2009 Chevrolet Impala

large car / 4-door sedan

2009 Chevrolet Impala 4-door sedan
2006 Chevrolet Impala shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Head restraints & seats

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2006-10 models built before January 2010

Tested vehicle: 2006 Chevrolet Impala SS 4-door

The Chevrolet Impala was redesigned for the 2006 model year. Frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by General Motors.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF0502
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 14
Left (cm) 16
Center (cm) 15
Right (cm) 11
Brake pedal (cm) 4
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 8
Right (cm) 9
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -1
Rearward (cm) 6
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 8

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF0502
Head
HIC-15 530
Peak gs at hard contact 87
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.8
Extension bending moment (Nm) 19
Maximum Nij 0.27
Chest maximum compression (mm) 30
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.9
Femur force - right (kN) 3.6
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.79
Maximum tibia index - right 0.98
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.2
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 3.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 91
Right 112

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2009-13 models

Tested vehicle: 2009 Chevrolet Impala LT 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Chevrolet Impala was redesigned for the 2006 model year. Beginning with 2009 models, side curtain airbags were made standard for retail and fleet buyers (they had been optional for fleet buyers previously), and side airbags to protect the drivers' and front passengers' torsos also became standard (the side torso airbags were not available before).

Two tests of the Impala were conducted, one by the Institute of a 2006 model equipped with side curtain airbags, and the other by General Motors of a 2009 model with both side curtain airbags and side torso airbags. These vehicles are rated separately, except that the structural ratings for both vehicles are based on both tests, as are rear dummy injury and head protection ratings, because no changes were made to the rear occupant compartment. Driver dummy injury and head protection ratings for the 2009 model are assigned by the Institute.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0618 VTS1001
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -11.0 -8.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTS1001
Head HIC-15 445
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Compression (kN) 0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 51
Lateral force (kN) 1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 35
Average deflection (mm) 28
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.23
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.48
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.2
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.7
Combined force (kN) 3.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 67
A-P moment (Nm) 19

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0618 VTS1001
Head HIC-15 195 246
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.3 0.2
Compression (kN) 0.4 0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 46 47
Lateral force (kN) 1.5 2.2
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 33 35
Average deflection (mm) 28 22
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.10 2.84
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.45 0.56
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.3 2.2
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.0 4.2
Combined force (kN) 3.4 5.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 130 81
A-P moment (Nm) 43 57

About the original side crash test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual - power seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual - power seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 42
Distance below top of head (mm) 46
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 10.0
Head contact time (ms) 98
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 57
Max neck tension (N) 477

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.