1996 Chevrolet Impala Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 1996 Chevrolet Impala most often report loss of heat and defrost from a clogging heater core, and intermittent loss of power steering assist, sometimes during a turn. Complaints describe both as gradual or intermittent rather than sudden failures, and many describe repeated dealer flushes or parts replacements that did not fully resolve the problem.

1. 1
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Heater core clogging, no heat or defrost

   • 11 complaints (13%)
   • typically at 4.3 yrs old
   • filed 2000–2003

   Owners describe the heater core clogging so that little or no heat reaches the cabin, which also leaves the windshield hard to clear in cold or damp weather. Many say the cooling system was flushed once or repeatedly, sometimes with the core replaced, and that the problem returned the next winter; some report that the dealer did not offer a lasting fix. Several complaints link the buildup to the factory coolant and to stop-leak tablets, while others simply describe recurring blockage. Reported across a wide mileage range, with some failures as low as 11,000 miles and many in the 40,000-50,000 mile range, usually noticed in cold weather.

   What to check: Before buying, run the heater on full hot at idle and check that both vents and defroster deliver strong heat; ask for service records showing heater core flushes or replacements. Check for coolant residue or a sweet smell inside the car.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I bought my 1996 Impala ss brand new, and every year since then in the winter time I loose the heat. The dealer, while the car was still under warranty, would flush the heater core and sometimes replace it yearly. The problem still is not fixed, and I have lost the heat in the car again and the dealer will no longer fix the problem because they claim it is out of warranty even though they have all of the service records showing the history of the problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10000159, filed 2002-12

   “Heat/defrost has failed twice both times flushed and repaired by myself (ase master cert. Mech.) both in cold weather defrost would'nt clear windshield for proper visibilty GM claims there is no problem with dex-cool in the system and it's my problem not theirs.”

   NHTSA complaint #720499, filed 2000-03
2. 2
   Steering

   Power steering cuts out intermittently

   • 9 complaints (10%)
   • median 40,000 mi at 8.4 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1999–2004

   Owners report the steering becoming suddenly heavy or locking up, mainly at low speeds or during turns, and sometimes returning after the car is shut off and restarted. Some describe loose, wandering steering on rough roads or darting while braking. Complaints mention pumps and belts replaced, fluid leaks onto the power steering belt, and dealers unable to reproduce or diagnose the problem. Reported mostly under about 40,000 miles, often during low-speed turns or parking-lot maneuvers.

   What to check: Test the steering through several slow full-lock turns at idle and listen for belt squeal; check the power steering fluid level and look for leaks or fluid contamination on the belt.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My wife had complained of the steering going out on her for the last two years. I could never get the steering failure to manifest itself for me, so I figured it must have been an anomalie. Last month, the steering problem occurred for me at very poor times. I was turning into my neighborhood and lost all control of steering and almost ran into my subdivision's sign. The second time was when I was exiting a parking lot in nashville, and the steering froze. …”

   NHTSA complaint #720355, filed 2000-03

   “The first time it happened I wanted to turn left into a shopping center. I slowed down to turn left and the steering was to difficult to turn, I had to run over a curb and over a patch of grass to avoid hitting a car. I stopped the car, put it in park and attempted to turn the steering wheel to the left and right to no avail. I shut the engine off and started it back up again, put the car in drive and the steering wheel turned, but not with ease. This also occurred on my way home into my driveway. This problem has occured about fifteen times. …”

   NHTSA complaint #756767, filed 2002-01
3. 3
   Brakes

   Rear brake and ABS hardware problems

   • 8 complaints (9%)
   • typically at 4.0 yrs old
   • filed 1996–2000

   Complaints describe rear calipers sticking or freezing on their mounts, leading to a low pedal, uneven front pad wear, and in some accounts a caliper coming off its mount. Some owners report an ABS warning light coming on at random with assist disabled until restart, and two describe loss of power assist with the pedal going to the floor. Repairs described include caliper and ABS pump replacement. Reported from very low mileage, including one complaint at about 14,800 miles, and up to unspecified higher mileage.

