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8.3

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$1,260
Average Mileage:
71,100 miles
Total Complaints:
6 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (2 reports)
  2. replace left and right side modules and harness (2 reports)
  3. cut wire harness at sensors, seal water tight (1 reports)
  4. replaced r and l rear side detections (1 reports)
2014 Chevrolet Impala electrical problems

electrical problem

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2014 Chevrolet Impala Owner Comments

problem #6

Jun 012018

Impala LS 3.6L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2014 Impala one day started sensing cars that were not there, a few days later I smelled burning wires in my garage and noticed the drivers side mirror indicator symbol intermittently lighting up after the car sat in the garage all night and was not running, definitely something was shorting out. The dealer wanted 1,200 dollars to fix it.

I pulled off the rear bumper cover, (20min) removed the sensors that were burnt out and found the wire harness was the failure. GM had zero in stock and none on back order. We all know this means an engineering change is coming to fix it so I skipped trying to fixing it, cut off the side connecting wires for the sensors then taped them tight, sealed over that with Liquid tape to make sure they were water tight and tucked them back into the sensor slots. I put it together and yes you have to cancel the error message each time you start it but after that everything works fine except you won't have side detection or burning wires in your car. Until they come up with a new wire harness I won't fix the detection system because the dealer told me they have seen cars have this reoccur after winter so some people are paying twice for this repair, not me, but those MF sensors off and seal them.

You have to take off the tires and unscrew the tail lights from the trunk but that's it, the whole thing went back together in about 30 minutes. It all snaps together like a match box car. BTY I love this car, I commute 70 miles a day, its quiet, comfortable, very fast for its size, and has a ton of room. I plan to keep it and buy another even if it means dealing with this stupid detection issue.

- car dude, Grand Rapids, US

problem #5

Mar 292017

Impala

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,408 miles

I was out of town when systems started to fail. The turn signals, lights, blinkers... the only thing that worked was the engine. I drove home during the day, which was a hazard. I had to drive very carefully, since all signals and lights were not working, so other people had no idea where I was going. Both side detectors failed, they were not covered with a warranty because I was over the 50,000 miles mark by 5408 miles. It's a very costly repair which absolutely had to be replaced in order to drive safely. I was told if a recall ever happened, I could be reimbursed. I already knew of a couple, but people did not report a complaint.

- rstrike, Neenah, US

problem #4

Mar 012019

Impala 2LT 3.6L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 102,100 miles

I'm the 2nd owner of my car. I bought it 2015 because I really liked that design and handling. Shortly after that I noticed the side detection system on the right wasn't working. Then a week later the left failed. Then the service message came on. Took it back to the dealer I got it from and it took almost a month to fix. If it wasn't for the extended coverage, I would have paid about $3k.

Fast forward to right before 100k, it happened again. But this time I did not take it to the dealer. It's been about 2 months. I looked for parts and most people do not know there is a huge website to find what you need because regular junk yards don't carry newer cars unless they're 10 yrs or older. The website is car-parts.com. So I went and got a bunch of parts on the car they had there since the car had only 10k!!!

My issues started a few days ago with the cluster acting erratic. I'll be swapping my modules this weekend since its finally decent weather and will update with the outcome. Also I'm going to seal the connectors so this don't happen for awhile. It throws check engine lights here and there I have a permanent code that won't go away but the car drives fine. Any advice, message me.

- Anthony S., Allen Park, MI, US

problem #3

Jan 012018

Impala LT V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

click to see larger images

rear side detection system failure rear side detection system failure

I have the exact same issue on my 2014 Impala LT v6. When the first sensor shorted out it started with a burning wire smell and then physical smoke coming out of my driver side taillight. Next my entire instrument cluster went dead. Car still ran but in low power mode. After Chevy told me it was not covered under my warranty and I had to pay 100% of costs. I was forced to wait on repair. I mind you at the time I only owned the car less than 60 days.

After disconnecting this sensor and replacing a fuse my car came back to life but still gets an error message on the DIC. Now my right sensor has nearly caught on fire and Chevy told me the same thing. They can not help and its not their fault. They made a module that is not waterproof and placed it on the inside of a bumper behind tires with no protection to keep water from splashing on it. They made a module and harness that does not have a properly functioning fuseable link. Otherwise the fuse would have blown before my car nearly caught on fire. Even after the fuse blew it still continued to smoke.

I have lots of evidence that Chevy has put all of our lives in danger and won't own up to it. Chevy has recently changed the part number on these modules and made them more waterproof. This proves Chevy knows they have a compromise in their electrical system and this is exactly why i have a small claims against them.

I've attached a photo of just how close me and my family came to being burnt. Contact me with any questions at plattsburghhandymen@gmail.com

- Michael S., Plattsburgh, US

problem #2

Nov 012018

Impala LT 3.6L V6 Dohc 16v Ffv

  • Automatic transmission
  • 97,000 miles

First, I will start by saying that I LOVE MY CAR. However, when my side detection monitoring system failed a few months ago I took it to a local dealer. They responded telling me that, unfortunately, the design for this sensor module/harness is completely flawed. The sensors are located in the rear bumper, with PLASTIC housing. There is no weather protection, even though these are directly behind the tires and are exposed to all weather - plus I live in IL so we're talking rain, snow, salt, etc. Of course, it's two sensors and the harness.

So the first dealership quoted me $1200. That's definitely not in my budget, so I didn't have the repair done. I could deal with not having it and ignoring the "Service Side Detection" notification. Or so I thought.

Last week, ALL of my warning lights came on - theft detection, front camera, airbag, stabilitrack, etc. My windshield wipers, turn signals, locks and headlights were all going haywire, and at one point while driving all of my gauges went to zero (no speed limit, RPM, gas gauge, anything) and my heat went out. Immediately took it to another dealership hoping that maybe my battery (factory original)/wiring might be the cause. No such luck. As it turns out the side detection modules are now corrupting all sensors and electrical systems INCLUDING my air bags!

Quoted $1250 this time, and was told that unless I approved more labor and diagnostics, that my air bags would not work until that sensor/module in the dashboard was replaced - no quote on that yet.

I have been reading tons of complaints and forums and it turns out THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM FOR GM/CHEVROLET and while I'm coming up to almost 100k miles on my 2014 Impala LT, other car owners are seeing these issues arise at 35k miles, right around the time your warranty ends. What's worse is that this EXPENSIVE repair often ends up needing to be replaced again - BECAUSE THE DESIGN HAS NOT BEEN IMPROVED AND NOTHING HAS BEEN RECALLED - but of course it isn't throwing error codes, so you'll need to pay for the parts and service, as well as diagnostic every time.

This is a MAJOR safety issue. Thankfully, side detection, while a huge plus and safety bonus is just a luxury and not critical. But the fact that it is now impacting all of my other safety sensors and systems has me reeling. I can't even rely on my airbags right now!?

I am so disappointed, frustrated and angry. GM - DO BETTER.

- Maddie B., Aurora, IL, US

problem #1

Jun 282018

Impala LTZ 3.6L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 62,000 miles

Passenger side mirror blind spot notification icon stayed on for two days straight even when the vehicle was turned off and then stopped working completely. Driver side stopped working intermittently for two weeks after and then also quit. Technician at the dealership found that both left and right side detection modules were throwing codes and the wiring harness was corroded causing the fuse to fail. Since these were modules are MOUNTED UNDER THE REAR BUMPER BEHIND THE TIRES instead of in the trunk (which is industry standard) they collect grime salt sand and moisture until they fail. BUYER BEWARE YOU DO NOT WANT THIS OPTION.

- carsplease, St. Paul, US

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