What 258 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Impala

THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AFTER HITTING A LARGE BUMP IN THE ROAD. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF A SECOND TIME AGAIN AFTER HITTING A LARGE BUMP IN THE ROAD. THE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WERE BOTH AFFECTED. THE CAR RESTARTED. THE DEALER LOOKED AT THE CAR AND COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE CONDITION. THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY AFTER I REMOVED ALL THE KEYS FROM THE KEY-RING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10621617

MAY 2013 I PURCHASED A 2012 IMPALA FULLY CERTIFIED BY THE CHEVY DEALER. ON 9/25/2013 I WAS STOPPED ON I-80 DUE TO TRAFFIC. A WOMAN TRAVELING 53 MPH SLAMMED INTO ME CAUSING ME TO TAKE OUT THE NEXT 3 CARS. I FILED AN INVESTIGATION WITH GM TO REVIEW THE VEHICLE INFORMATION (WHICH IS HOW I KNOW HOW FAST SHE WAS TRAVELING). THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ON, BUT NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, AND THE SEAT BELT HAD RESTRAINED ME ONLY AFTER I VIOLENTLY BOUNCED OFF OF THE STEERING WHEEL. WHEN THIS WAS REPORTED TO GM IT WAS STATED THAT THERE ARE THREE LINES OF DEFENSE IN A VEHICULAR ACCIDENT #1 THE BODY OF YOUR VEHICLE #2 YOUR SEAT BELT #3 AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. 2/3 LINES OF DEFENSE HAD FAILED ME. GM HAD NO CONCLUSION AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND I RECEIVED THE REPORTS FROM THE ENGINEERS. I WAS TRAVELING FAST ENOUGH INTO THE CAR AHEAD OF ME FOR THE AIRBAGS TO HAVE DEPLOYED, AND THE SEAT BELT SHOULD HAVE RESTRAINED ME. NEARLY A YEAR LATER, I AM GREATFUL THAT ONE LINE OF DEFENSE HAD PREVENTED FURTHER INJURIES, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I WILL FOREVER FEEL THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF. WITH RECENT NEWS INVESTIGATIONS INTO GM'S FAULTY AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT, CLEARLY THEY CAN LOOK BEYOND JUST THE OLDER MODELS OF IMPALAS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10617649

CAR EXPERIENCED COMPLETE ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE WHILE ACCELERATING ONTO BUSY HIGHWAY. THERE WAS NO EMERGENCY LANE, SO BROUGHT CAR TO A HALT BLOCKING ONE LANE. THIS WAS AS VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. LATER DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE WAS A LOOSE HOT WIRE TERMINAL CONNECTION TO THE FUSE BOX. IT HAD EITHER VIBRATED LOOSE OR WAS NOT TIGHTENED ADEQUATELY AT TIME OF MANUFACTURE. LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT INTERESTED IN REPORTING THIS EVENT TO THE GM DATA BASE, SO GAVE ME A CHEVROLET CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER TO CALL, WHICH I DID. *TR

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE THE KEY FAILED TO TURN UNTIL AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,000.

NHTSA ODI 10576122

THE ENGINE DIED IN A HARD RAIN,WIPERS QUIT, FLASHERS CAME ON, WINDOWS WENT UP AND DOWN, CD PLAYER QUIT AND RADIO CAME ON, THEN FLASHERS WENT OFF. WINDOWS WOULD NOT GO BACK UP SOAKING THE INSIDE OF THE DOORS.THIS IS MY WIFE'S CAR AND NOW SHE IS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. I CALLED THE DEALER TWICE AND GOT A RECORDING ASKING ME TO LEAVE A BRIEF MESSAGE. IF THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO ANSWER THE PHONE, HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO FIX IT? *TR

NHTSA ODI 10536430

SAME INCIDENT TWICE. I AM DRIVING EITHER AT LOW SPEEDS (5 TO 10 MPH) OR AT 30 MPH. THE LIGHT SERVICE STABILITRAK AND BRAKES COMES ON. AFTER I TURN OFF THE CAR, THE WARNING LIGHTS AND THE MESSAGE GO OFF. I TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP BUT THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT HELP BECAUSE THE WARNING MESSAGE IS OFF. I HAVE SEEN MESSAGES ACROSS THE INTERNET POSTS THAT OTHER IMPALAS (2012) ARE DOING THE SAME THING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10534064

2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO POWER SENSOR FAILURE IN VEHICLE. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER. THE ENGINE QUIT, THE FLASHERS WOULD NOT WORK AND HE WAS UNABLE TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOORS, OR LOWER THE WINDOWS USING THE POWER SWITCH. THE ONLY WAY TO UNLOCK THE DOORS WAS WITH THE KEY FOB, THAT UNLOCKED OR LOCKED THE DOORS FROM THE OUTSIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. A DIAGNOSIS REVEALED A BAD SENSOR AND TWO BURNED WIRES. THE CONSUMER WAS ASSURED THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. A WEEK LATER, THE CONSUMER RETURNED TO THE DEALER DUE TO A MALFUNCTION WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL. ON JUNE 13, 2013 WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE DIED AGAIN. IT WAS THE SAME ISSUE THAT OCCURRED BACK IN FEBRUARY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AGAIN. THE NEXT THE DAY, THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THEY STILL HAD NOT FOUND A PROBLEM. TWO HOURS LATER, THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED, THEY HAD FOUND THE PROBLEM, BUT THE PART HAD TO BE ORDERED. THE PART ARRIVED THE SAME DAY, AND THE CONSUMER WAS ASSURED, THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN REPAIRED. HOWEVER, AS SOON AS HE PULLED OFF AT AN EXIT, THE VEHICLE DIED AGAIN. AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE FOR OVER A WEEK, THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THEY FOUND NUMEROUS EXPOSED WIRES, THAT WERE CAUSING SHORTS, SUCH AS RUBBING ON THE TRANSMISSION AND OTHER METAL PARTS, MANY OF THEM WERE NOT PROPERLY SECURED. ALSO, WHEN THE CONSUMER TURNED ON THE HEADLIGHTS, HE DISCOVERED THE LOW BEAMS DID NOT WORK. THE CONSUMER STATED CHEVROLET BOUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK AND THEY OFFERED HIM A DEAL ON A DIFFERENT MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR. UPDATED 09/24/13. JB

NHTSA ODI 10532509

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. *TR

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