Chevrolet Impala Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy

Every Chevrolet Impala model year from 1993 to 2020, benchmarked against each other with 15,208 federal complaints, 35 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.

Avoid: 2000, 2004, 2009. These years top the Impala's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1995–1996, 2016–2019 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.

The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Impala's own worst year — full methodology.

15,208Complaints on file
35Recall campaigns
28Model years

The trouble strip

One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

The defining problem

Electrical tops the Chevrolet Impala file with 4,237 complaints, concentrated in the 2002, 2004 model years, most often reported around 80,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.

Every year, ranked

YearVerdictComplaintsRecallsTop problemTrouble index
2020 Few reports 26 0 — 2
2019 Better year 41 1 Electrical 4
2018 Better year 88 1 Other 6
2017 Better year 138 0 Other 10
2016 Better year 178 0 Electrical 15
2015 Typical 436 3 Electrical 30
2014 Below average 1,021 12 Electrical 63
2013 Typical 467 1 Other 32
2012 Typical 422 3 Other 33
2011 Below average 844 2 Other 58
2010 Below average 737 4 Electrical 47
2009 Avoid 1,368 5 Electrical 100
2008 Below average 1,203 2 Electrical 87
2007 Below average 932 3 Electrical 74
2006 Below average 803 2 Steering 69
2005 Below average 811 4 Electrical 61
2004 Avoid 1,375 7 Electrical 100
2003 Below average 935 8 Electrical 69
2002 Below average 1,077 7 Electrical 78
2001 Below average 959 10 Electrical 81
2000 Avoid 1,128 10 Electrical 99
1999 Few reports 4 0 — 0
1998 Few reports 4 0 — 0
1997 Few reports 2 0 — 0
1996 Better year 120 1 Steering 7
1995 Better year 64 1 — 4
1994 Few reports 19 1 — 1
1993 Few reports 6 1 — 2

Technical service bulletins

Beyond complaints and recalls, 20,247 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Chevrolet Impala. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

Browse the Chevrolet Impala TSB list by year →

Questions buyers ask

What Chevrolet Impala years should I avoid?

Federal complaint records point to 2000, 2004, 2009 as the Chevrolet Impala years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.

What is the most common Chevrolet Impala problem?

Electrical tops the Chevrolet Impala file with 4,237 complaints, concentrated in the 2002, 2004 model years, most often reported around 80,000 miles.

What are the best Chevrolet Impala years to buy used?

The quietest Chevrolet Impala years in federal records are 1995–1996, 2016–2019 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.

Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Chevrolet Impala only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.