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.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the rear wheels were not aligned and caused the rear tires to wear prematurely. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic to have the tires replaced. The mechanic did not know why the tires were wearing prematurely however the tires were replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle would become uncontrollable when driving in inclement weather at 40 mph. The contact did not take the vehicle to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was 46,000.
I was driving on the highway leading into an overpass. As L entered onto the overpass my service traction control, engine power reduced, and service throttle body disabled flash across my dash board, killing the power to my vehicle and locking my steering wheel. While I was stopped unable to move my vehicle, cars flew me and I was almost hit. At one point another vehicle was almost ran off the road due to oncoming traffic trying to Dodge me. This was the worst experience of my life. I have never feared for my life like I did at this time. After doing my research online, I have found many others have been in my situation. I was told that my accelerator pedal sensor has gone bad. I feel that GM should be held responsible and needs to remedy the situation before someone is killed.
Key gets stuck in ignition and will not turn to lock position. The battery runs down after sitting for awhile. I "googled" complaints of this happening and there were hundreds of complaints. The problem lies in the center console of automatic transmission cars. Chevrolet designed the wiring harness to drag across the floor while moving the shifter lever from gear to gear. This eventually causes the wires to break. Depending on which of the five wires break causes problems with the ignition switch (car won't start, transmission won't shift, steering wheel won't lock, key won't come out are some of the problems). As I stated there are hundreds of complaints and feel to issue a recall by Chevrolet would be inline.
I was going down the road and out of no where my car says service traction control, followed by service stabilitrak, followed by engine power reduced with a check engine light on. Lost almost all power to the car, could barely turn the wheel and the brakes felt extremely strange. I could only go about 5mph tops down the road. Luckily I was only 2 min from home. Which actually took 6 min because of the reduced engine speed. Right before I pulled in the driveway the motor died. The next day I went out and tried starting it. The remote start wasn't working and my check engine light was still on but it did start up with a turn of the key. I looked up codes and found that it was telling me the accelerator pedal sensor was bad. I have googled this issue and found that it is a very dangerous, common problem with the Chevy Impala. Although that is the code it is giving me, other people have had to replace their throttle body to resolve the problem. GM should recall it before someone gets hurt. I will not be buying another GM vehicle in the future because they are too cheap to fix this common issue which could essentially cost someone their life.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving 2 mph, the power steering belt fractured and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was taken to a personal mechanic for diagnosis and repairs. Sixty days after the repairs, the vehicle would not shift out of park. The contact was forced to apply the bypass relay button to get the car out of park. The following day, the key became stuck in the ignition and the battery was draining abnormally. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 43,000 and the current mileage was 45,000.
Symptoms were noise when steering at low speed, play in steering wheel and vehicle "wandering" when driving in a straight line. Problem was defective intermediate steering shaft. GM redesigned the intermediate steering shaft in 2008 in response to these very problems. GM has not issued a recall for this part, but there have been multiple technical services bulletins, including tsb # 01-02-32-0010. The tsb indicates the need for replacing, not lubricating, the part. The tsb states "engineering changes have been made to the service parts available through spo. The service parts for the vehicles listed in this bulletin will no longer require lubrication of the intermediate steering shaft" GM re-engineering the part indicates to me as an owner that they know the original product was defective, but are choosing to replace a defective, potentially dangerous part at the owners expense. This problem is widely documented on GM owner and dealership forums across the internet. This problem is shared by Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet monte carlos, Buick regals, Buick lacrosses, Oldsmobile intrigue and Pontiac Grand Prix. All of these vehicles are built on the GM "w body" platform. Due to the popularity of these vehicles, the problem likely affects many millions of owners. I had the part replaced at my own expense. I had a certified pre-owned warranty that, according to my invoice, only saved me $30 on the repair. I was charged a $200 deductible for the replacement of the part.
I am getting my fourth set of tires on my 2008 Impala, with 70,000 miles I have been told everything from not rotating my tire which I do every 6,000 miles to alignment which has been done three times, , I also have no power steering randomly at low speeds, also rear door locks don't work any more, also when I step on the gas the traction control light comes on and I can't go forward and then it all of a sudden will move, that's on dry pavement.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized and could not be unlocked. The contact experienced the failure three times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure bu the vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was 52,000 and the failure mileage was 45,000.
