After being stopped and then accelerating, the transmission is sticking and then will kick in very hard, like you are being hit in the rear-end. It does not do it all the time, has been doing it for a while off and on, and it is now starting to do this more often. I have seen the same complaint from many other impala owners.
2011 Chevrolet Impala transmission complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 64, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that the transmission failed. When the contact entered an intersection, the vehicle stalled without warning. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The contact was able to coast the vehicle onto the road shoulder. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the planetary gear failed. The mechanic rebuilt the transmission and repaired the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle's warranty was expired. The contact also stated that the low beam headlights failed to illuminate on july 12, 2019. The headlights were not replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 41,908.
Hot and cold the transaxle is slipping and then grabbing on acceration with hard shifting.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet impala. While the vehicle was in operation, the engine stalled and the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was taken to reedman toll chevrolet of springfield (840 baltimore pike, springfield, pa 19064, 484‑472‑6290) where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000. *tt consumer stated te gas pedal is no longer working.
After turning and backing out of a store parking lot, I put my car back into drive. About five or ten feet later my final drive shattered and my vehicle became completely immobile. I was unable to move my vehicle out of the way of traffic. I am very fortunate that this issue did not occur while I was driving on the highway or a crowded street. For my transmission to have catastrophic failure at a meager 76,000 miles is absolutely absurd. Transmission was cared for according to manufacturer's recommendations.
Service stabilitrak service traction control ABS
Anytime I go to accelerate after coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, red light, or etc the car hesitates and then jerks forward. The car hesitates and loses power. While driving down a busy city road the car turned off. I had to try and steer the vehicle to the side of the road. The steering wheel would barely turn.
My transmission bangs into gear from starting in drive from a stop . Not all the time but still happens .
4t65e transmission. I stop at a stop sign and go take off and my car won't move forward. I could get almost home in second gear and then nothing at all would work to move the car forward. I had reverse and still do but I cannot move forward in any gear. Code p1811. I had it looked at and when the transmission was open there was a piece of metal that was just lying there about an inch long. He said it was a missing apply lug that broke off one of the apply bands and that I would have to replace the transmission or have a complete rebuild. I just think a transmission should last more than 7 years. And I read this is common for that transmission but it happens more in 2000-2002 models.....but I guess it happens with the newer ones also.
When proceeding from a stop the car doesnt want to go then all of s sudden it takes off jerking my head backwards.a transmission company diagnosed it as a seal in the transmission. It seems to go back as far as 2004. Im almost afraid to drive the car not wanting to lurch into a car in front of me. A simple replacement of said seal with a larger one would fix the problem. It shouldn't happen at 95000 miles
June 8 2013: when driving, noticed on the freeway, it wasn't smooth at times. The transmission's shifting was pretty rough. No indication of any issues popped up on dashboard. When arriving at freeway ramp, it felt like I was hydroplaning, but on gravel. Then, noticed when pressing the accelerator, was not going anywhere, but felt like I was in neutral. Was able to pull in and take a look... Transmission fluid was fine... Nothing popped up on the dashboard. Nothing! The indicators for tires, oil, etc were showing info, but nothing to indicate it had died!! Dropped it off at the dealership - had just bought it in july 2012. 11 months later, this?!?!? They are saying they have never seen it this bad, even when compared to other ollllllder cars, this was the worst. They have to replace the entire transmission. They called in the gm people to take a look at it.their auto trans concern: customer states towed in transmission will not move at time of write up reverse and forward working input and reaction carrier excessive clearance metal in torque converter., valve body, burnt clutches call tac case #71-1194752825 prive comp advised to replace trans due to cost with srta. Ord serial #619asbwjr6j prelacw tih srta flush code 693ffee5 they replaced it under warranty... Total cost was $4400 aug. 29, 2017. The replaced transmission failed. We were on the freeway, just got off, while in motion, there was some really rough vibration. Could not go any faster than 25 MPH. No light indications on the dashboard. It tells me if flat tire, blinker is on, the temperature outside, etc etc, but nothing wrong with the transmission. I'm not sure if it's related, but we smelled vinegar every time we started the car for about 4 days straight. We noticed that when accelerating, it's okay, but when letting off the gas on the freeway, it "shudders."
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet impala. The contact stated that he had reversed the vehicle and then shifted into the drive position and when he depressed the accelerator pedal, he heard an abnormal noise and the vehicle failed to drive forward. In addition, the contact stated that the wheels had seized. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic where he diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also contacted his local dealer ( platinum chevrolet: 3001 corby ave, santa rosa, ca, 95407) where he inquired to provide him with a diagnosis. The vehicle was not serviced due to the diagnostic fee. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure under case number: 83215496968, and stated that someone would contact him back. The failure mileage was 75,500.
