WHILE TRAVELLING ON THE HIGHWAY, IN THE RAIN, THE POWER TO THE ENGINE SUDDENLY AND DRASTICALLY SLOWED DOWN. THE WARNINGS SHOWED UP ON THE SCREEN" STABILITRAK, TRACTION CONTROL, ENGINE POWER LOSS. *TR
2011 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 reports with mileage · 95 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.
- Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 132 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 125 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 95 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
505 reportsFOR SEVERAL WEEKS, THE INDICATOR ON MY VEHICLE WILL ALERT ME "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL; REDUCING ENGINE POWER". AT FIRST I THOUGHT THIS WAS JUST A GLITCH, UNTIL IT KEPT HAPPENING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THERE ARE DAYS WHEN THE INDICATOR WILL GO OFF AND REMAIN OFF FOR A WEEK OR TWO, BUT THEN IT WILL ALL OF A SUDDEN COME B…
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FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, THE INDICATOR ON MY VEHICLE WILL ALERT ME "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL; REDUCING ENGINE POWER". AT FIRST I THOUGHT THIS WAS JUST A GLITCH, UNTIL IT KEPT HAPPENING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THERE ARE DAYS WHEN THE INDICATOR WILL GO OFF AND REMAIN OFF FOR A WEEK OR TWO, BUT THEN IT WILL ALL OF A SUDDEN COME BACK ON AND REMAIN ON FOR A WEEK OR SO. I GET MY VEHICLE SERVICED REGULARLY. I HAVE CONTACTED GM DEALERSHIP AFTER DEALERSHIP, AND THEY HAVE ALL TOLD ME THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. FINALLY, I ASKED FOR THE CORPORATE OFFICE NUMBER [XXX]. I CALLED GM'S CORPORATE OFFICE (REFERENCE#: [XXX]) AND WAS TOLD THAT MY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY IS STILL GOOD BUT MY BUMPERTOBUMPER WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED DUE TO THE MILEAGE. I ADVISED THE REPRESENTATIVE ([XXX]) THAT I HAD GOOGLED THIS INFORMATION TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON AND THIS APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE WITH CHEVY IMPLALA'S, AND I ASKED WHY HASN'T GM PUT OUT A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. SHE THEN TELLS ME THAT I NEED TO PAY AND GET A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK TO DETERMINE THE ACTUAL ISSUE. MY QUESTION TO HER IS "WHY SHOULD I OR ANY CUSTOMER HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT IS A REPORTED KNOWN ISSUE?" THERE REPRESENTATIVE CONTINUED TO APOLOGIZE AND TELL ME THERE WAS NOTHING THAT GM COULD DO BECAUSE THIS WAS NOT A KNOWN ISSUE. I REFERENCED THERE REPRESENTATIVE TO RESEARCH FOR HERSELF [XXX] AND SHE CONTINUED TO TELL ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
THE BACK SEATS ON THIS VEHICLE ARE A SAFETY HAZARD. I HAVE ALMOST HAD NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE OVER THE SEATS. *TR
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH WHEN MY CAR BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN UNTIL IT CAME TO A STOP. I COULD DO NOTHING BUT SIT THERE I DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE IT TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! THE CAR GAVE NO WARNING. I RECEIVED SEVERAL MESSAGES ON THE DASH THAT STATED DISABLED STARTER, SERVICE THROTTLE,…
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I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH WHEN MY CAR BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN UNTIL IT CAME TO A STOP. I COULD DO NOTHING BUT SIT THERE I DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE IT TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! THE CAR GAVE NO WARNING. I RECEIVED SEVERAL MESSAGES ON THE DASH THAT STATED DISABLED STARTER, SERVICE THROTTLE, AND THE CHECK OIL LIGHT WAS ON. OVER THE TWO YEARS THAT I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED AND ONE YEAR LATER ANOTHER POTENTIAL COSTLY REPAIR. SOMETHING REALLY NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH THE 2011 CHEVY IMPALA'S, THERE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE GOING ON THAT HAS NOT BEEN LOOK AT BY CHEVY. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A KNOCKING NOISE HEARD FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONING ORATOR HAD FAILED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 50,000.
