Owners have filed 15 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the steering, airbags, and electrical. The 8 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2020Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/8 checked
2020 Chevrolet Impala: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1
Engine off, key in hand0/3
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/2
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/2
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2020's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2020 Chevrolet Impala. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 3.6L 6-cylGas | FWD | 22 mpg |
| 3.6L 6-cylFlex fuel | FWD | 22 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2020 Chevrolet Impala, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Heavy steering is the main complaint, as if the electric assist has dropped out, sometimes with a "Power Steering - Drive with Care" message. In one case the problem came and went with no dash warning until a dealer logged a power steering control module low-voltage code and traced it to a weak battery with a dead cell, around 5,322 miles. Another report puts a similar episode at about 54,000 miles, with normal steering back after a restart. A separate report involves a dealer misdiagnosis that ended in a front wheel bearing replacement. Losing assist makes slow-speed maneuvers like reversing hard.
Failure to deploy in serious collisions is the common thread. Both reports are crash-related, and one involves an injury. One describes a rollover after the car left the road and hit a tree, with no deployment and no warning lights beforehand. The other describes a rear-end impact that pushed the car into the vehicle ahead, where the steering wheel and front seat side air bags fired but did not deploy. There are only two reports, but both describe the restraint system failing when it was needed.
Warning chimes and driver aids stop working. The reported failures include no sound from the seatbelt reminder or turn signals, plus a dead driver-side blind spot warning. A separate report traces electrical trouble to a detached air conditioning tube inside the cabin. The leak soaked the carpets and led to heavy mold under the mats and seats, and the owner says the issue stayed unresolved for months despite dealer and manufacturer contact. That owner also links the mold to respiratory problems in the family.
Excerpts from complaints Impala owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
I was in a car accident on June 20, 2023. I was stopped in traffic and was hit in the rear and pushed into the vehicle in front of me. The air bags detonated but did not deploy. The steering wheel and both front seat side air bags had some coming but the airbag did not deploy.
Filed with NHTSA, June 2023
The air conditioner tube was off inside the vehicle and caused massive leaking in the carpets. Causing mold to grow excessively under the floor mats, in the carpets, under the seats, etc. Which as a result led to electrical issues. It’s being looked into by a senior member at GM for months now, nothing is being done. Radley Chevy in Fredricksburg Virginia hasn’t done anything for us either. My family is now having respiratory issues due to the mold issue.
Filed with NHTSA, October 2021
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2020 has the fewest owner complaints of the 3 Impala years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2020 is the 15th model year of the Impala's ninth generation (2006–2020).
It includes the 2012 update.
What changed for 2012
Cars shoppers compare with the Chevrolet Impala, with their own 2020 checklists.
2020 owner complaints, side by side
