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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
41,689 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Chevrolet Impala drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2012 Chevrolet Impala Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #25

May 092021

Impala

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car has been in the shop twice within 6 months having it. It was towed twice, once for transmission issues and having no power to it at all then it back in the shop for warning lights. I also had it in the shop for about an hour to have a new tire put on it after loosing air. It had to be towed back home for all the brakes being shot and I'm now having an issue with the rear left caliper having a slow leak, the rear left sway bar is also broken in half. The whole entire car has issues and the leasing company and dealership refuse to do anything to help along with not helping me get the payment down. After one thing gets fixed, another thing happens. The suspension is getting bad and has been like that since my fiance and i got the car. The dealership said everything was new and fixed. We had 2 kids in the car and their safety was put at risk as well as others that got in the car. The car is getting to be a death trap for me. the warning lights that were coming on were Service Stabilitrak, Service Brake Assist, Service Trac Control and Service Brake System. These were coming on after I had the car in the shop for the transmission issue. Those lights are now not coming on. My fiance and I were told by the dealership that the brakes were new, nothing mechanically wrong with the car and drives smoothly, this was said before we took the car for a test drive. We were there to buy a car but after we signed the papers, we were told it was a lease.

- Sterling Heights, MI, USA

problem #24

Jun 232020

Impala 6-cyl

  • 127,600 miles
I have had major failure of all of the main function components of the steering and suspension. Multiple times I have replaced, the inner and outer tie rods, ll 4 wheelbearing assembly, sway bar links, control arms, cv axles. I have to replace brand new tires every 6,000 10,000 miles because the mechanical failures are wearing on the rubber so rapidly and al was and unevenly. I have never not had a N issue with this vehicle and have put more money in repairs then the payment, which are more than what I owe still on the remainder (financed). Also, the transmission is faliling rapidly. I have reported prior issues prior to this date. I cannot justify repairing, maintenance or emergency, a vehicle that is less than the value of the repair cost. GM should be ashamed and punished for such crimes against consumers.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #23

Aug 042015

Impala

  • 40,000 miles
When accelerating forward from a complete stop the traction control comes on by itself causing the wheels to lock up & causes hesitation. The ground is not wet at all especially when turning the traction control kicks on causing the same reaction on dry pavement. When accelerating the car hesitates & jerks/jolts then the traction light kicks on. There are no codes on the dashboard & no check engine light.

- Armada, MI, USA

problem #22

Sep 272017

Impala

  • 73,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Used car purchased with approx. 72,000 miles. Major problems became apparent at 73,000 miles approx. Grinding clunking squealing noises were 1st warning signs. All of these noises occur anytime the vehicle is being driven, intermittently, but everytime I turn left or right. The ac/heater went out because the blower motor failed. Handling was horrible so replaced most of suspension parts but alignment repeatedly goes out and mechanics are idiots so they just say they are stumped and send me away. That prompted me to research on my own. I looked up the symptoms and have concluded that the hub bearings need to be replaced. Which I cannot afford seeing as how I just spent a few grand on other repairs.then I found out that the transmission is failing which makes it jerk when accelerating, drive very sluggish, and makes loud noises at idle and in motion. There is more problems that would take too long to list. I continue to research all of this vehicles complaints and problems and it seems like it is time for a real recall! GM should be held accountable for making such a nightmare of a car. I just purchased the car from a dealership for $10,000 one year ago and still owe $8,600. Just had the car appraised at $3,000, so I am upside down $5,500. I cannot trade it in, cannot afford perpectually repairing and would not because it seems like there is no end. It is parked now because I cannot drive it anymore, so I cannot get to work and may have to have it repossesed. This is not right!

