A new viral video has surfaced on social media capturing a Chevy Impala traveling down a Houston highway at a rather peculiar angle. The video was shot from the passenger seat of another vehicle traveling behind the Impala, revealing the sedan moving diagonally down its lane, with the rear of the car offset from the direction of the front wheels. Clearly, this poor sedan is in need of far more than a wheel alignment.
In the footage, the Impala’s body appears skewed to the right, with the rear axle shifted and no longer aligned with the front suspension. Rather than rolling straight, the car travels at a pronounced angle, the rear end visibly kicked out to the passenger side.
This type of misalignment is typically the result of significant structural damage, likely from a collision. If a vehicle is hit hard enough (especially in a side or rear impact) the frame or unibody can become bent or twisted. On a unibody car like the ninth-gen Chevy Impala, even moderate damage can compromise overall vehicle alignment. When the suspension mounting points are no longer square, the wheels no longer point in the same direction, as seen here.
In severe cases, bent control arms, subframes, or rear suspension links can also contribute to this kind of behavior. Without a proper realignment and extensive repairs or frame straightening, the vehicle will continue to track sideways, as seen in the video.
It’s also possible the vehicle was repaired post-wreck but not fully corrected, or that it carries a salvage title. In either case, this Impala looks pretty unsafe.
Of course, when it comes to GM electric vehicles like the GMC Hummer EV or Chevy Silverado EV, sideways travel can be achieved through CrabWalk mode or Sidewinder mode, which allows the driver to turn the rear wheels in parallel with the front wheels. Unfortunately, it looks as though this poor ICE-based sedan isn’t showing off, but merely limping along.
Check it out for yourself right here:
Comments
Imagine that thing in a panic stop??
I wonder what the owner spends each year for tires?
And to think that Texas recently did away with their mandatory State Safety Inspection….
GM seventies Novas, Apollos and Omegas had a dog paddling problem. They came from the factory like that. My Dad had to replace the leaf springs on his ‘77 Nova. It helped a bit. I observed many of these cars like that on the road.
These Impalas are now in the hands of high schoolers and under resourced people or a winter car beater.
You have keep in mind that the GM X body of the 70s has a narrower track width on the rear than on the front. They are often thought to be dog-tracking when they are not.
the 70’s era Nova, Omega problem was caused by the leaf spring locating pin to the axle bracket breaking causing the axle to shift laterally; as a mechanic and former owner of these vehicles i have done dozens of these repairs.
I see a lot of those(that era Impala) on the highway like that, and try to pass them, as I think that they’re an accident waiting to happen. Once, I had just gotten around one last year and then came across a trailer tire tread in the middle of the road that I had to quickly avoid, and was glad I was ahead of the dog-tracker. I don’t know how he avoided it but I’m sure that if he tried, it wouldn’t be pretty.