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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
82,947 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2009 Chevrolet Impala engine problems

engine problem

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2009 Chevrolet Impala Owner Comments (Page 5 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #42

Feb 272014

Impala

  • 48,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle decelerated to 20 mph as the decreased power engine light illuminated. The failure was experienced several times and at various speeds. A local mechanic performed a diagnostic and located the failure at the throttle positioning sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 48,000.

- Gilbert , AZ, USA

problem #41

Feb 192014

Impala 6-cyl

  • 104,122 miles
Was driving car and traction control light came on and then check engine light. Lost power and brakes. Car was able to stop but very hard. Glad nobody was in front of me or I would have it them. This is very dangerous and I think there should be a recall on the throttle body and sensors. I did have it fixed but had to take it to several dealers to figure out if it was the accelerator pedal or the throttle body.it was the whole throttle body unit.

- Janesville, WI, USA

problem #40

Jan 222014

Impala 8-cyl

  • 80,020 miles
The problem started in January of 2014. As I write this I want to say that I have read all the blogs on my complaints and see that I am not alone which forces me to ask GM why is it that we all see the elephant in the room and you people are ignoring it. Suffice to say this problem is a safety issue would be the understatement of the century. When will GM step up to the plate and make these issues a priority so there customers don't have to waste time writing complaints like this one. It's really very simple my engine light is on along with the stabilitrak light as well as the car losing all power. Now if GM feels this is not a good enough reason to create a recall I fail to see what is. People just like me have been complaining about this for years and GM does nothing. Along with GM being at fault the dealerships are [xxx] there customers while they go thru a laundry list of items they think might be the problem for these codes. I for one cannot afford the dealership prices nor will I pay these so called experts good money after bad to try and fix problems that they really have no idea as to what's causing them. I originally bought this Chevy B/C I wanted an american car for a change, man was I wrong. As soon as I fix this heap I will sell it before anymore lights go on and go right back to Honda where at least I know they stand by there cars and it runs way into the six figures before any real problems occur. I'm one of the little guys that bailed out GM and by the way were still paying taxes for that bailout. How about it GM, don't you care about us at all? parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- South Amboy , NJ, USA

problem #39

Feb 102014

Impala 6-cyl

  • 57,000 miles

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

What happened is the vehicle traction control triggered and reduced the cars functionality and speed. It cleared itself, but what concerns me is this problem is prevalent in GM Chevrolet vehicles ranging from 2005 to 2011. It is listed many times here in your data base to your organization. Our lives and safety are involved here. Focusing on charging a fee to do an investigation is deplorable. Lives are at stake here. This should not be another american after the fact occurrence or event. What happened to proactive responsibility. These american car makers produce junk cars and the consumer constantly get stiffed with lemons. States lemon laws? nothing but american lemons are rolling off of the production lines. You think, this may be why other countries will not buy our products. There is no reliability in what is produced or manufactured and the customer service is lip service. Non - existent with these car dealers and pure sales rhetoric. Your site reads: The information you provide will be used to identify potential safety-related defects or determine the adequacy of existing safety recalls. I can't afford the repairs, pay for an investigation as well. I am not pleased with how the ball keeps getting passed or dropped. NHTSA these poorly produced weapons weigh tons. Rolling down the poorly maintained highways and streets of this country endangering us all life and limb. My vehicle has the same problem with the traction control that forces my car to brake, pull to the right and slow enough to endanger my well being. I'm truly scared and concerned here and the repairs and code lights aren't reliable. Only the repair shops are winning. The problem keeps repeating after thousands are spent to keep the car running. I need this car for work. If it cant get me there then they will come and take the junk back I am trying to maintain. Thank you

- Tracy, CA, USA

problem #38

Nov 012013

Impala

  • 168,000 miles
While driving on the freeway the engine reduce power light came on and seconds later the car lost power. This has happen several times. Today 1/30/14 this has happened 4 times. This is a safety hazard! I've seen several complaints about this issue, people are spending hundreds of dollars thinking the issue is being fixed and the problem is never fixed. At this point it looks like 100 of people will have to lose their life before a recall takes place. As a single parent (my children's only living parent) this issue shake me to my soul!

