For a few years I've had problems with the accelerator pedal. The first time was roughly two years ago when the car completely locked up and shut down on the highway just before rush hour. I received an error code to check traction control and that the engine power is being reduced. The car then looses speed dropping drastically. The first time I was in the fast lane on the highway and the vehicles computer system shut down. The steering wheel locked making it very difficult to veer off to the side of the high way. Luckily no other vehicles were directly behind me, and I was able to get the car to the side of the highway accident free. I've never been so afraid and terrified in my life. I fear this issue will cause fatalities that can be prevented. I had the car serviced at a chevrolet dealership in ann arbor mi which was an expensive fix! Since I've had the accelerator pedal replaced, the vehicle has shut off two other times followed by the same warning message to service traction control and engine power being reduced. I've written in to gm and they continue to request that I pay a diagnostic fee at a dealership for them to address the cause. I cant continue to pay $200-$300 for this fix when it is a manufacturers issue. This recall has been done on other chevrolet models and I am praying for a recall on the 2009 impala. This is a major safety issue to my family and the drivers who are around me. The issue is still present and is a major concern. The vehicle speed cant exceed 40mph at times, or will instantly drop at unexpected moments. Please investigate this issue.
2009 Chevrolet Impala acceleration complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 130, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Was driving along at 55mph and the service traction system light came on followed by the reduced engine power light. Then the car just completly died. I was able to get to right shoulder and park it. I have done some research and seems that there have been several other folks with the same issue. I can't believe that this car would just shut down and have no control. I had the entire family in the car and was thankful that this didn't cause an accident. I am looking for answers and plan on taking it to the chevy dealership I purchased the car from today or tomorrow.
While driving, there is a sudden loss of power. Engine and traction control lights come on. Dry pavement with nothing on surface to lose traction. Have to coast to side of road to avoid being struck by other vehicles.
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 impalas.
2009 chevrolet impala. Consumer writes in regards to accelerator pedal position sensor issues. *smd the consumer did not agree with chevrolet when they stated to let the failure occur first, then they will fix it.
My 2009 chevy impala had experience intermittent message "service traction control" along with "reduced engine speed" since august of 2012. It happened maybe 1-2 times per year for the last few years. The message would clear itself after the car was turned off and sat for a few minutes. On july 24th, my car experience these same messages once again. However, the message came and went multiple times and all speeds in town and on the highway. The message finally stayed and did not go away on july 25th. I scheduled service at the local dealer on thursday, july 30. They changed the accelerator pedal and thought it was an issue that gm issued a special condition on in april 2015. On the way home from the shop, the message appeared again. Thus, the car was again serviced at the local dealership on friday, july 31. By august 1, the "service traction control" light blinked on and then went off quickly. It did the same thing one time on august 2nd. Today, august 3rd, the light went off three times in a short drive and is once again stuck on. I'm very worried that the reduced engine speed will return when I am on a highway. This is a known issue by gm or they wouldn't have issued a special condition. They only will fix this up to 120,000 miles. If my engine turns off while moving at 70mph on highway, this will be huge safety concern. I'm waiting on the dealer to call me back to once again return my car for repair. [xxx] [xxx] clinton, mo 64735 [xxx] [xxxxxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly lose power and would not accelerate. The contact indicated that when the failure occurred, the traction control and reduce power sensor lights illuminated. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000. Updated 01/25/16.
Traction control light on , car lose power and has trouble stopping when brakes are deployed.
