1996 Chevrolet Impala problems
Owners have filed 120 complaints about the 1996 Chevrolet Impala with NHTSA. Steering accounts for 13.3% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of visibility at 11.7%.
Complaints120
Crashes2
Fires2
Injuries0
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Steering 13.3% · 16
Visibility 11.7% · 14
Power train 11.7% · 14
Electrical system 9.2% · 11
Fuel system, gasoline 9.2% · 11
Engine and engine cooling 8.3% · 10
Suspension 7.5% · 9
Tires 6.7% · 8
Severity
Of those complaints, 2 describe a crash and 2 describe a fire.
Reading the numbers
Across the 19 model years of the Chevrolet Impala in this data, 1996 draws comparatively few complaints; 2004 is the outlier year.
Filings have fallen off, 5 in the last three years against 21 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 55,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Power steering intermittently locks up during turns at low speeds. This same thing happened 3 years ago. Chevrolet dealers and customer service both deny any evidence of a recurring problem with impalas although the nhtsa web site and an Impala owners' web site both list numerous occurrences of this malfunction. This is a very dangerous situation that renders the car temporarily out of control. Steering
While driving on highway at 45mph went to apply brakes to slow down to make a turn and the power steering went out. This has happened 4 or 5 times in the past seven months. Contacted dealer, he has checked the power steering system and has not been able to find the cause. Steering
When driving the power steering has gone out three times, causing the consumer to lose control. Had to replace the power steering pump twice due to a leakage. Consumer lost control of the vehicle and almost hit a tree. Steering
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…