2013 Chevrolet Impala Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe traction-control and ABS warnings that appear together, usually as the car is pulling away while turning, with a grinding noise and a brief loss of power. Complaints also cover brake, wiring, steering and transmission concerns, and most of the reports in the sample were filed between roughly 40,000 and 90,000 miles.

1. 1
   Electronic stability control

   Traction control and ABS lights with grinding on low-speed

   • 159 complaints (58%)
   • median 54,000 mi at 3.8 yrs old (138 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,500 (median of 11 quotes)
   • filed 2013–2024

   Owners describe the traction control, ABS, brake assist and StabiliTrak messages appearing together, often while accelerating from a stop and turning left, sometimes also in reverse or in a straight line. Many mention a grinding or rubbing noise from a front wheel and the car hesitating or briefly cutting power. Some had wheel hubs, bearings or a sensor replaced, and several say the warnings returned afterwards; other complaints report that dealers could not find codes or reproduce the problem. Reported across a wide mileage range, with many complaints filed between roughly 20,000 and 90,000 miles, and some owners noting it happens more in summer months.

   What to check: During a test drive, accelerate from a stop while turning and listen for grinding or a power cut; also ask whether wheel speed sensors, hubs or the wiring harness to the front wheels have been replaced, and whether the repair held.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Ever since I bought my car in 2014 the traction control has fired intermittently when making left turns. It stopped for a while, so I didn't pay attention to it. Now recently it has started again and much worse. It now does it when I turn in either direction, going forward or reversing and the traction light will flash on driving straight as well.”

   NHTSA complaint #10970930, filed 2017-04, 84,000 miles

   “My car makes a grinding sound when I turn left and loses power, also today the service brake assist and the traction lights all came on when I was driving. I have read many things from many people about this certain problem and it is costly to get this fixed and I feel something should be done about this. This could be very dangerous trying to turn into traffic and having your car lose power.”

   NHTSA complaint #10969673, filed 2017-03, 52,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Brake and ABS warning lights, weak or grabbing brakes

   • 85 complaints (31%)
   • median 59,500 mi at 3.9 yrs old (80 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,500 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2013–2022

   Some owners report the brake warning light coming on, a rear wheel seeming to lock, or the pedal being pressed without the car slowing as expected at low speed. Others describe the brake assist and ABS messages joining the traction-control warnings, and a few mention the brakes feeling as if they briefly lock after a turn. Generally reported between about 37,000 and 87,000 miles, with several at highway mileage.

   What to check: Ask about brake and ABS service history and whether any wheel speed sensor or hub work was done; check that the ABS and brake warning lamps behave normally on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving home on 9/3/22 I began to turn into a curve in the road at which time the brake light on dash came on and felt as though one wheel in the rear locked up.2 seconds later It caused my car to spin uncontrollable down the road and slide into ditch however I slid into a field entrance and it caused my car to roll more then once and landed on passenger side. Airbags did not deploy at any time during this accident.”

   NHTSA complaint #11485784, filed 2022-09, 126,000 miles

   “Service ABS/stabilitrack is displaying often. Grinding noise, decreased power and car will nearly stop on you from time to time, particularly when turning. Taken to dealership, more than once, they get no codes on diagnostic. I believe this is a wiring issue. However, this defect is found in many years of the same make of vehicle. At times when turning, the stopping of the vehicle could harm or kill me or my family. There is bound to be lawsuits if this is not recalled. A search online produces hundreds with the same issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11246473, filed 2019-08, 60,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Engine power loss, stalling and rough running

   • 37 complaints (14%)
   • median 48,000 mi at 3.6 yrs old (31 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2013–2024

   Complaints describe reduced engine power, surging or jerking with the accelerator pressed, and the check engine light coming on, sometimes alongside StabiliTrak messages. A few owners report smoke from the exhaust, a sudden engine failure involving the timing chain, or fuel-system repairs such as injector or module replacement. Spread from low mileage up to well past 100,000 miles, with several reports in the 30,000 to 100,000 mile range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask for maintenance records, listen for timing-chain noise at cold start, and check whether the check engine light and any stored codes have been addressed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car loses power and stabilitrak warning come on while driving no engine power at all .check engine light come on and stays on till I shut off engine and turn back on only then engine light disappears my car only has 37,000 miles and is 3 year old its happen on the highway three time and in the parking lot of my work twice now.”