Driving on interstate vehicle suddenly lost all power and would not accelerate & quickly decelerated with any prior warning. 18 wheeler almost rear ended me. Instrument panel displayed, engine power reduced,service traction control, service stabilitrak, and check engine light. Finally exited interstate safely and shut down engine thinking it was going to blow up and after 2-3 tries to restart messages disappeared and vehicle seemed to be ok. Took vehicle to mechanic & found codes evidencing the loss of communication between the tac and or the app units causing vehicle to go into limp mode but could not get the condition to reoccur. Mechanic had to remove codes to permit to duplicate problem, could not duplicate and told me to wait until recurred. While looking for repair shop was scared it would happen again received letter from gm stating if the above condition had occurred they would fix. Called gm dealer mentioned letter they refused to repair unless the messages were present on panel, refused to look at the vehicle. Called gm customer service referencing letter, explained gm dealer refused to repair. Was told by angela issue was safety related problem but gm would not admit to safety issue. Gm agreed to pay for one hour of diagnostic time to determine if vehicle qualified for repair, dealer was unable to duplicate problem, refused to repair. Called gm and was told no repair would be made even though the problem had occurred as stated in the letter and to wait until situation occurred again then not to start engine and tow to gm dealer. Was told gm would not pay for tow or inconvenience and if they could see codes they might repair problem. This is definitely a safety issue since when this occurs the vehicle loses all power and basically shuts down and will not accelerate beyond 5 MPH if at all. [xxx] [xxx] [xxx]@gmail.com information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'
Reduced engine power, car cuts off while driving. Chevy is aware of defect and refuses to recall
I was driving on the highway and all of the sudden check engine light and traction control light come on. Warnings service traction control and reduced engine power are displayed and all but shuts my car off in the middle of the highway causing cars to slam on their brakes and swerve barely missing me. I get over to the side of the road and turn the car off. Then turn the car back on same messages and won't go no where. Do the same thing again only waiting longer and no messages but check engine light still on. I drive home. Next day no warnings or lights. Couple weeks go by does the whole warnings and lights and slows car down again but doesn't completely shut it down. I was in regular street traffic this time about 35mph. And now it's more frequent sometimes a couple times a day to once every day or two. This needs to be looked at. I'm reading about this problem on a lot of impalas causing major problems and wrecks.
Car struggles then kicks into gear. Got warning about traction control failing then the car says 'engine power reduced' and speed cuts in half.
The traction control, stability track and ABS lights all came on. The engine power reduced light came on and engine power was lower. I had the left speed sensor replaced and the accelerator sensor replace on august 8th after the dealership had fixed this problem in april and again in june. I was told they changed sensors then also, but I am not sure of which ones at that time. I am now having the same problem for the forth time. Replacing the sensors every few months is getting expensive. Also not very safe. I contacted gm and the woman told me to take it back to the dealership to be fixed again. I have fixed the same issue three times already. They were of no help at all.
While on my way home from work on a major highway, message lit up saying engine power is reduced, service traction control, then said starting disabled and the engine shut off mid highway with no time to react. I was almost hit by several cars, tractor trailer, and buses. I had no power steering, nothing. I have 5 children who are often in the car with me and this created a mess of traffic and could have killed people. After being scared out of my mind and stuck half in a highway lane for 5 min with traffic swerving, the car started back up with no issues and I continued home. No sign of anything today, however I am reading thousands of complaints online from other chevy impala owners who state they are experiencing the same issues and it comes and goes and have tried everything to fix it and it still happens every so often sometimes more than others. Someone is going to lose a life.
While driving onto a highway when I reach 56 miles per hour my vehicle lost power and slow down the brakes locked and the electrical system went haywire. The locks started locking and unlocking while the vehicle was in motion. The lights started flickering on and off and the car started shaking rapidly and the brakes locked up. Once I started the vehicle back up and the ignition switch seemed to be stuck and the air bag light displayed on the dashboard. When I turn off the vehicle and try to remove the key the key will not come out so I have to put it into neutral and back into park a few times before it will release the key. Since this has occurred I hear a knocking sound in my glove box when the door is open and closed and sometime hours after ill hear the noise and the electric will flicker.
While driving on the highway at approximately 70 MPH the car began to lose acceleration and dropped all the way down to 40 MPH. The check engine light, service traction control, service stabilitrak, and reduced engine power message displayed as well. The car began shaking and would not accelerate. I had to pull off to the side of the highway and turn the car off to try and get the issue to subside. Once back on the road, not more than 3 miles later the issue surfaced again. I ended up having to get off the highway and drive (very slowly) back to my house. Not sure if it will be safe to drive back to the dealership to be addressed. I have replaced the wheel hubs and throttle pedal sensor in the past few years in an attempt to correct. This was an intermittent issue until recently and even after having it fixed by a certified chevrolet dealership, the issue occurred again. This most recent incident could have ended in serious injury had I not been lucky enough to not have any cars immediately around me. With the amount of consistent complaints about this particular issue with this particular model of car I hope it can be addressed.
While driving about 35 MPH, my car instantly reduced speed and the traction control and powered reduced to engine light displayed. My car reduced speed to about 10 MPH and I couldn't accelerate anymore. I began coasting. I drove directly to the dealership and was charged $400 to "fix" the problem.
