Owners have filed 8,466 complaints on the Chevrolet Impala, covering 1981–2020. The system named most often is Electrical System (909 reports). Worst years by volume: 2004, 2009, 2008; cleanest: 1981, 1985, 1983. 482 reports describe a crash, 290 a fire, 7 a death. On average the car was 5.8 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Chevrolet Impala
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 8,466 Impala complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 909 Read
Check engine light recently came on, car completely lost power and turned off during as I turned right at a light, had onstar run diagnostics, code involved the emissions system, was advised to fill up with high quality fuel, and drive with the gas cap off to correct it. I was traveling on a familiar highway at night,…
On april 2nd, 2018, I was driving to work around 4:50 a.m. Driving on the 303sb only about 7 minutes into my drive I noticed that my vehicle began to lag and stall out, I began to notice grey smoke coming from the hood and that's when I realized that my car was on fire. While trying to avoid traffic and after almost…
When my car is exposed to water (rain, a car wash) the trunk completely floods and does not drain. It has flooded so much now that my amplifier does not work. I took my vehicle to Chevy to have the known recall on this vehicle repaired but Chevy claims that they will not do anything for me. I am afraid that the car…
Steering 512 Read
I crashed heading down a hill .I crashed into a telephone pole after my car suddenly revved up,gained speed as I headed towards a telephone pole ,with loss of power steering ,brakes because my car quit after gaining speed due to the rpms amping up on their own and going down a hill. When I hit the pole,the telephone…
In motion on a city street turning left , pedal stuck brakes not working and hit by on coming car , flipped in air about a block , rolling over again and again , no air bags depleated, broken ribs, concussion, skin lacerations , bruises,glass logged in parts of body , face and feet
The contact owned a 2015 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds and attempting to make a complete stop, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle would not stop. The contact also stated that the steering wheel failed to respond causing the contact to crash into a ditch and…
Air Bags 495 Read
I was a seated driver driving to work and I tried to pass a driver in front of me that was driving reckless. As I began to pass the car they swerved towards me and I hit the gravel and lost control of the car and began to spin and hit the pavement then gravel again and began to flip several times before slamming into…
The contact owns a 2001 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, a noise emitted from the front end and the engine stalled. The driver was able to merge to the side of the road; however, the brakes failed. As a result, the vehicle continued to roll, crashed into a pole, and caught…
I was in a car accident on June 20, 2023. I was stopped in traffic and was hit in the rear and pushed into the vehicle in front of me. The air bags detonated but did not deploy. The steering wheel and both front seat side air bags had some coming but the airbag did not deploy
Power Train 332 Read
In my 006 impala ss the transmission is starting to slip. The car is around 83,000 miles when I first noticed this issue, and the vehicle wasn't doing any hard acceleration (around 20-25 miles an hour shifting from first to second gear). I am worried that I will have to pay to get it replaced
The contact owns a 2017 chevrolet impala. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle stalled and jerked forward. In addition, the emission system and check engine warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to crest chevrolet (909 w 21st st, san bernardino, ca 92405, 909-713-6481) where the battery was…
On friday, november 18, 2016 at approximately 5:20 a.m. I was parking my car in a center city parking garage. I was approximately 2 car lengths from the parking spot. I was backing my car into the spot. The car was stopped and I removed my safety belt and lowered the window. I put the car in reverse and depressed the…
Engine 241 Read
The car was 2 months old with 2800 miles and it began smoking after driving 20 minutes on the highway,when an odor began, stabilitrac light came on, power-steering failure light came on and steering became difficult, and engine burst into flames and continued to burn and melt
The contact owned a 2015 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, turned off, and unoccupied, the front of the vehicle had caught fire. The fire was extinguished by the local fire department. The fire department indicated that the failure may have occurred due to a mechanical malfunction…
The contact owns a 2015 chevrolet impala. While driving 20 mph smoke was detected from underneath the hood. Upon exiting vehicle, the contact noticed oil emerging from engine. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated the rocker arm control needed…
Electronic Stability Control (esc) 213 Read
I was driving down hwy 50 on a clear dry day and the engine lite comes on with the traction control warning, saying engine power reduced. Then the power shut off including the steering causing me to pull the car off into the dirt off the freeway. Due to this my front bumper got cracked. This problem is now a…
ABS traction control lights on intermittently for 3 years. Had this checked by dealer numerous times and was not able to diagnose a problem. The lights now stay on for the last 8 months
Stabilitrack and engine light came on at the same time with a message that said, 'engine power is reduced'. This occurred as I was driving on the highway. The vehicle gradually slowed, but I was able to maintain a speed of 55 mph. I was unable to accelerate quickly
Vehicle Speed Control 208 Read
The contact owned a 2015 chevrolet impala. The contact's wife experienced unintended vehicle acceleration while attempting to park in a church parking lot. As a result, the vehicle was involved in a front end collision. The air bags deployed. The failure occurred without warning. A police report was filed. The vehicle…
The contact owned a 2012 chevrolet impala. While reversing out of a parking lot, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to stop. As a result, the vehicle finally stopped when it crashed into an embankment. The passenger was taken to sherman elgin hospital…
Dec 2013 vehicle hit pot hole while braking at approaching intersection, after that warning lights started flashing ABS brakes/tract control/stab control, I was unable to brake, then shut down. Since then temp gauge went bad n was replaced. The 3 above dash warning lights continued intermittently, worse when it…
Service Brakes 136 Read
In february 2019 I purchased a 2018 chevy impala premier, upon driving the car I noticed that the brakes were not working like my 2018 chevy camaro but I chucked it up to the car being heavier and paid it no attention. For months I have been thinking that maybe I just need to get used to the brakes on my new car and…
October 10th, I was in an accident where I was literally an entire car length back driving with the flow of traffic at 50-55 mph, when the vehicle in front of me came to an abrupt stop on the freeway. I slammed on my brakes but my car slid straight into the back of the vehicle in front of me. It felt as if my brakes…
The car was stopped on a parking lot exit ramp. When the car ahead of me moved forward I took my foot of of the brake so I could move forward. When I applied the break to stop, the breaks did not work and I hit the car in front of me
Impala years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 6 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 7 | 3 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 9 | 10 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 16 | 7 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 15 | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 14 | 4 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 19 | 5 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 16 | 3 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 39 | 8 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 43 | 10 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 48 | 10 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 45 | 17 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 32 | 12 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 39 | 18 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 24 | 29 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 27 | 29 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 29 | 59 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 43 | 64 | |
| 1985 | Tires | — | — | |
| 1983 | Seat Belts | — | — | |
| 1981 | Electrical System | — | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 1,561 |
| Average complaints per series | 5.4 |
| Worst single series | 47 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.8 years |
A model average of 5.4 hides a worst series at 47. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Impala?
By complaint volume, 2004, 2009, 2008 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Impala years are the cleanest?
1981, 1985, 1983 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Chevrolet Impala have?
8,466 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1981–2020. Of those, 482 describe a crash and 290 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.