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8.8

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$110
Average Mileage:
40,250 miles
Total Complaints:
5 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (3 reports)
  2. replace battery (2 reports)
2009 Chevrolet Impala electrical problems

electrical problem

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2009 Chevrolet Impala Owner Comments

problem #5

Jun 152015

Impala LS 3.5L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 108,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My Impala seems to have electrical issues of all kinds! First the driver's side lock / window controls module went bad...over $400 to replace it; the tire pressure sensors went bad; the electric window motors seem to have gone bad as they barely can roll up a window; and then the WORST ISSUE, the stupid LOUD CLACKING IN THE DASH due to the A/A Heat Blend Door Actuators!! My first Chevy car and because of this ridiculous CLACKING problem, that has occurred in every single Impala I've ever known of, I will NEVER buy another Chevy product. GM knows this CLACKING is an issue that will occur in all Impalas (if the owner has them long enough) and they have done nothing about it. It should have been a RECALLED REPAIR YEARS AGO. If it were just the simple annoyance of the terrible LOUD CLACKING NOISE coming from the dash, that would be bad enough. Since my car has Dual Climate Controls, the issue occurred TWICE. First with the passenger side, then the drivers side. I'm told it's the Air Blend Actuator or A/C Heat Blend Door Actuator causing the problem. That the plastic gear teeth break off causing the gear to spin, spin, spin till it catches and closes the blend door. **The reason the gear teeth break is because of overuse! An extremely POOR design causes the actuator to spin when it's completely unnecessary!!! It spins / CLACKS when; you open a door, you close a door, you open the trunk, you close the trunk, you use the key fob in ANY way, you remote start the car, you turn the car off. It spins / CLACKS when you touch the car, even when you WALK BY THE CAR!! This is why I believe it's somehow tied to the anti-theft system. Now, it spins / CLACKS so much that it runs my car battery COMPLETELY DOWN OVERNIGHT just sitting under my carport. It's been said that this hasn't been included in a recall because it's not a serious issue or a safety issue. I COMPLETELY DISAGREE. When something this STUPID is causing me to be stranded due to a DEAD BATTERY, it's serious and affects my safety. I have researched every way I know how trying to find a way to disable the stupid anti-theft crap so I can stop having dead batteries....but no luck. The actual part to fix this is fairly cheap BUT the labor cost is HIGH! There are 3 actuators. The passenger side can be replaced easier as it's located behind the glove compartment, however the other 2 are more difficult to access and the estimated cost by the repair shops I've asked, is between $400-$600!!! I don't know if filing this complaint will accomplish anything, but at least I've got the frustration of it off my chest....for now.

- T D., Greenville, US

problem #4

Nov 062014

Impala LTZ 3.9L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 30,048 miles

The GM car battery died when working in the south only after it was 2 to 2 1/2 years old. Had it replaced by Auto Advance and 2 years later on 11-11-14 that battery died and GM dealer in town replaced it with a GM battery. Then GM replaced the airbag module for $300 a couple of days after they replaced the battery because the check airbag light would not turn off. Now on 11-18-14, not 1 week later, the battery is drained and the key is stuck in the ignition. We are waiting for a tow to take Impala back to the dealer. The car is always in a garage. What is draining the battery?

Update from Nov 19, 2014: Both GM dealers left the failed onStar module hooked up and that resulted in battery drainage. Shortly after returning home to MN from TN, we had to replace a 2 - 2 1/2 yr old battery; however, the MN GM dealer didn't consider why that battery was drained, and we agreed to replace, at our cost, the battery w/new GM battery. One week later that battery was drained and car would not start. The onStar failed module had to be unhooked to stop draining the new battery. We take our GM vehicles to GM dealers because we expect them to know their vehicles and we expect thorough diagnostics and troubleshooting. We do NOT expect to keep returning to the GM shop for repair of something that should have been detected in the 1st diagnostic test or the GM shop mechanic should have anticipated that a dead onStar module would drain a car battery. It may have been the cause of the airbag light module failing, as well.

- Eliz D., St. Cloud, MN, US

problem #3

Nov 042012

Impala

  • Automatic transmission
  • 28,000 miles

My battery just died for no reason today. It took 30 minutes of charging off my friend's battery to get it jump started. I let it run for at least an hour before turning it off. I turned it on and...nothing...dead again. The weird thing is while it's dead the odometer lights flash and the door locks keep clicking like they're trying to lock and unlock. Then when we tried to push it to a safe place, I couldn't shift to neutral or get my key out until the car was hooked up to jumper cables. I have a mechanic who is my husband's best friend and he said when he hooked up his battery meter it came up saying 13v when it's only a 12v battery??? How is this possible? His theory is that it may be the alternator over charging and has fried my battery. I sure hope this is covered under warranty. Electrical issues suck!!!!!!

- mrs.spurlock08, Lincoln Park, MI, US

problem #2

Oct 012012

Impala LS V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 26,975 miles

I purchased this car 01/2010 which was a 2009 leftover. The battery had a bad cell. Not even 3 years old. This also happened on my 2004 which the battery lasted 3 1/2 years. Why can't GM put a better battery in this car?

- Fred W., Myrtle Beach, SC, US

problem #1

Dec 022009

Impala 3.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,160 miles

With a dead battery, or if battery is destroyed in an accident, there is no access to the trunk for your emergency equipment such as First Aid Kit, Fire Extinguisher, blankets, or jumper cables.

Also with a dead battery there is no way to pull the key from the ignition, so now you can't lock your car, to protect your valuables or the car itself, should you have to leave it to make a call, keep warm, or go for help.

- dbeare, Surprise, AZ, US

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