70,000 miles. right turn signal intermittent failure started occurring at around 65,000 miles - interior dash turn signal indicator blinks rapidly but the actual turn signal does not flash at all. i checked all lamps and fuses then replaced the hazard switch as suggested by some car forums but the problem remains! *tr

Head lights went out completely on car. the only way to have head light is to pull the bright light switch back and hold it. so one hand for bright light and one for steering. so with on coming traffic its either the bright lights or no lights. happened on a very dark night on a country road. could have been a very bad accident. lucky that my 3 small children where not with me

I just had my second multi-function switch (headlight dimmer, turn signal, cruise, wiper/washer) fail on this car for the same reason resulting in complete loss of headlights. this is a very common issue as seen by numerous bulletin board postings. i dissected the original switch to determine if this could be fixed. it became quite obvious what was happening. the contacts on the hi/lo beam portion of the switch foul and overheat. this switch had melted plastic from the switch housing that had flowed over the contacts and prevented proper switch operation. this is an incredibly dangerous situation that manifests itself with little or no warning. this overheating is obviously due to poor engineering that has resulted in undersized contacts that foul due to relatively high load currents in the headlight circuit. *tr

There have been numerous occurrences of this incident during the last year; the latest being last night. last night, i was running somewhere between 55 and 60 mph on a very dark night with my bright lights on when all of a sudden my headlights went out. the instrument panel lights remained lit. after frantically activating the steering column bright/dim switch, the dim lights came back on. this is a very dangerous situation because we live down long, curvy mountain back roads that are not lit. this is a very serious safety issue that is going to get someone killed. my research reveals that there have been untold numbers of identical incidents involving the 2004 impala. i am not going to pay a tax payer bailed out general motors to fix a design related safety issue. before i do, i will contact my attorney and initiate a class action law suit. is it going to take the needless death of many people to get gm to fix this problem? hello out there. is anyone listening?

Headllghts go off while driviing. as of now they still come back on when switching the low beam to high beam switch. very dangerous problem. cannot drive car when dark. will cost about $600 to repair.*cw

2004 impala headlights go out unexpectedly while driving at night but will come back on if the dimmer switch is used..dash lights and headlights dim when stopped at traffic light. *tr

Security light comes on while driving after car is turned off it wont start unless i turn on the ignition switch and let it sit for 20 minutes then the car will start. turn signals lights rarely works properly and the check engine light stays on i've made the repairs under the codes and the check engine light is still on this is dealing with the emission testing. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. the contact was driving approximately 55 mph at night on normal road conditions with the headlights activated. suddenly, both headlights failed to operate. the driver was able to pull over to the side of the road with extreme caution. after several attempts, the headlights began to function. the vehicle was able to resume normal operation. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

Headlights went out completely after dark at 55 mph .the problem is in the quality of the high /low beam selector i was told .i am replacing the third switch this week 3/16/11 since 09/20/09 . this to me seems to be a gm safety problem which i think should be a mfg recall . have owned many of vehicles and never totally lost headlights . the cost is also unheard of can be $500 or more

Total headlight failure while driving at 65 mph on u.s. highway 287 north of ft collins, co. the failure occurred when changing from low to high beams on the headlights. this has happened many times since the first time last fall but we now have the fog lamps on so when they fail we at least have some light though it is minimal. we then have to flip the hi-lo switch several times to get the low beams back on. there has been occasion that after we get the high beams to work after a few minutes they will just go out completely. i have researched this problem online and have found there are probably hundreds of people that have had similar problems with the multiswitch gm used on 2000-2005 vehicles. the cost to replace this switch is outrageous $300.00- $600.00 so i'm sure there are a lot of vehicles on the road that pose a hazard due to this faulty switch. my girlfriend who owns this car lives on a narrow winding mountain road and has had these headlight failures in the middle of curves and it is very scary for her and passengers. if you could investigate this situation i would greatly appreciate it. *tr

Low beams are no longer operable on the car. seems to be a running theme with the chevy impala cars. 2004 chevy impala i have already spent more in repairs than to purchase the vehicle. transmission, front drive line and now my passlock locks me out of the car- car won't turn on for sometimes 3 days. lights quit working about one month ago i live in hawaii and can't get my car to pass safety inspection to get my sticker so i now have a car with 60,000 miles that can't be driven on the road, can't be sold. impala's are money sucking dangerous lemon vehicles. i can't afford to fix it can't sell it so now what the hell am i supposed to do with this car???????????? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. he stated that the two front headlights looked as if there were frost on them. the manufacturer stated that all headlights in 2001 model year and beyond were equipped with plastic lenses. he stated that the new design of the headlights was a safety issue because of his age and the ability to have sufficient lighting. the failure and current mileages were approximately 51,000. the vin was not accepted. updated 09/16/09 *bf the consumer stated sand would blow on the headlight cover which limited visibility. updated 09/17/09

