Faults:

The car was 1 year old when I bought it from Hertz fleet sales in 2001. The car was in very good condition, with only 30,000 miles on it, and had been maintained very well.

I kept up maintenance on the vehicle, and it seemed to perform very well.

The braking system on this car has had troubles with overheating causing the brakes in the front to become pulsing and not smooth when stopping. I have yet to be able to fix this problem without replacing the stock brakes with a more expensive upgrade. Chevy denies that the brake system is inefficient. I disagree.

When it was around 76k miles and about 5 years old, it developed a whining sound from the transmission and would no longer fully shift into 4th gear. After taking it to the dealer for evaluation, they weren't sure why and could only speculate that one of the gear shafts in the transmission had developed a burr on it preventing it from shifting properly. Chevy attempted to fix the problem but never quite could, short of telling me I would have to have the transmission replaced!$$$$ This has mostly only effected my gas mileage, along with my patience.

More recently, 1 Year ago, 92k miles, I had to have the intake manifold replaced because the plastic that it is made of started crumbling and falling apart resulting in a major coolant leak into the engine.

WARNING: DEX-COOL DOES NOT LAST FOR 5 YEARS AS IT SAYS IN THE MANUAL. IT BREAKS DOWN AND IS VERY CORROSIVE TO THE COOLING SYSTEM, INTAKE MANIFOLD, AND THE ENGINE BLOCK. DO NOT USE 5 YR DEX-COOL WHEN REPLACING COOLANT. REPLACE COOLANT ANNUALLY.

On another note, I have experienced 3 intermittent occasions on where the car would completely die requiring towing on one occasion. The cause was only speculated to be a quirky computer not sensing fuel level properly.

2008: 110k miles, The radiator has developed a separation at the top of the plastic end tank from the metal core (on the driver side) and now requires to be replaced. (very hard to see. on front top corner of radiator) (slow leak)

Every (all 4) power window regulators has failed and required repair. (Nearly $400.00 each)

General Comments:

The vehicle handles well, but again, leave extra room for braking.

Trim problems around the driver's side-impact airbag. Several attempts to have Chevy fix this under its warranty period, were less than successful.

I no longer trust Chevy to do any of my repairs.

Faults:

Goodyear Eagle Radial tires; belts separated in 3 of 4 tires at 4000 to 12000 miles.

Four (4) manufacturer recalls for faulty equipment & components.

OM battery life of 30 months on a 36 month battery.

OM front brake rotors warped at 16000 miles.

OM front brake rotors wear unevenly. Outer surfaces visibly worn, inner surface minimum wear.

OM front brake pads uneven wear. Inner pads worn to backing plate. Outer pads minimum wear.

Intermediate steering shaft clunking at 22000 miles.

Seat belt indicator light illuminated due to poor contact in connector under the drivers seat.

General Comments:

Michelin Symmetry tires are best for this vehicle.

Love the styling combined with the LS interior and options package.

The engineering, quality control and customer service are the usual General Motors standards - ALL HORRIBLE.

The vehicle is worthless with respect to trade value, so I'm forced to keep the "good looking junk", and endure the pain and expense of constant breakdown and repair.

Buyer beware!!!

Faults:

I have put way more money into my 2000 Impala than it is worth, and it will definitely be the last American made vehicle I buy.

Had to have the dealer remove the Pass lock Feature because my interior lights would flash, and sometimes stay on while I was driving, which was very scary at night. Also because it would cause my car not to start! Always afraid of getting stranded with my two young children, very frustrating.

My brakes squeak, even when they have been replaced and are fairly new.

And the biggest issue is how the traction active comes on every time I turn, no matter how fast or slow I go. Took the car to a dealership where my uncle works; they fixed it in November, well come April and it starts acting up again. Whenever I make a turn, the traction activates and makes a clicking noise. From what I have read on-line, it is a recurrent problem in many Impalas. I can't wait to get rid of it because I can't afford to pay $2000 every time I take it in to get fixed.

General Comments:

I do love the roomy trunk, have been able to fit 2 chairs as well as other things when I had to move.