Your vehicle report
2008 Chevrolet Impala
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 810
- Received Aug 2007 to Dec 2024
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Tires blow out or tread separates88 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Rear door latch fails to open or close72 complaints · 8.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Ignition key sticks or will not turn47 complaints · 5.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #14V355000This 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.
- Recall #12V377000General 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 51 crashes, 10 fires, 44 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 23 |
| 2009 | 18 |
| 2010 | 56 |
| 2011 | 85 |
| 2012 | 55 |
| 2013 | 100 |
| 2014 | 193 |
| 2015 | 115 |
| 2016 | 47 |
| 2017 | 34 |
| 2018 | 20 |
| 2019 | 27 |
| 2020 | 13 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 810 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 88 | 11% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 72 | 8.9% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 47 | 5.8% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 46 | 5.7% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 34 | 4.2% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 30 | 3.7% | – | |
| Electronic throttle body fails and cuts power | 28 | 3.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 23 | 2.8% | – | |
| Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates | 19 | 2.4% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 17 | 2.1% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 14 | 1.7% | – | NHTSA recall #14V355000 |
| Gear shifter fails to register Park | 14 | 1.7% | – | |
| Alloy wheel rims crack and lose air | 13 | 1.6% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 12 | 1.5% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 9 | 1.1% | – | |
| Heater blows cold air, defroster fails | 9 | 1.1% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 8 | 1.0% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 8 | 1.0% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 8 | 1.0% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 7 | 0.9% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #14V355000June 23, 20143,141,731 vehicles affected
electrical system: ignition
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #12V377000August 3, 201236,413 vehicles affected
suspension: front: control arm: lower arm
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.
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2008 Chevrolet Impala.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN