"How reliable is the 1996 Chevrolet Impala?"

"Based on 120 NHTSA complaints, the 1996 Chevrolet Impala has a median complaint mileage of 55000 miles. The most common issue is STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM."

"What are common problems with the 1996 Chevrolet Impala?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1996 Chevrolet Impala is STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM, accounting for a significant portion of the 120 total complaints filed."

1996 Chevrolet Impala: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 120 complaints

120

Total Complaints

55,000mi

Median Mileage

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

36,250 25th Percentile

55,000 Median Mileage

85,704 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE

TIRES

POWER TRAIN

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

WHEELS

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND THE LEFT REAR WHEEL CAME OFF . TT"

"ABS: LOST ALL BRAKING POWER ASSIST FUNCTIONS TWICE IN ONE DAY; PEDAL TRAVEL TO FLOOR; INCREASE IN STOPPING DISTANCES; NO WARNING. TT"

"REAR LOWER CONTROL ARM FAILED PRIOR TO RECALL. *SD"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

MD: 21 TX: 9 IL: 7 NY: 6 MA: 6 MI: 6 NJ: 6 VA: 6 OK: 6 NC: 6

Who Files Complaints?

55%

Original Owners

45%

Second+ Owners

Chevrolet Impala — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1995	64	-	TIRES	1
2000	1128	92,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	73
2001	957	80,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	55
2002	1076	79,542	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	51
2003	935	88,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	44
2004	1375	70,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	80
2005	808	81,289	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	62
2006	803	77,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	91
2007	930	60,400	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	80
2008	1203	75,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	80
2009	1365	80,000	AIR BAGS	89
2010	737	75,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	30
2011	844	65,000	ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)	39
2012	422	55,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	40
2013	466	55,000	ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)	31
2014	1016	64,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	31
2015	429	60,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	13
2016	173	49,141	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	15
2017	135	44,000	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	6
2018	86	45,365	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	7
2019	39	38,487	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	6
2020	23	-	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	2

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28