10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
14 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
15 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,522 miles

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problem #55

Feb 272023

Impala

  • 102,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that upon open or closing the front driver-€™s side door, he heard an abnormal sound. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a howling sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a faulty door actuator. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

- Compton, CA, USA

problem #54

May 202021

Impala

  • miles
When I make a left or right turn the my car stops and struggles to accelerate. Meanwhile making a loud sound from underneath the front of the car. It sounds like something is getting ready to snap.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

problem #53

Jul 172020

Impala

  • 180,000 miles
I crashed heading down a hill.I crashed into a telephone pole after my car suddenly revved up, gained speed as I headed towards a telephone pole, with loss of power steering, brakes because my car quit after gaining speed due to the rpms amping up on their own and going down a hill. When I hit the pole, the telephone lines snapped and I was trapped in the car because they landed on my driver window and were shooting out sparks as if they were roman candles and a fire started on the right side of my car in some pine straw. When the firemen was able to get me out of the car he came to the passenger side and by then I had taken my seat belt off and the fireman advised me to get out of the passenger side if I was able and I told him that I was scared to let off the brake because I thought for some reason being out of my head that the car was going to roll if I let off the brake and he took his hand and slammed the car up in to park because I didn't even realize I had not put it in park. He said you can let your foot off the brake because it will not roll and I said I'm too scared.I asked..can I put the emergency brake on and he said yes and when I did it went straight to the floor. Then I continued to come out the passenger side and hop to the sidewalk with my feet together just in case anything was hot and to keep from getting electrocutied just in case something was still hot around us. When I was struck by the airbag the and the seat belt did its job I suppose but for some reason my neck was yanked so hard that it hurts so badd everyday when I didn't go to the hospital.I was unaware of any recalls when I purchased from a dealership on Jan 18 2020. The day before I crashed we were traveling uphill &I had a friend with me that helped grab the wheel until it stopped after it revved up & quit.I attempted to crank it 3xs with success. I was stunned as to why it did it.

- Rockmart, GA, USA

problem #52

Aug 102019

Impala

  • 140,000 miles
After I getting the transmission fully repaired after it went out of nowere anyway I was driving and the steering wheel locked up on me and the sins are started going crazy in the car and I am one payment away from owning the vehicle and the last few months starting the beginning of this year I've noticed one problem after another the seat belt in the passenger's front side does not want to lock also it's saying that it needs service and as far as I'm concerned I bought this car barely two years ago in 2017 I'm financing it on a lease once I finish this last payment it'll be a little over 7,000 that I paid for it I feel like the dealer got over on me because it's my first vehicle and I didn't know exactly what I was doing this wasn't the car that I wanted if anything they avoided selling me the car that I wanted and gave me this one everything seemed fine for awhile but slowly started to all break down the tires are starting to say traction control and ABS is on and never goes off the car shakes when I drive also the windows are starting to get stuck where they might want to roll up in might not I have already had to redo the transmission and I have already hacked you put a new head gasket and now I'm going to have to repair the axle and a motor mount and I don't know but this car is not safe the car dealership sold me a vehicle basically and scammed me because I did not know exactly what leasing a used car was about the car did lock up on me when I was driving I did not crash unfortunately but it pulled me to the side of the road and I had to pull to the left side of the road to avoid another car turning into me and crashing then I pushed as hard as I could and got home cuz it wasn't that far and I have my fiance check out the car. I don't want to give my car away nor do I want the money back I just want a car that is not going to cause death to me or my children.

- Modesto, CA, USA

problem #51

Mar 012019

Impala

  • 85,000 miles
The car started to state the airbag needed servicing. I looked up the issue online and saw the recall for my make and model. Recall number 273230. The NHTSA number is 16V507000. Separately, the steering wheel is incredibly stiff when starting the car, and while making turns. Need both arms to force the car to turn. There is no issue with power steering fluid. The steering loosens a small amount when applying pressure on the gas.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #50

Aug 242018

Impala

  • 131,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. While driving 70 mph, the traction control indicator illuminated and the message "losing engine power" appeared. Afterwards, the steering wheel seized and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact applied the emergency brake and the vehicle stopped. The contact stated that the vehicle was also included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V507000 (air bags). The vehicle was taken to yemm Chevrolet Buick GMC Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (2195 N henderson St, galesburg, il 61401, (309) 271-0106), but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 131,000.

