84convertablegt

I noticed that there is a very common problem with 2006-up Impala rear defrosters not working. Mine was one of them. The problem is very evident once you find it. Obviously Chevy, in all of their infinite wisdom decided that the defroster circuit in the 06-up Impala's didnt need to be fused. They also used too small of a connector for the high current defroster wires. This quickly burns out. It really should be a recall due to the fire hazard. Enough people must not have died for Chevrolet to care.

If you remove the passenger side kick panel where the inside fuse box is, you will see a white connector below the fuse box. Disconnect the white connector. If your defroster isnt working and you dont have 12V at the rear window, your problem is most likely that this white connector burned out. After disconnecting the connector you should see something similar to what I have shown below.



Obviously this is the problem. A burnt, melted connector. What I did was cut the large purple wire on the engine side and cut the large black wire on the rear side of the connector. I used high quality crimp connectors with heat sealing ends and then wrapped them in tape. I added a 30amp inline fuse to protect the circuit from doing this again. Make sure the wiring you use it large enough to support the defroster. I used a wiring kit for a small amp to make sure it was large enough.




I then tucked everything in nice and neat and placed the fuse in a place where it can be easily reached.



I sure hope this write up helps people out. I know that when I searched for this problem, it seems like everyone's defroster didnt work, but no one had the solution. People kept giving dumb, generic advice. I only found one correct answer, which was a one liner. Thats why I decided to take some pictures.

mjmihalka

I have a 2006 Impala - and the rear window defroster eventually went out. I finally got around to see if I could fix and searched the internet for advice. It seems a lot of Impala owners have this problem.

After reading the post above, I decided to go straight to the connector and have a look. Upon inspection, it turned out that the connector was burnt, identically to what is shown in the pictures above. I decided to install exactly the same fix, and the defroster works fine now.

Obviously this is a design defect. I want to thank the person who posted this informtation with the excellent pictures and details of the fix - it saved me a lot of time and/or expense!

Mike

Chandler327

Awesome write up! I will check tonight if this is my problem. Pretty sure it is. I'll be doing the exact same repair. Thanks!

Chandler327

Rear defrost is now working. Repair took about an hour. Again, great write up!

donmateo

Nice write-up! Thank you!

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Check_Six

Absolutely outstanding! Thank you so much. I just bought a 2007 Impala and joined the group and my connector looked just like the one in the pictures. Fixed it with no troubles at all thanks to your post!

07LT

Just did this fix! As a new Impala owner, Thank you very much!

papa

Thanks for finding the problem. I removed the kick panel and pulled the connertor out. Did not have to take apart the connector the outside is scorched do I am sure you are right.Plan to dix right away will let you knao results

nikki8690

What if the problem is actually with the connection on the back windshield? Mine has completed disconnected and was hanging down in my 2004 Impala. We tried taping it back together with wire tape but it didn't hold. It also affects the effectiveness of my radio antenna. Is there a patch/solder kit to repair this problem? If not, any suggestions?

Thanks

mikepemberton

Thanks Alot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great write up Fixed my problem

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kingnutin

Um, so I did this fix, was fine for about a month. Now the in-line fuse holder caught fire, wtf? I used a larger gauge of wire, and a 30 amp fuse, how is that even possible? What is the root problem that is driving that much current to the rear defroster? And obviously, how does a 30 amp fuse catch on fire instead of popping?

__________________
1978 Caprice Classic Landau
350 2-bolt, stock 4bbl
Stock rebuilt TH350
Edelbrock performer cam + intake
Dual 2 1/2" Flowmaster exhuast (waiting to be installed)
Edelbrock IAS Classic shocks
2.41 Open carrier performance!
16x8 American Racing Baja's with 225/60/16 Pirelli P5's

kingnutin

No edit button... I swapped the burned fuse holder, soldered connections, put in a 20 amp fuse this time and turned the defroster on. Monitoring the fuse holder with a temp gun, I watched it climb to 107f before shutting the defroster back off, there is obviously a larger issue.

__________________
1978 Caprice Classic Landau
350 2-bolt, stock 4bbl
Stock rebuilt TH350
Edelbrock performer cam + intake
Dual 2 1/2" Flowmaster exhuast (waiting to be installed)
Edelbrock IAS Classic shocks
2.41 Open carrier performance!
16x8 American Racing Baja's with 225/60/16 Pirelli P5's

Jeff C

A couple of things.

First off the repair advice is spot on!! THANK YOU!

I discovered that on my 06' impala there is a purple wire on both sides of the plug, not black on one side and purple on the other, BOTH SIDES PURPLE.

There could be variations of the color of wire. It is apparent though which wire to cut on both sides.

This fix took me exactly 14 minutes to complete and is VERY easy to do.

Taking the trim off the floor side, opposite of the door, be careful with the rear most clip. The clip tends to want to come off the plastic. If it does, pry out the clip from the vehicle and first put it on the trim, then back on the vehicle.

Any questions, just send me a message. This is fresh in my mind cause I just did the repair.........


Good luck!!

kingnutin

Well I'm glad yours didn't catch on fire after the fix, but I wish someone would chime in.

__________________
1978 Caprice Classic Landau
350 2-bolt, stock 4bbl
Stock rebuilt TH350
Edelbrock performer cam + intake
Dual 2 1/2" Flowmaster exhuast (waiting to be installed)
Edelbrock IAS Classic shocks
2.41 Open carrier performance!
16x8 American Racing Baja's with 225/60/16 Pirelli P5's

cvanhuis4

This worked for me. Took less than 10 minutes. Great write-up!