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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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108,889 miles · Nov 22, 2014
EngineVehicle Speed Control

DRIVING 40MPH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THEN REDUCED ENGINE POWER FLASHED ON MESSAGE BOARD SEVERAL SECONDS LATER TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON AND SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL CAME ON MESSAGE BOARD. MY SPEED WAS REDUCED TO 20MPH IN TRAFFIC! LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY WITHOUT CAUSING ANY ACCIDENT (FYI I HAD MY DAUGHTER …

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DRIVING 40MPH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THEN REDUCED ENGINE POWER FLASHED ON MESSAGE BOARD SEVERAL SECONDS LATER TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON AND SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL CAME ON MESSAGE BOARD. MY SPEED WAS REDUCED TO 20MPH IN TRAFFIC! LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY WITHOUT CAUSING ANY ACCIDENT (FYI I HAD MY DAUGHTER IN THR CAR WITH ME). I WILL BE TAKING THE CAR TO A CHEVY SHOP IN THE MORNING WHERE IM SURE I WILL HAVE TO PAY HIGH COST OUT OF POCKET EVEN THOUGH THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR CHEVY OWNERS (ONLINE SEARCH) AND THERE HAS BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS WITH NO RECALL. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND I FEEL IT IS PUTTING MANY LIVES IN DANGER AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL A LONG TIME AGO. IM JUST LUCKY I WASN'T ON THE HIGHWAY YET BECAUSE THIS COULD HAVE TURNED FATAL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10660277

61,850 miles · Oct 29, 2014
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineVehicle Speed Control

SO IM DRVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY I57 AT ABOUT 85MPH AND THE CAR BEEPS 3 TIMES DISPLAYING SERVICE STABILATRACK/ SERVICE TRACTION AND CHECK ENGINE SECONDS LATER THE CAR COMPLETELY CUT OFF. WHILE IN TRAFFIC. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10651132

113,455 miles · Oct 22, 2014
Air BagsElectronic Stability Control (esc)Vehicle Speed Control

THE AIRBAG LIGHT WILL NOT GO OUT, THE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON AND THE CAR LOSES POWER AND THE ENGINE STARTS TO CUT OFF. I HAVE SENT MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM I HAVE EVEN CALLED THE CHEVROLET CORPORATE OFFICE. EACH TIME I GET A DIFFERENT ANSWER AS TO WHAT THE PROBLEM IS THE FIRST TIME. I WAS TOL…

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THE AIRBAG LIGHT WILL NOT GO OUT, THE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON AND THE CAR LOSES POWER AND THE ENGINE STARTS TO CUT OFF. I HAVE SENT MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM I HAVE EVEN CALLED THE CHEVROLET CORPORATE OFFICE. EACH TIME I GET A DIFFERENT ANSWER AS TO WHAT THE PROBLEM IS THE FIRST TIME. I WAS TOLD IT WAS SENSORS THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACE AND THAT IT WOULD COST $1200. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE SPARK PLUGS THAT IS CAUSING THE CAR TO SHUT DOWN AND THE COST WOULD BE AROUND $400 OR $500. THE FIRST SERVICE IN JULY MY RECEIPT SAYS THEY DID A MULTI-POINT INSPECTION WOULD THAT NOT TELL THEM MY PLUGS WERE BAD? MY CAR IS STILL AT FRIENDLY CHEVROLET IN DALLAS CAN YOU PLEASE HELP. MY DAUGHTER DRIVES THIS CAR AND SHE A HIGH RISK PREGNANCY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10649272

210,000 miles · Oct 14, 2014
Vehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND FAILED TO RESPOND BEFORE OPERATING AS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 210,00…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND FAILED TO RESPOND BEFORE OPERATING AS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 210,000.

NHTSA ODI #10644596

80,000 miles · Oct 11, 2014
EngineVehicle Speed Control

THROTTLE DISABLE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN, INCLUDING STEERING. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE. THE FIRST TIME WAS JANUARY OF 2014, SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH. WE WERE ABLE TO STEER THE CAR INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD AND AFTER ABOUT 30-40 MINUTES, THE ENGINE STARTED AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN YESTERDAY, IN A MUCH MORE …

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THROTTLE DISABLE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN, INCLUDING STEERING. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE. THE FIRST TIME WAS JANUARY OF 2014, SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH. WE WERE ABLE TO STEER THE CAR INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD AND AFTER ABOUT 30-40 MINUTES, THE ENGINE STARTED AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN YESTERDAY, IN A MUCH MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION. I WAS ENTERING A HIGHWAY WITH TRAFFIC TRAVELLING AT AND ABOVE POSTED SPEED OF 70 MPH. AS I MERGED, THE THROTTLE DISABLED LIGHT FLASHED ON AND THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO STEER THE CAR ONTO THE SHOULDER. I TRULY FEEL MY LIFE WAS IN DANGER. THE VEHICLE STARTED AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES OF ME SITTING ON THE VERY BUSY SHOULDER OF THIS HIGHWAY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10643996

85,000 miles · Oct 10, 2014
Vehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED. THE CHECK ENGINE AND THE POWER REDUCED WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED. THE CHECK ENGINE AND THE POWER REDUCED WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE PEDAL SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

