While driving at about 20-25 MPH, I noticed a internal fire coming from the fuse box on the passenger side of the car
2008 Chevrolet Impala electrical complaints
Page 3 of 9: complaints 41 to 70 of 221, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I got a jump after the engine light came on. Took it to get ichecked they say its my ECM. What is that and is it related to that electrical recall. I was in park
While driving my car my car stalled as if it was in neutral. I stopped and tried to put the car in park, but nothing happened. I tried reverse and the car wouldn't move. It crakes up but there are no shifting of gears. I had to replace my gas tank as well as my pedals for this car. Please help.
The air conditioning actuators goes bad to a point where a knocking noise will start to come from inside the dashboard. This eventually will kill the electrical system and cause the car to cut off completely, even while driving.
This vehicle has been recalled due to air bags, and in a year no one has been able to get the repairs done to the vehicle. But furthermore the car has several other mechanical issues that I am showing as a trend with impalas being that my sister and cousin have one also in different years, the car makes a ticking noise when the air or heat is turned on the passenger side delivers opposite temp as the driver so if air is on the passenger will deliver heat and vice versa. If the car goes over a speed bump the engine reduces power and service stabilitrak appears across the lighting as well as the car dropping out of gear if I go over any bump. This is very dangerous especially being that my children and I were in this car and it decided to do this on the interstate at night in 70 MPH traffic. After doing research on the vehicle I am showing that I am not the only person with all of these problems listed, and it bothers me that none of these issues have been recalled just as the air bags were even though I think the recall, is just to save face because no one is actually doing the work to get them fixed. At first I thought these things were just mechanical problems with age of car but after research these are issues that are in cars made in this time frame and warrants a recall for the safety of consumers.
Heater fails to deliver any air to driver side and only minimal amount of air to rider side when cab heater is in floor distribution mode or dual mode. Dealer advises this is by design and there is no problem. This is a ridiculous explanation and is a problem. Car has approximately 55,000 miles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that the heating system failed to emit hot air. The contact mentioned that they were concerned due to the failure occurring during cold weather conditions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000. Updated 04/08/16*lj updated 04/12/16.
Issue occurred twice so far. Service traction control error message appeared followed by reduced engine power. 1st time this occurred the car came to a complete stop and would not run. Was on a small side street and only doing about 15 MPH. I let the car sit after calling for a ride. Car restarted and drove to dealer 2 miles away. 2nd time same set of error messages, car was doing 70 on the highway at the time and dropped to below 50 MPH. Drove to dealer. Both times, repair was identified as being a defective acclerator pedal position sensor. 2nd time vehicle had 92149 miles on it. Do not have the record for the mileage for the 1st time but it was about 1 year prior with estimated mileage of 77000.
Door locks will not lock or unlock. Door locks have quit working one by one. Front driver door only door with key lockable unlockable feature. Therefore, doors can only be unlocked by unlocking driver door and crawling into car and manually unlocking all other doors. I have owned no other car that had this feature where out in less than seven years. This is a safety hazard not being able to unlock/lock doors. The locks don't work whether car stationary or in motion.
Reduced engine power message, faulty back door locks, heating actuator repairs. This is a revised complaint to one I also made for just the reduced engine power message. After reading numerous complaints on here I have found that my car has several of the issues not just reduced engine power. I am most concerned with the car cutting out while driving due to the reduced engine power however we also have locks that don't open/lock with remote which has been going on for the last 3 years and since last winter heater only blows cold air until you accelerate the car. This month we had car repaired for a knocking noise coming from under glove box while car was running or shut off. Mechanic diagnosed as a new actuator and did repair. This however did not repair the blowing of cold air and also this is when the reduced engine power warning started. I am a former gmac employee and have had gm vehicles for the last 15 years. I am so disappointed that there are so many problems with this make/model and that gm has not issued a recall on these.
Reduced engine power message. This message came up after have car at mechanics for a repair on actuator. We took back to mechanic and he cleared message however message has appeared after a week of driving car less than 10 miles per day. Mechanic said possible fix resulting in another $300 repair. The message came up while doing local driving around town less than 5 miles before it will appear
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. While the vehicle was parked, all the doors failed to unlock electronically. As a result, the contact had to manually unlock the doors. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. While attempting to start and move the vehicle, it would not shift out of park. The contact stated that the failure occurred on a previous occasion. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence where an interim repair was performed in order to drive the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the wiring harness was inoperable and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact heard a loud clicking noise coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that the key fob was not able to be removed from the ignition and the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it could not be diagnosed. Prior to the failure, the vehicle was remedied under the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v355000 (electrical system); however, the failure recurred twelve times after the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 85,733.