- Gailsburg, IL, USA

problem #49

Aug 202018

Impala

  • 90,000 miles
Safety ignition recall #14299.....I received recall notice from GM 8-2014 '.I took car to dealer..in which they modified top plastic portion of key with new piece with eyelet smaller and told to keep key and transmitter by itself do not add any additional keys...my dilemma is now ignition switch itself is jamming up..locks up, ,it takes 3-4 tries to turn off...and it turning on locks up if you or on any kind of incline....bottom line this ignition switch itself was defective and quick fix was to modify top portion of key to take weight off. Well GM and dealer say recall was not for ignition switch itself persay but for key...and I will be responsible for repairs/cost to replace ignition switch.....

- Seaford, DE, USA

problem #48

Jun 292018

Impala

  • miles
General Motors has decided that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety, exists in certain 2009 ' 2010 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. The front passenger seat frame in these vehicles may rub against and damage the wires of the passenger presence sensor (pps) module, which could cause the pps system to fail to recognize that the passenger seat is occupied and improperly suppress the front passenger airbag. In addition, the cluster gauges and driver information center (dic) alerts may intermittently turn off or not function properly. In rare circumstances, the damage to the pps module could cause the airbag fuse to short, resulting in the loss of all airbags and seat belt pretensioners. General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in 2005-2009 model year (my) Buick lacrosse, 2006-2011 my Buick lucerne, 2000-2005 my Cadillac Deville, 2007-2011 my Cadillac dts, 2006-2014 my Chevrolet Impala and 2006-2007 my Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. If the key ring is carrying added weight and the vehicle goes off road or experiences some other jarring event, it may unintentionally move the key away from the "run" position.

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #47

Apr 272018

Impala

  • 75,030 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the ESC power steering warning indicator illuminated as the steering wheel became hard to maneuver. The contact stated that the failure was the same as described in NHTSA campaign number: 14V153000 (steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,030. The VIN was not available.

- Framingham, MA, USA

problem #46

Jan 052018

Impala

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. While turning into a parking lot at a low speed, the steering wheel seized. The contact was unsure if any warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a power steering pump malfunction. The contact stated that the power steering pump was replaced, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Frenchies Chevrolet (255 E orvis St, massena, NY 13662, (315) 764-1760) was contacted and stated that there were no open recalls. The manufacturer was notified and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

- Norfolk, NY, USA

problem #45

Aug 202017

Impala

  • miles
My sterring wheel on my 2009 Chevy Impala has recently started getting stuck once the engine hs been cut off and parked. Sometimes I don't have any problems turning the key and it cranks right on up while majority of the time I have to rock my steering wheel back and forth while turning the key. My tire and pressure light stays on even after I have brought new tires and a oil change. My actuator makes a clicking noise when I crank up my car and last about a minute or two then stops.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #44

Jul 022017

Impala

  • 17,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. While driving at a low speed, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver and locked up. As a result, the contact crashed into another vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle sustained injuries to the knees that required medical attention. The contact sustained an injury to the neck that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was moved to the side of the road and taken to an independent mechanic. The front driver's side bumper was repaired and repainted. The failure could not be replicated. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000.

- Wappingers Falls, NY, USA

problem #43

May 012016

Impala

  • miles
This problem started 2 years ago. My car would give me a warning "service traction control. Engine power reduced." Then the car would shut off. I took the car to a local mechanic where the fixed a sensor. That was around a year ago. I travel a lot for my job and today I arrived in portland Oregon had pulled off the interstate to get fuel, and once I pulled out to the extremely busy intersection my car did this again! I was stopped at a stop light and once it turned green boom car died due to traction control. So now I'm in the middle of a very busy road with traffic going around 45 mph almost rear ending me. I took the key out of the ignition for about 45 seconds and tred starting it which worked. Foolishly I thought I could at least make it to this parking lot right across the street when I went about 500 feet it did it again, in an even worse spot. I took the key out of the ignition again for 45 seconds started the car and got into the parking lot which was now 50 feet from me. I searched online for what could be causing this and that's where I found at least 50 other people having the same issue and trying to get GM to help. I will not be able to do my job if I can not get from place to place safely. This is a major safety issue that has the potential to kill people.

