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.
All door locks have stopped working. The doors will not lock or unlock with the remote or with the inside lock buttons on the interior door. Each door has to be manually locked and unlocked. When I purchased the car, when the transmission was placed in gear, the doors would automatically lock. The doors each have to be manually locked and unlocked. The only keyhole on the car is on the drivers door to unlock the car. There are numerous reports of this issue on the internet for the year models 2008 and 2009. The parts alone are $450 to $1,000. This is a major safety issue and should be a recall because: 1. the doors no longer automatically lock when the car is placed in gear. Automatic locks were most likely listed on the window sticker. 2. if a child is locked in the car, the door will not unlock with remote and can only be accessed from the drivers side door. 3. not being able to access the driver and passenger door with the key is a safety issue to me. My car only has 45,100 miles on it and the locks have not worked in over two years. The consumer stated the manufacturer declined to offer assistance due to the vehicle being out of warranty.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that when the temperature exceeded 85 degrees, the doors would not lock or unlock automatically. The vehicle was taken to a dealer (chuck fairbanks Chevrolet, desoto, Texas) who stated that the failure was a known issue, but there was no recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that all four door locks malfunctioned and prevented the doors from locking. Also, the contact mentioned that the rear doors failed to unlock intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that all four door actuators were defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 103,358.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the door locks malfunctioned. The contact stated that in order to open and close the vehicle they had to manually open the locks through the windows or adjust the seat to manually open the door. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician confirmed that the locks were defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 105,000. MA 09/25 the consumer stated she was locked inside of the vehicle. Updated 01/28/16
When I attempt to lock or even unlock my Chevrolet with the remote, the door locks react erratically. Sometimes they all unlock when I push the remote and sometimes only1, 2 or 3 will unlock. Since I carry my gun in the car at all times, my wife and I have to always stand by the car to make sure that all of the doors lock when using the remote which is very aggravating and then we also have the problem of some of the door not unlocking with the remote. The service manager at our Chevrolet dealer said he couldn't be sure what it would take to solve the problem. I suppose this will be another expensive problem to correct.
- Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA
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The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated the electronic key failed to unlock the doors and had to be opened manually. However, the doors automatic lock system activated when the engine was started and when the engine was off the electronic lock system failed to unlock the doors. The contact had to drive with the windows opened in order to open the doors by using the exterior handle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician advised that the electrical system needed to replace. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the door actuator failed on the rear driver and passenger side doors. The contact also stated that the rear driver and passenger side doors failed to lock when the vehicle was in drive. The doors had to be manually locked and unlocked. The dealer stated that the actuator motor might need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. Updated 11/19/14 updated 8/13/2015
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the rear door locks malfunctioned. The contact mentioned that he could only lock and unlock the doors manually. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing. However, the contact was unaware of the repairs needed to remedy the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,000. Updated 9/29/14
The electric door locks lock / unlock intermittently. When the car is started all the door locks should automatically lock, but they do not always lock. In addition, when you park the car and hit the door lock key all the door locks will not lock. When you start the car you have to manually check the door locks to make sure they have all locked. This is a serious safety issue if you have children in the car. In addition, when you park the car, you have to manually maker sure all the door locks actually lock.when I contacted my local dealer about the issue they stated that they had repaired a few vehicles for the door lock failures, but there was no recall. They indicated that the grease used for the locks melted and leaked into the lock solenoid causing the failures. I researched the issue on the internet and found many people who own the 2008/2009 Chevy Impala and Malibu are complaining about the same issue.
All four door locks stopped working from the driver door control or the fob. The only way to unlock the doors is to physically pull up on the lock. In the case of an accident, I will be unable to unlock any of the doors without physically pulling the door lock. This creates a safety hazard, especially since the car may suddenly stop working. I'm afraid I will be killed while driving this car! the car does not stay in alignment. The car has been realligned at least three times and this for a vehicle with only 37637 miles, this is an injustice.
3 of the 4 door locks won't operate with a key fob or the door panel and there's no key access anywhere outside except the drivers side which is the only lock that currently works...with children or adults in the back seat or the passenger side this creates a serious hazard in the event of an accident or the need to enter the car urgently if being pursued by an abductor. Small children wouldn't be able to manually unlock doors to exit the vehicle in case of an emergency and the driver would have to climb over the back seat to access the lock manually or lose precious time rolling windows down and getting out of the car to open the door locks from outside the car....this vehicle is low mileage and these locks are defective. Many have been blogging about these defective door locks and GM needs to recall these and replace their defective door lock actuators stat at no cost to the consumer!
Picking up grand children at curbside from school the doors fail to unlock causing me to go out in traffic get in the car and start it in order to roll down the windows so that the kids can unlock the doors manually that is if they are not distracted by something. This is a safety issue because you never know what a 4, 6 and 7 year old will do. Also the child safety lock feature doesn't work when car is put in drive.
I too am very upset with the issue with the door lock issue. The back passenger drivers side door does not unlock with the fob or the door unlock control. The only way to physically unlock the door is to recline the drivers seat and reach back and unlock the door manually. In the event of an emergency this is B.S. I have done much research on the internet on this subject and was overwhelmed by the number of other people with the same issue. This is so disturbing! I wish Chevrolet would do the right thing and make it right to its customers.
The rear power door locks no longer lock automatically when shifting transmission in drive or when using driver master door lock switch. Problem began soon after purchase. Has been continuous problem. Known issue with lubrication grease entering actuator motor and shorting motor connections. Very prevalent problem with 07 08 Impala, also similar year Malibu.
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.
The door lock on the driver rear door failed to open. They lock but don't open. This is a severe safety hazard because the locks are at the back/rear of the car and cannot be accessed from the front..I cannot enter and remove my grandchildren from there car seats in an emergency like a car fire and car accident where they are still in the road.
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.
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.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Greenville, TX, USA