Problems with 2009 Chevrolet Impala ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While sitting at a stop light the information panel said reduced engine power as the light turned green. i held up numerous cars as i scanned the obd2 port to clear the code, once again the code read p0601. cleared it and it started right up. *js

After just clearing the onboard computer with my obd2 scanner just a few minutes before it happened again. after sitting at another stoplight i proceeded into my left turn and as i'm coming into the lane my impala died midway through the intersection as it changed from yellow to red leaving me in the intersection as the cross traffic began to go almost creating a head on collision and a multiple vehicle collision. can a recall please be in effect for this! its to the point to where i'm afraid to drive my car to work! i'd rather walk the 20 miles to work then be in this unsafe gm car! *js

On my commute to work on the interstate my impala shut itself off. i was in the left lane when the car showed the reduced engine power on the information panel, it then fully disengaged all engine power and powersteering. being in the outside lane i had to maneuver my impala through the heavy traffic and almost caused numerous accidents trying to squeeze to the shoulder. i then coasted off into the grass almost into a large ditch but i slammed on the brakes hard and went into a skid coming to a full stop. i scanned the car with my obd2 scanner, it read p0601. *js

I was driving down a very busy street looking for a restaurant and my car made three dinging sounds indicating a issue. before i even could read what was displaying on my information panel the car lost all power steering and engine power. because i was traveling at about 55mph i could very luckily coast to a parking lot near by. after coasting to a parking spot i put the car in park and read the information panel, it read reduced engine power, service stabilitrak, and service throttle body. because i know most american made cars are pure garbage i wont drive one without a ebdii scanner. after reading the ebdii scanner it showed a p0601 code, which indicates a pcm memory issue. after clearing the code it started right back up and drove for about 10 more minutes until i was at a parking lot on a steep grade. the 3 dings happened again and my engine shut off causing me to roll backwards about 10 feet almost into over vehicles. i have done some research on this and have come to found that this is a engineering fault caused by to much current flowing into the power control module, which creates a small hairline crack on the pcm onboard computer, with which many many other gm products have experienced. i feel a recall should be done on all gm products affected by this, this is very unsafe and i feel could lead to deaths. i am a [xxx] male who could control the vehicle with no power steering, imagine a student driver encountering this issue and not being able to maneuver the vehicle away from other drivers or even innocent pedestrians! i know for a fact this has happened to many other gm vehicle owners so does a body count have to stack up before a recall is issued by gm?? *tr

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. *tr

Chevy impala. 3.5 6cyl. vehicle stuck in park. electric pigtail ground wire for shifting broke. vehicle cannot be moved out of park unless solenoid is pressed below center console. wires loose could be potential fire hazard. gm refuses to issue recall. talked to brandy at gm 800-630-2438 on 7/1/2013 complaint number/service request [xxx]. says nothing she can do and refuses to admit issue. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Mine seems to have the same problems as most people. traction control. service airbag, reduced engine power lights come on. car dies while driving once the lights come on. doors don't unlock unless it's done manually. messages flash on my readout over and over again. tells me to check tire pressure on each tire even though the pressure is fine. detects passenger in passenger seat when there is nothing in the passenger seat. ridiculous! i am not ever buying another one!! *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. while driving on the highway, the vehicle experienced reduced engine power and stalled. the check engine warning indicator illuminated. the contact also mentioned that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the contact experienced a similar failure three years ago. the vehicle was taken to mcdermott chevrolet where it was diagnosed that the failure was attributed to nhtsa campaign number: 14v355000 (electrical system). the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the contact also took the vehicle to the same dealer because the air bag warning indicator illuminated. the contact believed that the indicator was illuminated due to nhtsa campaign number: 16v507000 (air bags, electrical system). the technician informed the contact that the failure was not due to the recall and refused to pay for the repairs. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