The transmission will frequently fail to engage when starting from a full or partial stop. Turning left across traffic is extremely dangerous, as you never know when the transmission will fail to engage. This has been a ongoing problem with this vehicle since the car had 38000 miles on it. This is our third impala that has had this problem. The first impala that had this problem, the chevrolet dealer could not diagnose. The transmission pressure solenoid was replaced by a local transmission shop. This fixed the problem for that car. We also have a 2008 impala that has the same problem. Three impalas, the same transmission problem in all three. The part needs to be recalled. We have delayed having the part repaired because it is quite costly and we had hoped that chevrolet would do the right thing and recall the part on their own.
Check driver side air bag light. Dealer inspection resulted in "bad sensor". Wanted $400. To replace. Current issue: away from home. Car started but engine very rough. Check engine light, message "loss of power", check stabil-track". Car would shift into drive after revving up to 3k RPM. Max speed attainable 55 MPH. Made it home. Now unable to start car. (new battery) others with similar problems had to replace/clean throttle control sensor?? Some were at higher speed when the loss of power occurred. No start is another issue?
My daughter was driving this vehicle home from a trip and stopped at a store. When she returned to the vehicle it would not move. We had to have the vehicle towed and had to replace the transmission and replace the steering gear on this vehicle. The vehicle only has 55,500 miles on it. I don't feel this is a repair that should have been necessary with this few miles. We are the original owners on the vehicle and took possession from the dealership on 2/2/11. I do have the repair bills. Work was performed on 6/9/17.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet impala. When the vehicle was shifted into reverse, there was an abnormal noise underneath the vehicle. The vehicle stalled and was unable to be restarted. The contact stated that the transmission exploded while the vehicle was on the roadway. The contact was able to safely push the vehicle out of the way of oncoming traffic. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 36,700.
In the middle of traffic my 2011 impala stop accelerating. The engine was still running and RPM was reacting but no acceleration. I couldn't even pull to the side of the interstate because of no acceleration. I've seen online thousands of people have had this exact problem with their impala. I was nearly rear ended and this is a very dangerous safety issue.
I had driven approx. 8 miles on an expressway....when I exited the expressway the car slowed down and would not exceed 10 MPH. Thankfully, I was able to coast into a parking lot. It would not go forward or in reverse from then on. When I checked the transmission fluid it was dark and had sedaments in it. My vehicle has only 86000 miles. I always have the oil changed at the dealer where I bought the car. Evidently, they didn't check all the fluids like they promised.
Transmission replaced due to torque converter failure. 77000 miles on my 2011 impala. This vehicle is not driven hard. Driving at about 40 MPH- the vehicle slipped out of gear. Very scary for this to happen. Traffic was very light. I was fearful because the street I was on was only one lane in each direction, and not much of a shoulder. I felt very lucky I was not on the freeway. This I believe could have been very dangerous. I was able to drive the car at a very slow speed to a dealership that was less than a mile away. Sad part I was over 300 miles from home. Torque converter failure caused heavy metal debris in the transmission leaving me with a bill totaling $3368.52. (plus other expenses due to my distance from home.)
Pulling into the driveway at about 10 miles an hour the transmission died, causing the car to come to a dead stop: the transmission has to be replaced now, husband hit his head off steering wheel, if we were on a highway doing 60miles per hour we could have been killed. The car is now at tom hesser dealership who said they will pay half of the 4k to fix it, the car has 60400 some miles on it, just turned 5 yrs old. I do not think this car is safe if the transmission will just die at any moment without warning.. It does not have over 100k miles on it nor does it have 61k miles. This car make and model has been recalled for everything but the trany and engine so far, the car is not safe period..the dealership who is doing repairs is not the dealership it was purchased from, , but it is a chevy dealership. And they are willing to pay half for repairs, I think gmc should pay the entire cost for the repairs.
My car just reached 79,000 miles and I was driving when my car cut off in the middle of traffic! This happened twice in the same drive. It immediately started back up but then the check engine light came on along with a stabilitrak error message. Then a message saying engine power is reduced. Now the car's engine is making a terrible noise and is having problems accelerating without making a loud sound like air trying to blow through a pinhole. The chevy service department I took it to wants almost $700 just to take it apart to see what it wrong with it, which doesn't include the possible amount for repair. And they did not look at any of the technical service bulletins like requested! Now they are saying my car is not able to be driven at all. I went online and started to research these issues and found that there has been a lot of complaints about these exact issues most even the same year. There is no reason that a car with 79000 miles should have engine problems. I owned a 2003 impala prior to this one and had almost 125000 miles before I purchased this 2011. There are way too many complaints going on with this car for it not to be recalled.