   What to check: Check the brake pedal for firmness and travel, look for uneven or rapid front pad wear, and scan for stored ABS codes; ask whether calipers or the ABS unit have been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Abs light comes on at random indicating that ABS is disabled, restarting the vehicle resets this condition for a while, dealers unable to diagnose or repair. Egr and EGR solenoid failed, 3 visits to dealer did not fix problem, but rather on two occassions they deliberatly disabled the EGR system to hide the problem from me. I finally repaired the problem myself by replaing the EGR solenoid at my own expense.”

   NHTSA complaint #711480, filed 1999-09

   “Bosch anitlock brake system pump complaint about the failure of the bosch ABS pump on my 1996 Chevrolet Impala. The rear brakes failed on my automobile. I took the car to my mechanic who discovered a fluid leak in the rear brakes and suspected some type of failure within the antilock brake system. Since the cars mileage was only 14,783 and the brakes should not be failing already, he took the car to a local Chevrolet dealership, chuck ohl in chardon, ohio. …”

   NHTSA complaint #737387, filed 2000-12
4. 4
   Fuel system

   Fuel pump fuse blowing, engine stalling

   • 6 complaints (7%)
   • median 87,969 mi at 9.9 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1999–2006

   Owners describe the engine quitting while driving, often with a blown fuel pump fuse that may blow again immediately after replacement. In several complaints the fuel pump sender wiring inside the tank was found with insulation melted or burnt off, and a fuel gauge reading full on an empty tank was traced to a short inside the tank. Repairs described include replacing the pump or sender assembly and the fuse. Reported mostly between roughly 80,000 and 95,000 miles, while driving at moderate speeds.

   What to check: Ask whether the fuel pump or sender assembly has been replaced and check for repeated fuse replacements; have the fuel gauge and pump wiring inspected during a pre-purchase inspection.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On 7/2/2000 I was returning home from a trip and my car went dead while I was driving along at about 35 MPH. I was about 5 miles from home when this happened so I got the car off the road and contacted modern Chevrolet in winston salem nc on monday morning and had them pick the car up for repair. When they contacted me the same day they told me the fuel pump fuse had blown out and my car was ready to pick up. When I picked the car up they told me if the fuse blew out again that I may need to have the fuel pump replaced. …”

   NHTSA complaint #729204, filed 2000-08

   “I found two vehicles that had the fuel pump harness with melted wires. I thought this would be of interest to the ntsa because of possible fire hazard”

   NHTSA complaint #709538, filed 1999-08
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Battery acid leaking from the top post

   Mentioned in 4 of 56 sampled complaints

   Owners report battery acid leaking from around the positive post or forcing the post out of the case, leaving acid on the tray or garage floor and damaging paint with corrosion. Several complaints note that others in owner clubs had the same battery experience and replaced it as a precaution. Others report batteries that stopped holding a charge and headlights dimming with pedal use. Mostly reported on original batteries at unspecified mileage, with a few complaints filed when the cars were a few years old.

   What to check: Look for corrosion or acid residue on the battery tray and around the posts, check that paint under the battery is intact, and confirm the battery's age.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I belong to an Impala ss club and several years ago we noticed that the stock AC/delco (?) 676 battery would sometimes leak. Many complained to gmc but nothing happened so as precaution many people changed out their battery since GM would do nothing about it. Now we (the club) noticed that there is an investigation on the chevy suburban and tahoe and yukon about the same battery. This is something that has been happening at least since 1994 when our impalas started to be made. These batterys are shoddy. Please take help take them off the road. …”

   NHTSA complaint #724372, filed 2000-06

   “Alternator suddently stopped working. Dash board light doesn't allow consumer to see the speed. He doesn't know how fast he is going. Also, when applying brake and gas pedals headlights go dim. When he releases gas and brake pedals, headlights are full force.”

   NHTSA complaint #855976, filed 2000-02

Buying note. Check the heater and defroster output and the steering behavior closely on a test drive, since those are the most frequently reported complaints for this model year. Records of heater core and fuel pump work are worth asking for, and an independent inspection of the brakes and steering is worthwhile on a car of this age.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 56 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.