IllustrationWHEN I TURN MY WHEEL OF MY CAR IT FEELS AS IF ITS KNOCKING. *TR
2008 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
890–25K
11125–50K
14950–75K
11675–100K
141100–150K
59150K+
665 reports with mileage · 145 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 221 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 134 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 117 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
51 crash reports10 fire reports36 injury reports
Steering complaints
94 reportsI OWN A 2008 CHEVY IMPALA AND I HAVE BEEN HEARING CLICKING NOISES IN THE STEERING SHAFT. I HAVE TOOK MY CAR IN TO BE SERVICED AND THEY PUT 2 NEW FRONT TIRES ON REPLACED THE ASSIST STEERING SHAFT AND PUT A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT ON THE CAR BECAUSE MY TIRES WERE WORN ON THE OUTER EDGE I STILL HEAR THE SAME NOISE WHEN I TURN COMING OUT …
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I OWN A 2008 CHEVY IMPALA AND I HAVE BEEN HEARING CLICKING NOISES IN THE STEERING SHAFT. I HAVE TOOK MY CAR IN TO BE SERVICED AND THEY PUT 2 NEW FRONT TIRES ON REPLACED THE ASSIST STEERING SHAFT AND PUT A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT ON THE CAR BECAUSE MY TIRES WERE WORN ON THE OUTER EDGE I STILL HEAR THE SAME NOISE WHEN I TURN COMING OUT OF A PARKED POSITION AND THE NEW TIRES THEY PUT ON ONE WAS DEFECTED AND I ALMOST HAD A MAJOR ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 38 IN CAMDEN N.J BECAUSE ONE OF THE TIRES RADIAL BELTS POPPED AND CAUSED A BLOW-OUT WHICH SENT ME AND MY HUSBAND AND 2 KIDS IN A FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES TRYING TO GET OUT OF ON- COMING TRAFFIC WE HAD TO RIDE AROUND ON A DONUT IN A 2008 FOR 12 HOURS UNTIL WE COULD FIND A USED TIRE TO COME BACK TO RICHMOND VIRGINIA 256 MILES AWAY FROM HOME. I ALSO OWNED A 2004 CHEVY IMPALA AND UPGRADED TO THE 2008 AFTER HAVING MY CAR SERVICED 5 TIMES FOR THE SAME THING AND LOW AND BEHOLD I'M EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM CLICK CLICK CLICK................................... *TR
I WAS DRIVING THROUGH A LOW AREA IN THE STREET THAT HAD A PUDDLE OF WATER TO DRIVE THROUGH. I WAS GOING TO TURN RIGHT AND THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN AND THEN ALL AT ONCE IT DID TURN. I DID NOT HAVE ANY MORE WATER TO RUN THROUGH UNTIL ABOUT A MONTH LATER IN A HARD RAIN AND IT DID IT AGAIN. THIS WAS ALSO WHEN I WANTED TO…
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I WAS DRIVING THROUGH A LOW AREA IN THE STREET THAT HAD A PUDDLE OF WATER TO DRIVE THROUGH. I WAS GOING TO TURN RIGHT AND THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN AND THEN ALL AT ONCE IT DID TURN. I DID NOT HAVE ANY MORE WATER TO RUN THROUGH UNTIL ABOUT A MONTH LATER IN A HARD RAIN AND IT DID IT AGAIN. THIS WAS ALSO WHEN I WANTED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. THIS ALL HAPPENED IN LAKELAND FL. I CONTACTED BILL HEARD CHEVROLET IN PLANT CITY FL AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT. THEY CHECKED IT OUT AND SAID THEY COULD NOT MAKE IT DO THAT BUT THEY ORDERED PARTS ( A NEW BELT) AND INSTALLED A FEW DAYS LATER. ANOTHER RAIN STORM AND IT DID THE SAME THING ONLY THIS TIME THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS ALL COME ON FOR ABOUT A 1/2 MINUTE. I REPORTED THIS TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID BRING IT BACK IN A THEY WOULD CHECK OUT AND REPLACE THE TENSIONER. I WAS DRIVING BACK TO MICHIGAN AND I WAS AT THE GEORGIA AND TENNESSEE STATE LINE IN A RAINSTORM AND IT LOCKED UP AGAIN. I CONTACTED CLIFF ANSCHUETZ IN ALPENA MI AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THEM. THEY CHECKED IT OUT, PUT WATER ON THE BELT BUT SAID THEY COULD NOT MAKE IT HAPPEN. ANOTHER SERVICE REP SAID HE WOULD TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND PUT ON A NEW BELT AND TENSIONER AND THEY DID. THE BELT ALWAYS SQUEALS WHEN YOU FIRST START UP IN THE MORNING. IT STILL DOES THAT AND I HAVE NO DOUBT THE POWER STEERING WILL LOCK UP WHEN IT RAINS. FIRST INCIDENT DATE WAS SOMETIME IN MARCH AND TO DATE. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *TR
WHEN DRIVING 2008 CHEVROLET 4 DOOR LOST CONTROL AT A TURNING OF HIGHWAY. NO SPEEDING AND NO TICKET. THIS CAR A SAFETY ISSUE WITH STEERING AND THE BRAKES. *TR
Official recalls
214V355000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jun 23, 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) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2011 Buick Lucerne, 2000-2005 Cadillac DeVille, 2006-2011 Cadillac DTS, 2006-2014 Chevrolet Impala, and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the weight on the key ring and 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. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position will cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
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 23, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), and 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14299.
