2012 Chevrolet Impala: owner complaints and recalls

Owners have filed 258 complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Impala and NHTSA has issued 3 recall campaigns. The most-reported system is electrical system, named in 58 of them.

258
Complaints
3
Recalls
20
Crash reports
5
Fire reports
16
Injuries
92.2
Severity index

Severity index 92.2 - Medium. It weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints, so a vehicle attracting serious reports scores above one attracting many trivial ones (how this is calculated).

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 92.2p25 35p75 96cleanestworst
Where the 2012 Chevrolet Impala sits against the quartiles of every vehicle we track.

Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Chevrolet Impala ranks 37 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 71% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.

What actually fails

Electrical SystemElectrical System: 58 complaints (22.5%)58 22%Electronic Stability Co…Electronic Stability Control (Esc): 54 complaints (20.9%)54 21%SteeringSteering: 49 complaints (19.0%)49 19%EngineEngine: 40 complaints (15.5%)40 16%Service BrakesService Brakes: 34 complaints (13.2%)34 13%Power TrainPower Train: 27 complaints (10.5%)27 10%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 23 complaints (8.9%)23 9%SuspensionSuspension: 22 complaints (8.5%)22 9%
Systems named in complaints. One complaint can name several, so shares overlap.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM5822.5%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)5420.9%
STEERING4919.0%
ENGINE4015.5%
SERVICE BRAKES3413.2%
POWER TRAIN2710.5%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER238.9%
SUSPENSION228.5%

Complaints filed per year

026512011: 12012: 112013: 202014: 512015: 252016: 332017: 252018: 302019: 262020: 112021: 82022: 42023: 72024: 32025: 12026: 2 (partial year)1112131451151617181920212223242526
Complaints filed per calendar year, not model year. The hatched bar is the current year and is still incomplete.
YearComplaints
20111
201211
201320
201451
201525
201633
201725
201830
201926
202011
20218
20224
20237
20243
20251
2026 (year to date)2
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
14V35500023/06/2014ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITIONThis defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM)
12V37700003/08/2012SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARMGeneral Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Chevrolet Impala police vehicles because the front lower control arms may fracture. This safety recall does not include non-police Chevrolet Impala vehicles.
11V39800005/08/2011STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONSGM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHEVROLET IMPALA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 19, 2011, THROUGH JULY 29, 2011. THE UPPER POWER STEERING HOSE MAY HAVE BEEN MISROUTED SO THAT IT CAN COME IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO AND/OR CONTACT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. WITH THE ENGINE ON,
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.