On 10/5/11 I tried my 08 Impala for first time in rain since I purchased it used 4 months earlier, the car is a police version with the 3.9 flex fuel engine. Was excited to try out new tires in rain., I went thru a few puddles it seemed ok, it wasn't even raining hard, when a car stopped in front of me, I also stopped when I tried to turn left to go around the car the steering wheel just froze, I had only driven about 1 mile.after few seconds it was ok, about 1 minute later it did it again. I just drove it back home disappointed knowing I wont be able to drive it during raining periods. Found out thru internet that many customers having same problems with this car. GM needs to recall this car before someone gets really hurt driving this dangerous vehicle ! hopefully not to late!!!!!! was lucky this problem was discovered while car was stopped and not on highway.. checked fluid, belts, all good.. from los angeles
The first incident occurred during heavy rainfall. My son was turning right onto a highway, after stopping at a stop sign. Once he began his turn onto the highway, the steering wheel locked up for a few seconds. He then turned down a residential street and drove around a few blocks, losing steering again for a few seconds while turning a corner. He proceeded to drive back onto the highway and drove 70 miles to his destination, rain continuing, without further incident. On this same day, I drove home 70 miles from this destination, the rain continued and I had driven about 30 miles when the steering locked for a few seconds after I crossed a railroad track and turned onto a residential street. Since then, we have had at least one if not more incidents of the steering locking up each time it rains. The steering either locks while making a turn, or after the turn is completed, or as we are turning into a parking spot. Today, 9/14/2011, it was raining and my steering locked up while turning from a stop sign, then again while turning into a parking space, and again as I was pulling into my driveway. On this date, however, I noticed that the low battery indicator came on when the steering locked. When the steering first started locking up, we reported it to the dealership, but they said they found nothing wrong with our vehicle. We have notified the Chevrolet dealership where our Impala was purchased, and GM. It is our understanding that there is no recall for steering problems on the 2008 Impala. Therefore, we have not been successful in getting this potentially dangerous problem resolved.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. While driving approximately 30 mph in snowy weather, the vehicle swerved from uncontrollably from side to side. The contact gained control of the vehicle by driving at a slower speed. The failure also recurred when driving during rainy weather. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics where the mechanic stated that the spindle rod was defective and caused the misalignment of the tires. The mechanic advised that the spindle rod would wear out unevenly and rapidly. The mechanic installed camber bolts to the rear passenger side wheel yet the failure persisted. The vehicle was not further repaired.the approximate failure mileage was 30,0000. Updated 08/22/11 updated 3/06/2012
Power steering fails temporarily when going thru small amount of splashing water. Car was inspected, belt & tension pulley replaced. Failure lasts approx. 20-30 seconds.
I was driving my 2008 Chevrolet Impala and was backing out of a parking space, so my tires were turned at an angle. When backing up, I lost all power steering making it very hard to turn the wheel. Once I backed out and put the car in drive the steering began to work again. I checked power steering fluid but it was not low. This problem happens fairly regularly.
When braking at 50 mph and up, brakes pulsate and steering shutters. I am worried brakes will fail. It is out of warranty but has been going on several months.
Vehicle has shimmy, veers to the right, and front has wheelhops. Dealer has changed both front brake calipers, the right front brake rotor, and left and right hub assemblies have been replaced. Issue has caused excessive wear and warping on parts due to overheating. Affects steering and control of vehicle. Since parts have been replaced, shimmy, wheelhop and steering till an issue.
Hit a deer on the right passenger fender and the car shut down, steering wheel locked, spun and unable to control car, was unable to move car, stalled on highway for 1 hour. Car engine started but unable to move. Almost hit a truck in the opposite direction, due to inability to stop and use steering wheel.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated the tires were wearing prematurely despite having an alignment performed on the vehicle every three months. The dealer advised having an alignment annually and rotating the tires every 6,000 miles. The manufacturer was not contacted and there were no repairs made to the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were 31,900.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Mandan, ND, USA