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2005 Chevrolet Impala

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

499 reports with mileage · 110 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 331 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

39 crash reports13 fire reports22 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

331 reports
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68,213 miles · Sep 22, 2009
Electrical System

2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA PASSLOCK PROBLEM, WON'T START AND SECURITY LIGHT IS ON(PAGE 1 OF 4 IT IS DEFECTIVE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10284945

79,000 miles · Sep 9, 2009
Electrical System

MY 2005 CHEVY IMPALA SPEEDOMETER WENT OUT. I HAVE SEARCHED THE INTERNET, AND THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD WITH UNDER 75K MILES. SPEEDOMETER STEPPER MOTOR IS DEFECTIVE. NEEDS DEALERSHIP RECALL TO REPLACE SINCE SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10283401

95,000 miles · Aug 30, 2009
Electrical System

I OWNED A 2005 CHEVY IMPALA. THE ODOMETER ON THIS CAR GOES CRAZY. I DON'T KNOW HOW FAST I AM GOING. I SEARCH THE INTERNET AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME TROUBLE WITH CHEVY IMPALAS AND ODOMETER. THEY NEED TO RECALL THIS CAR AND HAVE THEM FIX. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10282342

37,000 miles · Aug 17, 2009
Electrical System

2005 IMPALA BOUGHT IN 96 W/25K MILES. AFTER 1 YEAR CAR HAD 37K MILES AND STARTED EXHIBITING CRAZY PERFORMANCE ON THE DISPLAY GAUGES. SOMETIMES THE GAS INDICATOR WOULD REFLECT AN EMPTY GAS TANK THOUGH IT WAS NEARLY FULL. THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD REFLECT 35 MILES WHILE THE CAR WAS STOPPED AND OTHER SPEEDS WHEN IN MOTION. THE TEMPER…

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2005 IMPALA BOUGHT IN 96 W/25K MILES. AFTER 1 YEAR CAR HAD 37K MILES AND STARTED EXHIBITING CRAZY PERFORMANCE ON THE DISPLAY GAUGES. SOMETIMES THE GAS INDICATOR WOULD REFLECT AN EMPTY GAS TANK THOUGH IT WAS NEARLY FULL. THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD REFLECT 35 MILES WHILE THE CAR WAS STOPPED AND OTHER SPEEDS WHEN IN MOTION. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WOULD TACK WAY OVER TO THE RIGHT INDICATING EXCESSIVE TEMPERATURES. I TRIED TO GET THIS FIXED BUT THE PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT AND COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED WHEN TAKEN TO THE SHOP. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS KNOWN FOR THESE ISSUES. NOW THAT I'VE HAD THE CAR A FEW MORE YEARS THE CRAZY MARKINGS ARE MORE FREQUENT. THE BIGGEST CONCERN IS THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE BECAUSE I CAN NOT TELL WHEN I HAVE A REAL PROBLEM. I TOOK IT TO A CHEVY DEALER AND AFTER A NUMBER OF CALLS TO THE CORP OFFICE BY THE DEALER, GM WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS OTHER THAN CHARGE ME ALMOST $800. WHAT IRKS ME IS THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS ON GM TRUCKS BUT NOT ON CARS. SHOULDN'T THAT BE A CLUE? I'LL GO BACK TO NISSAN AS SOON AS I CAN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10280635

47,832 miles · Jul 31, 2009
Electrical System

MY 2005 IMPALA THAT HAS 47,000 MILES ON IS NOLONGER HAS WORKING SPEEDOMETER,GAS GAUGE OR TEMP GAUGE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO I NOLONGER HAVE CORRECT INFORMATION ON THE SPEED THAT I'M DRIVING WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. I CAN ONLY USE MY EDUCATED GUESS ON HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE AND WILL NOT KNOW THAT MY CAR IS OVERHEATING. TH…

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MY 2005 IMPALA THAT HAS 47,000 MILES ON IS NOLONGER HAS WORKING SPEEDOMETER,GAS GAUGE OR TEMP GAUGE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO I NOLONGER HAVE CORRECT INFORMATION ON THE SPEED THAT I'M DRIVING WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. I CAN ONLY USE MY EDUCATED GUESS ON HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE AND WILL NOT KNOW THAT MY CAR IS OVERHEATING. THIS COULD CAUSE A FIRE AND WE WOULDN'T KNOW UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH GM REGUARDING THE INSTURMENT CLUSTER PROBLEM THEY TOLD ME THAT IT HAS ONLY BEEN RECALLED ON TRUCKS . THIS ISSUE THUR A MECHCANIC WILL COST ME $500.00 + TO HAVE FIXED HOWEVER READING COMPLAINTS ONLINE ITS VERY OBVIOUS THAT THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE RECALLED, JUST ABOUT ALL GM'S SEEM TO HAVE THIS ISSUE ( FAULTY STEPPER MOTOR'S ) FIND IT HARD TO BELIVE THAT GM WILL NOT RECALL THIS ISSUE WHEN THE PARTS WILL ONLY BE $15.00 TO REPAIR FOR THE SAFETY OF THERE CUSTOMERS NOR WILL THEY SELL YOU THE STEPPER MOTORS TO FIX THE ISSUE YOURSELF. I FEEL UNSAFE IN MY CAR THAT HAS LOW MILEAGE THAT HAS BEEN WELL TAKEN CARE OF. PLEASE RECOMMEND A RECALL FOR THE CLUSTER SO THAT GM WILL HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS PRODUCTS AND CUSTOMERS SAFETY. I USED TO THINK THAT BUY AN AMERICAN CAR WOULD DO GOOD THINGS FOR OUR COUNTRY HOWEVER NOW THINK THAT AMERICAN COMPANYS COULD CARE LESS ABOUT ITS FELLOW AMERICAN'S THERE SAFETY AND STANDING BEHIND THE PRODUCT THEY SOLD ... *TR

