There are 33 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2005 Chevrolet Impalain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument panel became inoperable. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Transmission shifts hard after engine warms up.
I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND I WAS TRYING TO TURN INTO MY JOB AND I MADE IT ABOUT HALF WAY INTO THE PARKING LOT WHERE PART OF MY CAR WAS STI'LL IN THE ROAD WHEN MY CAR JUST SHIFTED DOWN INTO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT GO BACK INTO DRIVE SO I ENDED UP HAVING TO BE TOWED INTO THE PARKING LOT BY A YOUNG MAN THAT STOPPED TO HELP GI'VE ME A HAND TO GET MY CAR OUT OF THE ROAD I WAS ON A MAJOR STREET THAT GETS TRAVELSE ALOT AND IT WAS DRIVING JUST FINE UNTIL I WENT TO TURN INTO MY JOB AND IT JUST QUIT SHIFTING PERIOD
TRANSMISSION HAS HARD SHIFTING AFTER ENGINE WARMS UP, ONLY HAS 44,000 MILES ON IT. STOP AND GO TRAFFIC SEEMS TO START THE PROBLEM FASTER THAN HIGHWAY DRIVING.
HI I PURCHASED MY IMPALA LAST YEAR USED AND FOR ABOUT THE FIRST 6 MONTHS IT RAN FINE...NOW ELECTRICAL PANEL GOES ON THE FRITZ DIMMING MY LIGHTS AND DASHBOARD...POWER WINDOWS AND MIRRORS NOT WORKING... ALSO ABS LIGHT AND TRACTION LIGHTS ON CONSISTENTLY...TRACTION RANDOMLY ACTIVATES AND CAR LIGHTERS JUST STOPPED WORKING. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS SPECIFIC MODEL AND IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. ALSO TURN KEY TO START CAR AND THE CAR DOESN'T START SO I DO THIS 2-3 TIMES TO START CAR UP...REALLY NEEDS TO RECALL ALL 2005 IMPALAS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 196,000.
FROM STARTING POSITION TO SLOWING DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND OR JERKS INTO GEAR HEAVILY. FROM 1ST TO 2ND VERY NOTICEABLE.
BOUGHT THE CAR USED 141,000 MILES DAY AFTER I BOUGHT IT THE TRANSMISSION JERKS REALLY HARD WHEN TAKING OFF. I HEARD IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM BUT IT WILL COST $700 OR MORE TO FIX.
AS THE ORIGINAL AND ONLY OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE, THIS IS THE SECOND ITERATION OF A CRACKED FLEX PLATE. THE FIRST EVENT AND REPAIR FOR $661.69 HAPPENED WITH 48,929 MILES. THE CRACKS APPEAR TO BEGIN AT THE CRANKSHAFT MOUNTING BOLTS AND SPREAD OUT TO THE STAMPED STEEL CUTOUTS. IT IS A 3800 SERIES II V-6 DRIVEN IN NORMAL MANNER AND WELL MAINTAINED. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAPPENS...CHEAP FLEXPLATE?? *TR
WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP, THE CAR JERKED INSTEAD OF TAKING OFF SMOOTHLY. THIS SEEMED TO HAPPEN AT LOW SPEEDS WHEN CAR IS SHIFTING FROM ONE GEAR TO ANOTHER EVEN THOUGH IT HAS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE SAFETY RISK HERE IS THAT ACCELERATION IS NOT EFFECTED AND A CAR COULD POTENTIALLY HIT YOU FROM BEHIND ESPECIALLY AT A STOP SIGN/LIGHT. *TR
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD HEAD WIPERS ON WIPERS QUIT FOR NO REASON COME TO THE STOP SIGN TRIED TURNING IT OFF AND ON A FEW TIMES THEN ONCE YOU TAKE OFF THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE AND THEN LUNGED FORWARD AND HIT THE PERSON IN FRONT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND SUDDENLY STARTED TO JERK VIOLENTLY. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE AND DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND THE FILTER. HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000.
WHEN PRESSING GAS PEDAL FROM A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT, I HEAR A GRINDING/ SLIPPING SOUND AND THEN A LOUD POP AND THE CAR JERKS INTO GEAR. THE DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM 2 WEEKS AGO GAVE ME A 30 DAY OR 1000 MILE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, IT HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR THE PAST 2 DAYS .THEY KEEP TELLING ME THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE SYMPTOM. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND HUNDREDS OF ONLINE REPORTS OF THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS. PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVISE ON RECOURSE. *TR
TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD AND JERKS UPON TAKE OFF INTERMITTENTLY.
