There are 50 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2001 Chevrolet Impalain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
BOTH HEADLIGHTS UNEXPECTEDLY TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING. FLICKER ON AND OFF AND THEN GO OFF. USED TO BE ABLE TO LET THE CAR SIT A FEW HOURS AND THEY WOULD WORK AGAIN. NOW 2 NIGHTS AGO THEY WENT OFF WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT....WON'T COME BACK ON AT ALL. PARKING LIGHTS STAY ON, TURN SIGNALS, AND 4 WAY FLASHERS STILL WORK, PULL SWITCH LEVER BACK FOR BRIGHT LIGHTS AND BOTH HEADLIGHTS WORK IN BRIGHT MODE AS LONG AS YOU KEEP HOLDING BACK ON THE LEVER. THIS WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT. HAVE HAD IT LOOKED AT SEVERAL TIMES AND PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. REPLACED HAZARD FLASHERS SWITHC, REPLACED MUTLIFUNCTION SWITCH, REPLACED HEADLIGHTS SWITCH. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. NOW LIGHTS ARE OFF AND WON'T COME BACK ON NO MATTER WHAT WE TRY.....LOOKING ON THE INTERNET THIS IS HUGE PROBLEM FOR IMPALA'S COVERING ALOT OF YEARS, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE WHEN YOU LOOSE YOUR HEADLIGHTS TOTALLY AT NIGHT WHILE DRIVING.......ONCE THEY GO OUT/OFF IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU STOP, PARK, MOVE, BANG ON THEM, WIGGLE WIRES AND CONNECTORS, THEY MAY OR MAY NOT COME BACK ON. SO FAR, THIS TIME, OURS ARE NOT COMING BACK ON......CAN'T KEEP THROWING MONEY AWAY TO A DEALER WHEN THEY CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM EITHER. THEY JUST WANT TO START THROWING PARTS AT IT AND HOPEFULLY THEY FINALLY FIX IT....THAT HASN'T WORKED SO FAR EITHER.....
ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS I'VE BEEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WHEN I GO FROM BRIGHT TO DIM MY HEADLIGHTS SHUT OFF. THEY COME BACK ON SHORTLY AFTER, IT'S ONLY MY HEADLIGHTS AS I CAN SEE MY SIDE LAMPS ILLUMINATED. QUICKLY GOING BACK TO BRIGHT SEEMED TO BRING THEM ON QUICKER THE SECOND TIME THEY WENT OUT. THESE TWO ISSUES BOTH OCCURRED AS I WAS MEETING ANOTHER VEHICLE AND WENT FROM BRIGHT TO DIM. THEY OCCURRED OVER THE TIME PERIOD OF TWO MONTHS.
THE TURN SIGNALS STOP WORKING AND COULD POSE A SAFETY HAZARD AS TO NOT BEING ABLE TO SIGNAL WHICH DIRECTION YOU TRAVELING TO. SO OTHER DRIVERS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT YOUR ARE MAKING A TURN AND COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON MANY GM VEHICLES NOT JUST THE IMPALA, SUCH AS GRAND AM, MONTE CARLO, OLDSMOBILE ALERO, AND MORE. THE PROBLEM IS IN THE HAZARD SWITCH RELAY WHICH ALSO CONTROLS THE TURN SIGNALS WHICH IS A DEFECTIVE PART AND PREMATURELY FAILS. GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD MAKE A RECALL WITH HOW MANY VEHICLES HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND IS A KNOW ISSUE ON MANY OF THERE CARS.
TURN/ HAZARD SIGNALS INTERMITTENLY MALFUNCTION. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND THE INTERIOR LIGHTS CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED AND WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED DIAGNOSTIC TEST BUT COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE; THE CODES DISPLAYED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000.
ON THE 2001 IMPALA THE TURN SIGNALS WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY ON WHEN THE ISSUE HAPPENS, IT SUDDENLY STARTS. WHAT ACTUALLY CAUSES IT IS UNKNOWN. SOMETIMES PUSHING THE HAZARD BUTTON SEVERAL TIMES WILL CORRECT THE ISSUE TEMPORARILY. THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THIS ISSUE IS TO $400+ TO REPLACE THE SWITCH ON A WELL KNOWN ISSUE AFFECTING 1000'S OF IMPALA OWNERS OVER MANY YEARS OF THE DESIGN. *TR
THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM AND ABS LIGHTS COME ON IN MY CAR AND I HAVE HAD EVERYTHING REPLACED THAT THE MECHANIC HAS TOLD ME TOO AND ITS STILL ON. THIS IS ON EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR. THE ABS BEING ON IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I HAVE KIDS. PLEASE THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ON THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF CAR CHEVY IMPALA 2001 - 2002. *TR
2001 CHEVY IMPALA HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT ON OUR WAY HOME FROM THE FIRE WORKS ON JULY 4TH. LUCKY THE COP STOPPED US AT THE CORNER WHILE DIRECTING TRAFFIC. THE MULTISWITCH HAS GONE OUT. *TR
2001 IMPALA. PRESSED UNLOCK ON VEHICLE REMOTE AT 4:30 AM. THE HEADLIGHTS WERE SUPPOSED TO COME ON AND DID NOT. I TRIED THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH, AND STILL NO HEADLIGHTS. TWO DAYS LATER, THE HEADLIGHTS CAME ON MOMENTARILY, THEN WENT OUT. THE HEADLIGHTS HAVEN'T WORKED SINCE. I TALKED TO A MECHANIC THAT AGREED THAT THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH HAS GONE BAD AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT. HE HAS REPLACE QUITE A FEW. *TR