I bought the car in 2009 and it had given me problems since I bought it. A week after I bought the car, the gas sensors went bad, the door handle came off and the locks wouldn't work. That was a $1000 bill. The tire sensors went bad and now the locks are going bad again. Ever since then, the blend door actuator, which regulates the heat or recirculating air has consistently gone bad. I have replaced it three times so far and two of the actuators have gone bad again. It makes a loud knocking sound under the dash whether the car is running or not. It also happens when I'm driving. I have called chevy so many times, I remembered the script they read to you. They never helped. It is a $200 repair bill every time it is repaired. I tried to let it burn itself out and it lasted over a year. I was told by a mechanic that it is a problem on 2004-2008 impalas but they never recalled it. It also causes the air to blow cold in the winter. Why wasn't a recall done on these vehicles.
Vehicle stuck in park unable to shift from the parked position. Parked in front of my house went to go pick daughter up from school and couldn't shift gears.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that there was a random failure with the service stability link and service stability traction control. In addition, the service engine warning light illuminated frequently followed by a drastic reduction in speed without warning. The contact had to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road each time the failure recurred, turn off the vehicle to reset the computer, and restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop who was not able to replicate and diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and was to be taken to a dealer for inspection and diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.
My key is stuck in the ignition. I am forced to disconnect battery & hope that nobody goes looking through my car or attempts to steal it. My second complaint is knocking sound coming from my HVAC. It will happen wether car is in or off.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that all door locks failed to lock and unlock electronically and manually. In addition, the contact stated that the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning light illuminated. The service tire monitor system was displayed across the message board. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the all four locks and the TPMS sensor needed to be replaced. The tpsm was replaced on multiple occasions. However, the failure recurred. The locks were not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. While attempting to turn the vehicle off, the key remained in the on position. In addition, the contact was able to remove the key while in the on position and the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v355000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was 85,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that all four door locks malfunctioned and prevented the doors from locking. Also, the contact mentioned that the rear doors failed to unlock intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that all four door actuators were defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 103,358.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that the door locks malfunctioned. The contact stated that in order to open and close the vehicle they had to manually open the locks through the windows or adjust the seat to manually open the door. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician confirmed that the locks were defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 105,000. Ma 09/25 the consumer stated she was locked inside of the vehicle. Updated 01/28/16
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v355000 (electrical system); however, the dealer refused to service the vehicle under the recall because the contact did not have the two ignition keys available. The contact stated that he received only one key when the vehicle was purchased. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Door locks won't unlock. They will lock most of the time when put in gear. They won't unlock except manually. We have grand children in back seat at times. If we got into an accident you can't open rear doors and you can't reach lock lever to release. Car has about 65000 miles on it and locks started acting up around 40000 miles. Now they are all defective. One was replaced under warranty around 30000 miles. Car has been kept in garage since new, I think this should be a safety recall.
This is the third time since I bought this car (new) that the wiring on the shift lock has failed. The problem is well reported on the web for 2007 and 2008 impalas. The car has been towed each time and wires fixed . The cost has been running #300.00 to $150.00 and the fix last about two years,I have googled the problem and found many others suffering the same problem,yet your recall log shows nothing.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The dealer stated that the ECM computer failed. The vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v35500 (electrical system); however, the ECM was not covered under the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure; however, the contact was not offered a remedy for the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet impala. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle did not restart. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 77,120.
The left rear door started to stay locked when put in park and the remote would not open it. Now all four doors are doing it. One might unlock or two but it's never the same doors. Now they are popping halfway up and unlocking when you put it in drive. A severe safety issue especially when kids are in my car.
I recently had a vent actuator fail; the sign was a loud clicking noise coming from the failed vent actuator located behind the glove box. According to the information that I have been able to gather, there are 4 vent actuators located behind the dash of the vehicle. These vent actuators seem to fail on a regular basis from complaints that I have been able to review on the internet. These are $25 parts, however the labor costs are ridiculous; $300-400 per vent actuator. If these vent actuators fail at random times, that is at a cost of up to $425 for each visit to the dealer, and there is no guarantee that they won't fail once again. Chevrolet is fully aware of the problem, according to their own web site. However, they continue to charge the owner of the vehicle these outrageous fees. I am seeking assistance in having chevrolet replace all the vent actuators with a quality product; nothing like cheap chinese plastic. In addition, they need to quit passing the labor costs onto the owner for a problem that they refuse to address.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2008 Chevrolet Impala?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history