   NHTSA complaint #10870110, filed 2016-05, 33,000 miles

   “Days after purchasing my 2013 chevy Impala ltz 2 years ago from first car in bakersfield I have had nothing but problems with it. As I would drive it , it started to automaticly brake on its own and lose traction speed. Blows white smoke all the time it is running even when parked. I have major problem when driving the car shakes slot. I have spent approximately $5000 in repairs and no improvement what so ever!”

   NHTSA complaint #11398487, filed 2021-03, 150,000 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Steering noise and steering gear or column fluid leaks

   • 28 complaints (10%)
   • median 55,000 mi at 3.6 yrs old (23 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2025

   Complaints report squeaking or grinding when turning the wheel, and dealers finding the steering gear or steering column leaking fluid. In some cases the repair was quoted at over a thousand dollars, and one owner had the steering gear replaced twice. Reported from about 20,000 to 83,000 miles, including during routine maintenance visits.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Turn the wheel while stationary and at low speed to listen for squeaks, and look for fluid seepage around the steering gear and under the front of the car.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I just purchased my vehicle 3 months ago and about 2 weeks ago, I've been having issues with traction control, ABS and service stabilitrak. It seems I get this problem when I just start my car and try to turn the wheel right, at low speeds it feels like it's grinding. This problem has happened a few times since then (not consistent) and every time it grinds I get a traction control light pop up. This problem is happening when there is no rain or snow on the road. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10732266, filed 2015-07, 53,000 miles

   “I have had problems with steering control in this vehicle ever since I bought it from serpentini Chevrolet in strongsville, ohio. Chevrolet service department replaced the left front hub and bearing assembly on 6/9/16 at 34,770 when the car was still under warranty. On 8/3/18, when the vehicle was out of warranty at 60039 miles, the service department told me that the steering gear was leaking and it would be an $1829.50 repair. The symptoms I am experiencing now are the same as when the car was under warranty and not repaired correctly. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11268681, filed 2019-10, 34,770 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Harsh or delayed shifting and gear position mismatch

   • 18 complaints (7%)
   • median 45,500 mi at 4.0 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • filed 2012–2020

   Owners describe jerkiness between gears, a delayed response when accelerating from a standstill, and a hard kick when reapplying the throttle at low speed. One complaint reports the shifter moving to Park while the car was not actually in Park, so it could roll away, and another mentions a gear indicator that did not match the gear selected. Mostly reported between about 36,000 and 130,000 miles, several within the first few years of ownership.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Test low-speed acceleration and reverse, confirm the indicated gear matches the lever position, and check that the car holds in Park on a slope.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Does not shift into gear smoothly. I can feel a jerk when transmission changes gears. There is a delayed response when when excelerating from a standstill. This vehicle had 36000 miles when we noticed the problem 4 months ago. Problem code p0989 shown when recently checked by mechanic. Another problem ivolves an intermittent metallic grinding noise when making a left turn at low speeds.”

   NHTSA complaint #11246315, filed 2019-08, 37,000 miles

   “Able to shift gear positions but the indicated shift position does not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. When I stop and park the vehicle, I am able to shift the lever to the park position, but the vehicle is not actually in park position. I currently have the emergency break on. Vehicle will not stay in park when gear is in park position. The lightest touch will knock gear shift into reverse and car rolls away.”

   NHTSA complaint #11376049, filed 2020-11, 128,000 miles

Buying note. This model year shows recurring traction-control and ABS complaints that owners often find hard to get resolved, so a careful test drive that includes low-speed turns is worth more than a quick spin. Ask for service records covering brakes, wheel sensors, steering and transmission, and check whether any open recall work was completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 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.