Driving down the highway the car shook and jerked then the engine power reduced, service stabilitrack, and service traction control showed up on my dashboard. The check engine light came on and so did the traction light and they stayed on. The RPM meter is averaging between 3 and 4 when it usually averages between 1 and 2. Also, the speed has been reduced.
Service traction control and check engine lights came on this morning. Then a message saying my engine power is reducing. I just bought this car 3 weeks ago. I called gm customer service and they told me there was nothing they could do, even though there was a recall regarding this because it was over the 120000 mile warranty (but I just bought this car 3 weeks ago!!!)
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet impala. While driving 65 MPH, the engine stalled and the engine stability power reduction warning light illuminated. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the accelerator pedal and re-learned idle failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Also, while driving at various speeds, the gear shift became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission was failing and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 44,815. Updated 01/12/16*lj *cn
When your at a complete stop vehicle gives a hard jerk like someone has rear ended you. All of the impala's have a failed transmission pressure control solenoid which can cause accidents when it jerks very hard causing someone to run into the back of another vehicle. No check engine light or anything will come on letting you know the problem. Years 2000 to 2015 all have the same problem. Needs to be recalled before someone seriously gets injured.
While at a complete stop, when the vehicle is in drive, as I attempt to push the accelerator to drive through an intersection, the car will stall for a second, make noise that sounds like a whine, and then jump forward like it's having a difficult time finding first gear. The vehicle does this every so often, but not all the time. I've taken it into car x, my local chevrolet dealership, and another local goodyear tires dealer, but nobody has any idea what I'm talking about. The vehicle has been hooked up to a computer and technicians have looked at it, but just scratch their heads. There is even a forum online regarding this happening with other chevy impala owners [xxx] and owners seem to put lots of money into the issue but with no resolve. ** the issue seems to remedy itself when I turn off the traction control. ** there have been a couple of close calls where I'll be pulling through a busy intersection and the car will stall and I'll feel like I'm about to be hit because the car "dies" for a second. I feel this is a real safety concern that needs to be addressed. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet impala. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the accelerator pedal needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet impala. While traveling 35 MPH with the accelerator pedal engaged, the engine revved but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and it was determined that transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 97,000.
I purchased the impala on june 16, 2014, there was some popping noise from the dash board on the passenger's side. The sale's manager had me bring the car in for repair the next day. The car was repaired within 2-3 days. I found out it was the actuator sensor. In january 2015 the transmission had to be replaced. Luckily it was under the powertrain warranty. Now 8 months later to the date (march 12, 2015), the stabilizer track-engine reduce power light and message came. I came to a stop. Cut the car off for 15-20 minutes only for the light to reappear after moments of driving. I got to work. The car sat for 9 hours and still the light illuminated immediately upon starting the car. I found out it is the same problem and the extended warranty does not want to cover it. I am at my wits end and now the finance company wants me to continue to pay my monthly car note for a car that is not totally drivable...why??? Gm should pay!!!
My wife was driving home from work going 65 down a very busy highway. All of a sudden the reduced engine power light, check engine, stability control off, and traction control lights came on. The car begin to loose speed. Luckily she was able to get over to the right shoulder without anyone hitting her. When she got to the shoulder the car was running really rough. She turned it off waited a few minutes and restarted it. It then ran fine but the check engine light remained on. She made it home and was scared to drive it again. I took it to work last night and made it about halfway to work and it did the exact same thing except I was able to get it to maintain 45mph. When I came to a traffic light though the engine was running so rough the car was very hard to stop. I made it to work. When I came out to go home the first stop light I came to it started acting up again. From the light I was barely able to get it to go 25mph. I pulled over and shut the car off waited a few minutes and restarted. Everything was fine again. I made it about 5 miles and all the lights came on again but I was able to maintain 45mph in the 55mph zone I was in. I took it to my repair shop and they said it needs a throttle body. They also said gm has had allot of issues with these. I called my gm dealer to see if it would be covered under 5 year 100k mile warranty and they said that it isn't. If there hasn't been an accident caused by one of these throttle body issues yet I would be surprised. It's very dangerous in heavy traffic and all of a sudden you can't go.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2011 Chevrolet Impala?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history