Stability control light comes on which puts the engine in restricted power ABS and brake light comes on front driver side brake continuously holds on when trying to accelerate
2012 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
204 reports with mileage · 54 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 58 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 54 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Service Brakes complaints
32 reportsThe car has been in the shop twice within 6 months having it. It was towed twice, once for transmission issues and having no power to it at all then it back in the shop for warning lights. I also had it in the shop for about an hour to have a new tire put on it after loosing air. It had to be towed back home for all the brakes b…
Read full complaint
The car has been in the shop twice within 6 months having it. It was towed twice, once for transmission issues and having no power to it at all then it back in the shop for warning lights. I also had it in the shop for about an hour to have a new tire put on it after loosing air. It had to be towed back home for all the brakes being shot and I'm now having an issue with the rear left caliper having a slow leak, the rear left sway bar is also broken in half. The whole entire car has issues and the leasing company and dealership refuse to do anything to help along with not helping me get the payment down. After one thing gets fixed, another thing happens. The suspension is getting bad and has been like that since my fiance and i got the car. The dealership said everything was new and fixed. We had 2 kids in the car and their safety was put at risk as well as others that got in the car. The car is getting to be a death trap for me. the warning lights that were coming on were Service Stabilitrak, Service Brake Assist, Service Trac Control and Service Brake System. These were coming on after I had the car in the shop for the transmission issue. Those lights are now not coming on. My fiance and I were told by the dealership that the brakes were new, nothing mechanically wrong with the car and drives smoothly, this was said before we took the car for a test drive. We were there to buy a car but after we signed the papers, we were told it was a lease.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED CAUSING THE STEERING TO LOCK AND THE BRAKES TO FAIL. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO STREET SIGN CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO FALL INTO A DITCH. THE CONTACT STATED THE ABS AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED.…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED CAUSING THE STEERING TO LOCK AND THE BRAKES TO FAIL. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO STREET SIGN CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO FALL INTO A DITCH. THE CONTACT STATED THE ABS AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED.THERE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE AND WAS TOWED TO AN IMPOUND LOT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED AS OF YET. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 176,000.
CLUNKING , GRINDING NOISE SERVICE STABILITRAK, SERVICE ABS LIGHTS COME ON LOSE POWER WHEN REVERSING OR MAKING A LEFT TURN. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRING HARNESS GOING TO THE SENSORS IN THE WHEELS. MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM ACROSS MANY YEARS OF THIS VEHICLE. PEOPLE ARE SPENDIN…
Read full complaint
CLUNKING , GRINDING NOISE SERVICE STABILITRAK, SERVICE ABS LIGHTS COME ON LOSE POWER WHEN REVERSING OR MAKING A LEFT TURN. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRING HARNESS GOING TO THE SENSORS IN THE WHEELS. MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM ACROSS MANY YEARS OF THIS VEHICLE. PEOPLE ARE SPENDING MONEY UNNECESSARILY ON PARTS SUCH AS WHEEL HUBS AND BEARINGS WITHOUT FIXING SAID PROBLEM. MANY PEOPLE ARE ALSO REPORTING CARS TURNING OFF AS A RESULT OF THIS. *TR
THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM IS CONSTANTLY ON EVEN WHEN MY CAR IS STATIONARY MY ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT IS ALSO ALWAYS ON. SOME TIMES I LOSE POWER WHEN I START TO DRIVE. I HAD IT CHECKED AND HAD THE SENSOR REPLACED ,BUT THE PROBLEMS WERE NOT SOLVED.
SINCE 2017, UPON STARTING MY CAR I GET ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ALERT MSGS "SERVICE STABILITRAK", *SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST" AND "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" ON MY DASHBOARD. I'VE HAD THE CAR INTO LES SCHWAB AND ERROR CODE DIAGNOSTICS DONE BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER BOTH FRONT HUB ASSEMBLIES WERE REPLACED. THE SAME SERVICE MESSAGES STILL CO…
Read full complaint
SINCE 2017, UPON STARTING MY CAR I GET ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ALERT MSGS "SERVICE STABILITRAK", *SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST" AND "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" ON MY DASHBOARD. I'VE HAD THE CAR INTO LES SCHWAB AND ERROR CODE DIAGNOSTICS DONE BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER BOTH FRONT HUB ASSEMBLIES WERE REPLACED. THE SAME SERVICE MESSAGES STILL CONTINUE TO APPEAR ON THE DASH. LES SCHWAB HAS CHECKED THE HUB SENSOR WIRES REPEATEDLY AND ALL ERROR CODES AND FIND THEM TO BE OK. THEY FIND THE CAR TO STILL HAVE A CRUNCHING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE CAR, MOST MARKEDLY WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL TO THE LEFT, BUT CAN ALSO BE HEARD WHEN THERE IS A DROP IN ELEVATION, AS WHEN EXISTING A PARKING LOT INTO A SLIGHTLY LOWER ROADWAY. ON JUNE 14,2019, WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION AND TURNING RIGHT AT A STOPLIGHT, THE SAME SITUATION OCCURRED AS HAS WHEN I MAKE A LEFT TURN. THE CAR SUDDENLY ACTED AS THOUGH THE BRAKES WERE BEING APPLIED VERY HARD AND THEN THE CAR HALTED BRIEFLY WITH TRAFFIC BEHIND ME AS THOUGH IT WOULD STALL OUT. I APPLIED THE ACCELERATOR TILL I FORCED THE CAR TO MOVE AROUND THE CORNER AND AFTER ABOUT A MINUTE OF FIGHTING BRAKING RESISTANCE, I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN NORMAL 40 MPH SPEED WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. THIS OCCURRED ON DRY PAVEMENT WITH NO PRECIPITATION. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS AROUND 100 DEGREES. BEST DRIVING CONDITIONS WITH NO ROUGH ROADWAY. LES SCHWAB SAID THE PROBLEM WITH THE HUB SENSOR AND LEFT TURNING IS A KNOWN PROBLEM TO THEM AND SAID THEY WISH IT WOULD BE MADE A RECALL ITEM AS IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM NOW. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CHEVY IMPALA. LOVE MY CAR BUT WON'T TAKE A CHANCE ON PURCHASING SAME MAKE AND MODEL. I WASN'T SO SURPRISED WHEN RESEARCHING THESE ISSUES ON THE INTERNET TO FIND HUGE NUMBER OF OWNER'S HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS.