My impala has a very bad electrical problem. my air bag light has been on and the manual said it can deflate at any given time. my wipers half the time don't want to come on or work. my horn and alarm sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. the car shakes really bad when i drive it, especially the steering wheel. it also burns oil like crazy.i trust my 99' chevy suburban over my brand new 09' impala. it is the most dangerous car i have ever had and i wish i never would have bought it. it definitely has triple the amount of problems then my 99' suburban had. *tr

While operating the vehicle i noticed thick white smoke coming up from under my seat, i put down the windows was able to pull off to a safe space and by that time visible fire was coming up from around the edges of the seat i hit the onstar botton told them my care was on fire they dispatched police and fire department. after the fire was extinguished the fire department said that it appeared to them that the wiring from the seat motor at shorted out and burned through the wire casing which then caught the seat i was sitting in on fire. the auto body also stated that that appeared to be what happened to them as well. *tr

I recently purchased a chevrolet impala ltz 2009 model a few months ago and it has 82,000 on it. while driving on the highway my check engine light came on. it said that i had a bad accelerator sensor. followed by a flashing light that said my car had reduced engine speed. i have looked up many times about this issue with my car and many other people have had problems with a bad gas pedal. gm knows and i'm confused as to why they never asked for a recall on this. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. while driving at approximately 40 mph, the fuel gauge went down to zero. also, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle did not accelerate. the service engine soon warning indicator illuminated. the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or diagnosed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v355000 (electrical system). the failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

My chevrolet impala reduces the power of the engine down to 20 mph or less and indicates check traction control and reduced engine power. i was almost rear ended because of this and had to pull off the freeway to avoid further potential collisions. *tr

While driving. apprx 30-45mph. random service light appeared showed as "reduced power engine" vehicle then automatically slowed down. turns off without notice. un-safe. over 1500 reviews same situation same vehicle. *tr

We bought this vehicle on march 27th 2013. on april 20th 2013 (that is 24 days). the key became stuck in the ignition, the car will start and run but you cant shut it off and remove the key, therefore we have to remove the cable to the battery everytime we get out of the car , because if we don't, the battery is dead when we come back. of course we find out after we buy it that this is a common problem and is expensive to fix. we feel very strongly that this should be recalled and fixed. we are relying on this car to go to work and take our children to school. we shouldn't have to remove and replace the battery cable evertime we get in and out. when we purchased a chevy we expected it to work like it is supposed to. *tr

When i put my car in park, i tried to turn my ignition it will not move or turn forward. i recently paid to have it fixed last year and now i have that same problem again. *tr

I was driving 55mph 4/10/2013 then i go down to 40 and message sensor says engine low pressure or something like that so i took it to auto zone and they said throttle sensor make the check engine light come on now 4/27/2013 the light came on again now they saying the pedal sensor and the low engine pressure check engine light is on again. *tr

Traction control warning light came on then it said reduced engine power then it shut the engine off going 65 down the highway with my [xxx] year old driving it. the power steering was not working so she could hardly get the car off the road and almost was hit by a large truck. this is dangerous. i won't let her drive it and it happened to me the next day. *tr 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).

The vehicle suddenly decelerated and displayed messages: "reduced engine power" and "service traction control". this was the second incident. the first incident resulted in the engine shutting off completely after the same initial symptoms described; locking up the steering during rush hour traffic (estimated 65 mph, no injures, approx. 4 month ago). our mechanic cleaned out the throttle body sensor after the first incident, and phoned the dealership with the trouble codes. the dealership refused warranty service as the trouble codes had gone by the time the car had arrived at their shop, and would not take our mechanic's phone conversation as evidence. we were informed that the three services commonly performed to fix the problem were to replace the throttle body, throttle body sensor, and accelerator pedal; the latter not covered under warranty. *tr

I'm tried of my doors not locking with key fob and both rear doors and sometimes passenger side would not lock. this problem have been occurring since april 2013 and today may 2014 it's still happening.i attempted to lock from inside vehicle and would still not lock or unlock. i have to maneuver walk around the car and lock the doors individual. each time i take the car to the dealer they are telling me that this is not covered part. when i purchased this vehicle they claimed they conducted a full vehicle check. i think they lied and they car was never checked. why do us as customer buy warrants and the warrant don?t cover electrical power. is this a electrical problem? what can be done to prevent this problem? *tr