NHTSA ODI #10643858

50,000 miles · Sep 10, 2014
Vehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE ENGINE POWER REDUCED WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 30 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE ENGINE POWER REDUCED WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 30 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO REPAIRED THE THROTTLE PEDAL SENSOR AND THE EVAPORATE SYSTEM. THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE THROTTLE PEDAL SENSOR WAS REPLACED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

NHTSA ODI #10632192

Mileage unknown · Sep 10, 2014
Vehicle Speed Control

2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE KEY FOB RECALL NOTICE AND SEEKS REIMBURSEMENT FOR THROTTLE BODY CONTROL UNIT. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS, A SENSOR WENT OFF AND SHE LOST ENGINE POWER AND THE BRAKES. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY CONTROL UNIT. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10631835

Mileage unknown · Jun 24, 2014
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineVehicle Speed Control

SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL/ENGINE POWER REDUCED LIGHTS CAME ON DASH. CAR LOST ALL POWER AND WHEN STOMPING THE GAS PEDAL SPEED WOULD RESUME, VERY HESITANT FROM A DEAD STOP. CAR WAS JERKING, SHUT OFF TRACTION CONTROL AND CAR JERKED THEN TOO. GM NEEDS TO FIX THIS BEFORE THERE ARE DEATHS. ALSO I HAVE NO UNLOCKING DOORS. THEY HAVE TO A…

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SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL/ENGINE POWER REDUCED LIGHTS CAME ON DASH. CAR LOST ALL POWER AND WHEN STOMPING THE GAS PEDAL SPEED WOULD RESUME, VERY HESITANT FROM A DEAD STOP. CAR WAS JERKING, SHUT OFF TRACTION CONTROL AND CAR JERKED THEN TOO. GM NEEDS TO FIX THIS BEFORE THERE ARE DEATHS. ALSO I HAVE NO UNLOCKING DOORS. THEY HAVE TO ALL BE MANUALLY UNLOCKED. BATTERY WAS REPLACED IN CAR AND ON KEY FAB. GAS PEDAL SENSOR AND THROTTLE BODY SENSOR ARE THE TRIGGERED CODES, GM NEEDS TO FIND THE REAL SOLUTION AS THESE DON'T SEEM TO FIX PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10605469

100,000 miles · Jun 11, 2014
Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

OUR 2008 IMPALA LS, WITH 100,000 MILES, IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM I AM SEEING AT THIS WEB SITE AND ALL ACROSS THE INTERNET. LAST MONTH, MAY, 2014, AND THIS MONTH, JUNE, 2014, THERE WAS A SUDDEN REDUCED POWER ALERT ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE SPEED IMMEDIATELY DROPPED TO NO MORE THAN 35 MPH. BEFOR…

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OUR 2008 IMPALA LS, WITH 100,000 MILES, IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM I AM SEEING AT THIS WEB SITE AND ALL ACROSS THE INTERNET. LAST MONTH, MAY, 2014, AND THIS MONTH, JUNE, 2014, THERE WAS A SUDDEN REDUCED POWER ALERT ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE SPEED IMMEDIATELY DROPPED TO NO MORE THAN 35 MPH. BEFORE I COULD GET IT TO ADVANCE TO HAVE THEM CHECK TO SEE IF ANY CODES HAD BEEN DROPPED BY THE COMPUTER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. THERE WAS NO REDUCED POWER MESSAGE EITHER, AND THE SPEED RETURNED TO NORMAL. I WAS TOLD TO TRY FUEL INJECTOR CLEANER, WHICH I DID. ALL WENT WELL FOR ALMOST A MONTH, WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN THIS MONTH. THIS TIME I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO ADVANCE WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STILL ON. THE COMPUTER HAD DROPPED 2 CODES, BOTH RELATED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR. ADVANCE DID NOT HAVE THE PART, NOR DID AUTOZONE. FORTUNATELY, NAPA DID, FOR $90, INCLUDING TAX. OUR LOCAL CHEVY DEALERSHIP WANTED $50 MORE. SINCE IT IS A VERY EASY PART TO REPLACE EVEN FOR AN AMATEUR LIKE ME, I REPLACED IT. THERE ARE ONLY 2 10 MM BOLTS TO REMOVE AND AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION TO UNPLUG. SO IT WAS PRETTY SIMPLE, AND SO FAR, THIS HAS DONE THE TRICK, BUT IT'S ONLY BEEN 24 HOURS. THIS APPARENTLY IS A JOB THAT THE DEALERSHIPS WANT TO CHARGE $300 TO $400 TO DO. AS I SAID, THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM FOR GM, AND THEY HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT, SO FAR, DO A RECALL. THEY SHOULD. I'M ONLY OUT $90 SO FAR, BUT OTHER PEOPLE ARE OUT MUCH MORE. IF I HAVE THE DREADED, FOLLOW-UP PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE BODY, I WILL BE OUT A WHOLE LOT MORE. I SENT AN E-MAIL TO CHEVROLET AFTER THE FIRST INSTANCE, AND DID GET A RESPONSE BACK. I TOLD HIM I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE ANY FURTHER ACTION UNLESS THIS HAPPENS AGAIN. I WILL BE CONTACTING HIM AGAIN NOW ABOUT THIS LATEST INCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10597746

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.