2009 Chevrolet Impala

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. *TR

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 NHTSA 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. *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

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). *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR

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. *TR