10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 7 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 3 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 56,417 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
My vehicle's steering went out of no where as I was pulling into a store. There was a strong smell coming through the air vents, and very thick smoke coming from under the hood. I was unable to control the vehicle and had to stop to inspect the vehicle. I opened the hood and was overcome by smoke. I ended up resorting to calling a tow truck. I took the vehicle to a local Chevrolet dealer and was told my vehicle was involved in an accident and this was a result of the accident. My vehicle was involved in a minor accident 3 months prior. The current issue the dealer said I had, was that the catalytic converter was emitting heat and the power steering hose had burned and leaked fluid onto the catalytic converter. They refuse to fix it. I tow the car back to the shop that originally repaired it. They contacted my insurance and were informed that there was a previous recall for this issue in the 2012 Chevrolet Impala. On 8/11 a recall was issued. This was due to the power steering hose being routed too close to the catalytic converter and the heat was burning the hoses. This was causing engine compartment fires. My vehicle was manufactured 2 months after the recall. I bought the vehicle in April 2013 with 29K miles. It now has 33K miles and the diagnosis given by the dealer is identical to the diagnosis for the recall. But I am told that my vehicle will not be fixed as it did not fall under recall and are blaming the repair done by the collision center. I believe they continued to manufacture 2012 Chevrolet Impala's with the same issue and are putting people at a continued risk of having a fire start in their vehicle.
- Miami, FL, USA
Driving at highway speeds when I noticed it was difficult to steer while changing lanes. I took the off-ramp from hwy 515 to 215 and had to pull the wheel hard to negotiate the ramp curve. I made it home and called Chevy on Monday. They sent a tow truck to pick it up but once it arrived at the dealership the steering was working again and they were unable to identify a problem.
- Las Vegas, NV, USA
Purchased a GM certified vehicle. Vehicle stalled several times whenever making a left hand turn. When I would make a left hand turn, the vehicle would die completely in the middle of the turn. I would have to restart the car. One instance when trying to restart the car, the ignition acted "stuck." I only turned the ignition once and the car continued to crank over to restart the car on its own. The last couple of instances when taking the car to the dealership, it died, even when not making a left hand turn. It would die periodically while driving down the street. I took the vehicle into main motors (a GM dealership) to have it fixed. They said the wires were worn through in the engine compartment that run to the electronic control module. They stated they rerouted the wires. My bill was only for labor, no replacement of parts. I asked GM to cover this. The service adviser told the first agent at GM that it was a defective wire harness. Then the case was directed to a "district specialist." The district specialist stated that the service manager at main motors retracted the statement that it was a defect and stated it was normal wear and tear for electrical wires in the engine compartment to be worn through. Not a safe design for an electrical system to not last past 55000 miles.
- Ramsey, MN, USA
I recently read that General Motors issued a recall August 3, 2012 for 2008 - 2012 Chevrolet Impala concerning the suspension. Recall # 12V377000 concerns the front lower control arms which, according to the recall may fracture. A fractured lower control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. This recall, according to GM, only applies to police vehicles. I am writing this message to you to ask what is different about the police vehicles from the non police vehicles which would exclude the non police vehicles from the recall. Is this the same type of situation as the GM recall regarding 2007 - 2008 Chevrolet Impala concerning defective spindles in wheels which GM is trying to limit to police vehicles only but has been shown to apply to all Chevrolet Impala? thanks,
- Albany, NY, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph the steering became difficult to maneuver causing the driver to crash into a telephone pole. The front passenger sustained whiplash. The rear passenger sustained a broken thumb and a head concussion. The police reported to the scene and a report was filed. The vehicle was towed a tow yard. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate mileage was 33,500.
- Navarre, FL, USA
I was rotating the tires at home. When replacing the wheels I started and snagged the lug nuts by hand. I went to torque the lug nuts to specifications (100 foot pounds) using a torque wrench. One of the right front lug nuts would not stop turning way before reaching the specified torque. As I continued to turn the wrench, the stud snapped off. One of the lugs/studs next to it also felt suspicious. I took it to the dealer and had all studs and lugs replaced on that wheel as I am afraid there may be a bad batch of studs. The parts have been saved if needed for testing. I was a mechanic in the 1960's and have been doing this work on my own and family vehicles since then. I can not recall ever snapping a stud before.
- Damascus, MD, USA
- Pelzer, SC, USA