This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
While driving I noticed rear window was still covered with ice, the rear defroster was not working although the switch was on and light was illuminated, after that I searched internet sites and found that a connector on the passenger side has commonly burnt up so I checked mine and sure enough it is, another guy at work has the same thing on his Impala, currently car is at dealer being insp but they have said so far they won't cover repair, this is a fire hazard inside the passenger compartment of the car.
Key will not release from ignition. Car will not completely turn off, engine not running but electrical still on, drains battery and car only starts with a jump.
Recently, the car looses power steering when it rains, or I go through a puddle. I took it to the Chevrolet dealer (best Chevrolet) where I bought it new some years ago. They had no idea what caused it, said they never heard of such a thing. They changed the serpentine belt and tensioner, and it still does it. The power steering goes out for about 10 seconds, and in deep water I also get a dummy light about the electrical system. It's scary to drive; but, I don't want to just sell it cause someone else an injury.
Whenever it is raining or I drive through a puddle of water on the ground, the steering wheel locks up for about 10-15 seconds and the car seems to lose power. I've concluded that this must be some sort of serpentine belt issue as a lot of components are affected at once such as alternator, power steering etc. This is extremely dangerous in my opinion as onset is unpredictable especially in hazardous conditions such as raining and for this reason I dread driving my car when it rains. Please someone acknowledge this as a legitimate concern!!!
- Houston, TX, USA
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Alarm/security system is preventing car to start. There have not been any recalls on this vehicle alarm/security system, but multiple of complaints have been posted about this defect.
Rear door passenger side will not lock or unlock with keyless entry. They lock is also positioned way to the back side of the door making it very troublesome to unlock the door manually.
Door lock problems: First the driver door failed to work. Then the right passenger door..(which has to be manually opened and closed). Now the driver side passenger door lock is undependable. The problem is becoming a hazard to driving the automobile in that the safety of the ingress and egress of the passengers cannot be guaranteed and this can become a definite hazard, especially in times of an accident.
The power door locks work interrmittenly, both with the remote key fob and the interior door lock buttons often resulting in manually having to use the key to enter the vehicle or physically pulling up the lock once inside the car to unlock a particular door. This is not a battery issue for the remote as I've even noticed on several occasions when using the remote to unlock the driver's door, the door lock register the "input" and attempt to move up to the unlock position, physically look as if something were preventing it from doing so, and remain in the locked position. And, its completely random as for which door lock will operate and there are stretches of days when all locks will operate properly with both the remote and the door lock buttons. Also, there is no pattern to which doors will operate as to front/rear, driver/passenger side and/or one, two, three, four, or zero doors locking/unlocking. This situation is extremely inconvenient (particularly when raining), potentially unsafe, and problematic in keeping your vehicle and its contents secure.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that there was a popping noise coming from the air conditioner after it was turned on. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who diagnosed that the air conditioner actuator needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000. The current mileage was 89,000.
Rear window defrost stopped working. Replaced fuses and relay. Light comes on but defrost does not work. Investigation by owner showed wiring harness under front passenger kick panel burnt badly. Further investigation online indicates this has problem has been experienced by a large number of Impala owners. Due to the badly burn connection, passenger cabin fire could have occurred. Local Chevy dealer service department denied any knowledge of similar instances. Recommend investigation.
Both rear and the passenger door locks have stopped functioning with either fob key control or driver/passenger door controls. Totaling three door lock failures in two years. This is a large safety hazard to small children in the back of the car as there is no fast or easy way to open the rear doors once locked to get the child out in an emergency. I request this be looked into further for a recall as it creates a safety hazard especially for children in car seat on the back seat, which there is no quick way to unlock the doors to remove them in an emergency. Mechanic states: This is a known issue with 2008 and 2009 Chevy Impala vehicles. These model years were produced with a type of grease that bleeds into the latch actuator. After time the carbon from the motor brushes builds up around the actuator motor and shorts the communicator. Resulting in no power lock or unlock function. Requiring full lock replacement totaling over $1,500.
Every time it rains, or even if the air has been damp overnight, my front in-door speakers fail. The front passenger side, in-door speaker is completely burnt out and the front passenger side door lock actuator has also failed. I called the local dealership who wants to charge me to repair this. There is water leaking into the doors causing electrical failures to occur. Once the inside of the doors dry, then the driver's side front door speaker begins to work again. The passenger side front door is completely dead but the window works.
Power door lock quit working on rear door on drivers side and then 3 weeks later the rear door on the passenger side quit working. This is a huge safety issue if you have small children and you think the doors are locked.
Car was just started, in parking lot, getting ready to drive and electrical system shutdown completely. Couldn't take key out, or restart, no lights, no electrical activity at all, but it had just been running. After several minutes, it all came back on and restart, and drove ok. There had been battery problems in the past, corrosion on terminal, which was repaired. The battery cable where the wire enters the positive terminal was not completely tight. The internet has reports from several people reporting this same event on Impala, of several different model years. Most of these though, it happened while they were driving down the road, and some reported accidents that resulted. Prior to all the modern electronics, if the engine was running and the alternator was working, the engine would never just shut down even if the battery connection was bad. This is a very dangerous situation, where the car can just shut off and the operator loses all power systems. No power steering, extremely difficult braking, and the possibility of the steering wheel locking (though the latter did not happen to us). When operating the car in hilly or mountainous roads, where there are steep drop offs on shoulder side, and semi-trucks coming in opposite direction, surely this has potential as deadly situation. Would like to see redundancy, if alternator is producing, don't shut down electrical system. Rather, just give warning. Also, be sure that no car would ever lock the steering wheel when electrical systems malfunction. I am afraid to have my wife drive the car until a new battery cable is installed.
Out of nowhere my door lock actuators for all three passenger doors are not working neither is my trunk opening and to make it worse im sitting in my job parking lot with the A/C on waiting for my break to be over and all of a sudden my car starts blowing air from the outside inside the car and I looked at my dash and my temp level was rising to in between 1/2 and 3/4 got out check coolant was fine and everything else checked fine but now everytime I sit in my car with the engine running and my A/C on it only stays on for about 20 mins, then the A/C cut off, starts blowing hot air, and the A/C nor the recirculation will engage it blinks. And to make it worse I smell fuel on my oil dipstick and my car is drinking fuel like water someone please help me.
I currently drive a 2008 Chevy Impala, I've only had the car 1 1/2 and not even a year after I purchased it, I start experiencing the (tcs) traction control sensor - which alternatively reduce the speed of the engine; it happens sporadically, ... I took it to auto zone to have a diagnostic performed on the car, and they reader said it was due to a cylinder 5 misfire.... my car is a 6 cylinder, it is dangerous when driving on the highway as when the (tcs) does come on' the reduce engine speed is well under the highway speed limit. Other concerns that arise is that sense this sensor has been own, it' has accumulated other sensors' (ABS) (!) and the throttle pedal sensor. I have reached out to the GM to see if there was any recall on this, and was advise that nothing has been done. I think this is a huge danger, as this is a commonly used car in the U.S & if there has been several complaints thus far over the same issue, why hasn't anything been done to resolve the issue" what if you've worked hard to drive the vehicle you want;& have to pay out of cost; other than basic maintenance"
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, a loud ticking sound was heard from the dashboard area. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The dealer stated that the actuator was defective and caused the battery to lose power. The contact did not have the actuator replaced. The failure mileage was 18,119.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Joliet, IL, USA