IllustrationTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER FAILED TO ACTIVATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,500.
2008 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
890–25K
11125–50K
14950–75K
11675–100K
141100–150K
59150K+
665 reports with mileage · 145 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 221 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 134 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 117 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
51 crash reports10 fire reports36 injury reports
Visibility/wiper complaints
7 reportsDURING FREEZING RAIN THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER QUIT OPERATING MAKING VISIBILITY OUT THE REAR WINDOW LITTLE TO NONE. AFTER TROUBLESHOOTING, THE PROBLEM CAME FROM A WIRING HARNESS BELOW THE FUSEBOX ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE BY THE PASSENGER FOOT AREA. THE WIRE FOR THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER HAD MELTED AT THE POINT INSI…
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DURING FREEZING RAIN THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER QUIT OPERATING MAKING VISIBILITY OUT THE REAR WINDOW LITTLE TO NONE. AFTER TROUBLESHOOTING, THE PROBLEM CAME FROM A WIRING HARNESS BELOW THE FUSEBOX ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE BY THE PASSENGER FOOT AREA. THE WIRE FOR THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER HAD MELTED AT THE POINT INSIDE THE CONNECTOR MELTING THE PLASTIC,AND IS A FIRE HAZARD. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE, MANY NEWER CHEVROLET IMPALAS HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS ISSUE, AND IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. *TR
WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WHILE TRYING TO CLEAR DEBRIS FROM WINDSHIELD TRAVELING AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS OF 65MPH+. WINDSHIELD WIPERS MADE ONE SWEEP, WHEN ACTIVATED AGAIN, MOTOR CLICKED AND WIPERS SEIZED IN PARTIAL UP POSITION CREATING VISIBILITY HAZARD. CONTINUED TO ATTEMPT TO GET WIPERS TO FUNCTION WITH NO LUCK. STOPPE…
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WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WHILE TRYING TO CLEAR DEBRIS FROM WINDSHIELD TRAVELING AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS OF 65MPH+. WINDSHIELD WIPERS MADE ONE SWEEP, WHEN ACTIVATED AGAIN, MOTOR CLICKED AND WIPERS SEIZED IN PARTIAL UP POSITION CREATING VISIBILITY HAZARD. CONTINUED TO ATTEMPT TO GET WIPERS TO FUNCTION WITH NO LUCK. STOPPED VEHICLE, SHUTDOWN AND RESTARTED, ATTEMPTED USE OF WIPERS AGAIN STILL WOULD NOT FUNCTION. FUSE CHECKED AND STILL GOOD. *TR
I'VE HAD MY 2008 IMPALA SINCE MARCH 2014, AND I'VE YET TO HAVE MY REAR DEFROST IN WORKING CONDITION. I FEEL LIKE THIS A CONSTANT COMPLAINT SO THERE SHOULD BE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THIS WHEN THERE IS OVER 400 COMPLAINTS MADE ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE. IT IS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TO NOT BE ABLE TO SEE OUT YOUR REAR WINDOW CAUSE OF FROST A…
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I'VE HAD MY 2008 IMPALA SINCE MARCH 2014, AND I'VE YET TO HAVE MY REAR DEFROST IN WORKING CONDITION. I FEEL LIKE THIS A CONSTANT COMPLAINT SO THERE SHOULD BE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THIS WHEN THERE IS OVER 400 COMPLAINTS MADE ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE. IT IS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TO NOT BE ABLE TO SEE OUT YOUR REAR WINDOW CAUSE OF FROST AND WHEN YOU WIPE IT WITH A CLOTH THAT IS NO HELP NEITHER BECAUSE IT GOES RIGHT BACK TO BEING FOGY. HELP *TR
THE DRIVER SIDE FAN BLOWS ONLY COLD AIR, SO NO DEFOGGING OCCURS ON DRIVERS SIDE, OBSTRUCTING DRIVERS VIEW. *TR
REAR WINDOW DEFROST STOPPED WORKING. REPLACED FUSES AND RELAY. LIGHT COMES ON BUT DEFROST DOES NOT WORK. INVESTIGATION BY OWNER SHOWED WIRING HARNESS UNDER FRONT PASSENGER KICK PANEL BURNT BADLY. FURTHER INVESTIGATION ONLINE INDICATES THIS HAS PROBLEM HAS BEEN EXPERIENCED BY A LARGE NUMBER OF IMPALA OWNERS. DUE TO THE BADLY …
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REAR WINDOW DEFROST STOPPED WORKING. REPLACED FUSES AND RELAY. LIGHT COMES ON BUT DEFROST DOES NOT WORK. INVESTIGATION BY OWNER SHOWED WIRING HARNESS UNDER FRONT PASSENGER KICK PANEL BURNT BADLY. FURTHER INVESTIGATION ONLINE INDICATES THIS HAS PROBLEM HAS BEEN EXPERIENCED BY A LARGE NUMBER OF IMPALA OWNERS. DUE TO THE BADLY BURN CONNECTION, PASSENGER CABIN FIRE COULD HAVE OCCURRED. LOCAL CHEVY DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF SIMILAR INSTANCES. RECOMMEND INVESTIGATION. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER TRANSMISSION FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,860.