Driver door lock does not lock/unlock with key fob intermittently. driver door also does not unlock when car is shifted into park and must be unlocked manually by pulling on the lock. this does pose a safety concern with an event that would cause a need to quickly evacuate the vehicle. *tr

I was on highway one evening and my cruise control was engaged. my power went out completely on the car. i immediately noticed that the car shut down and i was able to coast to the side of the highway. after gathering my bearings, i was able to turn the car back on and drive off the freeway. it was determined that my oil was low (no warning light). prior to this incident, i was going down hill on a local street when my warning system came on and indicated that i had reduced engine power and traction stability control issues. after going to the dealer, it was determined that my oil was extremely low, however no leaks or cause was ever found. prior to this, i had to get my accelerator sensor replaced because the reduced engine power warning came on. it was not covered under warranty and i had to pay several hundred dollars to 'fix' the issue. as recently as yesterday, june 16, 2014, i turned my car on and the reduced engine power and traction control warning came on. i immediately turned the car off and checked the oil. it was low but no warning light to indicate this issue came on (same as in the past). i faithfully get my oil changed every 3,000 miles or 3 months, whichever is first. my oil life was at 54% yesterday and i did take it in for an oil change this morning. it is obvious based on others experiences, that this is a known issue amongst 2009 impala owners. the fact that i did not receive a warning when i was on a major highway and my car shut off while still in motion, is extremely scary and it traumatized my son tremendously. i am hoping that some type of investigation will be initiated because it could result in serious injuries or even death. *tr

I have owned my impala since march 2010 and while it is an attractive car, i have had nothing but issues. first month a sensor goes out in the acceleration, $230 to replace, in the last 2 years we have had an annoying ticking noise when you turn the car on something having to do with the ac/heater. seems like everyone says that it is common in impalas but yet i have not seen a recall. i don't have the $450 to fix and it is rather embarrassing when you car pool as it is very loud and last approximately 30seconds to 45 seconds. i have also had leaks every time it rains or we go to the car wash. water seems to be coming in from the frame by the windshield on both driver and passenger roof area. it runs down and comes out by the brake on driver side and fuse box on passenger side. i thought this water was affecting my power locks as it seems like we have had issue with our door locks not opening. they take turns, not unlocking but after reading comments on this web page seems like others are also having this same issue with locks, yet no recall. i have taken it down to be looked at but they say they don't see any issues they can pin point. don't have any more money to put into this vehicle. i like my car but it has issues. i will do my home work before i purchase my next car. *tr

As i was driving to golf on monday september 24th, on interstate i-80 heading west, my 2009 chevy impala onboard computer stated the following, service traction control, reduced power, starter disabled and the check engine light all at roughly the same time. my car completely died and i had no power steering. luckily i was able to coast out of harms way and get to the side of the road. i checked some wires under the hood and didn't find anything loose. when i attempted to start the car back-up, the onboard computer flashed, starter disabled. i sat with the car for about 15 minutes and tried once more. this time it started and ran normal, but the check engine like was on(still is). how scary is this really? enough to make me hate driving this car anywhere. not to mention i'm a single dad of 4, who needs to get to work, school and many other things. *tr

Driver door does not always unlock when placed in park, when using the unclock button or key fob. the door also doesn't lock when using the electric button or key fob. there is often the need to manually unlock and lock the door using the "stem". my concern is and remains to be the necessity to quickly exit in an emergency, such as a fire, accident or car jacking. most would panic and not react quickly enough to manually disable/engage the lock. this has been an ongoing and long term problem.

