‘EVERY IMPALA DOES THIS:' Mom Gets in 16-Year-Old Son’s Chevy. Then It Starts Making This Noise

'Had to do this twice with my Impala.'

Photo by: Ashley Augusta & Mills Automotive

By: Stacy Fernandez

Jun 26, 2025 at 5:00am ET

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Every parent dreads the moment their precious baby becomes a licensed driver.

Mom of three Ashley Augusta (@theashleyaugusta) recently came face to face with an even bigger fear: their child driving in unsafe conditions.

In a TikTok Augusta posted earlier this week, her 16-year-old son is driving a Chevrolet Impala that is making a loud and consistent knocking noise.

The text overlay says that Augusta first heard the sound the day before. Her son was unbothered by it, however.

“His response? ‘Oh, it will stop in about 30 seconds,’” the overlay reads.

Augusta says her son seemed to have “not a care in the world,” despite the alarming sound.

The TikTok has 9.7 million views as of this writing.

Is It an Impala Thing?

People familiar with Chevy Impalas said that the sound is typical for the model. One who says they formerly owned an Impala joked that they have “unresolved trauma” from the sound.

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Some offered advice to fix the sound, which most believe is caused by the climate control system.

“Ummmm I instantly knew that was an Impala because my son’s car does it too lol. We figured ours has to do with the buttons with AC,” a comment with more than 100,000 likes reads.

“Every Impala does this. You could get it fixed and it'll do it again in 4 to 6 months. Easy way to prevent it? Turn AC off 45 seconds before you turn off car,” another advised.

“It’s the blend door actuator located behind the glove box. The part will run about $45, generally easy to replace yourself just look up a YouTube video! Had to do this twice with my Impala,” another speculated.

Over a dozen people also opined that the problem is the blend door actuator.

What Is a Blend Door Actuator?

A blend door actuator is a small motor that controls your car’s climate control system. It’s a plastic box small enough to fit in one hand that has gears inside.

When you turn the knob to increase or decrease the temperature or fan, the signal goes through the blend door actuator. The device also controls the defrosters and other vents, Wrench explains.

Some newer cars have two blend door actuators, one for the front seats and another for the back.

While it’s safe to drive around with a busted blend door actuator because it doesn’t affect how a vehicle drives, the noises and lack of temperature control can make for an uncomfortable and highly irritating ride.

It costs between $436 and $581 to replace the blend door actuator on a Chevy Impala, Repair Pal reports.

Many commenters said replacing the part is simple enough to do at home, and it’ll save you a lot of money.

A YouTube instructional video describes this as a "VERY common issue" on Impalas. " It's almost always the recirculation door actuator," creator Daniel Jaeger (@DanielJaegerFilms) adds.

How to Fix a Loud Tapping Noise on Chevy Impalas

Mom’s Real Concern

In a follow-up video, Augusta thanks the people who tried to help diagnose the issue. She also says they know what’s wrong with the vehicle, but doesn’t say exactly what.

She says that what concerned her most about the issue was her son’s nonchalance about it.

It’s a good rule of thumb to always find out why your vehicle is making a new sound or driving differently. Depending on what the issue is, not doing so could lead to an even bigger problem or risk causing a car accident.

In the case of the Impala in Augusta's TikTok, it could also make driving deeply unpleasant.

“Why would he not care?” Augusta wonders in the post.

“That would drive me crazy, all that ticking. I would lose my ever-loving mind.”

Motor1 reached out to Augusta for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ll be sure to update this if she responds.