- Garland, TX, USA

problem #37

Jun 072013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 65 miles
Driving 65 on freeway car slows down to 40 check engine light says service traction control.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #36

Dec 272013

Impala 8-cyl

  • 90,100 miles

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

While my wife was driving (with my three kids as passengers) at highway speeds the message was displayed in the dashboard "reduced engine power" and "service traction control" messages were displayed. The vehicle immediately last power and the speed was reduced to less than 30 mph, while on the highway. She was able to navigate to the shoulder and call me for assistance. By the time I got there and started the engine it was running normally except for the "service engine soon" light was lit. I took it to the nearest Chevrolet dealership who immediately stated it was a faulty electronic throttle control and would cost $580 to replace. I searched on-line and found dozens of complaints exactly like this one for 2008-2012 model Impala'. there is not a recall on this problem so the customers are getting charged to fix this faulty Chevrolet device. Someone is going to get killed if they do not recall this device.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #35

Jun 122013

Impala

  • 61,000 miles
While driving my 2009 Chevrolet Impala in a 55 mph zone, a series of warnings appeared on the dash: Engine power reduced, service stabilitrak, check engine. Immediately the car would not accelerate, and speed decreased to about 10 mph.

- Dover, DE, USA

problem #34

Dec 052013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 92,000 miles
My issue was that I was four months into driving my new 2009 Chevy Impala and while driving on the highway going about 60 mph my car showed flashing signal reading "engine reduced speed" "check stabilitrack " and my check engine was on. The car then stopped accelerating and dropped to 45 mph immediately. I was nearly rear ended with my son in the car. After researching and hearing complaints about GM and how they are not taking responsibility of this safety issue and actuality charging people to fix their defect. Their are numerous blogs and videos proving this. Examples: Show over 23,000 drivers with the same issue www.[xxx] : www.[xxx] thank god it does not look like any fatalities have occurred as of yet but who knows. Please don't let someone get injured or lose their life to take notice to this. GM thinks injury or lose of life = $222. I am in contact with a law firm in hopes of a class action. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Cordova, TN, USA

problem #33

Apr 172013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 40 miles
At about 60,000 miles, my 2009 Chevy Impala has an issue with the service traction control and then reduce engine power. I have read it is the throttle body and not covered under the extended warranty.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #32

Nov 022013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 77,050 miles

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

When I pressed down on my accelerator pedal (speed limit was increasing from 50mph to 65mph), a message of "starting disabled. Service throttle" came up on the dash. The accelerator pedal and steering wheel completely locked up and the car started to decelerate. I was able to force the steering wheel in order to turn onto a side street (narrowly avoiding a car stopped in the left lane to turn) and park the vehicle in a location out of the main lane of traffic. Had this side street not been there at that exact moment, the possibility of a crash would be very likely as steering was unresponsive and I may have been rear-ended due to the sudden loss of engine power.

- Hamilton, OH, USA

problem #31

Oct 112013

Impala

  • 106,000 miles
I was at a stop sign and the reduced engine power, check traction control lights came on. The code came up I had it checked it is the accelerator pedal position sensor this can be a very dangerous occurrence.NHTSA please look at these complaints it is a 75 dollar part and labor of 4 hours.im paying for part and doing myself I need some reimbursement or payment of this to shop.

- Millington, TN, USA

problem #30

Sep 132013

Impala

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph in cruise control, the vehicle began to stall. The vehicle also failed to increase speed when the contact depressed the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the fuel gauge also failed simultaneously. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the incident and informed the contact that the vehicle was not listed under any recalls. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Lebannon, TN, USA

problem #29

Aug 292013

Impala

  • 97,000 miles
I was driving down the highway, and the traction control light came on and the reduced engine power light came on. I drove a few miles further going about 65 miles and hour, and the engine died in the middle of the highway. I had to pull the car off the road with no power steering (I was still rolling thanks to momentum) so I wouldn't get hit by another car. After I sat on the side of the road for a few minutes, I was able to start it again and drive it about 10 miles back home. Our repairman said the throttle motor signal came up when he plugged it in to the computer, so we spent the $280 to replace it. It worked fine for about 4 days, and then the traction light and and reduced engine power light came on again a few days ago. We've got it in the shop again and are waiting for the news as to what it is this time.