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the vehicles speed reduced after the engine power warning light illuminated. the failure recurred on several occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v355000 (electrical system) however, the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 65,000. updated 4/6/15*cn

I was driving on the bypass at approximately 65mph, my check engine light came on. about 5 seconds later, my service traction control came on. as i kept driving, i lost power to my engine. finally, my engine was disabled and i couldn't drive anymore. luckily, i was able to pull over. after 5 minutes, i was able to start up my car. i replaced the gas pedal (because they state a sensor was bad in the pedal), but my car still keeps doing this. the dealership continues to state the throttle body/gas pedal needs to be replaced. how many times should i have to replace the gas pedal. i have even tried multiple dealers, but they all want to just replace the same component. they state that they must continue to trouble shoot until they can find the true problem. gm needs to help with this. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. while driving at an unknown speed, the air bag warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the driver's presence sensor failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 16v507000 (air bags, electrical system). the failure mileage was 154,000.

There is a constant knocking in the dashboard, when i attempt to turn on the air condition or the heating system in the vehicle. this knocking causes the heat to be passed threw the vehicle, in the summer time i would have to turn the car off and on, then keep adjusting the air control until the air began to blow. majority of the time the air does not come on, there is just constant heat coming for the dashboard and the floor board. i begin to notice that this knocking would occur while i was not in the car, while hitting the remote for entry into car and while the car is being driven. i had a neighbor whose vehicle was doing the same thing. as time went on i could be walking threw a parking and hear that same sounds in other impala models. *tr

Car stalled on the interstate. merged car to break down lane without being hit. traction control light illuminated. car would not restart for about 20 minutes. car then restarted and warning light was off. previous electrical issues with this vehicle including rear windows that will not roll down and defective air bag sensor. *tr

I-40 east bound; 60 mph; coming down a 4 to 7% grade through the smokey mountains, north carolina side; 1st error: "service traction control, reduced engine power, service engine. approximately 5 minutes later 2nd error: "starting disable,service throttle" lost all power to vehicle. a very dangerous and frightening event having no control of your speed, steering, and braking trying to get off to the side of i-40 with the type of grade, tractor trailer trucks that can not slow down fast enough to let you over. we were very.... very fortunate with our outcome. had to be towed to a local dealership. ran diagnostic; error codes p2122, p2138. dealership replaced the component: electronic accelerator pedal

There is a clicking sound coming from the a/c or dash area of the vehicle. it clicks for about 5 minutes and then goes away. if you try change the temperature, it starts again. i heard many other impalas have this same issue. i hope chevy fixes this, it could cause the driver to be distracted while driving and crash. luckily this hasn't to me. *tr

Takata recall - i have had my vehicle shut off while i was driving down the road. this has occurred at least 3 times. gm is aware and has ignored my requests for two years. a few months ago, gm attorney told me to take my vehicle to a gm dealership as soon as possible and the recall repairs would be done at no cost to me. i made him aware that my vehicle had already been sitting at a gm dealership for months waiting for the repair and the dealership refused to repair it and will not provide a rental vehicle. prior to the recall, i had numerous steering issues and had taken it to gm dealerships just to have them return it with the same problems. when the vehicle shut off, i was in a bad crash and the airbag did not deploy, resulting in me going through the windshield.

The actuators in all four of my electric door locks have malfunctioned. the car can only be unlocked manually, which is a major issue since the driver door is the only one that will open from outside the car with a key. we have three children using car seats which makes it impossible to reach one of the doors from the front seat, since one of the seats is rear facing (by law). the children are not capable of unlocking the doors on their own or unbuckling their own car seat restraints. if we were to need to evacuate the car in an emergency, it would take entirely too long for me to have to climb around the back seat to try and get all of my children unrestrained and doors unlocked. i have spoken with the dealership and was told this is not a safety issue. that is 100% incorrect. this is much more than a convenience issue. i have already paid to have the first one that went out repaired, but am quite saddened by the fact that all three of the other doors need the same repairs. please reconsider recalling these malfuctioning parts, because the safety of passengers is at stake. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that all of the doors remained locked and the vehicle could not be locked or opened manually, only by using the electronic key remote. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the electrical system for all four doors needed to be replaced. the vin was not available. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 6,700.