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. he stated that the two front headlights looked as if there were frost on them. the manufacturer stated that all headlights in 2001 model year and beyond were equipped with plastic lenses. he stated that the new design of the headlights was a safety issue because of his age and the ability to have sufficient lighting. the failure and current mileages were approximately 51,000. the vin was not accepted. updated 09/16/09 *bf updated 09/17/09

The headlights on my 2004 chevy impala randomly go out at night without any warning. this seems to be caused by a defective dimmer switch. the only way to get the lights back on is by activating/flicking the dimmer switch so as to switch between high/low beams. no significant events led up to this problem. it appeared randomly and without any warning. this problem occurred roughly once every two weeks throughout several months until the dimmer switch had completely failed. approximately halfway through the time period from onset of the problem until failure of the switch, the switch itself began to feel odd. it would allow the headlights to change beam without actually clicking into position. during the latter half of the failure period, the light failure seemed consistent with the improper operation of the switch. the switch now is completely failed with my lights stuck on low beam. i can pull back on the switch to activate the high beams, but they do not remain on when i release the switch. the lights go back to low beam. i am currently in the process of changing the switch which is proving very costly. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. while driving approximately 55 mph at night, the high beam headlights failed to operate when activated. the contact's visibility was extremely poor and she pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road. she had to manually hold the dimmer switch while driving to ensure the activation of the headlights. the vehicle was able to be driven normally, but has not been repaired. the vin was not accepted by the system. the failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 70,000. updated 5/26/09 *cn updated 05/28/09.*jb

My 2004 impala has problems with it's light/dimmer switch. one has to click the handle twice in order to dim/brighten the lights. a couple of time the dash lights and headlights all went completely out when i tried to dim/brighten the lights. this is a hazard. there should be a recall!!!!! *tr

The headlights keep cutting out with increased frequency with all exterior lights including the dash lights. also, the speedometer will stop working and just keep increasing until it points straight down. both have happened several times. *tr

Driving on a dark rural road at night and tried to put my lights on high beam. the lights went totally out when i tried to put them on high beam. previously during the past 3 months they have flickered when i went to put them on high beam but did not go totally out. i have tried several more times to put them on high beam and the lights go out totally each time so i do not dare to try to put them on high beam now at all. i have called a dealership to have this looked into. they say they will have to test the car first then take the steering column apart and probably replace the switch. estimated cost up to $1000.00 my car has only 27,499 miles on it and i bought it brand new in 2004. *tr

The headlights go completely out occasionally when switching on the high beams. it has done this intermittently for some time. they will come on when you switch them again. the car is a 2004 chevrolet impala ss. it first started it about 2 yrs ago. *tr

While driving at night my high beams will suddenly shut off. if i hit the dim/bright switch, the low beams will come back on. i have tried taking the lights off of the automatic setting but it makes no difference. it is very dangerous to be driving at night and the lights all of a sudden shut off. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. while driving approximately 45 mph in the evening, the exterior headlights on both the driver and passenger sides failed. the contact stopped the vehicle and turned the dimmer switch on and off, which allowed the exterior lights to regain power. the vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. the following day, the vehicle was driven to the dealer and they stated that the dimmer switch needed to be replaced. the dimmer switch was replaced that same day. the manufacturer stated that there was no recall; therefore, they were not liable for the repairs. the current mileage was 67,924 and failure mileage was 67,919. updated 12/30/08 *cn updated 12/30/08. *jb

No prior event. turn signal flasher ceased to function full time. it has been intermittent for several days. hazard lights nor turn signals blink. bulbs come on and stay on. no flasher. *tr

The turn signals and hazard lights no longer blink when turned on. the bulbs light up but do not blink on and off. *tr

I have a 2004 chevy impala that has had problems with warped rotors, which i had replaced. then a wheel bearing went bad. took vehicle to chevy dealer. they diagnosed it as left front hub bearing being bad. i had left front hub bearing replaced and problem wasn't fixed. turned out it was right front hub bearing that was bad, so both ended up replaced. a few weeks later "service traction system" light started coming on every day and shuts off the abs and traction control systems. outside temperature and weather conditions don't make any difference. also having problems with headlights going from high beams to dim. sometimes it takes two or three attempts before it will go from high beams to dim. i've never had these kinds of problems with chevrolet's before. i've had chevrolet's with 150,000 miles on them and have never had to replace rotors, wheel bearings, or had abs problems before, just normal maintenance. *tr

Headlights went off during driving at night. this happened eight to ten times over a period of three to four months, with lights on high beam. lights came back on when dimmer lever was activated. instrument panel remained illuminated when headlights went off. *tr

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 ...