Official recalls
214V355000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jun 23, 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) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2011 Buick Lucerne, 2000-2005 Cadillac DeVille, 2006-2011 Cadillac DTS, 2006-2014 Chevrolet Impala, and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the weight on the key ring and 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. 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.
12V377000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm
Aug 3, 2012
General 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.
Consequence & remedy
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.
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
1DP14001 · Passenger Air Bag Ocs Algorithm
Opened Jul 22, 2014 · Closed Mar 7, 2017
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags; Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
The Agency received a petition on November 14, 2013 requesting an investigation into the operation of the passenger air bag Occupant Classification System (OCS) software logic and algorithm.The petitioner states that due to this alleged defect, the passenger air bag may be suppressed at point of impact and not provided the occupant protection as needed in a crash.On July 22, 2014, NHTSA opened DP14-001 to further review the crash event and perform a more comprehensive search and analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).The Agency also collected manufacturers reports on the alleged OCS issue on the subject Impala vehicles and other GM and non-GM peer vehicles.After examination of the petition and available data relating to the subject vehicle's OCS and the specific crash incident where the OCS allegedly failed to operate properly, NHTSA did not identify an issue with the MY2008 Impala involved in the subject crash, nor has it identified a safety-related defect trend existing in the OCS used in the MY 2006-2008 Impala vehicles, in GM peer vehicles or in other non-GM peer vehicles.NHTSA has concluded that further expenditure of the agency's investigative resources is not warranted. The agency accordingly has denied the petition.However, the agency will take further action if warranted by changing future circumstances. The official petition denial, as published in the Federal Register, is available in the document file for this defect petition.The single complaint and crash noted in the Failure Report above is the petitioner's VOQ (10568388) and can be reviewed online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10568388.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
The Agency received a petition on November 14, 2013 requesting an investigation into the operation of the passenger air bag Occupant Classification System (OCS) software logic and algorithm.The petitioner states that due to this alleged defect, the passenger air bag may be suppressed at point of impact and not provided the occupant protection as needed in a crash.On July 22, 2014, NHTSA opened DP14-001 to further review the crash event and perform a more comprehensive search and analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).The Agency also collected manufacturers reports on the alleged OCS issue on the subject Impala vehicles and other GM and non-GM peer vehicles.After examination of the petition and available data relating to the subject vehicle's OCS and the specific crash incident where the OCS allegedly failed to operate properly, NHTSA did not identify an issue with the MY2008 Impala involved in the subject crash, nor has it identified a safety-related defect trend existing in the OCS used in the MY 2006-2008 Impala vehicles, in GM peer vehicles or in other non-GM peer vehicles.NHTSA has concluded that further expenditure of the agency's investigative resources is not warranted. The agency accordingly has denied the petition.However, the agency will take further action if warranted by changing future circumstances. The official petition denial, as published in the Federal Register, is available in the document file for this defect petition.The single complaint and crash noted in the Failure Report above is the petitioner's VOQ (10568388) and can be reviewed online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10568388.
Air Bags
The Agency received a petition on November 14, 2013 requesting an investigation into the operation of the passenger air bag Occupant Classification System (OCS) software logic and algorithm.The petitioner states that due to this alleged defect, the passenger air bag may be suppressed at point of impact and not provided the occupant protection as needed in a crash.On July 22, 2014, NHTSA opened DP14-001 to further review the crash event and perform a more comprehensive search and analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).The Agency also collected manufacturers reports on the alleged OCS issue on the subject Impala vehicles and other GM and non-GM peer vehicles.After examination of the petition and available data relating to the subject vehicle's OCS and the specific crash incident where the OCS allegedly failed to operate properly, NHTSA did not identify an issue with the MY2008 Impala involved in the subject crash, nor has it identified a safety-related defect trend existing in the OCS used in the MY 2006-2008 Impala vehicles, in GM peer vehicles or in other non-GM peer vehicles.NHTSA has concluded that further expenditure of the agency's investigative resources is not warranted. The agency accordingly has denied the petition.However, the agency will take further action if warranted by changing future circumstances. The official petition denial, as published in the Federal Register, is available in the document file for this defect petition.The single complaint and crash noted in the Failure Report above is the petitioner's VOQ (10568388) and can be reviewed online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10568388.