963 of the
15,232 complaints filed about the Chevrolet Impala
are about the airbag system —
6% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2009.
No one sits in the passenger seat 99% of the time. The passenger airbag warning light is illuminated, and I am uncertain about its proper deployment in a critical situation. The issue remains unverified by a dealership or any other individual. The component has not been subject to any inspection. I do not recall the specific warning message displayed on the dashboard.
NHTSA complaint #11747462 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On XXX in [XXX], while at a complete stop, without cause or prior warning, airbags violently deployed causing property damage to the entire instrument panel and windshield, and bodily injuries. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11744464 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
For the last 2 years, the car willl come up saying airbag system issues. There airbag sensor under the passenger side seat will randomly throw a code for the erorr and then turn off. It does not have to be a bump, move the seat, Just goes off. We have had it professionally scanned and it is always the same sensor with the issue. We noticed certian models had recalls but our was not on the list for some reason even though it fits all the other models with same issue. The cost to get it repaired and a chevy dealer is astromical. There are too many dates to count of the light and sesnor error.
NHTSA complaint #11742721 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact’s son owned a 2002 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the contact was unaware of how the failure occurred; however, the contact’s son was involved in a crash in which the vehicle collided with a wall. The contact stated that none of the air bags deployed during the crash. The contact stated that the contact’s son sustained multiple injuries, and medical attention was provided. The contact was unaware if any warning lights were illuminated at the time of the failure. The contact stated that the injuries included a fractured nose, lacerations to the nose and cheek, a broken right femur, a shattered right knee, collapsed lung, broken ribs, and paralysis on the right side. The contact also stated that the right foot required amputation. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed by an independent mechanic. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
NHTSA complaint #11736024 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I believe the passenger seat occupant sensing and airbag issues from recall 16V507 have not been fixed. I am still having issues related to it, even though I had it fixed.
NHTSA complaint #11727490 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check air bag and service air bag warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V507000 (Air Bags, Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
NHTSA complaint #11716297 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2014 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light was intermittently illuminated. Additionally, the brake pads were partially dragging against the rotors while driving. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 15V085000 (PARKING BRAKE) and 15V465000 (AIR BAGS); as a possible cause for the failures; however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,547.
NHTSA complaint #11715089 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Dash warning light indicates check airbags. (About a year ago). Upon using a code reader it states that the wrong airbags are installed and needs to be replaced. The airbags had been replaced in 2007 by GMC after a serious accident as a program\loaner. I purchased the repaired vehicle from Southern Chevrolet in December of 2007 from their used car lot. I do not know why it has gone unnoticed for all these years.
NHTSA complaint #11711344 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The driver side airbag did not deploy when I got into a wreck. I feel the airbags could have helped me from hitting the steering wheel and hurting my ribs. I feel that it could have been less painful to have the airbag deploy. I thought the airbags were in working order.
NHTSA complaint #11696020 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On 11/20/2024, the Chevrolet dealership diagnosed the problem as a short in the passenger presence sensor airbag module under the passenger seat. For more than a year, the airbag warning light has almost always been on. On just a few occasions in the past year or two, the airbag light has turned off, usually corresponding with a change in the humidity. I understand that there was a recall for this very same (moisture-related) airbag problem in other GM vehicles some years ago. I think we have the exact same problem here, and that my car should be included in the recall. Note well, this year there was an airbag recall covering a 2007 Nissan Versa, a much older car. It seems that airbag recalls can apply to cars 18 years old.
NHTSA complaint #11687566 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Passenger side front seat. When occupied, airbag sensor located inside the seat is malfunctioning. My husbands safety is at risk when he's in the car. He tries moving the seat up, back, etc. Sometimes works and the airbag sensor works. We are fearing that if there were any accident or need, that his life would be in danger if the airbag didn't deploy. This shouldn't be at the consumers expense as this is a safety issue. This has been ongoing for over 6 months.
NHTSA complaint #11687573 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that recently, the driver’s side air bag deployed while the vehicle was parked and unattended overnight. Prior to the failure, the air bag warning light had illuminated while driving. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.
NHTSA complaint #11679042 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I have driving on highway [XXX] heading back home to yucca valley from oceanside driving in the left lane my steering wheel locked up my vehicle swerved let into a street sign and thr vehicle proceeded to turn right swerving on the road losing control of the vehicle my airbag never deployed and my riverside tire as well the drives haft fell off the vehicle and now my car is completely totaled luckily there were no other vehicles involved but there was another person in the car with me when the incident occurred, we both he whiplash. Incident occurred in Morongo Valley near road runner mobile home trailer park in morngo valley INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11674400 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Filed one complaint already about my car malfunctioning now on May 15 2025 I was.involved in a car accident and my airbags DID NOT DEPLOY!!!it was a front crash hit the front right side of the car and no airbag deployment
NHTSA complaint #11661665 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Side Blind Zone Alert (SZBA) system continues to be an issue with this vehicle. Sensing module(s) on inner left or right side of bumper cover fail due to water intrusion. When sensing module fails, "Service Side Detection System" message will appear on driver information center on instrument cluster. General Motors has previously issued a special coverage "N172097060", which is available on NHTSA website. As indicated in the special coverage document, if the issue is ignored, "the condition could result in the corruption of LS GMLAN that may result in the loss of some driver interface functions such as cluster, infotainment, displays, chime, and passenger presence detection (passenger airbag could be suppressed). Within approximately 30 days of the "Service Side Detection System" message, while driving, instrument cluster speedometer and tachometer went dead, and airbag warning system notification, anti-theft system, tire pressure monitoring system all illuminated. In addition to no speedometer reading, vehicle ignition/security interlock was causing vehicle to run rough. Vehicle would not immediately restart after shutting vehicle off. This is the 4th time a SBZA sensing module has failed on this vehicle. First failure was replaced under factory warranty, second failure was replaced under special coverage N172097060, third failure was replaced out-of-pocket. Contacted General Motors/Chevrolet, and they are not interested in providing continued coverage of the issue, which is a known issue, and likely a design defect, as the design was changed for later model years.
NHTSA complaint #11655024 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt audible chime was sounded, and the message "Air Bag ON" was displayed while the front passenger's side seat was unoccupied. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the calibration-learning error was corrected by preconditioning the empty seat and resetting the seat zero-value in the electronic control unit. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V465000 (Air Bags); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided because the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11649202 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
NHTSA complaint #11645235 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
passenger front seat presence sensor says someone is sitting in the seat even when empty. also seat belt warning light and audible alert is affected. I occasionally have four small children In the vehicle which is concerning because the airbag could go off when a child is sitting in the front seat.
NHTSA complaint #11645159 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.