- Creston, IA, USA

problem #42

Jan 032016

Impala

  • 80,000 miles
I bought my 2009 Chevrolet Impala used in April 2015, and since then I have had the warning service traction control, followed by engine power reduced pop up about a dozen times, with varying lengths between incidents, but not until yesterday did the car respond in any way. Yesterday I was accelerating up an interstate entrance ramp when the service traction control message popped up, then engine power reduced, and I paid little attention until quickly after the second message I realized I had no power, I had the accelerator to the floor and the car wasn't responding, the engine had shut down. So I turned on my hazard flashers and tried to pull over to the berm, but had to fight the dead steering wheel to do so, the power steering had stopped working when the engine shut down. The car wouldn't immediately restart once I had come to a stop, but after letting it sit for a few minutes, it started and I had no further issues getting home. I have read about this problem with this model vehicle here on this website, but this is the first time the engine has shut down on me after the two warning messages, and I was very lucky that there was no traffic in the lane I was trying to merge into when it did happen.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #41

Mar 172012

Impala

  • 28,000 miles
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.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #40

Mar 172012

Impala

  • 28,000 miles
My vehicle's ignition switch shut off, which caused me to lose steering. When I crashed, the airbag failed to deploy. I was driving in a large parking lot and went over a speed bump. I was knocked out but the police report indicated there were no signs of braking or steering. I took my Impala to the GM dealership over 12 times.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #39

Mar 172012

Impala

  • 15,000 miles
Vehicle shutoff and I lost steering and braking causing vehicle to crash and airbags did not deploy. The vehicle was in motion.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #38

Aug 182015

Impala

  • 75,000 miles
My wife and I were driving down the interstate at approximately 65 mph. A light on the dash came on saying engine power reduced. At that point my vehicle slowed down to nearly 20 mph while I was still on the interstate in moderate traffic. I pulled off to the side of the road and turned my vehicle off to try to investigate the problem. At that point my vehicle would not start for about 10 minutes. After getting my vehicle to start I immediately drove it home. This issue could have caused a very serious accident that would have injured my wife and I, but more importantly our 7 year old daughter riding in the back seat along with any one else involved. I have been on many different forums trying to figure out the cause of the problem, and it seems there are many people with this exact problem on their Chevrolet Impala.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #37

Mar 172012

Impala

  • 34,500 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. While driving at 60 mph, the steering failed and the contact heard a clicking noise. The brakes also failed and the contact crashed the vehicle into a guardrail and a tree. The contact's tongue was severed and he suffered injuries to the brain, neck, and back. The contact was transported by ambulance to the hospital. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 34,500.

- Pittsburg, PA, USA

problem #36

Jun 212015

Impala

  • 67,000 miles
I was deriving down a steep grade on the gatlinburg bypass toward pigeon forge, tn in second gear for engine breaking. I first noticed the car getting warmer and I checked the dual climate control by feel to make sure my rider had not increased the temperature. Then I noticed the steering was harder on slight curves; then I noticed the tachometer going to zero and sone other gauges decreasing; then I had to slow for a charper curve where I had no power brake assist and no powering steering assist. I managed to bring the vehicle to a safe stop where I tried to restart the engine. The vehicle restarted after a short cranking but acted if it was starving for fuel. Once restarted the vehicle ran satisfactory, if I had been a weak person or had panicked this incident would probably have resulted in a crash. The ignition switch recall had recently been accomplished. The fuel level was 1/2 tank. As an electrical engineer this appeared to be an electrical problem where the engine power was cut off shutting down the fuel pump, instrument cluster, ignition, and electric steering assist.

- Richmond, VA, USA

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