2012 Chevrolet Impala: sudden loss of power

Filed Nov 15, 2022 · MO

I purchased the vehicle used. Four months after I purchased it the traction control, stabilitrak and reduced engine power light came on. I took it to a certified mechanic, he said the code came back as a faulty battery. He replaced the battery and said everything should be fine. Less than 4 hours the car did the same thing. I took it back and he said it was the throttle so he cleaned it costing me a total of approximately 350.00. I didn’t have any problems for 2 months. Now it seems to be getting worse and does it almost every time I start the car. The car idles rough and shifts hard if I drive it. Also the traction control light comes on when I turn left and makes a grinding noise. Since the issue I’ve researched and found several complaints regarding the same issue.

Filed Jun 27, 2020 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 95,312 miles · NJ

Clunking , grinding noise service stabilitrak, service ABS lights come on lose power when reversing or making a left turn. After much research there seems to be a problem with the wiring harness going to the sensors in the wheels. Many people are having this very same problem across many years of this vehicle. People are spending money unnecessarily on parts such as wheel hubs and bearings without fixing said problem. Many people are also reporting cars turning off as a result of this.

Filed Jul 15, 2019 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 34,000 miles · NJ

The electronic stability control system is constantly on even when my car is stationary my antilock brake system light is also always on. Some times I lose power when I start to drive. I had it checked and had the sensor replaced ,but the problems were not solved.

Filed Feb 18, 2019 · Electrical, Fuel system · 42,303 miles · CA

2/16/2019 (sat 3:30pm) : suddenly lost power when driving at 70 MPH on highway 99 near fresno, california. Felt like no gas coming in. Engine was still on, but gas pedal seemed to pump no gas to the engine. Pumping the gas pedal had no acceleration response. Speed continued to drop on the highway, very dangerous! Finally, luckily pulled over to the shoulder without mishap. Engine was still on when stopping by the side of the highway, kind of idling at low RPM. Shut off the engine and tried to restart it to hope for the problem to go away. Cranked a dozen times and could not to get engine to continue. Felt like running out of gas. 2/17/2019 sun: the car was finally towed to a nearby dealer. 2/18/2019 mon dealer service diagnosis reported broken "fuel flow control module". The estimate of its repair (part + labor) is near $500 I have asked the replaced module to be saved for investigation. Summary: sudden failure of the fuel flow control module that completely cuts off the fuel without a fail-safe design, nor a warning, for a part not in the regular maintenance list, particularly at low mileage (42,000) exposes drivers to high risk of accidents on the highway. Action requested: it may be a quality-escaped issue on such a module. Failsafe design is needed for 21 century highway safety. I ask the federal safety agency to request gm to investigate this case to determine the cause of such sudden failure of fuel flow control module on a low-mileage car.

Filed Jan 5, 2019 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 160,000 miles · OH

Service stabilitrak - reduced engine power lights came on along with the engine light while driving on the highway causing the vehicle to not be able to accelerate to the appropriate speed.

Filed Jul 9, 2018 · Driver assistance, Transmission · 66,000 miles · KY

My vehicle suffers from loss of power when making a square turn aka a very sharp turn. It only happens with left turns. The problem is wear of a cable near the front left tire which controls the antilock brakes and/or the traction control / stabilitrak feature. The wearing is such that when turning sharply to the left, the worn cable suffers intermittent connectivity loss. That loss of connectivity triggers traction control to briefly sever power to the front tires. I have found that manually turning off traction control prevents this problem from happening. I could reproduce the problem reliably. It nearly always happens when moving from a parked position into the roadway, and when leaving a parking lot after reversing out of a parking space. The problem is particularly dangerous when I am making left turns across oncoming traffic - I have lost power once in the middle of oncoming traffic but thankfully the others drivers were aware enough to stop before collision. Because of this I always turned off the traction control for all driving trips. I found online similar reports of other 2012 chevrolet impala owners.

Filed Jan 20, 2018 · Driver assistance, Wheels · 70,000 miles · AZ

70,000 miles, stabiltrak warning on startup and engine power loss. Error message was about a sensor, replaced the hub and the wiring harness to fix. So far no more problems but I've seen this issue countless times and I'm surprised there wasn't a recall yet.

Filed Jan 17, 2018 · Driver assistance, Fuel system · 135,000 miles · AR

When using e85 fuel in my flex fuel vehicle the check stability control/reduced engine power warning is activated. This occurs when the car is moving. I have contacted my dealer and gm they were unable to help me. There is a gm technical bulletin (pip5385c) on this problem.

Filed Dec 1, 2017 · Driver assistance · 72,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet impala. Every time the vehicle was started, and attempted to make a left turn, the vehicle lost power and the stability warning indicator illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle would slow down. The failure occurred everyday for the last two weeks. The vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

Filed Nov 6, 2017 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 84,000 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet impala. While driving 40 MPH, the traction control, traction stabilizer, and reduced engine power warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle never stalled; however, there was no response when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed and a dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer stated that the issue could be due to the throttle body. The contact was also informed by the manufacturer that there was a special coverage to have the vehicle repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 84,000.

Filed Oct 16, 2017 · Airbags, Driver assistance · 70,000 miles · OK · crash · 2 injuries

I own a chevy impala that had an ignition switch recall and an airbag recall. The 2012 chevrolet impala that I own caused me to have a severe accident that caused me to suffer major injuries because the airbags didn't deploy. The federal safety agency campaign id: 14v355000 recall date: 2014-06-23 summary this defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 buick lacrosse, 2006-2011 buick lucerne, 2000-2005 cadillac deville, 2006-2011 cadillac dts, 2006-2014 chevrolet impala, and 2006-2007 chevrolet monte carlo vehicles. Specs / reviewsfor sale safety 2012 chevrolet impala 2012 safety 2012 chevrolet impala recalls features rating recalls the federal safety agency campaign id: 14v355000 recall date: 2014-06-23 summary this defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Consequences if the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position will cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. Remedy gm will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on september 23, 2014. Owners may contact general motors customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300 (buick), 1‑800‑458‑8006 (cadillac), and 1‑800‑222‑1020 (chevrolet). Gm's number for this recall is 14299. Component affected electrical system:ignition notes general motors llc

Filed May 18, 2017 · Driver assistance · 39,000 miles · OH

Intermittently, the dic will sound an alarm and display the following messages:service stabilitrak, service traction control. When this happens I sometimes notice a decrease in engine power and/or grinding noises from the front end when I make turns. This has occurred at highway speeds and/or residential speeds and does not coincide with any rough or unusual driving conditions. It is hard to understand what causes it unless it is some kind of electrical short circuiting. I can turn the stabilitrak off and the messages and diminished mechanical performance will stop, but may re-appear weeks later. According to the reports I have read on-line, this is a common problem among impala owners with cars of similar years and mileage. My car has only 40,000 miles. In an effort to fix the issue, other owners have reportedly replaced sensors, wires, wire harnesses, hub assemblies, throttle bodies, and brake components. General motors needs to recall our cars in order to deal with this problem. None of these mechanical components should be failing so soon. Loss of engine power and braking ability while driving is a potentially deadly problem, and any mechanical issue this widespread among car owners should be subject to an official recall and should be remedied by the automaker at no charge to the public.