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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
7 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,325 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 steering problems

steering problem

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2012 Chevrolet Impala Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #25

Nov 252016

Impala

  • 88,800 miles

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

Takata recall / airbags light came on and started making loud clicking noise where airbags are located

- Augusta, GA, USA

problem #24

Aug 012016

Impala

  • 37,000 miles
Vehicle was stationary. Turned wheel to the right to begin to move. Heard a snapping sound and vehicle only moved about 5 feet and had no control of steering. Found the right tie-rod was broken. Car has 37000 miles on it.car was towed to chev dealer for repair and they said the steering gear also needed to be replaced?? my cost was $1546.19.found a recall #12V377000 on this very problem, but the recall was for police cars only. This doesn't make sense to me and I feel my car should be included in this recall. This tie rod should never have broken and I feel GM should assume the responsibility for this repair. 2012 chev Impala.

- Baytown, TX, USA

problem #23

May 042016

Impala

  • 66,453 miles
Every time I turn warning lights for my stablizing system and ABS then the brakes starts to lock up sometimes with it also traction control also turn on and off this is every time I drive the car have taken it to 3 dealers no one can find the problem this is every time I start the car and drive on the streets or on the highway.

- Villa Park, IL, USA

problem #22

Mar 142016

Impala

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. While driving at various speeds, an abnormal noise was heard coming from the steering wheel. The failure recurred five times. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Stockton, CA, USA

problem #21

May 262013

Impala

  • 35,000 miles
When driving after every attempt to make a left turn, my service traction control, service brake assist, & ABS light all pop on. Since then it has went on and off for many days until it just finally stayed on permanently. Also message: "stabilitrak service and traction control, brake assist " finally took it to a Chevy dealership in culver city, ca in May 2013 & was told they tested the front ABS connector and traction and found nothing wrong and no code errors. Reset the sensors anyways and adjusted the timing. As soon as I drove out the dealer, same error messages and lights returned. Took car again to same dealer &wastold "I must have drove through water or oily surface and lights would go off after I drove 20 or so miles".lights & errors did not go away.returned to the same dealer again, this time again found no errors but they proceed to replace the tire sensors and reset the sensor id. Lights&codes went off for about a week then returned with a grinding noise when left turn, loose engine power &steering power, light &codes continue to stay on, & stalls for a few seconds when left turn. I have been at a light in the middle of making a turn when the car will stall & not let me take off.brakes appear to lock up.just missed a few car accidents due to stall. Has left me in dangerous situations as I have almost been hit head on & was hit from behind because I could not accelerate and got stuck on the turn. Cannot accelerate in a timely fashion is a huge problem. Because the dealer obviously could not resolve the issue had tire and brake expert shops look at the problem a few times. Also not finding the problem. Finally decided to just try &ignore it but after so many close calls of accidents& endagering my families life it is not acceptable for me to just deal with it anymore or to continue to spend money to try & find problem.forums prove others have the same problem.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #20

Jun 052015

Impala

  • 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the power steering rack leaked. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician stated that the failure was due to a manufacturer defect. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000.

- Fort Gratiot, MI, USA

problem #19

Jun 212015

Impala

  • 70,517 miles

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

I was driving down a hill on kalamazoost in lansing mich. My power steering and power brakes stopped working. I pulled on the steering wheel to turn the car into a hedge of bushed on the side of the road. It stopped before I hit them.

- Warren, MI, USA

problem #18

Apr 242015

Impala 6-cyl

  • 64,000 miles
Drove from home, to work, maybe 3 miles. Absolutely no problem. No warning lights or messages on dash. Speed limit is 35mph. For part of the drive, and 25mph the last part. Pulled into the parking lot as usual. Still no problem. Slowed to park. As I tried to turn into the parking spot from the main lane, the steering suddenly became impossible to turn. I was turning right, and had to force the wheel. I stopped and checked to make sure I had not stalled, or to see if anything else was wrong. I tried putting the car in park. Then I turned it off and back on. I tried reverse. None of those things made it any better. I inched the car into the parking spot and called my roadside assistance. Had the car towed to baierl Chevrolet in wexford, pa. They tell me it will cost me at least $1600 to fix.their representative described the problem as steering, hydraulic, power assist, etc. I did some research and this particular year and model has had recalls for the exact problem I seem to have. Motortrends and carcomplaints.com have documented the problem. It is NHTSA campaign # 11V398000. The dealer I use is a certified GM dealer. Why are they not aware of this problem and why do I have to pay if it is a known defect" thank god this happened in a parking lot, and not while I was out on the highway, or another member of my family was driving. What do you do if you are traveling 55mph or more and your steering just quits" now I have to rent a car, as they would not even offer a vehicle to drive over the weekend to get to work and such. Another expense I did not need. I am not sure I want to have this car fixed, but I do need a car to drive. Don't trust that it will be safe.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #17

