Problems · by component
2014 Chevrolet Impala exterior lighting problems
44 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2014 Chevrolet Impala cite exterior lighting, 7% of all 638 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
44
7% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the exterior lighting
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The lighting is unsafe at night, the light does not light up the road so you can safely see what is is front of you, ITs a major design flaw in the light housing, upgraded to a brighter bulb does not help.”
“The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that water was entering the rear tail lamps, causing the amplifier and radio to fail to operate. The contact was concerned that the failure could cause an electrical fire. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the tail lamp gasket needed to be sealed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 14047 (Tail Lamp Gasket Seal); however, the vehicle was not covered under the TSB. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.”
“Multiple electric concerns...airbag light, park assist, inop camera, and losing communication with BCM(?) Found multiple communication codes for a variety of different modules. Found main source to be from the "side detection modules". Found fuse 62 blown underhood. Inspected side detection modules and found "a lot of corrosion" on both modules and connectors. Needs side detection kit. I purchased the used impala on 12/19/2020 with 63,897 miles. The first time this issue was a concern was on 07/02/2022 at Merit chevrolet (MN). Mileage was at 83144 at that time. Diagnosis ... recommend both rear side detection modules and harness? According to Special coverage adjustment #N172097060 it is known to be subject to "water intrusion"? This problem affects the whole electrical system which includes airbag function. Why does this safety concern have a limited coverage time? According to the "Special Coverage" document, there was an 80000 mile timeline? This appears to be an ongoing issue with this year, make, and model and my feeling is that a "special coverage" is denying the safety problem and putting it on the consumer?”
“side detection module has falled... yes it is available for inspection... my wife got locked in the car on a 80 plus degree day and could not get out,doors would not open,trunk release would not open trunk so she could crawl there the back seat,sunroof would not open,power steering periodically feels like there is no power stearing, dash lights periodically shut off when driving.. Yes, morries forest lake chevrolet and cadilac.forest lake. mn... no it has not been inspected by anyone but the dealer...There were no warning lights untill 51,000 miles or 8 months ago”
“Driving at night my car headlights/instrument panel shut off on their own. I couldn’t see had to slam my brakes and pull over. Nothing I tried would turn them on. After almost a minute each time they just came back on theirselves. After googling this seems to be a known problem with Chevy impalas but no solution. This is highly dangerous. There were no warning lights that came on or anything. I was able to still drive the car, turn it on and off, etc but they wouldn’t come on until they did on their own. Thank goodness no one was behind me or something in front of me cause I was on a none lighted 55 mph road”
“Side detection module malfunction. Causing electrical issues and error codes. When happening Headlights Turn on and off without control. Huge safety problem when driving at night!”
Showing 6 of 44 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.