2006 Chevrolet Impala LS review from North America

Vibration especially on passenger front side - after fifth time at dealer for this problem they replaced all tires with another brand, problem is a little better, but the vibration is still there.

Windows screech when going down - the dealership tried silicone spray, worked for a while until the weather warmed up, then they replaced the stripping inside the window, it worked for a couple of months, screeching came back and they noticed all the windows were scratched badly due to too big a gap between the rubber and the window so they replaced all the windows and the guides the windows slide on. Problem is fixed.

Torque converter slipping at 42000 km - found that when using cruise control on our last long drive it surged several times, when we brought it to the dealership, they found the torque converter was slipping bad enough that they did not recommend we drive it except in town where if something happened that we could not drive it, we would be close to the dealership.

Chatter from wheels when turning corner - dealership tried several times to fix this problem, they even replaced all the hubcaps. This did not correct the problem. The service manager looked at the tires the fourth time it was in for this problem and at that point recommended replacing all the tires since it appeared to him that the problem was the tires the car came with had railroad-style tracks as a detail feature and the hubcaps don't line up properly with that type of tire.

Passenger seat belt not retracting - this was an easy fix, done in an hour.

Spring clasp came off inside passenger seat - again an easy fix, just had to reattach the clasp.

Rattle in rear of vehicle - this problem was caused by the sway bar under the vehicle, it has a rubber bushing on it that had cracked - again a simple fix.

Clunking noise in steering wheel - this was a recall problem that GM fixed.

Dash creaks when a/c or heat is on - dealership tried to fix but claims it is because manufacturers are using more plastic and it doesn't expand or contract like other materials.

Gas pedal squeaks - this was caused by an electrical sensor which the dealership lubed and reassembled, got it back and found after a couple of weeks the squeaking starting again, this time they replaced the gas pedal and it is fine.

Brakes shudder - required rotor turning.

Power steering hose leaks - replaced by dealership.

We had a 2001 Impala prior to this one and had no problems at all with it other than the usual maintenance issues. After having our car written off when it was rear-ended, we decided to buy a 2006 model believing it would be a very similar vehicle. Although the ride is very comfortable with lots of room and a huge trunk, we are very disappointed in this particular year's model. As you can see from all the work done to it, GM has let us down. We used to joke with the service guys that we happened to get a Friday late afternoon "can't wait to go to the bar" or a Monday morning "shouldn't have gone to the bar" car, but after reading the other posts on this and other forums, we believe that GM put out a lemon vehicle. The dealership has been wonderful to us, even though the warranty work is now well over the $10,000 dollar mark. At least we had the foresight to purchase the extended warranty, perhaps a bit of deja vu. I would not recommend the 2006 Impala unless you are planning to spend a lot of time in the service department.