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 #16

Jul 072014

Impala

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving T 25 mph and making a right turn, there was an abnormal noise coming from underneath the vehicle without warning. The failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

- Rockymount, NC, USA

problem #15

Feb 032014

Impala

  • 40,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. While reversing and turning the steering wheel to the left, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the vehicle needed to be restarted in order for the steering wheel to function properly. The contact, who was a certified mechanic, was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

- Warren, OH, USA

problem #14

Sep 122014

Impala

  • 58,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14V355000 (electrical system). The contact stated that the ignition key was the only key in the ignition area and no additional keys or weight were added. While driving 20 mph, the steering wheel locked and became disabled. As a result, the contact crashed the vehicle into the guard rail. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering and extension needed to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #13

Aug 082014

Impala

  • 88,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. While driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver, and the engine stalled. As a result of the failure, the rear end of the vehicle crashed into a pole. The contact sustained neck and back injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but the technician was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V355000 (electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #12

Jun 242014

Impala 6-cyl

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

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #11

Jul 012014

Impala 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 5 mph, the power steering failed causing the steering wheel to become very difficulty to turn. The vehicle was taken the dealer, who diagnosed that the power steering line was loose and was rubbing against the frame of the vehicle causing the power steering fluid to leak. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000. Updated 09/05/14 updated 12/3/2014

- Benzonia, MI, USA

problem #10

Jun 292014

Impala

  • 49,341 miles
TL * the contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. While driving 30 mph, the power steering failed without warning. An independent mechanic stated that the power steering line needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 49,341.

- Poplar Bluff, MO, USA

problem #9

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 #8

Mar 252014

Impala 6-cyl

  • 2,400 miles
While driving in the far right lane my dashboard went completely black, the radio went off and my steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn.I was able to maneuver the car to sidewalk the car was still in drive the keys were in ignition. I turned the key and attempted to restart the car it made a terrible banging clunking noise.I called the dealer and told them waited 15 minutes later the car started.ths really needs to be investigated as I could have caused are been involved in a accident. I'm very afraid to drive my car. I took the car in later to dealer they kept it until Friday provided me a loaner they claimed they drove it and it didn't act up. But its not like they drove it all day I'm extremely upset and disappointed in this matter. I feel they discounted what I said.this could occur while a teenager are elderly person is driving. Please please look into this matter.

- Redord, MI, USA

problem #7

Oct 302013

Impala

  • 35,118 miles
Im going down the road mash on the gas doing 38 and the vehicle is out of control. I literally had no control over the car. Im doing 45 to 50 and the vehicle is driving me right into the shoulder or into other traffic I had to lay off the gas to gain control of car doing such low speed. I was driving on the highway at the time. And was blown away.how the suspension and control of the car was not in my hand no more. This is a safety defect that everybody is talking about on online. GM needs to fix this its their computer system in the car that messing up the whole car.and if there is police fleet of these Impala and they using these in police chases. The chases could turn ugly. I drove and bunch of police fleet vehicles and never had one where I didn't have control of it getting into high speeds. The main cause of these is that Impala has fwd with 308 hp all up front what was they thinking. It'll be good fro a drag car going in a straight line. Start from a stand still and try to get up speed fast. Doing it without crashing or merging into another lane is impossible. Get in a 2012 Chevy Impala lt with 308 hp then you will see the problem. Also exists on ss models as well.

- Pelzer, SC, USA

problem #6

Sep 182013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 33,000 miles
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

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