2004 Chevrolet Impala

THE DAY I BOUGHT THE CAR USED, THE LIGHTS WENT OUT ON THE WAY HOME. AFTER COMPLAINING ON A CHEVY FORUM, I BOUGHT A USED MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH WHICH I LEARNED WAS A COMMON PROBLEM IN IMPALAS AND MONTI CARLOS. THIS YEAR IN SPRING (SORRY I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT DATE OR MILES) THAT PART MALFUNCTIONED WHEN ON BRIGHT. THE SALVAGE YARD WAS SOLD OUT IN USED SWITCHES BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A COMMON DEFECT AND I COULDN'T AFFORD A NE,W ONE. WHILE DRIVING ON DIM I HIT TWO DEER WHICH CAUSED $100S OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGES. I COMPLAINED CHEVY SAID THEY KNEW IT WAS A PROBLEM AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE PART MYSELF. I PAID OVER $300 TO REPLACE WITH MY LABOR. THEN MY LIGHTS WENT OUT ON DIM. CHEVY DID THE MATH, ITS CHEAPER TO TAKE THE CHANCE O SOMEONE DYING AND SUING THEN TO TAKE AWAY THIS MONEY SOURCE FOR DEALERS *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT TWO WEEKS LATER THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS ILLUMINATED INDEPENDENTLY AND REMAINED ILLUMINATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS POWERED OFF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BATTERY HAD TO BE DISENGAGED IN ORDER TO SHUT OFF THE HIGH BEAMS HEADLIGHTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE HIGH BEAMS SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH LIGHTS FOR THE PAST 6 MONTHS. FIRST STARTED OUT WHERE IF I HAD MY BRIGHT LIGHTS ON EVERY NOW AND AGAIN ALL MY LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE BRIGHT LIGHTS WOULDN'T STAY ON SO HAD TO HOLD TO KEEP THEM ON. THEN IT CAME A PERIOD OF TIME WHERE ALL MY LIGHTS WOULD NOT WORK. ON FRIDAY, JUNE 27TH 2014, I WAS AT WORK AND HAPPENED TO LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND NOTICED MY LIGHTS WERE ON. WENT OUTSIDE TO SEE IF CAR WAS DEAD. WHEN I GOT IN THE CAR I COULD SEE THAT MY STEERING COLUMN WAS SMOKING (ON FIRE) COMING FROM THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH. THE BRIGHT LIGHTS HAD STUCK TO ON SOMEHOW AND THIS IS WHY I COULD SEE THAT MY LLIGHTS WERE ON. I UNHOOKED THE BATTERY AND THE SMOKING STOPPED. WHEN I WENT TO HOOK BATTERY BACK UP THERE WASN'T ANY MORE SMOKING BUT MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE GOING AS FAST AS THEY COULD AND I COULDN'T SWITCH OR DO ANYTHING TO MAKE THEM STOP. THE HAZARDS OR ALL MY LIGHTS WERE BLINKING ON/OFF REPEATEDLY. NOTHING I COULD DO TO STOP. AS OF NOW I'M DRIVING WITHOUT ANY FUSE TO THE WIPERS AND THE LIGHTS WORK DURING THE DAYTIME BUT WILL NOT WORK AT ALL AFTER DARK. I'VE BEEN TOLD THE PART THAT IS NEEDED TO REPLACE THIS IS A MULTI-FUNCTIONAL SWITCH. HOWEVER, THIS IS GOING TO COST $800 TO REPLACE. MANY COMPLAINTS OUT THERE ABOUT THE SAME THING HAPPENING TO SAME YEAR/MAKE/MODEL CAR AND NO RECALL?? *JS

HEAD LIGHTS WILL NOT TURN ON, BLINKERS WILL NOT TURN ON, TRACTION CONTROL TURNS ITSELF OF AND YOU CANNOT TURN IT BACK ON. THE FOLLOWING DASH LIGHTS ILLUMINATE. CHECK ENGINE, BATTERY AND ABS. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR ABOUT A YEAR ON AND OFF. STARTED AT ABOUT 80,000 MILES. SOMETIMES ONLY ONE OF THE ABOVE CONDITIONS OCCUR AND SOMETIMES ALL AT ONCE. PROBLEMS HAPPEN DAY AND NIGHT, DAMP OR DRY, USUALLY ONLY OCCUR DURING ENGINE START UP, BUT OCCASIONALLY HAS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING. I FOUND A TRICK TO MAKE THE HEAD LIGHTS COME ON (TURNING ON AND OFF MY HAZARD LIGHTS). MY FOG LIGHTS ARE NOT AFFECTED BY THESE ISSUES. I HAVE HAD THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR TESTED MULTIPLE TIMES BECAUSE THAT IS THE DIRECTION EVERYONE POINTS ME TOO. BOTH ARE GOOD. I SEE OTHERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. I HOPE THIS GETS LOOK INTO. *TR

THE TURN SIGNALS STOPPED WORKING. AFTER PANICKING AND TURNING ON HAZARD LIGHTS, THEN AGAIN TRYING THE TURN SIGNALS, DID THEY DECIDE TO BEGIN WORKING AGAIN. NOW THE TURN SIGNALS RANDOMLY DECIDE TO STOP WORKING, AND MUST USE THE HAZARD TRICK AGAIN TO GET THEM WORKING. ALMOST CAUSED NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS, AND CAUSED A TRAFFIC TICKET. CAN NOT FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM AS TO WHY THEY DO THIS, BUT READ UP ON MANY DIFFERENT SITES THAT MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME DIFFICULTIES. VERY DANGEROUS FOR PEOPLE WITH CHILDREN. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE WITH MY BRIGHT LIGHTS ON AND SUDDENLY MY HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF. I REACHED DOWN AND PULLED THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON THINKING IT WAS THE DAY TIME DRIVING LIGHTS, BUT THEY STILL DID NOT TURN ON. IN A PANIC I FLIPPED THE DIMMER SWITCH ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND THEY CAME ON. SINCE THEN I HAPPENED AGAIN WITH MY BRIGHTS ABOUT A MONTH AGO BUT HAPPENED 4 TIMES LAST NIGHT, WITH MY BRIGHTS AND DIMS, ON MY 6 MILE DRIVE HOME. I HAVE OWNED DOZENS OF CARS IN MY LIFE, MOST CHEVROLET, AND NEVER HAD A FAILURE OF THIS MAGNITUDE WHILE DRIVING. THIS SEEMS TO BE A SERIOUS FAILURE AND A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN FOR ME AS I HAVE TEENAGERS THAT DRIVE MY CAR AND MAY NOT HAVE BE ABLE TO SAFELY RESOLVE AN ISSUE LIKE THIS WITH OUT INJURY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ACTIVATED WHEN THEY SUDDENLY FAILED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO USE THE HIGH BEAMS HOWEVER, THEY ALSO FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 210,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 214,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.