2001 Chevrolet Impala
The Verdict
The 2001 Chevrolet Impala has 748 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are electrical (278 complaints) and engine (217 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 11/100, it earns a "Total Klunk" rating. If you're shopping for a Chevrolet Impala, consider the 2020 model year which has 98% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2020 has 98% fewer complaints
View the 2020 Chevrolet Impala dashboard →
Klunk Score: Total Klunk
Among the most complained-about vehicle years on record. Strongly consider alternatives.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
Recalls 1
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE AIR BAG SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULES (SDM) COULD EXPERIENCE A MEMORY ERROR RESULTING IN THE AIR BAGS NOT DEPLOYING IN A CRASH SITUATION.
Risk
IN A CRASH, A FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT MAY RECEIVE MORE SERIOUS INJURIES.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE.
Reported Apr 10, 2026
Get notified if a recall hits this car.
We email you when NHTSA issues a new recall on the 2001 Chevrolet Impala. No spam, no marketing.
Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
| Year | Body | Brakes | Electrical | Engine | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 204 | 50 | 259 | 286 | 47 |
| 2001 | 134 | 65 | 278 | 217 | 54 |
| 2002 | 124 | 65 | 386 | 205 | 27 |
| 2003 | 93 | 68 | 343 | 190 | 25 |
| 2004 | 107 | 74 | 712 | 135 | 41 |
| 2005 | 81 | 38 | 353 | 97 | 40 |
| 2006 | 200 | 26 | 131 | 102 | 85 |
| 2007 | 259 | 51 | 133 | 119 | 63 |
| 2008 | 311 | 36 | 221 | 175 | 66 |
| 2009 | 179 | 55 | 336 | 211 | 41 |
| 2010 | 94 | 25 | 166 | 103 | 53 |
| 2011 | 194 | 25 | 91 | 148 | 47 |
| 2012 | 97 | 26 | 56 | 57 | 21 |
| 2013 | 114 | 47 | 47 | 40 | 22 |
| 2014 | 219 | 81 | 239 | 65 | 26 |
| 2015 | 108 | 22 | 127 | 28 | 13 |
| 2016 | 31 | 7 | 37 | 24 | 11 |
| 2017 | 46 | 4 | 32 | 24 | 10 |
| 2018 | 20 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 9 |
| 2019 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 4 |
| 2020 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Complaints
While driving at 70 mph my car just shut off. The radio and lights stayed on. The oil and battery light came on before it just shut down. Steering locked up. When safely to side, and turned key off it starts right back up, but now traction system is off. Has gas and nothing is broken.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that her husband had entered the vehicle and while the key was in the ignition, the vehicle exploded in the engine compartment. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment, or police report filed. There were fire and flames approximately six feet high. The contact and her husband were able to extinguish the fire. The contact called the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer (Sunset Chevrolet 910 Traffic Ave, Sumner, WA 98390(253) 656-0459) but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who referred her to the local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.
AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON BUT NO DEPLOYMENT.
after car not used for two days, turning ignition on and attempted to start the engine a extremely load explosion came from engine compartment! Upon looking at the engine the PLASTIC intake manifold was blown to pieces. no warning a explosion was to occur, car was running normal prior to explosion.
When the Mass Airflow Sensor gets dirty, engine shuts off..
I have a 2001 Chevy impala and it has an instrument cluster issue with faulty warning lights and locking the radio and not wanting to start
BOTH HEADLIGHTS UNEXPECTEDLY TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING. FLICKER ON AND OFF AND THEN GO OFF. USED TO BE ABLE TO LET THE CAR SIT A FEW HOURS AND THEY WOULD WORK AGAIN. NOW 2 NIGHTS AGO THEY WENT OFF WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT....WON'T COME BACK ON AT ALL. PARKING LIGHTS STAY ON, TURN SIGNALS, AND 4 WAY FLASHERS STILL WORK, PULL SWITCH LEVER BACK FOR BRIGHT LIGHTS AND BOTH HEADLIGHTS WORK IN BRIGHT MODE AS LONG AS YOU KEEP HOLDING BACK ON THE LEVER. THIS WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT. HAVE HAD IT LOOKED AT SEVERAL TIMES AND PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. REPLACED HAZARD FLASHERS SWITHC, REPLACED MUTLIFUNCTION SWITCH, REPLACED HEADLIGHTS SWITCH. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. NOW LIGHTS ARE OFF AND WON'T COME BACK ON NO MATTER WHAT WE TRY.....LOOKING ON THE INTERNET THIS IS HUGE PROBLEM FOR IMPALA'S COVERING ALOT OF YEARS, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE WHEN YOU LOOSE YOUR HEADLIGHTS TOTALLY AT NIGHT WHILE DRIVING.......ONCE THEY GO OUT/OFF IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU STOP, PARK, MOVE, BANG ON THEM, WIGGLE WIRES AND CONNECTORS, THEY MAY OR MAY NOT COME BACK ON. SO FAR, THIS TIME, OURS ARE NOT COMING BACK ON......CAN'T KEEP THROWING MONEY AWAY TO A DEALER WHEN THEY CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM EITHER. THEY JUST WANT TO START THROWING PARTS AT IT AND HOPEFULLY THEY FINALLY FIX IT....THAT HASN'T WORKED SO FAR EITHER.....
MY CAR SHUTS OFF WHEN DRIVING. THE SECURITY LIGHT COMED ON. SOMETIMES NO POWER TO START SO I SEITCH KEYD. THERE BEEN A RECALL BUT WAS NOT PROPERLY FIXED. MY LIFE IS IN DANGER DRIVING AND I REPLACED SO MANY PARTS THAT WAS NEVER THE PROBLEM.
