YearToAvoid

2015 Chevrolet Impala Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Caution

Complaint Index

60/100

#5 most-complained of 11 Impala years

The 2015 Chevrolet Impala has a Complaint Index of 60 and ranks 5th worst out of 11 model years, earning a Caution verdict. It carries 300 complaints, 3 recalls, and its top problem area is the Electrical System with 112 complaints (37% share).

Complaints
300
Recalls
3
Crashes / fires
10 / 11
Injuries / deaths
9 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
EPA combined MPG
22
18 city / 28 hwy

Top 2015 Chevrolet Impala problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Electrical System112 (37%)
  2. Other51 (17%)
  3. Steering44 (15%)
  4. Lane Departure42 (14%)
  5. Brakes41 (14%)
  6. Airbags29 (10%)
  7. Engine27 (9%)
  8. Structure & Body17 (6%)
  9. Transmission & Powertrain16 (5%)
  10. Fuel System10 (3%)

What owners report

  • Owners report vehicles catching fire from the dashboard or hood, sometimes linked to electrical faults near the passenger side.
  • Multiple complaints describe brakes being fully depressed but failing to stop the vehicle, leading to collisions.
  • Some owners report airbags failing to deploy during frontal crashes at highway speeds.
  • Owners describe CV axle popping noises and sluggish steering appearing together with dashboard gauges resetting on their own.
  • One owner reported unintended acceleration while parking that ended in a front-end collision.
  • HID headlights were described as providing poor illumination on both low and high beam settings.
2015 Chevrolet Impala complaints: complaints filed per quarter522015 Q12016 Q42018 Q22019 Q42021 Q22022 Q42024 Q22025 Q4
416 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2015 Q1 to 2026 Q3; peak 2019 Q2 (52).

2015 Chevrolet Impala recalls

3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 15V465000Jul 24, 2015Airbags5,493 vehicles

    Air bags

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured April 15, 2013, to June 19, 2015, equipped with front vented-heated passenger seats. Accordingly, the Automatic Occupant Sensing (AOS) system may fail to suppress the front passenger air bag if a child seat is in the front passenger seat. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

    Risk: If the front passenger air bag deploys with a child seat in the front passenger seat, it increases the risk of injury to the child.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will correct the calibration-learning error by preconditioning the empty seat, and also resetting the ECU to a seat zero-value, free of charge. The recall began on August 25, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15400.

  2. NHTSA 14V541000Sep 9, 2014Brakes205,309 vehicles

    Parking brake

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Cadillac XTS vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to August 22, 2014, and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured November 5, 2012, to September 2, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the electronic parking brake piston actuation arm may not fully retract causing the brake pads to stay partially engaged.

    Risk: Brake pads that remain partially engaged with the rotors may cause excessive brake heat that may result in a fire.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic parking brake software, free of charge. The recall began on October 28, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14471.

  3. NHTSA 14V489000Aug 8, 2014Structure & Body14,940 vehicles

    Structure

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured May 7, 2014, to July 28, 2014. In the event of an accident, the center storage console may not stay latched. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 201, "Occupant Protection In Interior Impact."

    Risk: The storage compartment door may not remain closed in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.

    Remedy: Parts to remedy this condition are not currently available. GM will send owners an interim notification in early October 2014, and will send a second letter when parts are available. At that time dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the console storage compartment door inertia latch, free of charge. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14476.

2015 Chevrolet Impala fuel economy and fuel cost

City
18 MPG
Highway
28 MPG
Combined
22 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$2,950
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2015 compared with other Impala years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)025507510020102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2013Caution50272122
2014Avoid1006361222
2015Caution60300322
2016Good40111022
2017Good30116022

All Chevrolet Impala years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Chevrolet Impala reliable?
NHTSA data shows the 2015 Impala has a Complaint Index of 60, ranking 5th worst among 11 model years covered, so it earns a Caution verdict rather than Avoid or Good.
What is the biggest problem area for the 2015 Chevrolet Impala?
The Electrical System accounts for 112 of 300 complaints (37% share), including reports of fires, with a median failure mileage of 52,000.
Does the 2015 Chevrolet Impala have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2015 Impala covering airbags, brakes, and structure/body (a center console latch issue), none of which are do-not-drive recalls.
How does the 2015 Impala compare to other years?
With a Complaint Index of 60, the 2015 Impala is better than the 2011 (90) and 2014 (100) but worse than the 2016 through 2020 model years, which score 40 or lower.
Are there brake problems reported on the 2015 Chevrolet Impala?
Yes, Brakes make up 14% of complaints (41 total) with 3 crashes and 2 fires reported, and a median failure mileage of 60,010.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.