I HAVE A CHEV. IMPALA LS 2005 IT RUNS GOOD BUT THE TRANSMISSION JERKS AND IS SHIFTING LONG. THE CHEVROLET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THIS AND I THINK THAT THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO REPLACE IT AT FREE OF CHARGE BECAUSE WHEN THEY MADE THEM THEY KNEW AND DID NOT TELL ANYBODY UNTIL PEOPLE START COMING IN COMPLAINING ABOUT THEM. *TR
SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT WORK MOST OF THE TIME. CAR WILL SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING GOING DOWN ROAD. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON. AFTER PULLING OVER IT WILL START BACK UP. HAVE BEEN PLACED ON DIAGNOSTICS MACHINE AND NO CODES ARE TRIGGERED. WE HAVE REPLACED FUEL FILTER. HAD A TUNE UP DONE. NOTHING IS WORKING AND MECHANICS CANT FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG. VERY DANGEROUS. HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES. LAST TIME GOING DOWN MOUNTAIN ON A CURVE WITH NO WHERE TO PULL OVER. LUCKILY NO TRAFFIC AT THE TIME. *TR
I JUST PURCHASED THIS CAR IN FEBRUARY 2011. CAR HAS OPERATED FINE AND OPERATED FINE EARLIER TODAY. THIS EVENING, AS I WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A QUICK RUN TO THE STORE, I STARTED MY CAR, PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND PROCEEDED TO MOVE THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER FROM PARK TO REVERSE. I COULD NOT GET THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER TO MOVE OUT OF PARK. IT WAS STUCK. THERE WAS NO PRIOR INDICATION TO THIS ISSUE. NOW I'M STRANDED AT HOME WITH NO VEHICLE. *TR
TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD AND JERKS INTERMITTENTLY. *TR
MY SPEEDOMETER GAUGE DOESN'T WORK IT WILL GET STUCK ON 20 MPH CONSTANTLY IT NEVER READS THE CORRECT SPEED BUT MY OTHER GAUGES WORK FINE. MY TRANSMISSION SHIFTS/SLIPS HARDER THAN IT SHOULD FROM 1ST INTO 2ED AND 2ND INTO 3RD. MY HEADLIGHTS FLICKER WHEN I PUSH ON MY WINDOW CONTROLS TO ROLL MY WINDOWS UP OR DOWN. THE HEAT ONLY BLOWS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY CAR INCLUDING ON THE DEFROST FOR THE FRONT WINDOWS AND THE REAR WINDOW. *TR
I AM TRYING TO FILE A COMPLAINT ABOUT A KNOWN DEFECT WITH ALL YEARS OF CHEVY IMPALAS TRANSMISSION'S FAULTY FIRST GEAR OR PRESSURE CONTROL SOLINOID ISSUES. FOR THE LAST YEAR I HAVE EXPERIENCED ISSUES WITH MY CAR FAILING TO ADEQUATELY SHIFT FROM STARTING OFF TO THE 30 MILE PER HOUR MARK...YOU COULD FEEL MY CAR JERK WHEN IT FINALLY SHIFTS. SO I DID WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD HELP AND HAD A TRANSMISSION FLUSH AND FILTER CHANGE WHICH ONLY SOLVED THIS ISSUE FOR NOT EVEN A WEEK. I WENT ONTO GM'S WEBSITE AND WAS READING THE FORUMS SPECIFICALLY FOR CHEVY IMPALA TRANSMISSION ISSUES AND THERE WAS NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE BUT NO OFFER FROM GM TO EVEN LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE. MY CAR STARTED TO NOTICEABLY HAVE THIS ISSUE BEFORE EVEN HAVING 100K MILES ON IT AND RIGHT NOW I HAVE 131K MILES. I HAVE FOLLOWED THE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE WITH MY CAR SINCE I TOOK OWNERSHIP IN 2006. I POSTED MY SAID ISSUE ON FACEBOOK AND ONE OF MY HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATES COMMENTED THAT HE WORKS AT A CHEVY DEALERSHIP (HAS FOR 13 YEARS) AND ONLY KNOWS OF THE PRESSURE CONTROL SOLINOID ISSUE, SO APPARENTLY GM JUST DOESN'T WANT TO DO THEIR CUSTOMERS RIGHT BY FIXING EVEN THE KNOWN DEFECT OR FOLLOWUP WITH THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS STATED ON THEIR FORUM. I JUST PAID OFF MY CAR AND I FEEL THAT I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY SUCH A LARGE SUM OF MONEY TO FIX A DEFECT ON THEIR PART. I ALSO ASKED A FRIEND OF MINE, THAT OWNS A CHEVY IMPALA, AND THEY TOO HAVE STARTED TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME ISSUS AS I. PLEASE ASSIST US CONSUMERS IN PROBING INTO FORESAID ISSUES. THANKS! *TR
Showing 1–20 of 33 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026