MY CAR'S STABILITRACK, BARAKE ASSIST, AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS COME ON EVERYTIME I TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT. THE CAR HESITATES WHEN GIVING GAS MAKING IT FOR A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN GETTING INTO TRAFFIC
SERVICE STABILITRAK CAME ON WHEN MERGING ON TO THE FREEWAY, (WHICH INVOLVED A TURN TO GET ON THE ON-RAMP,) SHUTTING DOWN THE CAR COMPLETELY. ALMOST HIT BY A SEMI. I HAVE HAD THE BEARINGS REPLACED BECAUSE OF STABILITRAK LIGHT. HOW HAS THIS NOT BEEN RECALLED? MY FRIEND AND I ALMOST DIED BECAUSE OF THE FAULTY SENSORS OR WHATEVER I…
Read full complaint
SERVICE STABILITRAK CAME ON WHEN MERGING ON TO THE FREEWAY, (WHICH INVOLVED A TURN TO GET ON THE ON-RAMP,) SHUTTING DOWN THE CAR COMPLETELY. ALMOST HIT BY A SEMI. I HAVE HAD THE BEARINGS REPLACED BECAUSE OF STABILITRAK LIGHT. HOW HAS THIS NOT BEEN RECALLED? MY FRIEND AND I ALMOST DIED BECAUSE OF THE FAULTY SENSORS OR WHATEVER IT IS WITH THESE CRAP BEARINGS. I WAS TOLD HOW THE BEARINGS ARE MADE WITH THE SENSORS BEING PLACED IN A COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS SPOT BY AUTO PARTS STORES. SAW PLENTY OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE WITH THIS VEHICLE. SAME ISSUE. HOW HAS NOTHING BEEN DONE WITH THIS?
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE REVERSING OUT OF A PARKING LOT, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE FINALLY STOPPED WHEN IT CRASHED INTO AN EMBANKMENT. THE PASSENGER WAS TAKEN TO SHERMAN ELGIN HOSPITAL TO REC…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE REVERSING OUT OF A PARKING LOT, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE FINALLY STOPPED WHEN IT CRASHED INTO AN EMBANKMENT. THE PASSENGER WAS TAKEN TO SHERMAN ELGIN HOSPITAL TO RECEIVE MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR BACK, NECK, AND SHOULDER INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED BY THE POLICE TO AN UNKNOWN LOT. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,564.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, WHEN THE CONTACT WOULD MAKE A TURN OR HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD, HE HEARD AN ABNORMAL POP SOUND WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT OBSERVED FLUID LEAKING IN THE FRONT MIDDLE OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER (HENDRICK CHEVROLET, 100 AUTO MALL DRIVE, CARY, N…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, WHEN THE CONTACT WOULD MAKE A TURN OR HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD, HE HEARD AN ABNORMAL POP SOUND WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT OBSERVED FLUID LEAKING IN THE FRONT MIDDLE OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER (HENDRICK CHEVROLET, 100 AUTO MALL DRIVE, CARY, NC, 27511, 919-439-5132) ADVISED THE CONTACT TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER SINCE THEY WERE OUT OF STATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER (DAN VADEN CHEVROLET SAVANNAH, 9393 ABERCORN ST, SAVANNAH, GA, 31406) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING RACK, BRAKES/ ROTORS, AND TIE ROD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, AN ALIGNMENT WAS NEEDED. THE STEERING RACK, BRAKES/ROTORS, TIE ROD, AND ALIGNMENT WERE REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE NOW SHAKES INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 8-3209374202. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 86,800.
Official recalls
314V355000 · 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.
11V398000 · Steering:hydraulic Power Assist:hose, Piping, And Connections
Aug 5, 2011
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 19, 2011, THROUGH JULY 29, 2011. THE UPPER POWER STEERING HOSE MAY HAVE BEEN MISROUTED SO THAT IT CAN COME IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO AND/OR CONTACT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. WITH THE ENGINE ON, HEAT FROM THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER MAY MELT THE POWER STEERING HOSE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: POWER STEERING FLUID COULD FLOW ONTO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, AND AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE COULD OCCUR.
Remedy: GM DEALERS WILL INSPECT TO ENSURE THAT THE UPPER POWER STEERING HOSE IS ROUTED CORRECTLY AND MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438.
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.
Illustration