Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet impala. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v355000 (electrical system). The contact stated that the part needed to remedy the recall was unavailable. In addition, the contact disagreed with the remedy for the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experience a failure.
2009 Chevrolet Impala electrical complaints
Page 7 of 9: complaints 161 to 190 of 224, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I originally reported a problem with experiencing what the dealership referred to as a "fishbite". I was advised by the technician and a service bulletin that was presented to me to only use certain brands of fuel and with 2-3 fill-ups the problem should resolve itself. So I have only used the brands of fuel that gm recommended in the bulletin since that date. The problem has not been resolved and I believe this is a predecessor to a different problem as today I too have fallen victim to the wonderfully frightening experience of the dreaded service traction control and reduced engineer power service lights. Fortunately for me, my car did not immediately shut off and I was able to return home since I was only a few blocks away. However, given all of the other complaints, I am sure that this is not the last time I will be posting about this. We consumers are very concerned and disappointed, given all of the complaints, of no recall for the electrical problems with these cars.
About 2 weeks after replacing a bad battery I noticed that my radio (factory installed) wouldn't turn on. Upon further investigation I noticed that my turn signals don't make the ticking noise when they are blinking. Upon further investigation I noticed that nothing makes any sounds, lights on warning, low tire pressure, seatbelt not fastened, or anything else that would make a sound. I have no clue but everything else is fine, just no warning tones at all.
Air bag alarm light turned on and was alarming for more than one week, electrical connector issues were diagnosed by the dealership, dealership identified fretting failures. Chevrolet dealership acknowledged that my vehicle is a target for ignition switch update however they informed me that no resolution to the ignition switch for my vehicle would be honored for my car. Neither was there any further explanation for resolution nor was there any recommended safe resolution for me to execute.
I went to a store and when I came back out to leave it wouldn't shift out of park. So, to get it out of park I have to reach into the console from the passenger side to push the release button while it's in neutral with the emergency brake on. I have had to do this every time I use the car. It's a safety concern to be laying down in my passenger side--no matter where I'm at, to get my car into gear so I can get to work, etc. I see by other websites that this is a routine problem with this make and model of car. Apparently the wires are not made well enough to withstand a few thousand miles of use.
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.
My drivers side door lock I have to manually lock and unlock with key.. And now passenger side back seat where my 2 yrs old sets., the lock on her side sometimes doesn't lock and she can open the door.. Also when it does lock I hafta crawl thru front seat into back and pull the latch up to unlock door... Also I have to use a screwdriver to push in some solenoid on my shifter to get my car into gear.. It sucks big time!
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!!
Was driving down the interstate doing around 65 miles an hour in heavy traffic when the traction control light came on followed by reduced engine power at that point the car shut down . After getting the car pulled over to the side of the road it would not restart for about 5 minutes . This is not the only problem with the electrical , the door locks also seem to be malfunctioning . This is my wifes car and she has said this has happen to her in the past . I have also done some research on this on the web and have seen tons of issues with these problems . What is it goin to take for you to take action on this issue ?
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.
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.
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.
One day before I was to take a vacation from missouri to texas, my check engine light came on. My mechanic told me the code had something to do with a fuel canister, but it shouldn't pose a problem. As I was driving 75 MPH on the highway inside the texas state line, after 7 hours of driving, mostly in rain all day, the car started doing a jerking type action & then my traction control light came on, w/a warning msg saying, "service traction control; engine power reduced." going 75 MPH I lost all control! No lights, no A/C (which is a separate, loud, clicking issue I could address), no power steering, no power brakes! I had all I could do to just point my car to the side of the road & coast to a stop, in the middle of nowhere w/out a service station in sight! I tried 3x to restart the vehicle to no avail. As I sat there in bewilderment & fright of what just happened, I contemplated what to do. After about 5 minutes, I decided to try & start it 1 more time. This time, it started up. However, the check engine light & the service airbag light (again, another issue I've had with the vehicle since the day I purchased it) were still lit up but the traction control light & the warning messages had gone off. I continued to my destination & the following day (saturday) I took the vehicle to the local gm dealership where they proceeded to do a diagnostic test &, of course, "could not replicate the problem," therefore they could not "find anything wrong." they gladly depleted my vacation expenses of $100 & sent me on my way with a reassurance that "if it happens again while you're here, come back by & we will test it again but we won't charge you for it." how nice of them. :{ gm seems to enjoy doing that. And the federal safety agency doesn't seem to want to take the initiative to investigate this prevalent problem w/these cars. If something bad happens, I'll sue the pants off of them.
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.
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.
