2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 817 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: AIR BAGS (147 complaints · 18.0%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 43
  • Fires 8
  • Injuries 43
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 2008 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution AIR BAGS appears in 147 of 817 owner complaints (18.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. AIR BAGS: 147 complaints, 18.0% of reports AIR BAGS 147 · 18.0% · 12 crash reports 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 142 complaints, 17.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 142 · 17.4% · 6 crash reports 2 fire reports ENGINE: 92 complaints, 11.3% of reports ENGINE 92 · 11.3% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 78 complaints, 9.6% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 78 · 9.6% · 1 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 48 complaints, 5.9% of reports POWER TRAIN 48 · 5.9% · 3 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 38 complaints, 4.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 38 · 4.7% · 2 crash reports STEERING: 38 complaints, 4.7% of reports STEERING 38 · 4.7% · 8 crash reports 1 fire reports SUSPENSION: 20 complaints, 2.5% of reports SUSPENSION 20 · 2.5% · 1 crash reports SEAT BELTS: 16 complaints, 2.0% of reports SEAT BELTS 16 · 2.0% · 3 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 210 complaints, 25.7% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 210 · 25.7% · 7 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
AIR BAGS 147 18.0% 12 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 142 17.4% 6 crashes · 2 fires
ENGINE 92 11.3% 1 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 78 9.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 48 5.9% 3 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 38 4.7% 2 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 38 4.7% 8 crashes · 1 fires
SUSPENSION 20 2.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 16 2.0% 3 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 210 25.7% 7 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2009; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 2008. 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2010-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2011-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2012-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2012-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2012-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2013-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2013-Q2: 23 owner reports 23 2013-Q3: 24 owner reports 24 2013-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2014-Q1: 20 owner reports 20 2014-Q2: 60 owner reports 60 2014-Q3: 71 owner reports 71 2014-Q4: 52 owner reports 52 2015-Q1: 33 owner reports 33 2015-Q2: 40 owner reports 40 2015-Q3: 35 owner reports 35 2015-Q4: 21 owner reports 21 2016-Q1: 19 owner reports 19 2016-Q2: 26 owner reports 26 2016-Q3: 40 owner reports 40 2016-Q4: 20 owner reports 20 2017-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2017-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2017-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2017-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2018-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2018-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2018-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2018-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2019-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2019-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2019-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2020-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2020-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2020-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2021-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2021-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2008 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 08V517000 ◆ Recall campaign 08V517000 Recall campaign 10V480000 ◆ Recall campaign 10V480000 Recall campaign 12V377000 ◆ Recall campaign 12V377000 Recall campaign 14V355000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V355000 Recall campaign 16V507000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V507000
  • Campaign 12V377000 was reported 764 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V355000 was reported 1,798 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 16V507000 was reported 2,605 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 2
2009-Q3 Owner reports 3
2009-Q4 Owner reports 3
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q2 Owner reports 3
2010-Q3 Owner reports 12
2010-Q4 Owner reports 12
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 5
2011-Q3 Owner reports 16
2011-Q4 Owner reports 8
2012-Q1 Owner reports 7
2012-Q2 Owner reports 12
2012-Q3 Owner reports 8
2012-Q4 Owner reports 10
2013-Q1 Owner reports 14
2013-Q2 Owner reports 23
2013-Q3 Owner reports 24
2013-Q4 Owner reports 17
2014-Q1 Owner reports 20
2014-Q2 Owner reports 60
2014-Q3 Owner reports 71
2014-Q4 Owner reports 52
2015-Q1 Owner reports 33
2015-Q2 Owner reports 40
2015-Q3 Owner reports 35
2015-Q4 Owner reports 21
2016-Q1 Owner reports 19
2016-Q2 Owner reports 26
2016-Q3 Owner reports 40
2016-Q4 Owner reports 20
2017-Q1 Owner reports 8
2017-Q2 Owner reports 13
2017-Q3 Owner reports 13
2017-Q4 Owner reports 12
2018-Q1 Owner reports 13
2018-Q2 Owner reports 8
2018-Q3 Owner reports 17
2018-Q4 Owner reports 9
2019-Q1 Owner reports 7
2019-Q2 Owner reports 10
2019-Q3 Owner reports 9
2019-Q4 Owner reports 7
2020-Q1 Owner reports 2
2020-Q2 Owner reports 11
2020-Q3 Owner reports 6
2020-Q4 Owner reports 4
2021-Q1 Owner reports 8
2021-Q2 Owner reports 7
2021-Q3 Owner reports 3
2022-Q2 Owner reports 2
2022-Q3 Owner reports 3
2023-Q1 Owner reports 4
2023-Q2 Owner reports 3
2023-Q3 Owner reports 3
2024-Q1 Owner reports 4
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 2
2024-Q4 Owner reports 2
2025-Q1 Owner reports 3
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 08V517000
Recall campaign 1 10V480000
Recall campaign 1 12V377000
Recall campaign 1 14V355000
Recall campaign 1 16V507000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08V517000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    DURING A PASSENGER-SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, PIECES OF THE INFLATOR TUBE COULD STRIKE AND INJURE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AND THE AIR BAG CUSHION WOULD NOT INFLATE FULLY, REDUCING THE CAPABILITY OF THE BAG TO PROTECT THE PASSENGER.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT AIR BAG. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 10, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 10V480000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    THE SAFETY BELT MAY NOT RESTRAIN THE OCCUPANT AS INTENDED DURING A CRASH, WHICH COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT BOTH FRONT SAFETY BELTS FOR PROPER INSTALLATION OF THE ANCHORS TO THE PRETENSIONERS AND, IF NECESSARY, REINSTALL THE ANCHORS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 5, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 12V377000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower control arms, free of charge. The safety recall began on August 21, 2012. Owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V355000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position will cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
    Remedy:
    GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 23, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), and 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14299.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V507000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the wires are damaged, the passenger presence sensory system may fail to recognize that the passenger seat is occupied, disabling the air bag. Damage may also cause the air bag fuse to short resulting in a loss of all air bags and seat belt pretensions. Both conditions increase the risk of injury during a crash.
    Remedy:
    GM will notify owners, and dealers will double wrap the wires with anti-abrasion tape and replace damaged wires as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 1, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 36110.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 817 complaints · page 1 of 33

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources