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2008 Chevrolet Impala

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

665 reports with mileage · 145 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 221 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 134 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 117 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

51 crash reports10 fire reports36 injury reports

Vehicle Speed Control complaints

92 reports
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2 miles · May 3, 2016
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR FOR ONLY TWO MINUTES, THE REDUCED POWER SENSOR CAME ON AND TRACTION CONTROL CAME ON ALSO. MY CAR WOULD NOT GO ABOVE 20 MPH. WENT BACK TO NORMAL AFTER AN HOUR. VERY CONCERNING IF I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN THIS HAPPENED.WAS ON A BACK COUNTRY HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED.

NHTSA ODI #10862748

276,138 miles · Mar 25, 2016
Electrical SystemUnknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

I WAS LEFT SITTING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I WAS GOING 70 MPH ON I-94 WHEN THE "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" LIGHT CAME ON, FOLLOWED BY THE "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" LIGHT, THEN SOMETHING ABOUT "DISABLING THROTTLE" SENSOR... MY CAR SHUT COMPLETELY DOWN, LEAVING ME TO COAST ACROSS 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC ON INTERSTATE 94. I'VE OWNED THIS 2…

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I WAS LEFT SITTING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I WAS GOING 70 MPH ON I-94 WHEN THE "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" LIGHT CAME ON, FOLLOWED BY THE "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" LIGHT, THEN SOMETHING ABOUT "DISABLING THROTTLE" SENSOR... MY CAR SHUT COMPLETELY DOWN, LEAVING ME TO COAST ACROSS 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC ON INTERSTATE 94. I'VE OWNED THIS 2008 IMPALA FOR JUST ABOUT A YEAR... I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO I RECEIVED THE LETTER ABOUT AN EXTENDED RECALL BACK IN DECEMBER AND I CALLED GM BECAUSE THERE'S A STIPULATION OF THE AMOUNT OF MILES YOU CAN HAVE ON YOUR CAR TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM REPAIRED... BECAUSE MY CAR HAS 276000 MILES GM TOLD ME THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO, AT THAT TIME I ASKED WHY THIS ITEM WASN'T RECALLED. I WAS TOLD IF I FELT THE PROBLEM CALLED FOR A RECALL I SHOULD REACH OUT TO THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY AND SAFETY COMMISSION. I DON'T EVEN FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING MY CAR ANYMORE... THIS IS A DEATH TRAP!

NHTSA ODI #10851577

118,000 miles · Feb 13, 2016
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

I STARTED SEE A WARNING LIGHT ON IN MY CAR THAT READ "ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" SO I SENT GM AN EMAIL REGARDING THIS AND MAYBE A MONTH OR SO LATER I RECEIVED A NOTICE THAT SAID THE GAS THROTTLE SENSOR WILL CAUSE THIS TO APPEAR WHEN IT IS BAD. THEY ADVISED IF I FELT THIS WAS THE PROBLEM I COULD TAKE IT TO…

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I STARTED SEE A WARNING LIGHT ON IN MY CAR THAT READ "ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" SO I SENT GM AN EMAIL REGARDING THIS AND MAYBE A MONTH OR SO LATER I RECEIVED A NOTICE THAT SAID THE GAS THROTTLE SENSOR WILL CAUSE THIS TO APPEAR WHEN IT IS BAD. THEY ADVISED IF I FELT THIS WAS THE PROBLEM I COULD TAKE IT TO A GM DEALER AND HAVE IT CHECK, BUT IF IT WASN'T THEY WOULD NOT COVER IT AND I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF THE DIAGNOSTICS TEST. I TOOK MY CAR AND TOOK MY CAR , ALONG WITH THE NOTICE TO SUNRISE PONTIAC ON 12/31/15. I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED A THERMOSTAT A GAS PRESSURE SENSOR. THE COST TO REPAIR THESE ITEMS WOULD RUN ME ALMOST $900 AND I COULD NOT AFFORD THAT T THIS TIME. I ASKED THE TECHNICIAN, WHICH COULD I GET AWAY WITH NOT FIXING RIGHT NOW AND HE SAID I NEEDED TO GO AHEAD AND REPLACE THE THERMOSTAT TO GET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OFF. I HAD THAT WORK DONE AND THE LIGHT STILL WAS ON, AS WELL AS, THE WARNING LIGHTS. SO I CONTACTED GM AGAIN AND ADVISED THEM OF THE SITUATION. THEY PAID FOR ME TO GO TO SERRA CHEVROLET TO GET ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC DONE. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD I NEEDED AN APP SENSOR, GAS PRESSURE SENSOR, THERMOSTAT (WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED), AND A TEMPERATURE SENSOR, ALL OF WHICH WOULD RUN ME $1300. I TOLD THEM I COULD NOT AFFORD THAT AND LEFT. I CONTACTED GM ONCE AGAIN AND EXPLAINED WHAT WAS TOLD TO ME AND ASKED WHY THE SENSORS WOULD NOT BE COVERED WHEN THEY WERE APART OF THE GAS THROTTLE BODY? NOW I'M GETTING A WARNING THAT SAYS "STARTING DISABLED SERVICE THROTTLE " AND MY CAR IS LITERALLY CUTTING OFF WHILE I'M DRIVING. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A MATTER THAT GM SHOULD BE WILLING TO REPAIR FOR THEIR CONSUMERS TO PREVENT ACCIDENT OR DEATH. I 'VE READ ON GOOGLE THAT SEVERAL IMPALA OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING. ALSO, WHILE I'M DRIVING MY GEAR CONTROL IS POPPING OUT. THIS IS MY ONLY MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION.

NHTSA ODI #10826004

Mileage unknown · Feb 4, 2016
Vehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING ANY SPEED, "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" LIGHT COMES ON. HAPPENED 3 TIMES AND THEN I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GM TOOK TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. THEY REPAIRED THROTTLE BODY. CAR STILL ACTED THE SAME AFTER I GOT IT. DUE TO SNOW STORM I DIDN'T DRIVE IT A FEW DAYS. TWO WEEKS LATER, ENGINE POWER REDUCED STARTS AGAIN ON THE HIGHW…

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WHILE DRIVING ANY SPEED, "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" LIGHT COMES ON. HAPPENED 3 TIMES AND THEN I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GM TOOK TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. THEY REPAIRED THROTTLE BODY. CAR STILL ACTED THE SAME AFTER I GOT IT. DUE TO SNOW STORM I DIDN'T DRIVE IT A FEW DAYS. TWO WEEKS LATER, ENGINE POWER REDUCED STARTS AGAIN ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 70MPH (THIS HAS HAPPENED 6 TIMES ALTOGETHER) NOW GM ADVISED ME TO GO BACK TO DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THEY CLAIM IT'S THE GAS PEDAL SENSOR ANS NOT COVERED. REPLACING THE THROTTLE BODY DID NOT ING TO FIX THE ISSUE AND MANY OTHERS HAVE HAS THIS SAME ISSUE. NOW GM REFUSES TO MAKE IT RIGHT AND I'M STUCK WITHOUT A VEHICLE BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD REPAIRS AND THE CAR IS WAY TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI #10824142

115,000 miles · Jan 27, 2016
Vehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. A WARNING MESSAGE IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATED THAT THE POWER WAS GREATLY REDUCED. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPEN…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. A WARNING MESSAGE IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATED THAT THE POWER WAS GREATLY REDUCED. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI #10822691

266,000 miles · Jan 10, 2016
Vehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR WILL NO LONGER REGISTER THE THROTTLE POSITION CAUSING THE ENGINE POWER TO REDUCE AND THE CAR TO DECELERATE (FROM ANY SPEED) THIS HAS HAPPENED BOTH AND STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. GM HAS ALREADY ISSUED AN "ADDITIONAL WARRANTY" FOR THE PROBLEM "THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR"

NHTSA ODI #10819189

128,834 miles · Jan 5, 2016
EngineVehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND THE SPEED REDUCED TO 35 MPH. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS N…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND THE SPEED REDUCED TO 35 MPH. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 128,834. UPDATED 04/26/16*LJ *TR

NHTSA ODI #10818020

140,000 miles · Dec 23, 2015
Vehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND. THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BE DI…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND. THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. UPDATED 02/18/16*LJ UPDATED 05/14/18*JB *CN

NHTSA ODI #10811868

5 miles · Nov 30, 2015
Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

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…

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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

NHTSA ODI #10807439

115,000 miles · Nov 15, 2015
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineVehicle Speed Control

(REDUCED ENGINE POWER) MY 2008 CHEVY IMPALA RANDOMLY SHOWS DOWN AFTER THE DASH READS REDUCED ENGINE POWER. I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE I WAS DOING ABOUT 60 ON THE EXPRESSWAY AND THE CAR SPEED JUST DROPPED TO 20MPH I HAD TO SWERVE BECAUSE THE CAR BEHIND COULD NOT SLOW DOWN IN TIME. MY TWO YEAR OLD WAS IN THE CAR AND I HEAR THAT GM CAR…

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(REDUCED ENGINE POWER) MY 2008 CHEVY IMPALA RANDOMLY SHOWS DOWN AFTER THE DASH READS REDUCED ENGINE POWER. I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE I WAS DOING ABOUT 60 ON THE EXPRESSWAY AND THE CAR SPEED JUST DROPPED TO 20MPH I HAD TO SWERVE BECAUSE THE CAR BEHIND COULD NOT SLOW DOWN IN TIME. MY TWO YEAR OLD WAS IN THE CAR AND I HEAR THAT GM CARS HAVE THIS PROBLEM ALL THE TIME. THIS IS RIDICULOUSLY DANGEROUS SOMEONE HAS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. THE GM DEALERSHIP HAS NO IDEAL HOW TO FIX THIS.

NHTSA ODI #10790495

Official recalls

2

14V355000 · Electrical System:ignition

Jun 23, 2014

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. In the affected vehicles, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

12V377000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm

Aug 3, 2012

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Chevrolet Impala police vehicles because the front lower control arms may fracture. This safety recall does not include non-police Chevrolet Impala vehicles.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower control arms, free of charge. The safety recall began on August 21, 2012. Owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

DP14001 · Passenger Air Bag Ocs Algorithm

Opened Jul 22, 2014 · Closed Mar 7, 2017

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags; Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

The Agency received a petition on November 14, 2013 requesting an investigation into the operation of the passenger air bag Occupant Classification System (OCS) software logic and algorithm.The petitioner states that due to this alleged defect, the passenger air bag may be suppressed at point of impact and not provided the occupant protection as needed in a crash.On July 22, 2014, NHTSA opened DP14-001 to further review the crash event and perform a more comprehensive search and analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).The Agency also collected manufacturers reports on the alleged OCS issue on the subject Impala vehicles and other GM and non-GM peer vehicles.After examination of the petition and available data relating to the subject vehicle's OCS and the specific crash incident where the OCS allegedly failed to operate properly, NHTSA did not identify an issue with the MY2008 Impala involved in the subject crash, nor has it identified a safety-related defect trend existing in the OCS used in the MY 2006-2008 Impala vehicles, in GM peer vehicles or in other non-GM peer vehicles.NHTSA has concluded that further expenditure of the agency's investigative resources is not warranted. The agency accordingly has denied the petition.However, the agency will take further action if warranted by changing future circumstances. The official petition denial, as published in the Federal Register, is available in the document file for this defect petition.The single complaint and crash noted in the Failure Report above is the petitioner's VOQ (10568388) and can be reviewed online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10568388.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

The Agency received a petition on November 14, 2013 requesting an investigation into the operation of the passenger air bag Occupant Classification System (OCS) software logic and algorithm.The petitioner states that due to this alleged defect, the passenger air bag may be suppressed at point of impact and not provided the occupant protection as needed in a crash.On July 22, 2014, NHTSA opened DP14-001 to further review the crash event and perform a more comprehensive search and analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).The Agency also collected manufacturers reports on the alleged OCS issue on the subject Impala vehicles and other GM and non-GM peer vehicles.After examination of the petition and available data relating to the subject vehicle's OCS and the specific crash incident where the OCS allegedly failed to operate properly, NHTSA did not identify an issue with the MY2008 Impala involved in the subject crash, nor has it identified a safety-related defect trend existing in the OCS used in the MY 2006-2008 Impala vehicles, in GM peer vehicles or in other non-GM peer vehicles.NHTSA has concluded that further expenditure of the agency's investigative resources is not warranted. The agency accordingly has denied the petition.However, the agency will take further action if warranted by changing future circumstances. The official petition denial, as published in the Federal Register, is available in the document file for this defect petition.The single complaint and crash noted in the Failure Report above is the petitioner's VOQ (10568388) and can be reviewed online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10568388.

Air Bags

The Agency received a petition on November 14, 2013 requesting an investigation into the operation of the passenger air bag Occupant Classification System (OCS) software logic and algorithm.The petitioner states that due to this alleged defect, the passenger air bag may be suppressed at point of impact and not provided the occupant protection as needed in a crash.On July 22, 2014, NHTSA opened DP14-001 to further review the crash event and perform a more comprehensive search and analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).The Agency also collected manufacturers reports on the alleged OCS issue on the subject Impala vehicles and other GM and non-GM peer vehicles.After examination of the petition and available data relating to the subject vehicle's OCS and the specific crash incident where the OCS allegedly failed to operate properly, NHTSA did not identify an issue with the MY2008 Impala involved in the subject crash, nor has it identified a safety-related defect trend existing in the OCS used in the MY 2006-2008 Impala vehicles, in GM peer vehicles or in other non-GM peer vehicles.NHTSA has concluded that further expenditure of the agency's investigative resources is not warranted. The agency accordingly has denied the petition.However, the agency will take further action if warranted by changing future circumstances. The official petition denial, as published in the Federal Register, is available in the document file for this defect petition.The single complaint and crash noted in the Failure Report above is the petitioner's VOQ (10568388) and can be reviewed online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10568388.