I have a 2009 chevy impala lt with flex-fuel. over the last few months while driving at all speeds i've noticed that the entire dash board (speedometer area) will lose power and all the gauges will go out as if the car was turned off. the turn signals don't flash on the dash either. but the radio, interior/exterior lights around the car and turn singles will all work fine. also there is no noticeable lost in performance. after a few moments or minutes the problem will correct itself but it may happen multiple times in a trip. also i'm having issues with the car turning off as soon as i open the driver door after starting the car by remote start. so i have to sit and wait a few minutes before the car will turn over again. *tr

At about 50000 miles the rear door actuator began to work intermittently. within months it did not work at all. the dealer said it was expensive to fix. at about 66000 miles the service air bag warning light began to come on intermittently. at 68000 miles i took it to the dealer who diagnosed the problem as an actuator. i replaced it at a cost of $400. he said i could replace the rear door actuator for another $400 which i elected not to do. when i saw a news article about an elderly, disabled man trapped in his chevrolet impala because of a defective door lock actuator, i realized that this might be a frequent problem to be addressed. *tr

I was driving to work on the freeway then i noticed that my car's rpm started bouncing up and down from two and a half to two and back and forth and then my check engine light turns on and says engine power is reduced and as well as the service traction light turns on. i see that i have to press on the gas pedal a lot more further down for my car to stay at 60 mph and after 2 minutes of this my car's rpm drops to 0. my car turns off with the car reading starter disabled and service throttle. i had to pull to the shoulder. this incident had made me late for work and this incident happens a lot now. this can happen from once every two or three weeks to twice a week. just recently my car's seat belts will become undone without anyone clicking the button for it to release. also recently my service airbags light has came on. *tr

Traveling at highway speed on 2 lane road, check engine and traction control lights illuminated then vehicle shut down. lights and radio worked but vehicle would not turn over. after approximately 15 minutes vehicle cranked and started and was drivable. took to chevrolet dealer who made repairs by replacing 24 terminals. verbally told me that there was corrosion on wires on this 2 year old vehicle with barely 60,000 miles. had this happened on a multilane interstate highway shutting down like this could have been very dangerous. *tr

I have a 2009 chevrolet impala and my key is stuck in the ignition. i can start the car with no problem but i cannot disengage the key from the ignition. i have been online researching this problem and found that there are quite a few people who have had the same issue with the impala. *tr

I noticed some time back that when applying the brakes that i would get a rough vibration, such as with bad rotors. i took the car to the dealer that i purchased it at and they looked it over and stated that everything was fine. since then everytime i hit the brakes the vibrations have only gotten worse, it's to the point now that it violently shakes the entire car and feels as if it's going to jerk the steering wheel right out of my hands. so i made another appointment for this issue and a new one; sometimes my dash lights will flicker and it will tell me it's 102 outside when it's only 70 and automatic tire pressure sensor is way, way off. i have also noticed recently that my front tires have become excessively worn on the outer edges to where there is only tread in the center and this shouldn't be a problem with only 21,500 miles on the vehicle; i should have been able to get about twice that out of the factory tires. at my last appointment they have still said there is no notable problems with my impala. *tt

