2002 Chevrolet Impala Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,077 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2002 Chevrolet Impala, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 78/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 81,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2002 sits among all Impala years
What owners report
“Problem with message center, security lite comes on then battery lite, then service vehicle soon, then air conditioning would not turn on, started funny, did not start turning over when i first turned the key it started to turn over about 1 sec after turning the key and started ok then. All of this…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Impala
“I just purchased this 2002 chevy impala which came with the important vehicle safety recall and i would need the problem fixed. Nhtsa 15v-701 im actually now scared to drive it/”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Impala
“The brake rotors continue to warp only after 4 to 6,000 miles (all four brakes). Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Impala
“My car want start sometimes. I've taken to the shop and nothing was wrong. It's starts like nothing was ever wrong. I've put a battery in it. Changed the fuel filter and it still does this. My car has been sitting for months and today it started. It is always parked when this happen.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Impala
“Steering clunks when turning or touching the brakes or letting of the brakes and excellerating. I am afraid of a safety problem with this.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Impala
“My mother was driving my car and was only less than ten feet from my front door,still in the parking lot of my apartment unit. Both airbags deployed, she hadn't hit anything. They both deployed ,cracked the windshield and disabled the dashboard.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Impala
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 768 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 80,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 47,117 and 118,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. The affected vehicles were…
Fix: The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engine’s front valve cover and gasket.…
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.…
Fix: 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 9, 2014.…
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 1,497,516 MY 1997-2003 BUICK REGAL, MY 1998-2003 CHEVROLET LUMINA, MONTE CARLO AND IMPALA, MY 1998-1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE, MY 1997-2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 3.8L V6 NATURALLY ASPIRATED ENGINE. SOME OF…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE’S FRONT VALVE COVER AND FRONT-VALVE-COVER GASKET WITH NEW PARTS OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN AND REMOVE THE ENGINE’S PLASTIC COVER AND PLASTIC OIL-FILL-TUBE EXTENSION, FREE…
DORMAN IS RECALLING 979 STEERING KNUCKLES, DORMAN P/NOS. 697-902 AND 697-903, SOLD UNDER DORMAN'S "OE SOLUTIONS<SUP>TM</SUP>" BRAND NAME, AND NAPA P/NOS. 7-8502 AND 7-8503 WHICH WERE SOLD FOR REPLACEMENT USE ON THE VARIOUS VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. A POTENTIAL…
Fix: DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE STEERING KNUCKLES FREE OF CHARGE AND REIMBURSE THE REPAIR FACILITY OR OWNER FOR LABOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 23, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT…
DORMAN PRODUCTS IS RECALLING 3,900 INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFTS DORMAN PART NOS. 425-151, 425-152, AND 425-153, (SOLD UNDER DORMAN'S "OE SOLUTIONS" BRAND NAME), BALKAMP #'S 7-3057, 7-3058, 7-3059 (SOLD UNDER THE "NAPA" BRAND NAME), AND PLATINUM PARTS #'S…
Fix: DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE STEERING SHAFTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 16, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DORMAN TOLL FREE AT 1-800-523-2492.
CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGULATORS (UPR) WERE PRODUCED WITHOUT AN…
Fix: DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.
CERTAIN PASSENGER, MINI VANS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES HAVE AN AIR BAG INFLATOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THAT COULD FRACTURE AT A WELD DURING A DEPLOYMENT.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT, AND REPLACE, IF NECESSARY, THE AIR BAG MODULE ASSEMBLY ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 15, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 04V090000.
Technical service bulletins
448 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2002 Chevrolet Impala. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2002 Impala TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2002 Chevrolet Impala reliable?
The 2002 Chevrolet Impala drew 1,077 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 78/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2002 Chevrolet Impala problems?
The top reported problems for the 2002 Chevrolet Impala are electrical (455 complaints), engine (184), and brakes & stability (77).
At what mileage do 2002 Chevrolet Impala problems show up?
Owners most often report 2002 Chevrolet Impala problems around 80,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 47,117 and 118,000 miles.
Does the 2002 Chevrolet Impala have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2002 Chevrolet Impala. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.