Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2002 Chevrolet Impala, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system305
- Exterior lighting123
- Engine and engine cooling106
- Engine75
- Service brakes, hydraulic63
- Steering57
- Air bags47
- Power train36
- Visibility31
- Unknown or other19
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 35 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 35 2002 Impala vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 29 people died inside them, and 7 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2002 Chevrolet Impala failed the safety check 2.57% of the time — 28% more often than the average 2002 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 106,109 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 10.4–12.0 L/100 km (about 20–23 mpg US), CO₂ 239–276 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impala · Full-size · Regular gasoline | 12.5 | 8.0 | 10.4 |
| Impala · Full-size · Regular gasoline | 14.2 | 9.4 | 12.0 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 2002 Chevrolet Impala.
| 2015501 23 Oct 2015 | Engine On certain vehicles equipped with a 3.8L engine, degradation of the front rocker cover gasket may result in eventual oil seepage. Under hard braking, drops of … |
| 2014284 3 Jul 2014 | Electrical On certain vehicles, a defect in the ignition switch could allow the switch to move out of the "run" position if the key ring is carrying added weight or the ve… |
| 2009105 8 Apr 2009 | Engine On certain vehicles equipped with a 3.8L naturally aspirated engine, degradation of the front rocker cover gasket may result in eventual oil seepage. Under har… |
| 2002151 13 Aug 2002 | Airbag Certain vehicles may have a driver's side airbag inflator that could fracture at a weld during a deployment. Pieces of the inflator could strike and injure veh… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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 previously repaired under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 to address the possibility that engine oil may drip onto the hot exhaust manifold.
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. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
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 THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH DROPS OF ENGINE OIL MAY BE DEPOSITED ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD THROUGH HARD BRAKING.
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.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Chevrolet told its dealers about the 2002 Chevrolet Impala: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 637353 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A STRONG SULFUR ODOR OR A VERY OFFENSIVE TYPE ODOR COMING FROM THE COOLING SYSTEM. *TT |
| 637309 | SERVICE INFORMATION REGARDING AN INOPERATIVE REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY (RKE) FOLLOWING VCM REPLACEMENT. *TT |
| 637302 | THIS MESSAGE IS IN REFERENCE TO A RATTLE NOISE COMING FROM THE CENTER FORWARD EDGE OF THE HEADLINER. *TT |
| 637199 | A CONDITION MAY EXIST WITH THE LOSS OF RADIO RECEPTION OR STATIC CONDITION IN THE RADIO WHEN THE REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER IS TURNED ON. *TT |
| 636597 | IN SEVERE POLICE VEHICLE USE SITUATIONS THE FRONT EXHAUST O-RING STYLE HANGER MAY BECOME DISCONNECTED AND EVENTUALLY FALL OFF. *TT |
| 636595 | CONCERNS OF A POSSIBLE CONDITION OF DOOR TRIM PANEL DAMAGE. *TT |
| 636483 | THIS MESSAGE IS IN REGARDS TO A CLICKING OR SNAPPING TYPE SOUND FROM THE ENGINE CRADLE ASSEMBLY DURING SLOW SPEED STEERING MANEUVERS. *TT |
| 635008 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED AND THAT WHILE THE LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED, TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ARE EXTREMELY HARSH. *TT |
| 635006 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING 4T65-E TRANSAXLE SPACER PLATE AND GASKETS FOR VARIOUS MODELS FROM 1997 THROUGH 2002. *TT |
| 634999 | DIAGNOSIS OF CRACKED OR BROKEN TRANSMISSION CASE. *TT 2006 AND PRIOR CARS AND LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS. *TT |
| 634954 | SUBJECT REGARDING REVISED DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0713. *TT |
| 634931 | SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0716 AND / OR P0717, P0730, P0753, P0758, P1860, P1887 OR OTHER MISCELLANEOUS TRANSMISSION TROUBLE CODES SET. *TT |
| 634803 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ON A CLUNK TYPE NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE DURING A TURNING MANEUVER. *TT |
| 634708 | SUBJECT REGARDING REVISED LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD INSTALLATION. *TT |
| 634678 | SUBJECT REGARDNG THE ADDITION OF DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE U1500 FOR GENERATION 4 ONSTAR. *TT |
| 634563 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS PARK IN THE OUTWIPE (VERTICAL) POSITION. *TT |
| 634525 | SOME OWNERS MAY COMMENT ABOUT A CLICKING / CREAKING TYPE NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. *TT |
| 634242 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM REGARDING BRAKE BOOSTER POWER PISTON. *TT |
| 634236 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM BULLETIN REGARDING VEHICLES WITH BRAKE BOOSTER CONTAINING CERTAIN INTERNAL PARTS THAT ARE NOT TO SPECIFICATION. *TT |
| 631820 | VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE AN INOPERATIVE CIGARETTE LIGHTER. *SLC |
| 631274 | SUBJECT REGARDING VARIOUS DRIVEABILITY SYMPTOMS, MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ILLUMINATES INTERMITTENTLY, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES SEAT, ENGINE WILL NOT START. *SLC |
| 631267 | INCORRECT TRANSMISSION SHIFTS, POOR PERFORMANCE OF ENGINE, TRANSMISSION SLIPPING, SES LAMP ILLUMINATED, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0756 AND P0757. *SLC UPDATE. *TT |
| 629822 | THIS MESSAGE PROVIDES SOLUTIONS TO WINDSHEILD WIPERS THAT MAY FAIL TO PARK IN THE NORMAL DEPRESSED PARK POSITION AND REMAIN VERTICAL WHEN TURNED OFF. *TT |
| 628862 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMPLAIN THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED WITH HARSH TRANSMISSION SHIFTS. *TT |
| 628122 | INFORMATION ON HEADLAMP REPLACEMENT FOR POSSIBILITY OF MOISTURE CONDENSATION IN THE LAMP. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
ALLEGED HEADLIGHT FAILURE
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation