2001 Chevrolet Impala problems
Owners have filed 959 complaints about the 2001 Chevrolet Impala with NHTSA. Electrical system accounts for 24.2% of them — the clear leader, ahead of engine and engine cooling at 12.9%.
Complaints959
Crashes55
Fires87
Injuries60
Deaths2
What owners report breaking
Electrical system 24.2% · 232
Engine and engine cooling 12.9% · 124
Exterior lighting 8.8% · 84
Steering 8.0% · 77
Engine 7.1% · 68
Power train 6.0% · 58
Service brakes, hydraulic 6.0% · 58
Air bags 5.1% · 49
Severity
Of those complaints, 55 describe a crash, 87 describe a fire, 60 report an injury and 2 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 19 model years of the Chevrolet Impala in this data, 2001 sits 7th by complaint volume. 2004 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 11 in the last three years against 34 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 80,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Vehicle will not start at times. Security system thinks you're stealing the car. You have to wait ten or so minutes till the bypass security system resets itself leaving you stranded till you get a restart. Worn contacts on the ignition switch are not recognizing your key. Had ignition switch replaced about a year and a half ago and problem has returned. Seems to be extremely common on gm cars '99 to '05. Electrical system · reported at 107,000 miles
While making a left turn in an intersection, car completely shut down, and I lost brakes and steering. Car immediately restarted but time on clock was wrong. I believe the computer is shutting the car down. Shortly after this incident, my keyless entry failed to lock the car until I restarted the car and tried again. I, again, noticed, the time on my clock had changed, indicating a computer shutdown. Electrical system · reported at 97,000 miles
For the third time a power window "regulator cable" has broken in my car, twice in the driver door (9/29/04 and 5/15/11) and once in the passenger door (09/15/09), each time while driving the vehicle on a street or highway. Nothing noticeable before windows dropped. Had to drive it to a dealer (once for several hundred miles). Cost of repairs were as high as $433. I have owned this car since 11/2001. Electrical system · reported at 105,600 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…