- Garland, TX, USA

problem #21

Aug 012017

Impala

  • 66,000 miles
My vehicle suffers from loss of power when making a square turn aka a very sharp turn. It only happens with left turns. The problem is wear of a cable near the front left tire which controls the antilock brakes and/or the traction control / stabilitrak feature. The wearing is such that when turning sharply to the left, the worn cable suffers intermittent connectivity loss. That loss of connectivity triggers traction control to briefly sever power to the front tires. I have found that manually turning off traction control prevents this problem from happening. I could reproduce the problem reliably. It nearly always happens when moving from a parked position into the roadway, and when leaving a parking lot after reversing out of a parking space. The problem is particularly dangerous when I am making left turns across oncoming traffic - I have lost power once in the middle of oncoming traffic but thankfully the others drivers were aware enough to stop before collision. Because of this I always turned off the traction control for all driving trips. I found online similar reports of other 2012 Chevrolet Impala owners.

- Bellevue, KY, USA

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problem #20

Jan 092018

Impala

  • 135,000 miles
When using E85 fuel in my flex fuel vehicle the check stability control/reduced engine power warning is activated. This occurs when the car is moving. I have contacted my dealer and GM they were unable to help me. There is a GM technical bulletin (pip5385C) on this problem.

- Springdale, AR, USA

problem #19

Oct 032017

Impala

  • 75,070 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall when accelerating forward from a complete stop the traction control comes on by itself causing the wheels to lock up & causes hesitation. The ground is not wet at all when this happens & has almost caused me to get rear ended. Even when turning the traction control kicks on causing the same reaction on dry pavement. When accelerating the car hesitates & jerks/jolts then the traction light kicks on. There are no codes on the dashboard & no check engine light. Taken it to the dealership and they aren't able to figure out the issue. This is very unsafe especially driving on the highway and driving with children in the car. It risking my life, my children's lives & the lifes of others.and have spent a lot of money having the vehicle checked out with no solutions. This is very dangerous.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #18

Feb 252017

Impala

  • 153,973 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that when the vehicle was taken for service, the dealer discovered that the reb wave plate was fractured inside the transmission. The vehicle was diagnosed and the dealer stated that the entire transmission needed to be re-built. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to the transmission specialist and the specialist stated that the transmission part were joint together with the Ford and Chevrolet, the specialist also mentioned that the Ford part was good but the Chevrolet part failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, the contact stated that after speaking to the manufacturer a case number was not provided. The failure mileage was 153,973.

- Menands, NY, USA

problem #17

Mar 172017

Impala

  • 68,000 miles
Car has 68,000 miles. A few days ago the engine light came on, which disabled remote start. I didn't realize this until I went to get into the car. I'm in mi and this past week has been very cold. I jumped in and drove it to work (less than 3 miles). On the way, the traction light came on. No surprise, as it was a little slippery. No other problems. On way home from work: Car starts up fine, no warning lights at all at start. Its about 13* out. Almost home: Engine light comes on, traction light comes on, then right before turning on my road the stabilizer light comes on and reduce power light, car jerks and loses power like its going to stall out. It made it home. Next morning, engine light on but nothing else happens. I call around and dealership suggests I bring it in and hook it up to run a diagnostics for $98. I go over to parts store and have them run it first. Error codes show up that "don't really mean anything" and they reset the engine light. Runs a couple of days fine with no problems, lights coming on etc. Temp drops again and repeat the whole process all over. I bring to the dealership and they tell me it needs high pressure fuel pump and new lines, after they asked me if I ran E85 in it, which I do because that is what they suggested when I bought it! I can't afford the $900 right now and I picked it up. I called another dealership to get another estimate and I'm told that this is a common problem (we're seeing this all the time. It's a problem with running E85 in cold temps). That person suggests I run mao44 and prem unleaded in it and it should run fine for a while. I"M also told that this is not covered by the powertrain warranty and there has been no recall, even though "we're seeing this all the time".

- Greenville, MI, USA

problem #16

Sep 042016

Impala 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 19,500 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. After starting the engine and switching the shifter to the drive position, the vehicle suddenly went in reverse after the accelerator pedal was depressed. After turning off and restarting the engine, the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 19,500. Updated 12/13/16 updated 12/15/16.

- Red Wing, MN, USA

problem #15

Mar 152016

Impala

  • 40,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Grinding noise from front and momentary loss of acceleration upon acceleration from stop. Most prevalent on left turn from stop but progressively getting more frequent on straight or right turns. Dash traction control light illuminates momentarily. Original dealer inspection found no issue. On star diagnostics revealed nothing. Above 5mph no symptoms at all. Dealer will reinspect next week.