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND THE CAR STARTED ACTING LIKE IT WAS UNEVEN. I GOT TO WHERE I COULD PULL OVER AND FOUND A BALLOON GROWING OUT OF THE SIDE OF MY TIRE. THE CAR IS NOT THAT OLD AND THE TIRES IN MY PAST IMPALA'S HAVE LASTED MUCH LONGER. I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THIS. I HAD TO CALL SOMEONE TO HELP ME SO THAT IT DIDN'T E…
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I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND THE CAR STARTED ACTING LIKE IT WAS UNEVEN. I GOT TO WHERE I COULD PULL OVER AND FOUND A BALLOON GROWING OUT OF THE SIDE OF MY TIRE. THE CAR IS NOT THAT OLD AND THE TIRES IN MY PAST IMPALA'S HAVE LASTED MUCH LONGER. I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THIS. I HAD TO CALL SOMEONE TO HELP ME SO THAT IT DIDN'T EXPLODE AND CAUSE MORE DAMAGE. *TR
WHILE DRIVING MY 2011 IMPALA IN REVERSE, REAR HEAD RESTRAINTS BLOCK HALF OF MY VIEW, SO EXTRA CAUTION HAS TO BE USED. THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM ON OTHER VEHICLES I HAVE OWNED. ALSO THE FRONT HEAD RESTRAINTS ARE POSITIONED TOO FAR FORWARD AND PUTS MY NECK IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION. ON LONG TRIPS MY NECK ACHES VERY BAD. RAISING THE…
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WHILE DRIVING MY 2011 IMPALA IN REVERSE, REAR HEAD RESTRAINTS BLOCK HALF OF MY VIEW, SO EXTRA CAUTION HAS TO BE USED. THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM ON OTHER VEHICLES I HAVE OWNED. ALSO THE FRONT HEAD RESTRAINTS ARE POSITIONED TOO FAR FORWARD AND PUTS MY NECK IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION. ON LONG TRIPS MY NECK ACHES VERY BAD. RAISING THE HEAD RESTRAINTS DOES NOT HELP THIS PROBLEM. IF CHEVROLET HAS NO FIX FOR THESE TWO PROBLEMS I WILL BE FORCED TO MAKE THEM MYSELF OR GET RID OF THIS CAR. *TR
WHEN DRIVING, NOTICED ON THE FREEWAY, IT WASN'T SMOOTH AT TIMES. THE TRANSMISSION'S SHIFTING WAS PRETTY ROUGH. NO INDICATION OF ANY ISSUES POPPED UP ON DASHBOARD. WHEN ARRIVING AT A FREEWAY RAMP, IT FELT LIKE I WAS HYDROPLANING, BUT ON GRAVEL. THEN, NOTICED WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, WAS NOT GOING ANYWHERE, BUT FELT LIKE I W…
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WHEN DRIVING, NOTICED ON THE FREEWAY, IT WASN'T SMOOTH AT TIMES. THE TRANSMISSION'S SHIFTING WAS PRETTY ROUGH. NO INDICATION OF ANY ISSUES POPPED UP ON DASHBOARD. WHEN ARRIVING AT A FREEWAY RAMP, IT FELT LIKE I WAS HYDROPLANING, BUT ON GRAVEL. THEN, NOTICED WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, WAS NOT GOING ANYWHERE, BUT FELT LIKE I WAS IN NEUTRAL. WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND TAKE A LOOK... TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS FINE... NOTHING POPPED UP ON THE DASHBOARD. NOTHING! THE INDICATORS FOR TIRES, OIL, ETC WERE SHOWING INFO, BUT NOTHING TO INDICATE IT HAD DIED OR IF THERE WERE ANY ENGINE ISSUES. HAD BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD BOUGHT THE CAR 11 MONTHS AGO. THE MECHANICS WERE SAYING THAT THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH AN HUGE TRANSMISSION FAILURE BEFORE. THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE THING. *TR
DRIVER SIDE WINDOW SWITCH WOULD NOT OPERATE ( INTERMITTENT) AT TIMES. THE SWITCH WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP (YOUNG CHEVROLET). DURING THE PAST MONTH (6/13) THE SAME TYPE OF CONDITION HAS OCCURRED. THIS PROBLEM SOUNDS MUCH LIKE WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH NHTSA ID - 13V248. *TR
2011 CHEVROLET IMPALA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE BACK ROW HEAD RESTS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN USING THE REAR VIEW MIRROR, THE HEAD REST OBSTRUCTED HIS VISION SO THAT APPROXIMATELY TWO-THIRDS OF THE REAR WINDOW WAS BLOCKED FROM VIEW.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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