IllustrationI WAS DRIVING ALONG SIDE THE POLICE WHEN I LOOKED DOWN TO MAKE SURE I WAS NOT SPEEDING WHEN I NOTICED THE SPEEDOMETER WAS ON 90MPH. I KNEW THAT HAD TO BE INCORRECT BUT I SLOWED DOWN ANYWAY JUST BECAUSE I WAS UNSURE. WHEN I STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT THE SPEEDOMETER WAS ON 90MPH STILL AND I WAS SITTING STILL. *TR
2005 Chevrolet Impala
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Impala years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
410–25K
8625–50K
11150–75K
9675–100K
113100–150K
52150K+
499 reports with mileage · 110 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 331 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
39 crash reports13 fire reports22 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
331 reportsTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CONTACT GLANCED AT THE HEAT GAUGE, WHICH READ 260 DEGREES. SHE PULLED OVER, SHUT OFF, AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE HEAT GAUGE STILL INDICATED 260 DEGREES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR REPAIR AND THEY OFFERED …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CONTACT GLANCED AT THE HEAT GAUGE, WHICH READ 260 DEGREES. SHE PULLED OVER, SHUT OFF, AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE HEAT GAUGE STILL INDICATED 260 DEGREES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR REPAIR AND THEY OFFERED TO REPAIR THE CLUSTER. THE CONTACT DID NOT HAVE THE REPAIRS DONE BECAUSE SHE DID NOT KNOW THE MECHANIC THAT WELL. THE MECHANIC INFORMED HER THAT THE COOLING SYSTEM WAS WORKING PROPERLY. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE HOME AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH HER MECHANIC. HER MECHANIC STATED THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE WITH THE VEHICLE AND NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. CURRENTLY, THE SPEEDOMETER IN THE VEHICLE HAS FAILED AND THE CONTACT IS NOT SURE IF HER FUEL GAUGE IS WORKING PROPERLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,250 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 42,500.
SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING AT ABOUT 60000 MILES. IT IS PART OF AN "INSTRUMENT CLUSTER" THAT COSTS $600. SOUNDS LIKE IT IS A POPULAR PROBLEM!!! *TR
SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONS. SOMETIMES IT REGISTERS WRONG SPEED, SOMETIMES REGISTERS A SPEED EVEN THOUGH SITTING STILL. BEGAN AT ABOUT 55,000 MILES. DID RESEARCH AND FOUND TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM BUT NO RECALLS AND NO HELP WHATSOEVER FROM GM. *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING THE CAR UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. IT NOW SITS NEAR THE GEAR INDICATOR ON THE CLUSTER NEXT TO NEUTRAL. *TR
NO CRASHES NO INCIDENTS, JUST DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE SPEEDOMETER AND TEMP GAUGE WENT HAYWIRE. SPEEDOMETER WOULD NOT READ OR REGISTER. UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, THAT CHEVROLET ACKNOWLEDGES. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE GOV.'T. *TR
I HAVE HAD ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS WITH MY 2005 CHEVY IMPALA. WHEN I GO TO START MY CAR IT DOESN'T START, MY LIGHTS DEM OUT, THERE IS A POPPING NOISE IN THE STEERING WHEEL, THERE IS A LOUD NOISE WHEN I TURN IT TO THE RIGHT, WHEN I TURN THE A/C ON THERE IS A LOUD NOISE, AND THERE IS A RATTLE IN THE DASH AND GLOVE BOX. MY BATTERY H…
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I HAVE HAD ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS WITH MY 2005 CHEVY IMPALA. WHEN I GO TO START MY CAR IT DOESN'T START, MY LIGHTS DEM OUT, THERE IS A POPPING NOISE IN THE STEERING WHEEL, THERE IS A LOUD NOISE WHEN I TURN IT TO THE RIGHT, WHEN I TURN THE A/C ON THERE IS A LOUD NOISE, AND THERE IS A RATTLE IN THE DASH AND GLOVE BOX. MY BATTERY HAD TO BE REPLACED ALREADY. I HATE MY CAR CAUSE I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH IT. I WILL NEVER OWN A CHEVY AS LONG AS I LIVE. *TR
VEHICLES SPEEDOMETER JUST QUITS WORKING, IT EITHER READS REALLY HIGH OR READS ZERO. YOU CAN NEVER TELL IF YOUR GETTING AN ACCURATE READING OR NOT. HAVE NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM YET I FEEL CHEVROLET SHOULD HAVE A RECALL DUE TO THE HIGH EXPENSE. *TR
I HAVE INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONING. I CANNOT PREDICT WHEN THE MALFUNCTION WILL OCCUR. THE SPEEDOMETER WILL READ 20 MPH WHEN I AM DRIVING WITH THE FLOW OF HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. SOMETIMES TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTING IT WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT NOT ALWAYS. I SEE MANY PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOU…
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I HAVE INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONING. I CANNOT PREDICT WHEN THE MALFUNCTION WILL OCCUR. THE SPEEDOMETER WILL READ 20 MPH WHEN I AM DRIVING WITH THE FLOW OF HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. SOMETIMES TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTING IT WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT NOT ALWAYS. I SEE MANY PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME GM MODEL BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUES. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT A DRIVER KNOW HOW FAST HE IS DRIVING. *TR
DRIVING DOWN PAVED ROAD HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT SOMETIMES THEY WILL COME BACK ON AND SOMETIMES THEY WON'T. I ALSO HAVE REPORTED MY SPEEDOMETER SHOWING 80 OR 90 MPH WHEN I AM DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEEDS AND 40 OR 50 MPH WHEN COMPLETELY STOPPED - SOMETIMES IT WILL NOT WORK AT ALL. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED DUE TO THE COST INVOLV…
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DRIVING DOWN PAVED ROAD HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT SOMETIMES THEY WILL COME BACK ON AND SOMETIMES THEY WON'T. I ALSO HAVE REPORTED MY SPEEDOMETER SHOWING 80 OR 90 MPH WHEN I AM DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEEDS AND 40 OR 50 MPH WHEN COMPLETELY STOPPED - SOMETIMES IT WILL NOT WORK AT ALL. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED DUE TO THE COST INVOLVED. ALSO HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH MY POWER STEERING PUMP AND A WHEEL HUB. HUB REPLACED AND PAID OUT OF POCKET AND IT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. PAID $600 TO REPLACE THE HUB. HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRES BECAUSE OF THAT DEFECT. *TR
Official recalls
114V400000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jul 3, 2014
This 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) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
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.
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 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.