2002 Chevrolet Impala problems
The 2002 Chevrolet Impala has 1,077 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (30%) concerns electrical system. After that come engine (15%) and lighting (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,077 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 52 and 42
- Injuries and deaths
- 47 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 777 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 | 60 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 95 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 102 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 134 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 96 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 103 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 73 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 42 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 23 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 22 |
| 200k+ miles | 27 |
What the data shows
Among the 777 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 80,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 82,000 miles (239 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 52 complaints mention a crash; 42 complaints mention a fire; 47 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 23 model years of the Chevrolet Impala with enough data (471 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that there was oil leaking from the vehicle. On one occasion while driving, there was a odor of burning oil and then suddenly there was a fire near the engine. The front passenger was able to extinguish the flames under the hood. The driver, the front passenger and rear child passenger inhaled smoke due to the fire that affected their breathing.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that while traveling 40 MPH, there was a sudden loss of power causing the vehicle to crash into a pole. The air bags did not deploy. There was a police report filed. The contact and two passengers were taken to the hospital for treatment of unknown injuries. The vehicle was towed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 171,000 and the current mileage was 171,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle caught on fire without warning. The contact was able to move off the roadway and called the fire department to extinguish the fire. No one was injured. The fire department did not state what caused the fire. After the failure, the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign I.d. Number 09v116000 (engine and engine cooling) and called the manufacturer.
Chevrolet impala engine cold parked in driveway started the car and the engine exploded: fire started under hood. The manifold exploded