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What 258 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Impala

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (258)Crash / fire / injury (27)Electrical system (58)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (54)Steering (49)Engine (40)Brakes (33)Transmission & drivetrain (27)Suspension (22)Airbags (20)Wheels (19)Fuel system (18)

2 of 258 complaints match · Suspension · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 16, 2019SteeringSuspensionWheelsCrash

THIS VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS! IVE REPORTED SOME OTHER MECHANICAL FAILURES THAT PUT ME IN DANGER BUT NOT ALL AND THEY STILL HAVE YET TO STOP HAPPENING. IVE SPENT OVER 10K REPAIRING AND REPLACING STEERING, SUSPENSION DRIVE TRAIN/ DRIVE AXLE AND CHASSIS COMPONENTS. BUT NOTHING HAS HELPED. AS OF LATE I KEEP GETTING ALIGNMENTS AND REPLACED 2 TIE RODS STRUTS CONTROL ARMS AND WHEEL HUB AND BEARINGS ONLY TO HAVE MY TIRES WEAR DOWN UNEVENLY AND QUICKLY IN 2 WEEKS. I PURCHASED THE TIRES BRAND NEW 6 MONTHS AGO. WITH A NEW WHEELS AND FRONT OUTTER TIE RODS AS WELL (WHICH I AGAIN REPLACED 2 WEEKS AGO). ALSO REPLACED IN 2019; FRONT AND BACK BRAKE ASSEMBLY (SHOES, PADS, ROTORS) FRONT AND BACK (BOTH SIDES) CONTROL ARMS, LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT STRUT AND SPRING ASSEMBLY. NEW CV AXLE AND FRONT HUB BEARINGS FULL ASSEMBLY LEFT AND RIGHT (2 WEEKS AGO)ADDITIONAL LEFT FRONT STRUT AND SPRING ASSEMBLY (2 WEEKS AGO). THIS LIST IS JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE REPAIRS; TOO MANY. YET, THE CAR KEEPS LOOSING STEERING AND FALLING APART QUICKER EVERY DAY. PLUS, THE INSPECTION EXPIRES NEXT MONTH AND IT DID NOT PASS DUE TO EMMISSIONS SYSTEM ISSUES. IT IS A 2012 & SHOULD NOT BE PROBLEMATIC YET. I ONLY KEEP REPAIRING IT BECAUSE I AM STILL FINANCING SINCE BEING RIPPED OFF BY DEALERSHIP AT 23% APR ON TOP OF OVERCHARGED 2XS BLUE BOOK. WHICH HAS ME FAR TOO UPSIDE DOWN TO TRADE IN OR EVEN SELL PRIVATELY. I WOULDN'T SELL IT TO MY WORSE ENEMY ANYWAY. CHEVROLET SHOULD HAVE TO ANSWER FOR THEIR FAILURE. HARD WORKING PEOPLE PUT TRUST IN MANUFACTURERS AND DEPEND ON THEIR CARS. I MAY LOSE EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF MINE BUT NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT AND LEGAL COUNSEL. MY NEXT STEP IS TO CONTACT A CLASS ACTION LAW FIRM TO PROCURE COUNSEL FOR THESE MATTERS. GMC, THE NHTSA, AND AUTO REPAIR BUSINESSES (IE. FIRESTONE COMPLETE AUTO CARE) WILL BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE ISSUE AS WELL. THANK YOU

NHTSA ODI 11255661

Jan 14, 2019SteeringSuspensionWheelsCrash

WHILE DRIVING AT NO MORE THAN 65 MPH ON THE FREEWAY THE CONTROL ARM GAVE OUT AND IT CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL. THEN IT HIT THE BARRIER WALL AND THE 2 TIRE ON THE DRIVER SIDE BLEW ON CONTACT. TOWED TO MECHANIC AND THEY SAID THAT THE TIE RODS ALSO WENT OUT. THE BRAKES AND SHOCKS AND STRUTS WERE NEW AND IT IS REGULARLY IN THE SHOP FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND REPAIRS. THIS IS INEXCUSABLE AND THIS VEHICLE NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY RECALLED AND TAKEN OUT OF CIRCULATION.

NHTSA ODI 11166797

Working with the data? Download all 258 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Chevrolet Impala verdict →