ENGINE OIL LEAKS ON MANIFOLD AND COULD CAUSE A FIRE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED TO THE START POSITION, SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ABS WARNING LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED AND THE VEHICLE LOSS BRAKES AND POWER STEERING FUNCTIONALITY WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT REMAINING ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS PREVIOUSLY INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 200,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD BANG AND AN UNKNOWN WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. A FIRE STARTED FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD AND THE CONTACT'S HUSBAND CAME OUTSIDE AND INSTRUCTED HER TO GRAB THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER. HER HUSBAND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. A FIRE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V116000 (ENGINE, ENGINE COOLING), WHICH SHE RELATED DIRECTLY WITH HER FAILURE. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS OFFERED AN AMOUNT FOR THE REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO RESOLUTION TO THE MATTER. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN AND WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
I DROVE THE CAR TO A STORE, PARKED, TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND EXITED THE VEHICLE. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR IT WAS SMOKING UNDER THE HOOD. A SHORT TIME LATER THE CAR WAS ON FIRE IN THE ENGINE BAY. I'D SAY FLAMES ERUPTED APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES AFTER I EXITED THE VEHICLE.
WHILE DRIVING THE CAR THE ENGINE SIMPLY SHUTS OFF WHETHER ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH, ON CITY STREETS AT 40 MPH OR BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY. USUALLY AFTER WAITING A FEW MINUTES IT WILL RESTART. THE PROBLEM BEGAN IN FEBRUARY 2019 AND HAS BEEN ONGOING. MY MECHANIC HAS HAD THE CAR MULTIPLE TIMES AND I HAVE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC 3 TIMES MAKING SURE NOT TO START THE CAR. IT HAS NO CODES STORED TO HELP MY MECHANIC FIND THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE TRIED SEVERAL DIFFERENT THINGS BUT AS USUALLY EVEN WHEN THEY KEPT IT 2 WEEKS THE CAR FAILED TO STALL ON THEM WHEN THEY TEST DROVE IT. I HAVE SEEN ARTICLES AND EVEN COMPLAINTS ON YOUR WEBSITE OF THIS ISSUE. THIS IS SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS AND I CANNOT BELIEVE A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V701000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE CONTACT CALLED AN UNKNOWN DEALER LOCATED IN FRENDALE, MICHIGAN AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
TAKATA RECALL WHEN GOING TO FASTEN SEAT BELT IT WILL NOT FASTEN YOU HAVE TO MESS WITH IT A COUPLE TIMES BEFORE IT WILL LATCH AND SOMETIMES WILL UNLATCH WHILE DRIVING. TAKATA RECALL THE DRIVER FRONT BLINKER BULB HAS BEEN REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES BUT AFTER BUYING NUMEROUS BULBS IT STILL WILL NOT WORK. TAKATA RECALL WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL LEFT WHEN I SLOW DOWN TO GO AROUND A CURVE IT TIGHTENS UP LIKE THE STEERING PUMP IS GOING OUT BUT IT ONLY DOES IT WHILE SLOWING DOWN TO TURN, ALSO WHILE DRIVING ITS LIKE THE VEHICLE IS ALL OVER THE ROAD SWAYING AROUND.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT. THE CONTACT USUALLY HAD TO WAIT A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD RESTART. THE BATTERY WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED DURING THE FAILURE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,632.
MY SONS CHEVY IMPALA WAS IN OUR DRIVEWAY UNTOUCHED FOR TWO DAYS. WHEN HE GOT IN IT AND TURNED THE KEY TO START THE VEHICLE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD EXPLODED AND CAUSED AN ENGINE FIRE. WHILE ONLINE I FOUND THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR YEARS!!! WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN ADDRESSED? HE COULD HAVE DIED. AND IF I WASN'T IN THE YARD TO REACT AND PUT THE FIRE OUT MY HOUSE COULD HAVE GONE UP WITH IT.
MY SON'S 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA CAUGHT FIRE WHEN HE WAS TURNING THE IGNITION TO CRANK THE VEHICLE. HE WAS AT COLLEGE IN THE PARKING LOT AND THE FIRE DEPT. WAS CALLED AND PUT THE FIRE OUT. HE CLAIMS THERE WAS A LOUD POP AND SMOKE BEGAN ROLLING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROX. 132000 MILES. FROM READING A LOT OF POSTS THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. WE ONLY HAVE LIABILITY AND DON'T HAVE MONEY TO FIX OR BUY HIM A NEW VEHICLE. HE WAS NOT INJURED. NEED HELP!! THE VEHICLE IS STILL IN THE PARKING LOT AT LA. TECH UNIVERSITY IN RUSTON, LA.
I HAVE AN IDEA THAT I TOOK TO DAVIS INVENTION COMPANY T LIKE IT 2 YEARS AGO THE CAR CO.'S DON'T WANT BECAUSE IT WILL STOP ACCIDENT. CAR MAKER SAID TOO ME THEY SELL PART TOO. SO THAT LEAVES THE INSURANCE CO THAT PAYS FOR -THE PART PLEASE HAVE SOMEONE FROM YOUR RESEARCH DEPT CALL ME AT [XXX] SO I CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT IT INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *CC *DT *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY FAILED TO MOVE WHILE IN THE IGNITION. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER JEFF DRENNEN CHEVROLET BUICK GMC CADILLAC OF ZANESVILLE (3625 MAPLE AVE, ZANESVILLE, OH 43701 (740) 630-0548) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH AND TUMBLER NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 116,000. *TT CONSUMER COULD NOT START THE CAR.*JB
748 total