Problems with 2008 Chevrolet Impala STEERING

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. *tr

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. *tr

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. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the puller and power steering pump needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 150,000.

When applying brake steering wheel clunks. also when turning steering wheel you feel a clunk. intermediate shaft is issue have had car looked at and problem has been verified. *tr

My car shut off with a reduced engine power message with my two small children in the car while the car was in motion. *tr

Tl* 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 impalas, 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. *tr

It was raining and lost power steering at speed. this has continued each time it has rained or going through a car wash. very dangerous because the car will not turn. this type of incident has occurred more than 50 times and the dealership only laughed at me when i called. is chevy waiting till my family is killed before noticing this issue like with the other recent recalls. *tr

Premature tire wear attributed to faulty rods in the rear suspension linkage suspension defect. *tr

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!!! *tr

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 . . ...

Tl* 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.

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. *tr *kb

When slowing down and making a turn. steering locks up. when come out of turn and hit gas starts working again. *tr

Tl* 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*lj updated 3/06/2012 *ln

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. *tr

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. *tr

Tl* 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.

Every time i would drive the 08 chevy impala the key would not turn all the way out. it did that for about a week. then when i made it to work it did the same thing. came out to go home it would not start at all the key wouldn't turn over. so we had to put it in manual mode to drive it to a shop. a wire in the handle to change gears broke because i was told the wire was to short. now this was 42 or 43 thousand miles now at 82 its doing the same thing again. why no recall? *tr

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. *tr

Steering wheel locks completly when turning happens at least every two weeks.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. the contact stated the sidewalls on the tires were wearing prematurely. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the dealer stated that the rear tie rod was defective. as a result, the brakes, rotors and tires were wearing prematurely. the dealer replaced the tie rod and all of the components which were wearing prematurely, but the failure continued. the failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 75,000.

Early morning start /drove for approximately 4-8 minutes. turned into parking lot and was attempting to park (3/4 turn) when the steering froze. stopped the car and the steering seemed to return. parked car and rotated wheel left to right and noticed that the wheel froze once again. turned car off and no continued issue on restart. immediately brought car to dealership and awaiting a decision on what occurred. do not feel comfortable driving vehicle until dealer can repair issue. *tr

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.

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. the contact made a left turn when the steering wheel locked. the contact was unable to move the vehicle out of the street. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer who test drove the vehicle 74 miles and was unable to duplicate the failure. the failure also occurred while pulling out of the driveway. the contact stated that the failure continued to occur when she applied the accelerator pedal after yielding or stopping at a traffic light. the vehicle was always traveling at a low speed and making a left turn whenever the failure occurred. the failure mileage was 45946. the current mileage was 50993.

I have a 2008 chevy impala ltz, purchased on 7-4-08 form a gm dealership in yukon, ok. the car had 3670 miles on it when purchased. it was driven, according to dealership, by the area financial officer for gm. the problem is that whenever you drive through standing water or wet snow, you cannot turn the steering wheel. it does not have to much water, just a waterhole where run off from a sprinkler system has run off the driveway. one time, it was left in an enclosed garage over night and the driver the next morning just about hit a parked vehicle because they could turn the the sterring wheel. the car has been to two local gm dealerships and they cannot find any problem. gm safety has been contacted and they could not give an answer for the problem either. the owners of this vehicle feel that this could cause an accident if not fixed. so far, most of the times this has happened has been in town and and at less than 35 mph.

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. *tr

Power steering dies when the vehicle gets wet. dealer is never available for an appointment when it happens. my mechanic has replaced the belt and cleaned everything. it works for a short while then starts again. is any help available? *tr

2008 chevrolet impala. consumer states severe problem with tires *tgw the consumer stated he has spent more than $588.54 on wheel alignment checks and new tires, not knowing about the spindle rod problem. the consumer encountered severe and dangerous uneven tire wear. the consumer finally replaced all the tires. *jb

