2008 Chevrolet Impala problems
Owners have filed 1,203 complaints about the 2008 Chevrolet Impala with NHTSA. Electrical system accounts for 18.7% of them — the clear leader, ahead of engine at 11.1%.
Complaints1,203
Crashes80
Fires15
Injuries63
Deaths1
What owners report breaking
Electrical system 18.7% · 225
Engine 11.1% · 134
Suspension 9.8% · 118
Steering 7.9% · 95
Vehicle speed control 7.7% · 93
Power train 7.6% · 92
Electronic stability control (ESC) 4.8% · 58
Air bags 4.2% · 50
Severity
Of those complaints, 80 describe a crash, 15 describe a fire, 63 report an injury and 1 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 19 model years of the Chevrolet Impala in this data, 2008 ranks 3rd by complaint volume — 2004 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 19 in the last three years against 84 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 75,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Rear door locks, defrost, trunk lid stopped working. Noticed smoke on my passenger side while driving in town. I took it in and was shown that it melted the wires together and melted the rear body harness connector. ( I kept the part if needed) this is a danger to drivers. The fire can start at any time while driving! I believe this should be a recall. After researching I see this is happening to many of these cars. Electrical system · reported at 160,000 miles
2008 Chevrolet Impala. Consumer believes the ignition switch should have been modified to secure and stabilize the key. *Ta the dealer placed a small plastic plug in the ignition key. The consumer stated the key fit the same way it did prior to the repair; it still had play in the fit and it was not secure. Secondly, the ignition switch itself still had the same amount of play in it, after the so called repair. Electrical system
Door lock problems: first the driver door failed to work. Then the right passenger door..(Which has to be manually opened and closed). Now the driver side passenger door lock is undependable. The problem is becoming a hazard to driving the automobile in that the safety of the ingress and egress of the passengers cannot be guaranteed and this can become a definite hazard, especially in times of an accident. Electrical system · reported at 10,203 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…