- Wollaston, MA, USA

problem #14

Mar 282016

Impala

  • 32,000 miles
When backing out of parking space turning right and then turning left, it sounds like grinding metal and the car starts jerking until the wheels are turned straight and then it's ok again it is really loud. I took it to the dealer but it wouldn't do it for them.

- Washington, MO, USA

problem #13

Sep 032015

Impala

  • miles
Clunking sound from transmission differential...when you pull out from a stop you get a clucking noise and the car cannot go...something is grabbed..pulling onto a city street or going in reverse from driveway..mechanic has been unable to find problem after 5 attempts.

- Glenville, PA, USA

problem #12

Dec 092014

Impala 6-cyl

  • 25,000 miles
GM service bulletin id: 3650687.

- Andover, MN, USA

problem #11

Feb 092013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 49,000 miles
Car cut offs when put into drive car cuts off while driving. RPM odometer stops working. Check engine light comes on reduce engine power. Stability track and ABS stop car from turning. GM dealer said its battery terminal wires and a new battery changed both and same issue. Fuel pressure sensor keeps going bad replaced twice. Car is choking on to much fuel rotten eggs smell coming from exhaust. Car is very dangerous to drive has cut off on me in traffic to many times now. Once and if problems are ever found their needs to be a recall to prevent injury or death.

- Philadelphia , PA, USA

problem #10

May 042012

Impala 6-cyl

  • 18,120 miles
Accelerator response time takes too long to re-accelerate. After letting off gas then re-applying pedal while driving, response time should be 800 mili seconds for an electronic accelerator but, it is way longer and makes car backfire at times if I hold pedal after the lag in response. This causes car to lunge and could cause me to get rear ended or damage engine. Second, rubbing grinding noise (not loud) from right front and more noticeable while traveling at 35-40 mph around a left bend in road or by moving steering wheel to left about an inch while driving straight down road. Dealer claimed no problem found on either issue, although they claimed to have replaced a strut bearing on right front. There must have been a previous issue judging by the worn tire before I purchased car. I figured it was an alignment problem that may have been fixed because car didn't pull to one side and drove straight, but apparently there is still an issue and noise is slowly getting more noticeable unless I'm just tuned into it.

- Vermilion, OH, USA

problem #9

Jun 242014

Impala 6-cyl

  • 21,927 miles
Replaced front wheel drive intermediate shaft and right side transaxle seal.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #8

May 122014

Impala 6-cyl

  • 20,545 miles
Front wheel hub and cv axle nut loose. Replaced front wheel hub part # 88964168, hub 6.307 qy* cpobk. Torqued right front wheel hub and cv axle nut to specifications. GMC factory error in quality control.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #7

Apr 142014

Impala 6-cyl

  • 20,150 miles
Failed torque converter. The torque converter would slip when shifting from reverse to forward (drive). It would slam into drive, grin the gears and cause the tires to squeak (spin). On April 28, hedrick's Chevrolet 961 w shaw, clovis, ca, replaced the original torque converter, with a remanufactured convertor, part number 17804457 (1), plus the following parts:17804457(1)-core return, 24264377 (1)- seal kit, 25886620(2)- gasket,10333578(1) - gasket, 12609163(1) - gasket. It is a warranty clovered part.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #6

Oct 052013

Impala

  • 6,206 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the transmission remained in 4th gear and would not shift into 5th or 6th gear as normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The contact also indicated that on multiple occasions while driving at various speeds, the "transmission hot idle engine" warning message illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that the high side of the transmission was defective. The body control module and the sl-N module was replaced but the defect was not remedied. The contact was driving approximately 70 mph after the repairs were performed and the "transmission hot idle engine" warning message illuminated followed by the disabling link sensor before the power steering and brakes malfunctioned. The contact turned the vehicle off and restarted the engine, and the vehicle operated normally. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 6,206.

- Yankton , SD, USA

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