Illustration2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA, CAR IDLE IS ROUGH, DELAYED CRANK, MAY BE NECESSARY TO HOLD KEY IN START SEVERAL SECONDS UNTIL START. *NM
2005 Chevrolet Impala
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Impala years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
410–25K
8625–50K
11150–75K
9675–100K
113100–150K
52150K+
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
What owners actually said
609 reportsTRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM FAILED ON MY VEHICLE. THE FAILURE TURNED OFF MY ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM AND MY TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM AT TWO INOPPORTUNE TIMES. THIS FAILURE HAS TWICE IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. IT FIRST OCCURRED AT THE END OF DECEMBER DURING A SNOW STORM. THE SECOND FAILURE OCCURRED A FEW WEEKS AGO WHILE DRIVING THROUGH…
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TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM FAILED ON MY VEHICLE. THE FAILURE TURNED OFF MY ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM AND MY TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM AT TWO INOPPORTUNE TIMES. THIS FAILURE HAS TWICE IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. IT FIRST OCCURRED AT THE END OF DECEMBER DURING A SNOW STORM. THE SECOND FAILURE OCCURRED A FEW WEEKS AGO WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A RAIN AND HAIL STORM. BOTH TIMES THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE FIXED. THE DEALER REPLACED A FAULTY SPEED SENSOR. MY CAR IS ABOUT A YEAR OLD AND TWO SPEED SENSOR HAVE ALREADY FAILED. I'M UPSET AT THE FACT THAT WE PURCHASED THE CAR BASED ON ITS SAFETY FEATURES AND TWICE NOW THEY HAVE FAILED, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE MOMENTS, WHERE WE WERE RELYING HEAVILY ON SAID SAFETY FEATURES. *NM
ON 3/30/2006 AT 1715 HRS A 2005 CHEVY IMPALA POLICE CAR WAS TRAVELING ON A GRAVEL ROAD IN RURAL OGLE COUNTY, ILLINOIS WHEN BOTH FRONT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, THE CAR NEVER MADE CONTACT WITH ANYTHING, THERE ARE AT LEAST 30 PICTURES TO THE CAR AND THE ROADWAY. SINCE THE 30TH I PERSONALLY HAVE CALLED GENERAL MOTORS ABOUT MY CONCERNS INV…
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ON 3/30/2006 AT 1715 HRS A 2005 CHEVY IMPALA POLICE CAR WAS TRAVELING ON A GRAVEL ROAD IN RURAL OGLE COUNTY, ILLINOIS WHEN BOTH FRONT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, THE CAR NEVER MADE CONTACT WITH ANYTHING, THERE ARE AT LEAST 30 PICTURES TO THE CAR AND THE ROADWAY. SINCE THE 30TH I PERSONALLY HAVE CALLED GENERAL MOTORS ABOUT MY CONCERNS INVOLVING THE REST OF MY 2005 SQUAD CARS, I'VE CALLED EVERY DAY SINCE THE 30TH, WITH NO RESPONSE, I'M CONCERNED THAT THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE AIR BAG SYSTEM THAT GM IS AVOIDING THE INCIDENT, I NEED SOME HELP IN GETTING THIS RESOLVED. *NM
THIS IS RENTAL CAR FROM ALAMO. CAR WAS PARKED AND ENGINE WAS STOPPED ON A LITTLE INCLINED ROADSIDE. ALL PEOPLE EXITED CAR. CAR WAS SUDDENLY MOVED BACKWARDS AND I HAD TO JUMP IN TO THE CAR AND APPLIED EMERGENCY BRAKE. CAR WAS STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. RIGHT SIDE DOOR HIT ROAD SIGN AND CAR DAMAGED. IT CAN BE VERY VE…
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THIS IS RENTAL CAR FROM ALAMO. CAR WAS PARKED AND ENGINE WAS STOPPED ON A LITTLE INCLINED ROADSIDE. ALL PEOPLE EXITED CAR. CAR WAS SUDDENLY MOVED BACKWARDS AND I HAD TO JUMP IN TO THE CAR AND APPLIED EMERGENCY BRAKE. CAR WAS STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. RIGHT SIDE DOOR HIT ROAD SIGN AND CAR DAMAGED. IT CAN BE VERY VERY RISKY IF THERE WAS OTHER CARS OR PEOPLE ON THE ROAD. *NM
ON THE 2005 CHEVY IMPALA, IT IS POSSIBLE TO SHIFT THE CAR INTO ANY GEAR WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE WHEN THE IGNITION IS IN THE "ACC" POSITION AND WITHOUT THE CAR BEING STARTED. *NM
DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPLIED BRAKE PRESSURE AND THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE. THE ABS DID NOT ACTIVATE AT ANY TIME DURING THIS INCIDENT. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE REAR-ENDED THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE PASSENGER SEAT DIDN'T RESTRAIN THE PASSENGER DURING IMPACT. UPON IMPACT, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, AND …
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DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPLIED BRAKE PRESSURE AND THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE. THE ABS DID NOT ACTIVATE AT ANY TIME DURING THIS INCIDENT. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE REAR-ENDED THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE PASSENGER SEAT DIDN'T RESTRAIN THE PASSENGER DURING IMPACT. UPON IMPACT, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, AND THE ONSTAR SERVICE DID NOT WORK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. THE INSURANCE AGENCY WAS INVESTIGATING THE ISSUE WITH THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT A DEALER FOR REPAIRS. *AK UPDATED 12/07/05. *JB
DT: THE CONTACT DOES NOT LIKE THE HEADLIGHTS IN THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP ADJUSTED THE HEADLIGHTS THREE DIFFERENT TIMES. THE CONTACT IS STILL NOT SATISFIED. HE SAYS HE CANNOT SEE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT BECAUSE THE HEADLIGHTS ONLY SHINE ABOUT FORTY FEET IN FRONT OF THE CAR.*AK UPDATED 12/07/05. *JB
WHEN IN DRIVE CAR ROLLS BACKWARDS EVEN ON SLIGHT INCLINE, ALSO ROLLS FORWARDS IN REVERSE EVEN ON SLIGHT HILL OR INCLINE, HAVE TAKEN IT TO A DEALER AND THEY SAID THIS IS NORMAL OF THESE CARS. *JB
NO SUMMARY GIVEN. *AK
FUEL LINE ON VEHICLE DO NOT MATCH PARTS CATALOGUE CAUSING MISMATCH. PARTS ARE NOT MADE AVAILABLE BY OEM UNLESS YOU PURCHASE A NEW FUEL LINE ASSEMBLY. TWO SEPARATE DEALERS INFORMED ME THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT HAVE THE PARTS THAT MY CAR HAD. REPAIRING DEALER IS NOW PINGING ME WITH A MAJOR REPAIR BILL TO REPAIR THE COMPONENT. …
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FUEL LINE ON VEHICLE DO NOT MATCH PARTS CATALOGUE CAUSING MISMATCH. PARTS ARE NOT MADE AVAILABLE BY OEM UNLESS YOU PURCHASE A NEW FUEL LINE ASSEMBLY. TWO SEPARATE DEALERS INFORMED ME THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT HAVE THE PARTS THAT MY CAR HAD. REPAIRING DEALER IS NOW PINGING ME WITH A MAJOR REPAIR BILL TO REPAIR THE COMPONENT. VEHICLE FUEL FILTER IS NOT SERVICEABLE UNLESS YOU TAKE IT TO A DEALER BASED ON INPUT FROM DEALER. *JB
Official recalls
114V400000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.