Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Chevrolet Impala owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Brake assist, traction control, stablitrack, and ABS lights continually coming on. When breaking while making a turn the breaks slip or give and then suddenly grab hold causing a grinding sound. Car wobbles while these lights are on causing a noticeable change in stability and control.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Impala. While driving at 40 MPH, the instrument panel flickered and the steering wheel seized. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained nose and face injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the hood and siding needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V355000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was 5,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2011 Chevrolet Impala. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel seized and caused the contact to lose control. The vehicle crashed into a pole. The contact sustained neck, back, and ankle injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Driving at approx 35 MPH, my car showed service stabilitrack / service traction control / vehicle in reduced power. I did have reduced power, could not go any faster than 15 or 20 MPH. I continued down the road another block and without warning, the car shuts down while going down a slight grade,, which cause steering to become very hard to use along with little to no braking, I ended up going thru a stop sign at the bottom of the grade because of lack of braking power, luckily no vehicles were coming, I got the vehicle stopped, and looked at the display, it said ignition disabled, service throttle. By the vehicle shutting down that is a safety issue, the vehicle should never shut down making steering and braking almost impossible, if it finds an issue with the throttle, it should just disable the throttle so I can steer and brake without problem. …
I was driving on a highway going approximately 55 MPH, the engine light, stability control light, and reduced engine power light came on at the same time. Within two (2) minutes of the dash warning lights coming on, the car completely shut it self off while I was driving in the left lane going 55 MPH. I lost steering, had no power, or braking. I threw the car in neutral, in an attempt to get it started it while I was in motion with no power. The Impala didn't even try to turn over. The car wasn't responding because the power steering / braking was not responding. The Impala went into "limp mode" without warning. I let the car cost for a while until I could find a safe spot to apply the emergency brake. I really had to muscle the steering wheel with some significant force to get it to turn. I have never had any problems with this vehicle before this issue. …
2/17/2015 was the second event. I was driving approx- 65 MPH up a mountain when my electronic display panel showed stabilitrack/service traction control/vehicle in reduced power. As the power suddenly reduced I lost power steering control and brake function. Since I was traveling at a up hill grade, I was barely able to jerk the steering wheel enough to roll across the lane of traffic beside me to the side of the road. I wasn't able to get out of the road completely and was almost hit by a logging truck. After removing the keys from the ignition for a few minutes, I restarted the car without any hesitation. The engine light still remains on at this time. I did contact OnStar and have them run a diagnostic test which revealed a problem with supposed fuel system. I have not taken it to a dealership yet. …
Had the vehicle aligned about one year ago due to it pulling to the right. The steering was still sloppy and continued to drift to the right. Well come to find out that the tie rod on drivers side was frozen and could not be adjusted. So a year later I decided to have the tie rod replaced so it would drive straight and true. After further inspection it was brought to my attention that the steering knuckle had a crack almost completely through. I have never hit anything in that vehicle to cause a crack in the steering knuckle. The vehicle currently has 37000 miles on it. I know the police edition has a recall for the same problem. Chevrolet should have recalled all impalas from 2011 to at least inspect the vehicles for this issue. It is extremely dangerous and should be investigated to find out how many 2011 impalas had this same defect.
While driving on the expressway at about 65mph my car suddenly alerted "service stabiltrak, service traction control, engine power reduced" and I was not able to utilize cruise control anymore and it started to slow down to approximately 40mph. Then my vehicle started to jerkily move & then it alerted "starter disabled service throttle" and my car shut down (steering altered & car shut off). I was able to maneuver to the side of the road & tried to restart my car (unsuccessfully for approximately 10 minutes). Did I mention I had my 2 children in the car with me when this happened? This was terrifying as my car just stopped-I had minimal warning & when traveling on the interstate it could've been a lot worse. After reading how frequently this happens, why hasn't it been recalled?
Reduced engine signal came on shortly after service traction, brakes, steering, came on then car shut off no power to anything. Brakes, steering nothing worked. Put car in neutral to try a restart nothing. Got car to a complete stop took the key out. The dash made a weird noise almost like something reset. I put keys back in turned the key car started no problem only thing the check engine light was on. Took vehicle home went back later that night. Started it up and check engine light was off. This happens almost once aweek. 2nd issue heater blower going down the road just shut off weather -2 plus a wind chill. Had it serviced they replaced a module blower ran fine for 4 days, weather advisory windchill temp is -10 45 miles away from home heater blower not working again.
'Takata recall' while driving on the highway, my vehicle will lose power, which cause the vehicle to shut down. On the dashboard, service airbag appears as well as the ABS light and lock mode comes on. The vehicle key will not turn to off mode until a few seconds. Then once the vehicle allows the key to turn to off mode, u have to wait a few seconds then the car will start with no problem and the ABS and lock signal on dashboard goes off. This has happened several times in one trip on the highway. This is not safe at all because the steering wheel also get stiff and the traction control comes on the dashboard as well. What can I do about this? Should I take my vehicle in to the dealership? The last time this problem happened to me was March 14, 2019
Steering complaints in other Impala years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2011 Chevrolet Impala?
NHTSA has 35 complaints about the steering of the 2011 Chevrolet Impala, 7% of the model year's 505 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Chevrolet Impala steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2011 Chevrolet Impala, though it has 2 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 2011 Chevrolet Impala steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries 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.