12V377000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm
Aug 3, 2012
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Chevrolet Impala police vehicles because the front lower control arms may fracture. This safety recall does not include non-police Chevrolet Impala vehicles.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower control arms, free of charge. The safety recall began on August 21, 2012. Owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.
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
1DP14001 · Passenger Air Bag Ocs Algorithm
Opened Jul 22, 2014 · Closed Mar 7, 2017
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags; Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
The Agency received a petition on November 14, 2013 requesting an investigation into the operation of the passenger air bag Occupant Classification System (OCS) software logic and algorithm.The petitioner states that due to this alleged defect, the passenger air bag may be suppressed at point of impact and not provided the occupant protection as needed in a crash.On July 22, 2014, NHTSA opened DP14-001 to further review the crash event and perform a more comprehensive search and analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).The Agency also collected manufacturers reports on the alleged OCS issue on the subject Impala vehicles and other GM and non-GM peer vehicles.After examination of the petition and available data relating to the subject vehicle's OCS and the specific crash incident where the OCS allegedly failed to operate properly, NHTSA did not identify an issue with the MY2008 Impala involved in the subject crash, nor has it identified a safety-related defect trend existing in the OCS used in the MY 2006-2008 Impala vehicles, in GM peer vehicles or in other non-GM peer vehicles.NHTSA has concluded that further expenditure of the agency's investigative resources is not warranted. The agency accordingly has denied the petition.However, the agency will take further action if warranted by changing future circumstances. The official petition denial, as published in the Federal Register, is available in the document file for this defect petition.The single complaint and crash noted in the Failure Report above is the petitioner's VOQ (10568388) and can be reviewed online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10568388.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
The Agency received a petition on November 14, 2013 requesting an investigation into the operation of the passenger air bag Occupant Classification System (OCS) software logic and algorithm.The petitioner states that due to this alleged defect, the passenger air bag may be suppressed at point of impact and not provided the occupant protection as needed in a crash.On July 22, 2014, NHTSA opened DP14-001 to further review the crash event and perform a more comprehensive search and analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).The Agency also collected manufacturers reports on the alleged OCS issue on the subject Impala vehicles and other GM and non-GM peer vehicles.After examination of the petition and available data relating to the subject vehicle's OCS and the specific crash incident where the OCS allegedly failed to operate properly, NHTSA did not identify an issue with the MY2008 Impala involved in the subject crash, nor has it identified a safety-related defect trend existing in the OCS used in the MY 2006-2008 Impala vehicles, in GM peer vehicles or in other non-GM peer vehicles.NHTSA has concluded that further expenditure of the agency's investigative resources is not warranted. The agency accordingly has denied the petition.However, the agency will take further action if warranted by changing future circumstances. The official petition denial, as published in the Federal Register, is available in the document file for this defect petition.The single complaint and crash noted in the Failure Report above is the petitioner's VOQ (10568388) and can be reviewed online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10568388.
Air Bags
The Agency received a petition on November 14, 2013 requesting an investigation into the operation of the passenger air bag Occupant Classification System (OCS) software logic and algorithm.The petitioner states that due to this alleged defect, the passenger air bag may be suppressed at point of impact and not provided the occupant protection as needed in a crash.On July 22, 2014, NHTSA opened DP14-001 to further review the crash event and perform a more comprehensive search and analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).The Agency also collected manufacturers reports on the alleged OCS issue on the subject Impala vehicles and other GM and non-GM peer vehicles.After examination of the petition and available data relating to the subject vehicle's OCS and the specific crash incident where the OCS allegedly failed to operate properly, NHTSA did not identify an issue with the MY2008 Impala involved in the subject crash, nor has it identified a safety-related defect trend existing in the OCS used in the MY 2006-2008 Impala vehicles, in GM peer vehicles or in other non-GM peer vehicles.NHTSA has concluded that further expenditure of the agency's investigative resources is not warranted. The agency accordingly has denied the petition.However, the agency will take further action if warranted by changing future circumstances. The official petition denial, as published in the Federal Register, is available in the document file for this defect petition.The single complaint and crash noted in the Failure Report above is the petitioner's VOQ (10568388) and can be reviewed online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10568388.