This is the 3rd time: while driving, speed reduces dramatically, service engine indicator comes on followed by warnings: "engine power reduced" and "service traction control". My research on the issue to find out how to fix, shows many people having the exact same problem that isn't getting resolved by gm. Engine power reduction to such a dramatic speed can be extremely dangerous for not only the operator of the affected vehicle, but also anyone else on the road near the driver.
On my display I have seen daily (service traction action) and (engine power reduced) along with (service airbag) for more than a year, did not service due to cost and it is not my fault! My car usually slows down once the engine power reduced displays causing the car to jerk due to me trying to give it more gas so as not to be hit from the back. As my grandchildren and I were headed home on the freeway my car decided to just shut off. On the display it read first.. Service traction action and then starting disabled service throttle. My car immediately lost power and I began to pray hoping I would not get hit from the back with my grandchildren sitting in the back. Once I pulled over my car would not start I sat for about a minute and tried to start again and it started. Just today 01/12/2015, with my grandchildren in the back of my car again my car decided to loose power again but this time it did something very different, it would not allow me to first reverse and then it allowed me to but soon after I could not go forward. The gas peddle acted as though the car was completely turned off but the car was running. When I attempted to press the gas peddle I pressed it all the way down to the floor, nothing happened. I ended up calling a towing service and after telling them what happened I was told my issues stemmed from a electrical system issue that chevy had recalled. This does not make any sense for so many of us to go through the same issues but nothing be done about these issues. Something needs to be done quickly!!
When im driving on the freeway or driving 35 MPH the car gets on a limp mode and shows a "power engine reduce: and traction control and sometimes turns off on me while driving I already replace the (tps) and the throttle body because that's what the car computer was telling me and I already took the car to a different mechanics and they tell me nothing is wring with it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that while at a stop light with the brakes applied, several warning lights illuminated including the engine power reduction and traction control lights. The contact indicated that the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and traveled into a busy intersection, crashing into a second vehicle. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the reduce power and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the accelerator position sensor failed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
This incident has happened several times leading up to the check engine light remaining on. As I would be driving down the road at approximately 45 MPH. The vehicle would suddenly start to jerk to accelerate and decelerate without me wanting to change speeds. Several of these incidents have been while I was driving in traffic. Then the message "reduced engine power" and "service traction control" would appear on the dash and the traction control light and check engine light would come on and stay on. This would also cause the car to reduce its speed and cause significant acceleration problems. I replaced the accelerator position sensor as indicated by a code look up and haven't had anymore problems with the car as of october 25, 2014.
My engine power reduced light came on alone with the traction light.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the traction control warning light illuminated and the engine stalled. The contact managed to merge over to the emergency lane. After multiple attempts the vehicle restarted and was taken to a dealer for a diagnosis of the failure. The technician diagnosed that the throttle and accelerator pedal needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure and the approximate mileage was 10,600. Updated 11/21/14*cn updated 5/7/2015
Was driving when the traction control light came on and message came across saying service traction control: then check engine light started flashing rapidly at the same time. Follow by a very loud knocking noise from the engine. Then speed would not accelerate. Turned on flashers and coasted into parking lot. Vehicle had troubles restarting and would not move. Steering wheel was hard to turn. Tries to die while idling after you get it to start. Did diagnostics and code p0300 random misfire detection power train unable to establish a link to the vehicle. Fuel system 2 is ol, lift at 0%, spark plug 13.5, fuel level low 38.8, ecu 14.417, low acceleration. Contacted local chevy dealership and was told it will cost $35 to tow it to their shop and about $85 just to run a diagnostic on their machine. If it is a lifter the cost will be over $700 to get fixed. I purchased this automobile in august 2013 and have just had it a year. So now I have a car payment on a car that doesn't run. I bought it at wk motors in sedalia, mo. This is the second time this car has had issues and without a warranty the dealership wont do anything!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the traction control and engine reduce power warning indicators illuminated. Also, the vehicle's speed suddenly decelerated to 45 MPH and the air bag sensor and tire monitoring system indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose the cause of the failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 2,000. Updated 10/22/2014*lj updated 4/1/2015
Traction control light comes on. Power is reduced. Car runs and drives well. Driving on interstate the light comes on and cuts power. I had to coast to a stop on the side of the highway. We waited 5 minutes and the car started. The light went off for a day and then came back on. I hear of people replacing parts and the problem not being fixed. I can't afford to do that.
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.
During normal conditions warning lights flash "service traction control" along with ABS light. There is a grinding noise in the front left side wheel. Also seat belts light flash. Already replaced accelerator pedal sensor.
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