Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Chevrolet Impala owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
This car was one-owner and very well taken care of and serviced routinely. I was driving home from work on the interstate and my car just lost power. I had no control of the car. It slammed into the concrete medium wall on drivers side, then spun around and lodged underneath the trailer of a semi-tractor. The semi hit the brakes and it projected me back across upon the top of the concrete medium where my car just rode to a stop. The air bags did not deploy. My beautiful car was totaled but, by the grace of god and seat belts I am alive. I have a concussion, sprained ankle, cuts, and bruises, but I am here to tell about it. Hopefully, the NHTSA will investigate and save someone else from injury or death. My car is available to inspect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil, fuel, and power steering fluid. In addition, the vehicle failed to start and the engine, traction control, and power steering warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V400000 (electrical system) and 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in a recall and provided a case number. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.
While driving at any speed there was a clicking sound coming from the steering column. Also, consumer was slowing for a stop sign when another vehicle collided into the right front side of consumer's vehicle. Consumer attempted to avoid the collision, but was unable to so due to the steering column locking up.
1. Low coolant light was continually on, and it did require coolant at the time, but there was no indication what was happening to the coolant - after 2 weeks of smelling antifreeze within the vehicle, it was then discovered that the coolant was leaking around the lower intake manifold gasket near the bolts and then this LED to the replacement of the gasket itself..it took 8.5 hours of labor and the cost of the new gasket to correct the problem. 2. There is a loud clunking noise in the front end of the vehicle when turning the vehicle at slow speeds...apparently it is the intermediate steering shaft and has been identified by the Chevrolet dealer but will not fix the problem for us...they say that there is no recall for this problem, but admit that they have numerous complaints about this and that they have tried to get Chevrolet to recall the vehicle because of the complaints from …
2002 Chevy Impala 3.8l purchased used in dec. 2004 w/ 65,000 miles. Where to begin... Flooding in floorboards due to clog underneath windshield, three sets of rotors/brakes, clunky noise in steering shaft (replaced twice by dealership) still having same problem, catalytic converter replaced after dealership tried to charge me nearly $1000 to replace; covered by GM as harry green Chevrolet was 'unaware' of replacement policy?!? New struts, numerous alignments/balances b/c vehicle still shakes and shimmys at 60-65 MPH; must drive about 75-80 MPH just to keep this to a minimum! BCM replaced twice by dealer, security issues won't allow car to start for 15 mins. Each time, which is very inconvenient. …
I got my car on 03/09/2011. I have been complaining to the dealership about the issues I am having with my car. It hesitates to crank, when turning I can feel a popping feeling in the steering. Very often my signal lights doesn't come on. I do a lot of highway driving back and forth to work and this is very dangerous. When hitting my breaks the car sometimes speeds up before slowing down, which can be very dangerous. There is a shortage in the wiring. The low coolant level light stays on, even though they claim they fixed some sensor switch. They also said they fixed my car from leaking brake fluid, but the brakes are sounding worst everyday. I asked them if the brakes needed changing and they said it was fine. The car hesitates when taking off. I just got home from work and not even 30 minutes went by before I tried to leave out and my car would not crank. …
Tl contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Impala. The contact attempted to exit his vehicle, but was locked inside the passenger compartment. The radio displayed "locked" and he could not exit the vehicle through the doors nor the windows because the electrical system failed. The representative at the dealer stated that he owned the same year, make, and model vehicle and had experienced the same failures. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with an electrical system defect and repaired it at the estimated cost of over $1,400. The failure persisted and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. They replaced the key switch at the cost of $492.13 the failure mileage was 32,301 and current mileage was 32,328. Updated 020209 the windows would not roll down. Updated 02/03/09. Several components within the electrical system were replaced and the security light illuminated twice. Updated 02/20/09. …
Problem with starting has progress to a problem with the car shutting off during operation. Several times now the car has shut down with no warning and at different speeds. This causes a loss of control with the power steering and power brakes. I have been able to place the transmission in neutral and restart the car while moving. The last time it happened, I was making a right turn and merging into the flow of traffic. I had pressure on the steering wheel while trying to make the curve when I restarted the car. At this point, the power steering kicked in and I found myself swerving from the sudden snatch on the steering. We were lucky that we didn't cause an accident. If my wife had been at the controls I know it would have turn out bad! I see unlimited complains around this item. Do we have to wait on people to get injured or killed before the company is force to be responsible? …
Tl contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Impala. To keep the vehicle in straight line, the driver must move the steering wheel further out. Depending on what side the steering wheel is turned, there is some slack in the wheel and noises are made. The failure was repaired under warranty after the first incident and the dealer installed a short steering shaft. This repair corrected the failure for four years. When the failure recurred, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but they refused to repair it under the warranty since it exceeded the mileage. The contact believes that the vehicle should have been repaired for free because it seems to be a manufacturer defect. He paid for the dealer to install a new short steering shaft on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 28,000 and current mileage was 70,000. Updated 10/16/08 updated 10/20/08.
I noticed that my transmission shifts very hard when it warms up. I took to Chevrolet dealer, they changed my transmission mounts, and dog bones. I paid quite a few dollars and my vehicle still has this same problem. The vehicle has 85,000 miles, but I,ve maintained the vehicle very well. I,ve also had problems with my steering play.the dealer changed some parts in the assembly which is better. I'm a mechanic and I don't beleive that there was anything wrong with my drivetrain mounts, but it's in the transmission. I paid alot of money and still have the same problem. Since owning the car I had problems with the drivers window. The motor was changed once under warranty now it's doing the same thing again. The problem is it will go down but won't go up sometimes.
Steering complaints in other Impala years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2002 Chevrolet Impala?
NHTSA has 57 complaints about the steering of the 2002 Chevrolet Impala, 7% of the model year's 795 complaints. The component named most often is column (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Chevrolet Impala steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2002 Chevrolet Impala, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Chevrolet Impala steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 45,000 miles, and 16% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.