The rear power door lock actuators have failed. the rear passenger door lock failed first, then a few thousand miles later the driver side actuator failed. the problem is intermittent but with a 90%+ occurrence of failure. one or both will fail for weeks at a time, but may occasionally surprise you and work once or twice. the failure is in both the lock and unlock modes. the failure is unrelated to using keyless entry or the manual switch or having child safety locks on or off. it is virtually impossible to reach the rear door top manual latch post from the front seat. on one occasion i was trying to manually unlock the rear passenger side door from the front seat. my head/neck became trapped between the side of the front passenger seat and the door pillar. i was unable to remove my neck until i was able to reach the seat adjusting mechanism and move the seat forward. in the process of that i aggravated a chronic back condition pulling a muscle in my back. an internet search or discussion with repair shops will quickly reveal that this is a widespread issue for many 2008-2009 chevrolet impala, tahoe, malibu and silverado owners. due to the approximate $365 per door repair cost, the defective latches are not being replaced by many owners. chevrolet is well aware of the problem and offers no repair assistance. in a crash situation the crash computer sequence cannot be relied on actuate the defective lock actuators. the position of the manual lock post does not facilitate manual operation without extreme contortion of the body. in a fire, crash or emergency it would be difficult to access children or passengers from the rear seat for extraction. my son has told me that it is common knowledge that the rear doors on this genre of vehicle are commonly unlocked and a target of thieves and potentially carjackers. *tr

This is a known problem with chevy impalas, however gm refuses to do a recall. someone will die again at their hands. when driving the car, all of a sudden a "service traction control" message pops up, then "reduced engine power", then the check engine light goes on. the car immediately loses power and the speed is cut almost in half very abruptly. one time, the car completely lost all electrical and power while traveling at 65mph on the interstate. i was stuck with no power steering, no power brakes, etc and had to navigate to the side of the road without killing myself. i have finally figured out what the problem is due to the many forums that are popping up with other owners describing their fixes. turns out it is the accelerator pedal position sensor. i have replaced it myself and the car is now running fine. i am not happy with chevrolet playing with my safety and my life by not recalling this part. as i mentioned earlier.... people will die, i almost did. *tr

2009 chevrolet impala. consumer states extreme vibration, severe steering difficulties and brake unresponsiveness *tgw the consumer stated the brakes were frozen in one position . the dealer machined the front rotors and sanded the pads. the engine shut down and the consumer had to drive in 3rd gear. *jb

I was driving on the freeway at approximately 70mph, my check engine light came on. about 5 seconds later, my service traction control came on. as i kept driving, i lost power to my engine. finally, my engine was disabled and i couldn't drive anymore. luckily, i was able to pull over. after 5 minutes, i was able to start up my car. i replaced the throttle body, but my car still keeps doing this. this is very unsafe. gm needs to recall its cars. *tr

I have been having problems with this right side knocking in the dashboard for along time. i've taken it to the dealership but that not really sure of what it is. i was told that it could be a sensor but had to take the dashboard to actually know what it is. i haven't gotten fixed because i just don't want to just be spending money and that's not the problem and my service air bag light came on 6/29/2014 and its saying to "service air bag" and the ticking has gotten louder on the right hand side in the dashboard. *tr

I have a 2008 chevy impala and my car just cuts off while im driving and the key gets locked in the ignition and the dealership said it was the aftermarket stereo so i took it out it has happened 4 times since i have spent close to $700 to fix this problem and no results what if my car would have went out on me on the freeway or something because it went out last night when i was driving in the middle of turned the whole car just locked the steering wheel and turned off. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. the contact stated that the electrical components in her vehicle went haywire. the lights would flash on and off, the air conditioner failed intermittently, the heating unit was inoperable, and the doors would lock and unlock by themselves. in addition, the vehicle lost all power and would not start. the dealer attempted to make several repairs to correct the failures, but was unsuccessful. it was later discovered that the aftermarket alarm system was wired incorrectly and caused the electrical failures. the dealer refused to make repairs and advised the contact to call general motors to see if they would repair the vehicle. general motors allowed the dealer to make the repairs, but the necessary parts were unavailable. the vehicle is currently at the dealer. there were 82 miles on the vehicle at the time of purchase. the failure and current mileages were less than 472.

Going down highway go to adjust ac temp. and this loud tap tap tap tap starts sounding off in dash. scared me caused me to jump and almost lose control of car. took to chevrolet dealer they replaced blend door actuator. i have had this replaced five differ. times under warranty. 2015 81000 miles and it goes out again. i am now use to the sound and it does not scare me like before. i have talked to other impala owners and thye have the exact same problem. they said it scared them too when it first happened.