NHTSA ODI #10278986

90,815 miles · Jul 31, 2009
Electrical System

DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETER. SPEEDOMETER FREQUENTLY LOOSES CALIBRATION AT LOW AND HIGH SPEEDS CAUSING A MISREADING OF VEHICLE SPEED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10278957

106,634 miles · Jul 31, 2009
Electrical System

MY 2005 IMPALA HAS A SECURITY SYSTEM THAT ACTIVATES WITHOUT WARNING NOT ALLOWING ME TO START MY CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10278866

80,335 miles · Jul 28, 2009
Electrical System

2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. FAILING SPEEDOMETER. THIS FAILURE HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT FOR OVER 1 YEAR. THE FIRST TIME I EXPERIENCED IT I WAS DRIVING ON A 4 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY AND DUE TO THE SLOW FAILURE OF THE SPEEDOMETER I WAS PASSING EVERYONE THINKING THEY WERE DRIVING SLOW. WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER DROPPED TO ZERO I REALIZED THAT T…

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2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. FAILING SPEEDOMETER. THIS FAILURE HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT FOR OVER 1 YEAR. THE FIRST TIME I EXPERIENCED IT I WAS DRIVING ON A 4 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY AND DUE TO THE SLOW FAILURE OF THE SPEEDOMETER I WAS PASSING EVERYONE THINKING THEY WERE DRIVING SLOW. WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER DROPPED TO ZERO I REALIZED THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY CAR NOT THE OTHER DRIVERS. THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED AFTER I GOT HOME AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. IT HAS SINCE THEN INTERMITTENTLY REAPPEARED. I HAVE NOT TAKEN CORRECTIVE ACTION ON THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND I CANNOT AFFORD THE ESTIMATED REPAIR COST. RESEARCH INTO A LESS EXPENSIVE REPAIR SOLUTION HAS SHOW ME THAT THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE WITH GM VEHICLES USING A PARTICULAR STEPPER MOTOR IN THEIR INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. ONE ONLINE SOURCE STATES THIS PART NUMBER AS X C5 168 . SEEMS TO ME THAT IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE, MONEY OR RESOURCES TO RECOGNIZE THIS PROBLEM AND CORRECT IT HAS A SERIOUS INJURY OR CAUSES A DEATH DUE TO EXCESSIVE SPEED. OLDER DRIVERS AND YOUNGER DRIVERS COME TO MIND AS THE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10278541

60,000 miles · Jun 24, 2009
Electrical System

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER FAILED. THE DIAL GOES STRAIGHT DOWN AND DOES NOT REGISTER CORRECTLY. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY FOR ONE YEAR. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR MECHANIC. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,…

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER FAILED. THE DIAL GOES STRAIGHT DOWN AND DOES NOT REGISTER CORRECTLY. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY FOR ONE YEAR. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR MECHANIC. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 68,000.

NHTSA ODI #10274820

Mileage unknown · May 12, 2009
Electrical System

I PREVIOUSLY HAD MY 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM'S PASSLOCK SYSTEM FOUL UP ON ME. I FOUND INFORMATION ABOUT IT ONLINE AND GOT IT STARTED AGAIN. NOW MY 2005 CHEVY IMPALA DID IT TODAY. THIS PASSLOCK SYSTEM IS FAULTY AND EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE EACH TIME IT DOES THIS AND IT'S ALMOST A GUARANTEE IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. WHEN IT HAPPENS MULTI…

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I PREVIOUSLY HAD MY 2004 PONTIAC GRAND AM'S PASSLOCK SYSTEM FOUL UP ON ME. I FOUND INFORMATION ABOUT IT ONLINE AND GOT IT STARTED AGAIN. NOW MY 2005 CHEVY IMPALA DID IT TODAY. THIS PASSLOCK SYSTEM IS FAULTY AND EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE EACH TIME IT DOES THIS AND IT'S ALMOST A GUARANTEE IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. WHEN IT HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES, IT BECOMES A DANGER TO ME AND MY FAMILY WHEN IT COULD FOUL THE COMPUTER AND DIE GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 70, LOSING ALL CONTROL OF STEERING AND BRAKES. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS PART. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10268558

Official recalls

1

14V400000 · Electrical System:ignition

Jul 3, 2014

This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.