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

2004 chevrolet impala. headlights suddenly stopped working completely while backing out of my driveway onto my road. while i was able to pull back into my driveway quickly, it would have been another story a minute later when i would have been at a busy intersection. because there was no accident or injuries, does not make this any less of a serious safety related failure of this vehicle. if the police can ticket you for not fixing one headlight when it fails, why would this not be a more serious safety problem? i had the vehicle in to the gm dealership where they determined that the multifunction switch (on the steering column) had failed. it was replaced and it cost me $786.00 canadian. my wife told me that the lights had gone out a few weeks prior to this while driving home one night. they suddenly went out for a few seconds and then came back on by themselves. i am assuming this was caused by the same malfunction.*cn

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

While applying the brakes for the first time after start up at low speeds (less than 20mph) the antilock brakes kick in when not needed. for about 2-3 seconds, there is extremely reduced braking ability. after this initial time period, the whole antilock braking system shuts down and also turns off the traction control system. once the shutdown has taken place, the car's braking system functions as if there was no antilock brakes on the vehicle. took car to dealership which indicated that the wheel sensor was bad and could be replaced for $600.00. also while driving on the interstate, noticed that the speedometer was stuck at 65mph, regardless of speed. when turned off, the vehicle still read 65mph. was unable to determine proper speed. noticed that the vehicle reset the speed 5mph lower each time the ignition switch was moved from off to on. multiple cycles of turning the ignition switch on and off finally reset the speedometer to 0mph. don't know if this is only a temporary fix for a problem that will probably get worse. although not a serious issue, the tachometer does the same thing. *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

I bought a used 2004 chevrolet impala and october 19, 2007 and a few months after i had the vehicle the speedometer stopped working. my speed odometer said i was doing forty when i got pulled over for doing 55mph, and as i pulled off and looked at the speedometer it was stuck at 40mph. also the lights go out at any given time on their own. i was driving home one night and my head lights shut off in the middle of a curve and i hit the brakes and slid off the road. this is a real safety hazard. after i fooled around with the highbeam switch for a while the lights started working again. *tw

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 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

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

I have read several complaints on forums, such as the ones on carcomplaints.com, about this issue. 2004 chevy impala... using the high beams, and suddenly its dark out side... the lights just turn off! you have to flicker the high beams a few times, and the normal lights will come back on. my lights have turned off while driving in the dark at least 400 times so far! this is going to get someone killed! everyone wants around $700 to fix the issue, i think chevy should step up and pay this! *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

The blinker switch malfunctions from bright to dim, sometimes goes black *ak.

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

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

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

Wow same problem as everyone else. speed does not register properly seems to be whenever it wants it will show speeds higher then what they are. this is a danger because speeds are guessed in school zones and highways. after a couple days speed will begin to work ok. now the blower motor and heater do not work unless you pound by the ashtray area and hopefully the air conditioning will start blowing but the heat will not come on when switched to heat. this is a safety issue living in montana when it gets below 32 and colder it would be nice this winter to thaw out the windows so i can see when driving at unknown speeds. sometimes when the air is blowing you can smell something burning. we are in drought conditions in montana and if my car were to catch on fire on side of road and continue up the mountains this could be a disaster be creating a wildfire. i am unhappy with my car which has started problems around the 30,000 mile mark. another problem is the high beam switch is needing to be clicked twice before dimming down from high beam. this is a safety issue due to blinding oncoming traffic. transmission has been like slipping into gear as well. *tr

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 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.

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 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

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet impala. while driving approximately 60 mph, the contact turned off the high beam headlights and the electrical system failed without warning. the contact had to park the vehicle and manipulate the high beam switch on the steering column in order for the lighting/electricity to return. in addition, the vehicle received a recall repair for the ignition key where the key was replaced. afterwards, when the key was in the ignition and turned, the vehicle failed to start. once the vehicle was started and the key was in the on position, the vehicle would stall without warning. the contact had to manipulate the key in the start position several times in order to start the vehicle. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the switch on the steering column and body control module failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer stated that because the vehicle was over 10 years old, they were unable to assist with the repair. the failure recurred. the failure mileage was 42,536.