2006 Chevrolet Impala problems
Owners have filed 803 complaints about the 2006 Chevrolet Impala with NHTSA. Steering accounts for 17.2% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of electrical system at 15.4%.
Complaints803
Crashes91
Fires36
Injuries61
Deaths1
What owners report breaking
Steering 17.2% · 138
Electrical system 15.4% · 124
Power train 13.6% · 109
Engine 7.3% · 59
Air bags 5.9% · 47
Vehicle speed control 5.1% · 41
Engine and engine cooling 3.4% · 27
Tires 3.2% · 26
Severity
Of those complaints, 91 describe a crash, 36 describe a fire, 61 report an injury and 1 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 19 model years of the Chevrolet Impala in this data, 2006 sits 12th by complaint volume. 2004 draws the most.
Filings are rising — 11 in the last three years against 9 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 77,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Impala. While driving 35 mph, the power steering hose began leaking and sprayed power steering fluid over the exhaust and fire wall. The vehicle began smoking and then caught fire under the hood. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a service station and a new hose was installed. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 63,000. Steering · reported at 63,000 miles
My power steering was acting crazy and making clicking and other weird sounds. After being notified of a recall, I took it in to the dealer. The dealer told me they had to perform the recall, which they have it listed as a power steering flush on my gm owner center file. It has now returned back to clicking and weird sounds when I drive and turn. I'm scared that maybe gm is overlooking my Impala. Steering · reported at 38,756 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the outer tie rod end was defective on both the driver and passenger side tires. While driving 55-60 mph, the entire vehicle fluttered and shook when the steering wheel was turned. The dealer replaced the tie rods and there had been no further occurrences. The current and failure mileages were 15,000. Updated 11/07/07. Steering · reported at 15,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…