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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

Power Train complaints

52 reports
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200,000 miles · Dec 30, 2024
Electrical SystemPower Train

The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument panel became inoperable. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted. There was no war…

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The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument panel became inoperable. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

NHTSA ODI #11633118

Mileage unknown · Jun 3, 2024
Power Train

Transmission shifts hard after engine warms up.

NHTSA ODI #11592236

Mileage unknown · Mar 1, 2021
Power Train

I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND I WAS TRYING TO TURN INTO MY JOB AND I MADE IT ABOUT HALF WAY INTO THE PARKING LOT WHERE PART OF MY CAR WAS STI'LL IN THE ROAD WHEN MY CAR JUST SHIFTED DOWN INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT GO BACK INTO DRIVE SO I ENDED UP HAVING TO BE TOWED INTO THE PARKING LOT BY A YOUNG MAN THAT STOPPED TO HELP GI'VE ME …

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I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND I WAS TRYING TO TURN INTO MY JOB AND I MADE IT ABOUT HALF WAY INTO THE PARKING LOT WHERE PART OF MY CAR WAS STI'LL IN THE ROAD WHEN MY CAR JUST SHIFTED DOWN INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT GO BACK INTO DRIVE SO I ENDED UP HAVING TO BE TOWED INTO THE PARKING LOT BY A YOUNG MAN THAT STOPPED TO HELP GI'VE ME A HAND TO GET MY CAR OUT OF THE ROAD I WAS ON A MAJOR STREET THAT GETS TRAVELSE ALOT AND IT WAS DRIVING JUST FINE UNTIL I WENT TO TURN INTO MY JOB AND IT JUST QUIT SHIFTING PERIOD

NHTSA ODI #11398321

44,000 miles · Nov 10, 2020
Power Train

TRANSMISSION HAS HARD SHIFTING AFTER ENGINE WARMS UP, ONLY HAS 44,000 MILES ON IT. STOP AND GO TRAFFIC SEEMS TO START THE PROBLEM FASTER THAN HIGHWAY DRIVING.

NHTSA ODI #11374004

150,000 miles · Mar 24, 2019
Electrical SystemPower TrainService Brakes

HI I PURCHASED MY IMPALA LAST YEAR USED AND FOR ABOUT THE FIRST 6 MONTHS IT RAN FINE...NOW ELECTRICAL PANEL GOES ON THE FRITZ DIMMING MY LIGHTS AND DASHBOARD...POWER WINDOWS AND MIRRORS NOT WORKING... ALSO ABS LIGHT AND TRACTION LIGHTS ON CONSISTENTLY...TRACTION RANDOMLY ACTIVATES AND CAR LIGHTERS JUST STOPPED WORKING. SOMETHING…

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HI I PURCHASED MY IMPALA LAST YEAR USED AND FOR ABOUT THE FIRST 6 MONTHS IT RAN FINE...NOW ELECTRICAL PANEL GOES ON THE FRITZ DIMMING MY LIGHTS AND DASHBOARD...POWER WINDOWS AND MIRRORS NOT WORKING... ALSO ABS LIGHT AND TRACTION LIGHTS ON CONSISTENTLY...TRACTION RANDOMLY ACTIVATES AND CAR LIGHTERS JUST STOPPED WORKING. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS SPECIFIC MODEL AND IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. ALSO TURN KEY TO START CAR AND THE CAR DOESN'T START SO I DO THIS 2-3 TIMES TO START CAR UP...REALLY NEEDS TO RECALL ALL 2005 IMPALAS

NHTSA ODI #11191163

140,745 miles · Aug 24, 2018
EnginePower TrainService Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED WITHOUT WARNING, BRAKED INDEPENDENTLY, AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS OUT OF CONTROL AND MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE. IN ADDITION, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED WITHOUT WARNING, BRAKED INDEPENDENTLY, AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS OUT OF CONTROL AND MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE. IN ADDITION, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT POWERED OFF THE ENGINE. ONCE IT WAS RESTARTED, THE VEHICLE DROVE NORMALLY. IN ADDITION, WHILE THE GEAR WAS IN PARK, THE VEHICLE ROLLED FORWARD INDEPENDENTLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,745. **TR CONSUMER STATED THE CAR'S BATTERY DRAINS QUICKLY AND WHEN TURNING A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND. UPDATED 11/19/18*JB

NHTSA ODI #11122177

196,000 miles · Aug 24, 2017
Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 196,000.

NHTSA ODI #11019446

90,000 miles · Mar 18, 2017
Power Train

FROM STARTING POSITION TO SLOWING DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND OR JERKS INTO GEAR HEAVILY. FROM 1ST TO 2ND VERY NOTICEABLE.

NHTSA ODI #10966702

Mileage unknown · Sep 8, 2016
Power TrainSuspension

FROM A STOPPED POSITION, TRYING TO TAKE OFF CAR ACTS AS IF I'M NEUTRAL AND THEN WILL SUDDENLY JERK INTO GEAR. THE AUTOMATIC HEAR SHIFTS ARE ROUGH AND DELAYED. THERE'S VERY LITTLE POWER OR STRUGGLE TO REGISTER WHEN APPLYING GAS. WHEN ON FWY ESPECIALLY WHEN IN SLOW MOVING TRAFFIC THERE IS A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION A…

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FROM A STOPPED POSITION, TRYING TO TAKE OFF CAR ACTS AS IF I'M NEUTRAL AND THEN WILL SUDDENLY JERK INTO GEAR. THE AUTOMATIC HEAR SHIFTS ARE ROUGH AND DELAYED. THERE'S VERY LITTLE POWER OR STRUGGLE TO REGISTER WHEN APPLYING GAS. WHEN ON FWY ESPECIALLY WHEN IN SLOW MOVING TRAFFIC THERE IS A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND SLIPPING, ROUGH GEAR SHIFTS BOTH UP AND DOWN. THEN THE SCARY PART IS WHEN DRIVING WITH MY 2 LITTLE GIRLS AND IN REGULAR OR HEAVY TRAFFIC AND MAKING TURNS, ESPECIALLY LEFT, I HAVE HAD THE CAR FREEZE UP ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF INTERSECTIONS. WHEN I TRY AND ACCELERATE I'M STUCK AS IF I'M NEUTRAL AND HEAR THE ENGINE REVVING AND FINALLY WILL VIOLENTLY LIKE POP INTO GEAR. IT'S MADE ME HAVE A LOT OF SAFETY ISSUES FOR MYSELF AND CHILDREN. IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING AND PROBLEMATIC. WITH ALL THESE THINGS HAPPENING THE TRANSMISSION NOR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS APPEARED, THEREFORE MAKING IT TREMENDOUSLY DIFFICULT NEAR IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO HAVE IT PROPERLY DIAGNOSED USING SCANNER AND COMPUTER READER. EVERY REPAIR SHOP HAS GIVEN DIFFERENT "FINDINGS" AFTER ONLY A DRIVE AROUND THE BLOCK. IT'S A NIGHTMARE.

NHTSA ODI #10904861

141,000 miles · Oct 28, 2015
Power Train

BOUGHT THE CAR USED 141,000 MILES DAY AFTER I BOUGHT IT THE TRANSMISSION JERKS REALLY HARD WHEN TAKING OFF. I HEARD IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM BUT IT WILL COST $700 OR MORE TO FIX.

NHTSA ODI #10786764

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.