10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 70,180 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
I have a 2009 Chevy Impala lt & was driving aproximately 50mph down the road when all of a sudden the "service traction control message came on, the check engine light came on & engine power will be reduced message came on". the cars speed dropped down to about 40mph & would hardly go. I didn't know what was going on. It really scared me because I thought my car was going to cut off. I did get to work safely but I am terrified to drive this car. I searched message boards on the internet & came across 297 messages from other people who own GM vehicles that this has happened to. A couple of people said their cars actually cut off on them while going down the highway at a high rate of speed. One was involved in an accident. The problem from what I have read has something to do with the accelerator pedal position sensor or throttle body. From what I have read GM knows about this problem but has not done a recall on this. A couple of people posted that their local Chevy dealership covered the repair even though their cars were no longer under warranty. I called my local Chevy dealership and they told me that they couldn't do anything about it. They said that I would have to pay for repairs myself. To me, this is unacceptable. I could have a wreck & get killed or kill someone else. I don't understand why a company would clearly know about a problem with their vehicles and do nothing about it. I think that GM should cover the repairs to my vehicle and to any others that are having this problem.
- East Bend, NC, USA
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.
- Bennington, NE, USA
While traveling on I-95 at about 75mph, the following message appeared on the dash, " repair traction control system... engine power is reducing". thankfully, I was approaching a rest area, so I safely coasted to a secure area. After escaping a potentially fatal accident, I researched this traction control message, only to discover innumerable customers had the same problem. This issue should be investigated since it is a universal problem, one that is endangering the lives of GM and other drivers on the highway.
- Hamptonc, SC, USA
I was driving on the interstate when I rec'd the following messages: Service traction control and reduced engine power. The engine light and the traction control lights also came on. I was able to go approx 50-55 mph. I was very lucky that I was near an exit. As I was exiting, a message came on telling me that the power was being turned off or stopped. I can't remember the exact words. I then had no ability to accelerate and my only option was to pull off the side of the road. Even though I was able to pull off the side, it was not in a safe place and traffic was going by at the speed of 55-60 mph and I was barely over the white line. I called a tow truck, and had it towed to my mechanic. This happened at 4:15 on a Friday afternoon. My mechanic didn't look at it until Monday and could not find anything wrong with it. He drove it all over and he checked everything he could think of. I trust this mechanic. He did say that he was afraid he would have to send me to the dealer to have it looked at. I came home, googled the problems and ended up at edmunds.com in a forum for Chevy owners with this issue. While no one was hurt this time, that is just a blessing. How many people will need to be hurt, maimed or even killed before they issue a recall and do something about a problem that is very obvious. How much money and time will I spend taking this to a dealer who doesn't know about the problem and won't diagnose it correctly the first time? America wants americans to buy american made products. I owned a foreign vehicle for 9 years and it never left me stranded the way this Chevrolet Impala did after owning it for 7 months! I think it is past time something was done. For those of us who have the problem now and for those who are out there just waiting for this to happen to them. Safety should come first!
- Farr West, UT, USA
I bought a 2009 Chevy Impala with 35K miles on and not even a month after I bought it I started having problems with the traction control on acceleration and sometimes on braking... I see with all the internet complaints that this is a wide spread problem that GM seems to be putting off.. I have contacted GM and they told me the same thing as every other complaint take to dealer and spend over $100 just to get it looked at and the dealers say the same 3 things as all other complaints it could be three things.. gas pedal sensor, brake pedal sensor, or the sensor on the hub assembly... hmmmmmmmmmmm GM help... ps after I got mad on phone GM agreed to pay a mere $90 of the bill which is gonna cost over $300 to fix....
- Owosso, MI, USA
- Cobb, GA, USA