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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.

Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.

About this comparison →
609Owner complaints

Model-year median: 3.5

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

View investigation details →

Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

Inspection summary

2005 Chevrolet Impala

NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 609 owner complaints · 1 recall campaigns · 0 investigations.

Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.

Top reported categories (up to 5)

  • Electrical System: 331 reports
  • Steering: 60 reports
  • Power Train: 52 reports
  • Exterior Lighting: 49 reports
  • Air Bags: 33 reports

Full reported-category list and vehicle report

Recall links

Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
795
2002694
20031,072
2004609
2005524
2006627
2007810
2008
Compare all Impala years →

Counts vary with age, sales, mileage exposure and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Electrical System
331Steering
60Power Train
52Exterior Lighting
49Air Bags
33
All reported categories
Engine And Engine Cooling
31Engine
30Service Brakes, Hydraulic
30Fuel System, Gasoline
25Vehicle Speed Control
24Service Brakes
16Visibility
15Fuel/propulsion System
14Unknown Or Other
14Structure
10Electronic Stability Control (esc)
9Seat Belts
7Suspension
7Equipment
6Visibility/wiper
6Tires
4Traction Control System
4Wheels
4Fuel System, Other
3Interior Lighting
3Equipment Adaptive/mobility
2Latches/locks/linkages
2Seats
2Service Brakes, Electric
2Parking Brake
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

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

Visibility complaints

15 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Jun 23, 2008
Visibility

I WAS COMING HOME FROM WORK AFTER A SNOW STORM, I HAD TURNED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON TO GET THE SNOW OFF SO I COULD SO. AS I TRIED TO TURN THE WIPERS TO THE OFF POSITION THEY WOULD NOT GO DOWN. THEY STILL WORK IF I NEED THEM BUT DO NOT GO TO THE PARK POSITION, INSTEAD THEY STICK RIGHT UP IN FRONT OF THE DRIVERS SIDE. I HAVE TAK…

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I WAS COMING HOME FROM WORK AFTER A SNOW STORM, I HAD TURNED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON TO GET THE SNOW OFF SO I COULD SO. AS I TRIED TO TURN THE WIPERS TO THE OFF POSITION THEY WOULD NOT GO DOWN. THEY STILL WORK IF I NEED THEM BUT DO NOT GO TO THE PARK POSITION, INSTEAD THEY STICK RIGHT UP IN FRONT OF THE DRIVERS SIDE. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO 3 DIFFERENT PLACES AND HAVE RECEIVED 3 DIFFERENT ANSWERS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10232043

75,845 miles · May 14, 2008
Visibility

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DO NOT GO DOWN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF OR WHEN THE WIPERS ARE DEACTIVATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE WIPER MOTOR WAS BAD. THE CONTACT DISAGREES BECAUSE THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STILL WORK. SHE HAS NOT…

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DO NOT GO DOWN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF OR WHEN THE WIPERS ARE DEACTIVATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE WIPER MOTOR WAS BAD. THE CONTACT DISAGREES BECAUSE THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STILL WORK. SHE HAS NOT TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO A CHEVROLET DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,845.

NHTSA ODI #10227807

64,480 miles · Apr 14, 2008
Electrical SystemEngine And Engine CoolingSteering

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE FOLLOWING DAY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING. A CLUSTER WAS REPAIRED AND A NEW STEERING COLUMN WAS INSTALLED AT THE COST OF $465. AFTER THE CLUSTER WAS REPLACED, THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO WORK. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 55-70 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN…

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE FOLLOWING DAY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING. A CLUSTER WAS REPAIRED AND A NEW STEERING COLUMN WAS INSTALLED AT THE COST OF $465. AFTER THE CLUSTER WAS REPLACED, THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO WORK. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 55-70 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN MAKING A WHINING SOUND. THE WHINING SOUND COULD ALSO BE HEARD WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 35-45 MPH. ON FOUR OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT DEFROST AND HEAT UP AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 45-59 DEGREES. THE DEALER STATED THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE. ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE STALLED. WHILE PARKED AT A GAS STATION AND TWICE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT EVENTUALLY RESTARTED. THE DEALER INITIALLY STATED THAT THE FAILURE COULD BE DUE TO THE IGNITION OR THE STARTER. THE CONTACT FOUND A NAIL IN A TIRE AND WENT TO A TIRE SHOP. SHE WAS INFORMED THAT ALL FOUR OF THE TIRES HAD CRACKS ON THE EDGE OF THE TREAD AND WERE DRY ROTTED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,480 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,480.

NHTSA ODI #10224422

24,882 miles · Apr 8, 2007
Visibility

WINSHIELD WIPERS WILL NOT GO DOWN IN THE PARK POSITION. FIXED ONCE AT DEALER AND WITHIN A WEEK BROKE AGAIN. CAR STILL UNDER WARRANTY, BUT DEALER REFUSED TO FIX AT THEIR EXPENSE. HARD TO DRIVE WITH WINSHIELD WIPERS IN UP POSITION BLOCKING VIEW.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10187282

3,091 miles · Jul 22, 2005
Visibility

DT: THE WAY THAT THE WINDOW SWITCH IS DESIGNED IT CAN EASILY SHUT ON A CHILD'S BODY OR BODY PART. THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THIS SIX MONTHS AGO ON TV. THIS WAS A RENTAL VEHICLE FOR A TRIP FOR VACATION.*AK WHEN THE CONSUMERS SON LEANED HIS HEAD OUT THE WINDOW, HIS ELBOW HIT THE SWITCH, AND THE WINDOW BEGAN TO GO UP. THE CONS…

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DT: THE WAY THAT THE WINDOW SWITCH IS DESIGNED IT CAN EASILY SHUT ON A CHILD'S BODY OR BODY PART. THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THIS SIX MONTHS AGO ON TV. THIS WAS A RENTAL VEHICLE FOR A TRIP FOR VACATION.*AK WHEN THE CONSUMERS SON LEANED HIS HEAD OUT THE WINDOW, HIS ELBOW HIT THE SWITCH, AND THE WINDOW BEGAN TO GO UP. THE CONSUMER SUGGESTED THAT A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SWITCH BE INSTALLED, THE TYPE THAT ONE WOULD HAVE TO PULL IN ORDER TO CLOSE THE WINDOW. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10126665

Recall campaigns

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 ↗

Defect investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.