CHEVROLET IMPALA · model year

1999 CHEVROLET IMPALA

4 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1999CHEVROLETIMPALA carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1999 IMPALA is steering: steering wheel/handle bar with 1 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (1) and air bags (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 1999 IMPALA, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
AIR BAGS1
ENGINE1

Recent Complaints

20140521ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE TURNING INDICATORS WERE OPERATED, THERE WAS A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE AS THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED FOLLOWED BY THE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

Mileage: 200,000

20130501AIR BAGS

AIR BAG SERVICE LIGHT CAME ON. IT IS INTERMITTENT. I HAD THIS SAME ISSUE WITH MY 2000 IMPALA. I DID TAKE MY 2009 IMPALA INTO DEALERSHIP FOR RECALL BACK IN 2010, REGARDING SEAT BELTS AND WAS TOLD THAT IT DIDN'T NEED TO BE FIXED. SEEING MY PREVIOUS IMPALA HAD THE SAME ISSUE FOR THE ENTIRE TIME I OWNED THAT VEHICLE, 178K MILES DRIVEN, I BELIEVE THIS IS A DEFECT IN THIS MODEL. I DIDN'T PAY FOR A NEW MODULE ON THE OLDER MODEL AS THE LIGHT WAS INTERMITTENT. I SEE ONLINE SOMETHING ABOUT PASSENGER SEAT BEING LOWERED OR PLACING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE ON THE PASSENGER SEAT CAN CAUSE THIS. I WILL TRY TO MOVE SEAT AND NOT PLACE CELL PHONE ON SEAT. STILL THERE IS STILL AN ISSUE WITH THIS SYSTEM IF OTHERS ARE REPORTING THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

Mileage: 50,900

20010302POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ON TWO OCCASIONS VEHICLE WENT INTO REVERSE AFTER SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE. VEHICLE GOING BACK TO DEALER SHOP FOR SECOND TIME FOR THIS INCIDENT. *AK *SLC

19990730STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR

STEERING WHEEL IS DESIGNED WITHOUT GRIPS WHICH IS DIFFICULT TO HANDLE WHEN DRIVING BECAUSE THE STEERING JUST SLIDES WHICH COULD CAUSE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

Compare 1999CHEVROLETIMPALA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1999 CHEVROLET IMPALA have?
The 1999 CHEVROLET IMPALA has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1999 CHEVROLET IMPALA?
The most-complained component for the 1999 CHEVROLET IMPALA is STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and AIR BAGS.
Is the 1999 CHEVROLET IMPALA safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.