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How many miles will a 2005 Chevrolet Impala last?

Half of the 497 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2005 Chevrolet Impala that list mileage came after 76,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 149,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 609 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.

By VIN Lookup Research DeskPublished 2026-11-11NHTSA files 2026-11-11United States
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Mileage when owners reported a problem, 2005 Impala

Of the 497 complaints on the 2005 Chevrolet Impala that list mileage, the middle half came between 49,000 and 110,000 miles; 149 (30%) came after 100,000 miles, 45 (9%) after 150,000 and 2 (under 1%) after 200,000.

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How many miles will a 2005 Impala last?

The 497 mileages owners gave run from 35 to 294,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 49,000 miles, half at or under 77,000, three quarters at or under 109,334 and nine in ten at or under 150,000; 149 (30%) came after 100,000 miles, 45 (9%) after 150,000 and 2 (under 1%) after 200,000.

These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2005 Impala wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.

2005 Chevrolet Impala: mileage in the 497 NHTSA complaints that list one (complaints file, November 11, 2026)
MeasureValue
Lowest mileage listed35 miles
25th percentile49,000 miles
Median (50th percentile)77,000 miles
75th percentile109,334 miles
90th percentile150,000 miles
Highest mileage listed294,000 miles
Complaints after 100,000 miles149 (30%)
Complaints after 150,000 miles45 (9%)
Complaints after 200,000 miles2 (under 1%)

Every model year together: Half of the 7,573 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2000–2020 Chevrolet Impala that list mileage came after 69,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Chevrolet Impala last? →

Common problems with the 2005 Impala

NHTSA's file holds 609 owner complaints on the 2005 Chevrolet Impala. Owners named the electrical system most often: 331 complaints, and half of the 275 that list a mileage came after 78,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.

2005 Chevrolet Impala: most-reported NHTSA component categories, with the median mileage of the complaints that list one (complaints file, November 11, 2026)
Component (NHTSA category)ComplaintsListing mileageMedian mileage
Electrical System33127579,000
Steering604870,000
Power Train523988,000
Exterior Lighting494475,000
Air Bags332870,000

Of the 609 complaints, 39 report a crash, 13 report a fire and 22 report an injury (32 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.

Is the 2005 Impala a good year?

Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2005 is a good or a bad Impala: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2005 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.

With 609 complaints, the 2005 ranks 10th of the 21 Chevrolet Impala model years from 2000 to 2020 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2004 (1,074). The fewest: the 2020 (15).

NHTSA files the Chevrolet Impala name for 1994–1996 and 2000–2020. A gap of three or more model years means the name covers different vehicles, so the 2005 is compared only with the 2000–2020 model years.

Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.

Chevrolet Impala: NHTSA owner complaints by model year, 2000–2020 (complaints file, November 11, 2026)
Model yearOwner complaintsListing mileageMedian mileage
2000 Impala81841786,000
2001 Impala74147580,000
2002 Impala79557078,000
2003 Impala69551082,000
2004 Impala1,07485870,000
2005 (this page)60949777,000
2006 Impala52440474,799
2007 Impala62748660,000
2008 Impala81066270,000
2009 Impala82466275,030
2010 Impala44234972,558
2011 Impala50540960,400
2012 Impala25820448,000
2013 Impala27222054,000
2014 Impala63846160,000
2015 Impala30119559,523
2016 Impala1117454,922
2017 Impala1177245,000
2018 Impala593140,400
2019 Impala281435,700
2020 Impala153Under 10 mileages

The linked 2015–2022 pages show NHTSA's September 15, 2026 collection, so their counts can differ from this table's.

Every Impala year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Chevrolet Impala years to avoid →

2005 Chevrolet Impala recalls

NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 2005 Chevrolet Impala (1 vehicle campaign and 3 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.

2005 Chevrolet Impala: the 4 recall campaigns in NHTSA’s recall files (November 11, 2026)
CampaignReport receivedComponent
14V400000Jul 3, 2014ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
09E005000Feb 17, 2009STEERING
08E063000Oct 17, 2008STEERING
07E021000Mar 12, 2007FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES

What these figures can and cannot tell you

  • Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
  • The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
  • The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
  • They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2005 Impala lasts.
  • A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2005 Impala.
  • Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
  • 112 of the 609 complaints on the 2005 Chevrolet Impala give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
  • NHTSA name counted: IMPALA. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
  • Recall-file name matched: IMPALA.
Evidence

Primary sources behind this page

Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.

  1. NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  2. Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  3. NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  4. NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  5. Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  6. NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  7. Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.

Quick answers

2005 Chevrolet Impala questions

How many miles will a 2005 Chevrolet Impala last?

Half of the 497 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2005 Chevrolet Impala that list mileage came after 76,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 149,000 miles. Of the 497 complaints on the 2005 Chevrolet Impala that list mileage, the middle half came between 49,000 and 110,000 miles; 149 (30%) came after 100,000 miles, 45 (9%) after 150,000 and 2 (under 1%) after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 2005 Impala that never had one.

What are the most common 2005 Chevrolet Impala problems?

NHTSA's file holds 609 owner complaints on the 2005 Chevrolet Impala. Owners named the electrical system most often: 331 complaints, and half of the 275 that list a mileage came after 78,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 609 complaints, 39 report a crash, 13 report a fire and 22 report an injury (32 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.

Is the 2005 Chevrolet Impala a good year?

Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2005 is a good or a bad Impala: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2005 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 609 complaints, the 2005 ranks 10th of the 21 Chevrolet Impala model years from 2000 to 2020 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2004 (1,074). The fewest: the 2020 (15).

How many recalls does the 2005 Chevrolet Impala have?

NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 2005 Chevrolet Impala (1 vehicle campaign and 3 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.

How do I check a used 2005 Chevrolet Impala before buying?

Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2005 Chevrolet Impala.