When i turn my wheel of my car it feels as if its knocking. *tr

My impala will completely shut down and lock up everytime it rains. i can be driving 5 mph through a parking lot and water film on the pavement and my impala will shake, lock up and shut down. i was leaving my church parking lot to turn right onto road, my impala shut down and drifted straight across the street almost landing in the ditch. thank god there was no oncoming traffic. it has happen while driving 35 and car shut down. it is very terrifying to drive a car that shuts down and have no control over. i have small children and am fearful my and their safety. *tr updated 2/16/16 *js

My wife and i purchased the chevy impala to be our first vehicle together after getting married. bought this vehicle brand new only 102 miles on it before we drove it off the lot. little did we know it was going to be 4 years of nightmares and headaches. at the time read many review about the impala, nothing too major was found. after the first week, the power steering seemed to be failing, especially during rain. took it back to the dealer and they could not replicate the incident. they told us they could not find anything wrong and to bring it back if the problem continued. it didn't take long and we were back at the dealer with the same problem. dealer said they checked the belts and the fluid all working properly. after a few other times of the power steering failing took the vehicle to another dealer and they too could not find anything wrong with the ps. so, after several trips back to dealer we decided to just deal with it. which brings me to my next complaint about the 2008 impala, at just over 10,000 noted abnormal wear on tires, and wires peeking through on the inside. took it in to dealer and they accused us of abusive driving behavior and neglect, which was a new on to me. anyway, they refused to replace the tires sitting the warranty only covers defects and normal driving conditions. so, by this time we are starting to regret the purchase of this vehicle. we had to replace all 4 tires @ 98.00 each. about year later at 28,000 miles began to have this problem once again. after many hours of debates and phone calls they agree to "check out our problem" with no cost to us. low and behold wouldn't you know it, they found nothing wrong with the vehicle and advised us to purchase better brand tires. the last time i looked michelin was a top brand tire. on top of everything else, main seal in motor began to leak. this was the last straw! *tr

I own a 2008 chevy impala and i have been hearing clicking noises in the steering shaft. i have took my car in to be serviced and they put 2 new front tires on replaced the assist steering shaft and put a 4 wheel alignment on the car because my tires were worn on the outer edge i still hear the same noise when i turn coming out of a parked position and the new tires they put on one was defected and i almost had a major accident on interstate 38 in camden n.j because one of the tires radial belts popped and caused a blow-out which sent me and my husband and 2 kids in a fight for our lives trying to get out of on- coming traffic we had to ride around on a donut in a 2008 for 12 hours until we could find a used tire to come back to richmond virginia 256 miles away from home. i also owned a 2004 chevy impala and upgraded to the 2008 after having my car serviced 5 times for the same thing and low and behold i'm experiencing the same problem click click click................................... *tr

I was driving through a low area in the street that had a puddle of water to drive through. i was going to turn right and the steering wheel would not turn and then all at once it did turn. i did not have any more water to run through until about a month later in a hard rain and it did it again. this was also when i wanted to make a right turn. this all happened in lakeland fl. i contacted bill heard chevrolet in plant city fl and made an appointment. they checked it out and said they could not make it do that but they ordered parts ( a new belt) and installed a few days later. another rain storm and it did the same thing only this time the instrument panel lights all come on for about a 1/2 minute. i reported this to the dealer and they said bring it back in a they would check out and replace the tensioner. i was driving back to michigan and i was at the georgia and tennessee state line in a rainstorm and it locked up again. i contacted cliff anschuetz in alpena mi and made an appointment with them. they checked it out, put water on the belt but said they could not make it happen. another service rep said he would take a look at it and put on a new belt and tensioner and they did. the belt always squeals when you first start up in the morning. it still does that and i have no doubt the power steering will lock up when it rains. first incident date was sometime in march and to date. this is a very dangerous problem. *tr

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. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. when driving between 35-40 mph or in inclement weather, it is difficult to steer the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to dealer for inspection. the technician could not identify the cause of the failure, nor provide a remedy. the current and failure mileages were unknown. the vehicle identification number was unavailable. updated 12/30/09 *bf the consumer stated since the repairs were done, the vehicle tracks properly on ice. the alignment was out and rear camber and toe was out of specs. updated 12/31/09. *jb

When driving 2008 chevrolet 4 door lost control at a turning of highway. no speeding and no ticket. this car a safety issue with steering and the brakes. *tr