Chevrolet Impala Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
15,191 NHTSA complaints (1981–2020).Complaint rate: 544.6 per 1,000 vehicles.
Compare Chevrolet Impala vs:
Should I buy a Chevrolet Impala?
Quick answer from 15,191 NHTSA complaints · 1981–2020
Chevrolet Impala reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is electrical faults. Pick the right year and this Impala can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.
- 2020 Chevrolet Impala· 23 complaints
- 2019 Chevrolet Impala· 39 complaints
- 2018 Chevrolet Impala· 87 complaints
- 2004 Chevrolet Impala· 1,375 complaints
- 2009 Chevrolet Impala· 1,367 complaints
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- electrical faults — 2,786 complaints (2.8% involved a crash)
- engine problems — 1,261 complaints (3.3% involved a crash)
- steering defects — 993 complaints (8.9% involved a crash)
- airbags — 832 complaints (31.2% involved a crash)
- electronic stability control — 763 complaints (2.4% involved a crash)
What Happened to 27,895 Chevrolet Impalas On the Road
Complaints record what owners reported. These are the outcomes actually recorded against 27,895 Chevrolet Impala VINs built 1994–2020 — accidents, title brands and odometer flags from our vehicle-history database, not from the NHTSA complaint file.
Do the complaint spikes show up in real accident history?
The Chevrolet Impala averages 40.7% accident history across all model years. Here is how the years flagged above compare on real records:
- 2004 — 26.9% of 286 VINs on record show accident history, in line with the 40.7% model average. Owners complained more, but these cars are not crashing more.
- 2009 — 39.8% of 948 VINs on record show accident history, in line with the 40.7% model average. Owners complained more, but these cars are not crashing more.
Typical Chevrolet Impala on record: 2.3 owners on average, 97,719 average miles.
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 2000–2011 Chevrolet Impala (774 crash-related complaints). The 2016–2020 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Electrical System.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $8.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Chevrolet Impala Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Faults | 2,786 | 2.8% |
| Engine Problems | 1,261 | 3.3% |
| Steering Defects | 993 | 8.9% |
| Airbags | 832 | 31.2% |
| Electronic Stability Control | 763 | 2.4% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 678 | 3.7% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 607 | 5.9% |
| Brakes | 457 | 14.0% |
| Headlight/Taillight Failures | 377 | 2.9% |
| Instrument Cluster | 370 | 0.3% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981NO DATA | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | View → |
| 1982NO DATA | — | 2 | 0 | — | View → |
| 1983NO DATA | — | 3 | 0 | — | View → |
| 1993NO DATA | — | 6 | 0 | 5 | View → |
| 1994NO DATA | — | 19 | 1 | — | View → |
| 1995GOOD | — | 64 | 1 | 1 | View → |
| 1996GOOD | — | 120 | 2 | 2 | View → |
| 1997NO DATA | — | 2 | 0 | — | View → |
| 1998NO DATA | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1999NO DATA | — | 4 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2000 | — | 1,128 | 73 | 95 | View → |
| 2001 | — | 959 | 55 | 87 | View → |
| 2002 | — | 1,076 | 51 | 42 | View → |
| 2003 | — | 935 | 44 | 45 | View → |
| 2004AVOID | — | 1,375 | 80 | 34 | View → |
| 2005 | — | 809 | 62 | 20 | View → |
| 2006 | — | 803 | 91 | 36 | View → |
| 2007 | — | 930 | 80 | 15 | View → |
| 2008 | — | 1,203 | 80 | 15 | View → |
| 2009AVOID | — | 1,367 | 89 | 15 | View → |
| 2010 | — | 737 | 30 | 5 | View → |
| 2011 | — | 844 | 39 | 8 | View → |
| 2012GOOD | — | 422 | 40 | 6 | View → |
| 2013GOOD | — | 466 | 31 | — | View → |
| 2014 | — | 1,016 | 31 | 15 | View → |
| 2015GOOD | — | 431 | 13 | 17 | View → |
| 2016GOOD | — | 176 | 15 | 7 | View → |
| 2017GOOD | — | 137 | 6 | — | View → |
| 2018GOOD | — | 87 | 7 | — | View → |
| 2019GOOD | — | 39 | 6 | 1 | View → |
| 2020GOOD | — | 23 | 2 | — | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (15,191 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.
On-road outcomes: Accident, title-brand, theft and odometer records for 27,895 Chevrolet Impala VINs in our vehicle-history database. Independent of the NHTSA complaint file — a complaint is what an owner reported, these are what was recorded against the vehicle. Year-level figures are shown only for model years with at least 200 VINs on record.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
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