1996 Chevrolet Impala problems
The 1996 Chevrolet Impala has 120 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (13%) concerns steering. After that come wipers, windshield & visibility (12%) and drivetrain & axles (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 120 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 13% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 55,000 miles 12 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 4 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 12 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 55,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 90% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1996 ranks 19th most-complained-about out of 23 model years of the Chevrolet Impala with enough data (76 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The vehicle was started & immediately the locks began engaging & disengaging in rapid sequence, then there was a snap and I began to smell burning wires. I noticed smoke rising to my left coming from the outside hood vents. I tried to get out of the vehicle but I could not unlock or open the drivers door. I had to manually unlock the door. My husband came out and checked under the hood he saw smoke coming from around the fire wall. He then looked under the drivers side dash board and saw flames.
Tl* the contact owned a 1996 chevrolet impala. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 14v355000 (electrical system). While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled and crashed into a ditch. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.
ABS: lost all braking power assist functions twice in one day; pedal travel to floor; increase in stopping distances; no warning. Tt
The driver side seatbelt was inoperative. When seatbelt was extended outward, it would not retract. By assumption, consumer tested the belts by slamming on brakes, and they didn't retract. Ts consumer also removed the molding and found the recoil spring was protruding out of hole on the cover.
Rear vision is impared when looking through back glass.the de-icer/defroster has turned ( foggy) .this is a real safety concern at night especially.