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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
52,139 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Chevrolet Impala Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #17

Dec 092014

Impala 6-cyl

  • 25,000 miles

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

GM service bulletin id: 3650687.

- Andover, MN, USA

problem #16

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 #15

Jun 192013

Impala

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that there was an abnormal noise coming from the engine. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

- Jeffreson Hills, PA, USA

problem #14

Apr 252013

Impala

  • 32,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and a clicking sound emitted from the front driver's tire. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,000.

- Tooele, UT, USA

problem #13

Jan 222014

Impala

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the engine stalled. The contact was able to merge to side of the road and restarted the vehicle. The contact received a notification for recall NHTSA campaign number: 14V355000 (electrical system).the vehicle was taken to dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

- Houghton Lake, MI, USA

problem #12

Aug 212014

Impala 6-cyl

  • 22,000 miles
I am extremely unsatisfied with my auto. I do not want a auto that I can not trust. This vehicle is not worth what I paid for it. I am in an upside down loan and can not get rid of it. What can you do to help me?

- Fort Lawn, SC, USA

problem #11

Aug 082014

Impala

  • 88,000 miles

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

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 #10

Jun 072014

Impala 6-cyl

  • 11,500 miles
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.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #9

May 292014

Impala 6-cyl

  • 66,000 miles
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.

- Pine Bluff, AR, USA

problem #8

Nov 262013

Impala

  • 29,000 miles
When driving with the engine at lower than normal driving temperature, driver stops at a stop sign and with hard acceleration the engine surges from full power to dying out as tho fuel starved.this continues in a jerking action. Until; the driver removes his foot from the accelerator and then presses the gas feed again at which time the engine runs smoothly. This has happened on numerous occasions, however the dealership can find nothing wrong as the engine is now at normal running temp. Driver was told the problem is in the throttle body of the fuel system --- help..

- Selinsgrove, PA, USA

problem #7

Aug 182013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 3,360 miles

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

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?

- Port St. John, FL, USA

problem #6

Jun 082013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
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

problem #5

Mar 012013

Impala

  • 17,500 miles
I stopped at a intersection, and pulled out onto another road, the car backfired and quit running, leaving me in the middle of the intersection, and almost got hit. I have taken car to dealer and they say the car is operating normal. This happens alot within this vehicle when accelerating.

- Fairmint, WV, USA

problem #4

Dec 062011

Impala 6-cyl

  • 50 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, engine vibrations were experienced. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for repair but the technician was unsure of what component failed or how to remedy the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure and was aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50 and the current mileage was 12,000. Updated 3/14/13

- Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA

problem #3

Oct 202012

Impala 6-cyl

  • 11,140 miles
I have noticed when taking off from a stand still the RPM are high and the engine is very loud and noisy. It seems as I am driving with a V-8 or even a diesel engine. I am sure GM has been notified of this as well as some of the other complaints I have reviewed has stated the same thing. Something needs to be done about the idling of the rpms when your just taking off at a normal speed and the reduction of the engine noise as well. My 2002 Impala with 136K miles on it sounded better than this and it needed some work done to it. I thought I would at least get the best quality from upgrading to something more up to date but was very disappointed. If your going to pay good money for a vehicle you should have a decent car that doesn't sound like a piece of crap. Can GM get it to where it is running as good as it looks?

- Phoenix , AZ, USA

problem #2

Jun 112012

Impala 6-cyl

  • 7,000 miles
Vehicle started via normal key ignition. After high idling stops for warm up, vehicle starts to have odometer needle move from 500 RPM to 1000 RPM for a steady 5 to ten minutes. In addition, event occurs frequently at long stops even after car warm. Usually, RPM may steady at about 750 or so a normal RPM setting for this vehicle. Took vehicle to dealer who kept it for a week. No correction made. Dealer state waiting to hear from manufacturer. Vehicle still have problem having needle flutter between the RPM mentioned causing undue distress to engine components. Please assist.

- Littleton, CO, USA

problem #1

Nov 252011

Impala 6-cyl

  • 10 miles
Engine makes a knocking noise while accelerating. I drove another one and the noise was even worse, that one had 15000 miles on it. This seems to be a common problem with them all. I am very unhappy with this car. I don't enjoy hearing all this noise from a new car. (now has 6000 miles on it) if I can't resolve this problem it will be the last GM car I ever buy. The dealer had me drive another new 2012 Impala when I mentioned the noise, it also sounded the same. GM definitely didn't address this problem before production.

- Duluth, MN, USA

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