ON MY 2001 IMPALA, THE TURN SIGNALS SOMETIME FAIL TO OPERATE - I HAVE FOUND THAT I CAN TURN ON THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS AND THEN DISENGAGE THEM TO RESTART NORMAL TURN SIGNALS. INSTRUMENT LIGHTS ALSO DIM AT TIMES MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO READ SPEED OR ANY OTHER INSTRUMENTS - PROBLEMS DO NOT NECESSARILY OCCUR TOGETHER BUT CAN AND IT DOES AT TIMES - RANDOM IN PROBLEM OCCURRENCE I ALSO HAVE A GAS GAUGE PROBLEM WHERE IT WILL READ FULL WHEN IT IS NOT AND SHOW DIFFERENT AMOUNTS. NOW IT IS STARTING TO SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING IT WILL HOWEVER RESTART. BUT SOMETIMES SHUTDOWN AFTER A COUPLE OF RESTARTS BEFORE IT STAYS RUNNING. THIS HAS OCCURRED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS AND APPEARS TO BE GETTING WORSE; MILEAGE APPROX 105,000. *TR
THE TURN SIGNAL ON MY 2001 CHEVY IMPALA INTERMITTENTLY DOES NOT WORK. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM, CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS WHEN DRIVING. THIS PROBLEM IS THE SAME AS THE RECALL ON THE CHEVY MALIBU LISTED BELOW, RECALL ID # 03V327000 - EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:SWITCH. PLEASE ADD THIS RECALL TO THE CHEVY IMPALA BEFORE MANY SERIOUS ACCIDENTS OCCUR. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED AND WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE AGAIN. THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD TAKE TEN MINUTES OR THE NEXT DAY TO ILLUMINATE. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY ARE INSTALLING NEW PARTS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000. UPDATED 05/05/09 *BF THE DIMMER SWITCH WAS REPLACED. UPDATED 05/07/09.*JB
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TURN SIGNALS DID NOT FUNCTION. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 144,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 85,000.
HEADLIGHT DIMMER SWITCH CAUGHT ON FIRE AND BURNED WIRING. *TR
THE TURN SIGNALS AND BRAKE LIGHTS QUIT WORKING IN MY 2001 CHEVY IMPALA. AFTER SEARCHING ON LINE TO SEE HOW TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM I AM FINDING THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO IS HAVING OR HAS HAD THIS ISSUE HAPPEN TO THEM. I AM ALSO FINDING OUT THAT IT IS BECAUSE OF A BAD TURN SIGNAL SWITCH LOCATED ON THE STEERING COLUMN. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE AT A RED LIGHT, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ACTIVATE THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH AND IT FAILED TO OPERATE. HE BELIEVED THAT THE BULBS OR THE FUSE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED; HOWEVER, THEY WERE OPERABLE. THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH WOULD NOT OPERATE UNLESS THE CONTACT TURNED THE HAZARD LIGHT SWITCH ON AND OFF. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,500 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 91,100.
HEADLIGHTS WENT OFF FOR SEVERAL SECONDS,AT NIGHT, AND CAME BACK ON WORKING THE DIMMER LEVEL. THANK GOD WE WERE NOT IN HEAVY INTERSTATE TRAFFIC. NO MANUFACTURE SHOULD BE ALLOW DESIGN HEADLIGHT CIRCUITS THAT CAN MALFUNCTION THROUGH FAULTY SWITCHES. WHY WERE THE ALLOWED TO DEFER FROM THE OLD WAY GOING STRAIGHT FROM BATTERY? MY REPAIR SOURCE INDICATES THIS IS NOT AN NEW PROBLEM . I UNDERSTAND THERE COULD BE PROBLEMS WITH THE WIRING PLUGS OVERHEATING ,SINCE THERE IS A "JUMPER "SUPPLIED WITH REPLACEMENT. FIVE DAY ORDER REPLACEMENT .ORIGINAL OWNER *TR
THE TURN SIGNALS/ HAZARD WARNING FLASHERS WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THE BRAKE LIGHTS DO NOT WORK WHEN THE TURN SIGNAL IS ACTIVATED WHEN THEY ARE NOT WORKING. THIS IS ONLY ON THE SIDE THAT THE TURN SIGNAL IS TURNED TO AND THIS ONLY OCCURS WHEN THE TURN SIGNALS ARE NOT WORKING. THEY SEEM TO WORK BETTER WHEN IT IS COOL AND THEY SEEM TO FAIL MORE OFTEN WHEN IT IS WARM OR HOT. FREQUENTLY THE TURN SIGNALS SEEM TO WORK EARLY IN THE DAY AND THEY QUIT AS THE DAY GETS WARMER. THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ANY OTHER CORRELATION TO WHEN THEY WORK. SOME MORNINGS THEY DO NOT WORK AND THEN AFTER I PARK THEY MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT WORK WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED. WHEN THE TURN SIGNALS WORK NORMALLY THERE IS NO PROBLEM. WHEN THEY DO NOT WORK THE BRAKE LIGHT ON THE SIDE THAT SHOULD BE SIGNALING QUITS WORKING WHEN THE TURN SIGNALS ARE ACTIVATED BUT NOT WORKING. WHEN THEY ARE NOT WORKING THE BRAKE LIGHTS DO NOT WORK CORRECTLY IF THE TURN SIGNAL IS ACTIVATED. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE HEADLIGHTS, TAIL LIGHTS, AND INTERIOR LIGHTS WOULD FLICKER INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT HEARD A CLICKING NOISE AND THE LIGHTS DIMMED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 27,200.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TURN SIGNAL WORKS PERIODICALLY. THE TURN SIGNAL MODULE WAS REPLACED, BUT STILL WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 137,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000. UPDATED 07/29/08 *BF UPDATED 07/29/08
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026