- Hillsboro, MO, USA

problem #28

Aug 242013

Impala

  • 36,766 miles
I was driving through a hilly/ curvy area of road when my reduced engine power, traction control, and throttle body disabled message popped up. Just then I have no power, no brakes and no steering, at all! I almost crashed with my two kids in the car! upon looking up this issue I find that it is a very common issue in Impala. Some people have had this issue while passing cars, or the freeways and more. To me this is quite a safety concern since you have no power to do anything...nothing at all. I don't see how there is still no recall on this issue when there are so many reported problems and a huge safety risk!!

- Fort Gratiot, MI, USA

problem #27

Aug 082013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 98,659 miles
This the second time this has happened. Wife was driving down the freeway when traction control and check engine lights came on. Car went into reduced power mode and finally died while still moving. Lost power steering and finally brought car to a stop on left inside of expressway. After a short time she was able to restart the car and limp home. Note that the cruise control was on, but I do not know if it was set. Had the codes read that indicated a throttle position sensor caused the fault. There are two sensors which have to agree and if they don't car will go into reduced power mode. When she got home I found only the check engine light on. I have in the past moved the wires on the brake fluid sensor to get the check engine light to go off. Not knowing exactly how all of these different systems are tied together, I tend to think that the cars computer is the problem which sets off all the different warning lights on the dash. I went to the Chevy dealership and the service advisor asked if this was a recall issue. I thought this was some what strange. After reading complaints on the net I can see why she might have thought it was a recall issue. The throttle body part is $300 dollars plus labor rate of $105/hr. As of now I cannot find any recalls for this issue. NHTSA needs to look at this problem because the loss of steering with all systems due to motor stalling while in motion is a hazard to everyone.

- Hudson Oaks, TX, USA

problem #26

Aug 082013

Impala

  • 99,000 miles
Was driving around 65 when out of no where the check engine light and traction control light came on and the reduce to power message started flashing on the dash it dropped my speed down from 65 to like 20 while on the freeway.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #25

Jul 312013

Impala

  • 130,000 miles
I am having problems with my 2009 Chevy Impala, it started at 43K, the acceleration pedal was changed when the reduced engine power/service traction control came on. Then again at 100K same problem, this time the dealership told me it was a bad throttle position sensor, the throttle body needed to be changed. I changed it, but it came back again less then 3K miles. I replaced the throttle body again. 3K later same thing. The problem is when it is raining the throttle sensors go nuts. I took the car to advance auto and read the codes, same as before, P0121, P2176, throttle position sensor. Once in a while you can remove the batter lines and unplug the throttle body and mass air flow sensor to get it to restart. Other times you have to go to advance or autozone to clear the codes in order to get it to run long enough for a sunny day. I had one occurrence were the car would not start and it said service throttle position. The throttle sensor needs to be recalled before someone get killed. I have renamed my car to the Ford Impala. Found on the road dead Impala.

- Winamac, IN, USA

problem #24

Apr 242013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 139,000 miles
While merging onto a two lane highway my Impala suddenly lost power and I received a "low engine power" warning and then " service traction control" the check engine light comes on and the car runs roughly at reduced power - you need to pull over and shut the car off until you can start it again. This is a very dangerous issue that GM refuses to acknowledge. In this instance I had my daughter in the car - I also lost the power brakes. I have been to two Chevrolet dealers and a Buick dealer because this has happened several times over the past year and a half. They replaced my throttle body, oil sensor, battery and something else and charged me over $2000 for the three visits and I am still experiencing the issue. I have also been to a local repair shop and had the wiring harness changed and had several diagnostics done. After all this the problem still exists. I normally don't write letters but, this is a very dangerous situation and many others are experiencing the same thing based on the message boards I have read. My concern is that GM refused to help or issue a recall. My fear is that someone gets seriously hurt or killed before GM answers for this. This is not good for GM. My hope is that someone finally addresses this issue before someone is killed. In my last communication with GM - I was told to take my car to a dealer for a diagnostic at my own expense. So, basically I am on my own and they offered to do nothing. Just not right!

- Scituate, MA, USA

problem #23

Jul 152013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 81,506 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated the accelerator pedal position sensor failed and called the vehicle to slow down to 40 mph. The contact stated that the traction control light illuminated on the instrument when the failure occurred. The sending unit was replaced and the vehicle began to perform normally. The dealer informed the contact this was a known problem. The failure and current mileage was 81,506.

- Cuyahoga Fals , OH, USA

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