Climbing up alpowa grade on highway 12 in washington state, the check engine light came on, "engine power is reduced" came on in the odometer window. Approximately 35 miles later, beyond dodge junction and before starbuck turnoff, there was another message flashed in the odometer window, "ignition switch disabled. Service engine" the engine shut down, and the power steering became super sluggish. The car slowed down, and we were able to get stopped on the side of the road. At this point when we got the car running again, the cruise control would not work. When we reached walla walla, washington, we stopped at o'reilys auto parts, had one of the parts specialists come out and check what the code was on the computer, and found out it was the electronic throttle sensor that is defective. This is a pilot car escort vehicle, making the hazard even more dangerous, because had I been traveling with an oversized load, I could have been hit by the semi pulling the load, or I could have impacted the rear of the load, depending if I were following or leading. Also, had that happened while on a job, the load would have had to stop until another pilot car escort vehicle could arrive to continue with the load. This is a dangerous thing to have shut off when driving in areas that are not straight. Unable to control steering, brakes less than responsive, and possible hazards of vehicles oncoming or following us could become impact hazards. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
While driving, service traction control will come on along with the engine light, and they flicker on and off, and cause the car to jerk, the locks to relock, my fuel gauge to go out of place, and sometimes cause the car to turn off. I have taken my car to an actual chevrolet dealership, but they stated that there was nothing wrong with the car because they tried and no problems were diagnosed when they used the scan tool. I don't know what to do. Some people say that it may have something to do with my transmission; others say that it is something electrical; while others say that a wire is not connecting or is touching something. One dealer stated that this is happen in all 2007-2012 impala once they hit a certain miles.
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.
2009 impala, owned since 2011. Started to give us issues a year after purchase where we would get no crank, no start. Replaced battery thinking it was the issue. It worked for a couple of days and started over again. No crank, no start. Replaced starter with autozone brand and it worked fine a few days. It started to happen again, no crank, no start. Replaced starter with oem from gm. It worked for a couple of days and the issue started to happen again. No crank, no start. Replaced starter relay, pulled bcm and cleaned all contacts. After cleaning bcm contacts it seemed to of worked but a few weeks later it gave us the same problem. Changed ignition switch and continued to have the same no crank, no start issues. We just continued to live with it. The car cranks after 5 or 6 turns of the key and became apart of our daily life. Now the big issue is the car turned off on us while driving a few days ago. Let it sit 30 mins. And tried to crank but we were getting no crank no start. It eventually cranked and started but I'm worried because I have my grand kids with me often and fear if im on the highway I can get into a serious collision. Airbag light has came on since then and can't afford to go to the dealership to get the vehicle diagnosed. I've called gm and since the vehicle is no longer under warranty I would be responsible for everything. Have also checked the cables to make sure they are tight and free of corrosion. No oil drips on the starter. We give the car scheduled oil changes and take care of it very well.
I could not remove the key from the switch. I contacted my crain chevrolet dealership and the staff attempted to walk me though on how to remove the key from the switch, every attempt did not work.
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.
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?
In april 2013, the traction control and ABS warning light began coming on, in my 2009 impala, when making a left turn. The lights began to come on more frequently and would stay on for longer times. I took the car to the dealer but they could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. The problem has been an ongoing problem since I purchased this vehicle.the lights would stay on for a longer period of time. The problem has not been fixing by the dealer. But they keep charging me $100 per visit.
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.
Car turned off by its self while driving. Luckily had enough momentum to park it. When I stopped I placed the vehicle in park and the key was stuck in the ignition and the shifter would not move. I contact my chevy dealership and asked if this was a safety recall. It was not. I don't know why this is not a recall. Having your car stop while driving is incredibly dangerous. Considering that my powersteering and brakes went out on me. I came out of this without injury but I what if someone was going around a curve or driving in dangerous conditions. I really hope chevy takes responsibility for this and recall or in my case reimburse owners.
My key keep getting stuck in the ignition. After a couple of tries of wiggling it out, it came out. But when I'd gone home for then end of the day my key wouldn't come out at all ! I had to leave my key partially started because the key wouldn't come out. So my bad dies, alarm not working and not to mention I was 4mths pregnant and I kept driving around as I spoke with a gm rep and onstar rep hoping eventually the key will come out but it didn't.
I was driving my 2009 chevy impala traveling at about 45-50 MPH when the "reduce engine power" message came up followed by "check traction control". The car then became sluggish and slowed down to about 15-20 MPH. It then shut off without warning and it seems as though the power steering went out. I had my daughter in the car with me and thank god traffic was light because with that happening it was an accident waiting to happen. I am concerned because it seems like this has been a common problem with this car for a few years and there has not been a recall yet. Is gm waiting for someone to die. No one seems to be able to pinpoint what the problem is and I don't think it's fair that someone has to pay money to fix what may be a problem. Something needs to be done because this is not safe at all. I see a lot of impalas in my town and it's scary to think that at any time this can happen to any one of those cars, mine included, and seriously hurt or kill someone. Gm needs to step up and do the responsible thing for the people who invested their money in the gm brand.
Newly purchased car and child locked himself in car and when I tried to unlock car with key fob doors wouldn't unlock due to an issue that a lot of these cars are having with the actuator. I did a lot of research and found that there are tons of these cars having the same issue. I was able to quickly get the door unlocked with the key but then had to climb over the seat to get the back door unlocked... God forbid I had to rely on my key fob to save my life someday!
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.
Tried to lock doors with key fob and both rear doors and sometimes passenger side would not lock. Attempted to lock from inside vehicle and would still not lock or unlock.
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