Buyer Research

2012 Chevrolet Impala — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $4,000–$8,000. There are 3 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

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Kestrel Take

The first year the old W-body Impala got the 3.6L V6 and six-speed as standard, and a cheap, roomy, easy-to-fix car if you go in with your eyes open. The 258-complaint record is not dominated by one fault; it is three roughly equal clusters — electrical, StabiliTrak, steering — and two of them lead back to recalls: the GM ignition-key recall 14V355 and a power-steering hose that can leak onto the catalytic converter. Run the VIN, then test drive with the radio off: a Service StabiliTrak message, a grind when turning, or a clunk in the steering are the three things this record says to expect. If the recalls are closed and the transmission has all its gears, it is a fair buy at a low price.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 258 owner complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet Impala, and 3 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. The largest single group is electrics and electronics at 22%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.

3 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2012 Chevrolet Impala

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Ignition key can be knocked out of Run — engine and airbags off while driving (recall 14V355)High — wallet impact

This is the Impala's share of GM's 2014 ignition-switch recalls: a heavy key ring or a knee can turn the key out of Run, killing the engine, power steering assist and the airbags at once. Recall 14V355 fits new key rings and a slot insert or key cover, free. Complaints citing the campaign number sit in the electrical cluster along with stalls, a burned wiring box behind the dash, and traction-control chimes that will not stop. Look the VIN up on NHTSA before anything else, and drive with only the key on the ring until it is confirmed done.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (58); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Service StabiliTrak / Traction Control warnings with a grind, hesitation or reduced powerMedium

Almost a quarter of the record. Owners describe the dash lighting up with Service StabiliTrak, Service Traction Control and ABS together, often with a grinding noise on left turns and a hesitation or jerk pulling away — three of these reports ended in a crash. On this car the usual root causes are a front wheel hub bearing feeding a bad wheel-speed signal ($250–$500 a side) or a dirty or failing throttle body that drops the car into reduced power ($300–$600). Turn the traction control off and the symptom goes away, which is why sellers live with it. Ask for a scan: a stored wheel-speed or throttle code tells you which one you are buying.

Repair cost (estimate): $250–$1,200

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under stability control (58).

Power steering hose routed against the catalytic converter (recall 11V398); tie rods, hubs and steering clunksHigh — wallet impact

Recall 11V398 covers 2012 Impalas built April 19 to July 29, 2011: the upper power-steering hose could be misrouted against the catalytic converter, and hot fluid on a converter is an engine-bay fire. Free inspection and rerouting. Beyond the recall, the 49 steering complaints are mechanical: a tie rod that snapped at 37,000 miles, front hubs with a loose axle nut, a popping noise turning left, and a steering wheel that suddenly went stiff. Seven of these were crashes. The W-body intermediate shaft clunk is a known nuisance too. On the drive, turn lock to lock at a crawl and listen; then rock the wheel with the car parked and feel for play. A second recall, 12V377, replaced front lower control arms on police-package cars only — worth asking if the car was a fleet unit.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $300–$1,500 for tie rods, a hub, or the intermediate shaft — about 25% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (49); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

6T70 six-speed can lose 3rd, 5th and reverse — the 3-5-R wave plateHigh — wallet impact

The 6T70 automatic that arrived with the 3.6L V6 has a known weak point in this era: the 3-5-reverse clutch wave plate cracks, and when it does the car loses reverse and two forward gears, sometimes with a bang and the transmission dropping into limp mode. The 27 power train complaints on this year are consistent with that failure. There is no cheap version of the repair — it is a teardown or a rebuilt unit. On the test drive, back up, then make sure it pulls cleanly through 3rd and reaches 5th on a highway ramp. A transmission that only has 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th is on its way out.

Repair cost (estimate): $2,500–$4,500 — around 75% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (27).

3.6L V6 timing chain stretch and rattle; water pump and oil consumptionMedium

The LFX 3.6L is a better engine than the LLT that preceded it, but GM's high-feature V6 family is known for timing chains that stretch when oil changes go long, setting P0008, P0017 or P0018 and rattling on cold start. The 43 engine complaints on this year include one fire and two crashes. Listen for a rattle in the first ten seconds after a cold start, check the oil for level and for a sweet coolant smell, and ask for oil-change receipts — this engine punishes 10,000-mile intervals. Water pumps also weep from the front of the engine; look for pink crust below the pulley.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$2,500 — about 42% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (43).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Service StabiliTrak or Traction Control message at any point on the test drive
✗Grinding or humming from a front wheel that changes when you turn left or right
✗Reverse that engages late, slips or bangs
✗A rattle from the front of the engine for the first seconds after a cold start
✗Seller with a fat key ring who has never heard of the ignition recall
✗Heavy-duty steel wheels, spotlight holes or a plain interior — an ex-police car with a harder life

Good Signs

✓Recalls 14V355 and 11V398 shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Both front hub bearings replaced with a receipt
✓Oil changed every 5,000 miles with dated receipts
✓Reverse engages within a second and the car shifts cleanly through all six gears
✓A clean scan with the traction control switched on