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2009 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

663 reports with mileage · 161 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.

  • Air Bags. Review the 232 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 224 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 179 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

43 crash reports9 fire reports34 injury reports

Fuel/propulsion System complaints

17 reports
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180,000 miles · Mar 11, 2021
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other

GAS PEDAL HAS LAG TO IT. ALMOST EVERY TIME YOU GO TO TAKE OFF SOMETIME IT DOESN'T RESPOND TILL YOUR QUARTER WAY INTO PUSHING PETAL MUST PUSH PETAL FARTHER IN BEFORE IT WILL ACCELERATE CAUSING IT TO JERK HARD. MY FRIEND HAS SAME CAR AND PROBLEM ALSO SERVOS IN DASH FOR HEATER KEEP CLICKING AND MALFUNCTIONING AFTER MULTIPLE REPLACE…

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GAS PEDAL HAS LAG TO IT. ALMOST EVERY TIME YOU GO TO TAKE OFF SOMETIME IT DOESN'T RESPOND TILL YOUR QUARTER WAY INTO PUSHING PETAL MUST PUSH PETAL FARTHER IN BEFORE IT WILL ACCELERATE CAUSING IT TO JERK HARD. MY FRIEND HAS SAME CAR AND PROBLEM ALSO SERVOS IN DASH FOR HEATER KEEP CLICKING AND MALFUNCTIONING AFTER MULTIPLE REPLACEMENTS, MY OTHER FRIENDS 2010 IMPALA DOES THIS AS WELL.

NHTSA ODI #11402517

Mileage unknown · May 12, 2020
Fuel/propulsion SystemSeat BeltsWheels

SEATBELTS AREN'T LOCKING UP, WHEN TURNING IT'S GIVING ME DELAYS THEN NORMAL ACCELERATION KICKS BACK IN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11324251

140,000 miles · Sep 6, 2019
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion SystemSteering

AFTER I GETTING THE TRANSMISSION FULLY REPAIRED AFTER IT WENT OUT OF NOWERE ANYWAY I WAS DRIVING AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP ON ME AND THE SINS ARE STARTED GOING CRAZY IN THE CAR AND I AM ONE PAYMENT AWAY FROM OWNING THE VEHICLE AND THE LAST FEW MONTHS STARTING THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR I'VE NOTICED ONE PROBLEM AFTER ANOT…

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AFTER I GETTING THE TRANSMISSION FULLY REPAIRED AFTER IT WENT OUT OF NOWERE ANYWAY I WAS DRIVING AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP ON ME AND THE SINS ARE STARTED GOING CRAZY IN THE CAR AND I AM ONE PAYMENT AWAY FROM OWNING THE VEHICLE AND THE LAST FEW MONTHS STARTING THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR I'VE NOTICED ONE PROBLEM AFTER ANOTHER THE SEAT BELT IN THE PASSENGER'S FRONT SIDE DOES NOT WANT TO LOCK ALSO IT'S SAYING THAT IT NEEDS SERVICE AND AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED I BOUGHT THIS CAR BARELY TWO YEARS AGO IN 2017 I'M FINANCING IT ON A LEASE ONCE I FINISH THIS LAST PAYMENT IT'LL BE A LITTLE OVER 7,000 THAT I PAID FOR IT I FEEL LIKE THE DEALER GOT OVER ON ME BECAUSE IT'S MY FIRST VEHICLE AND I DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS DOING THIS WASN'T THE CAR THAT I WANTED IF ANYTHING THEY AVOIDED SELLING ME THE CAR THAT I WANTED AND GAVE ME THIS ONE EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE FOR AWHILE BUT SLOWLY STARTED TO ALL BREAK DOWN THE TIRES ARE STARTING TO SAY TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS IS ON AND NEVER GOES OFF THE CAR SHAKES WHEN I DRIVE ALSO THE WINDOWS ARE STARTING TO GET STUCK WHERE THEY MIGHT WANT TO ROLL UP IN MIGHT NOT I HAVE ALREADY HAD TO REDO THE TRANSMISSION AND I HAVE ALREADY HACKED YOU PUT A NEW HEAD GASKET AND NOW I'M GOING TO HAVE TO REPAIR THE AXLE AND A MOTOR MOUNT AND I DON'T KNOW BUT THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE THE CAR DEALERSHIP SOLD ME A VEHICLE BASICALLY AND SCAMMED ME BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT LEASING A USED CAR WAS ABOUT THE CAR DID LOCK UP ON ME WHEN I WAS DRIVING I DID NOT CRASH UNFORTUNATELY BUT IT PULLED ME TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND I HAD TO PULL TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD TO AVOID ANOTHER CAR TURNING INTO ME AND CRASHING THEN I PUSHED AS HARD AS I COULD AND GOT HOME CUZ IT WASN'T THAT FAR AND I HAVE MY FIANCE CHECK OUT THE CAR. I DON'T WANT TO GIVE MY CAR AWAY NOR DO I WANT THE MONEY BACK I JUST WANT A CAR THAT IS NOT GOING TO CAUSE DEATH TO ME OR MY CHILDREN.

NHTSA ODI #11253533

100,000 miles · Jan 2, 2019
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AND I CANNOT START IT BECAUSE OF THE IGNITION SWITCH CAUSING THE ENTIRE VEHICLE TO BECOME INOPERABLE. I WAS PULLING UP IN MY DRIVEWAYWHEN THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN.

NHTSA ODI #11164651

133,656 miles · Oct 3, 2018
EngineFuel/propulsion System

CAR DRIVES FOR 15 MINUTES THEN DISPLAY AN "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" AND "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" LIGHT. CAR HESITATES TO ACCELERATE THE EVENTUALLY CUTS OFF AFTER A "SERVICE THROTTLE BODY LIGHT" COMES ON. CAR CUT OFF ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH. WHENEVER THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR THESE LIGHTS COME ON. IT DOESN'T SPECIFY WHAT THE…

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CAR DRIVES FOR 15 MINUTES THEN DISPLAY AN "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" AND "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" LIGHT. CAR HESITATES TO ACCELERATE THE EVENTUALLY CUTS OFF AFTER A "SERVICE THROTTLE BODY LIGHT" COMES ON. CAR CUT OFF ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH. WHENEVER THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR THESE LIGHTS COME ON. IT DOESN'T SPECIFY WHAT THE ACTUAL PROBLEM IS.

NHTSA ODI #11133048

89,000 miles · Jul 24, 2018
EngineFuel/propulsion System

BAD SOLENOID IN TRANSMISSION CAUSES CAR TO JERK UPON ACCELERATION. TRANSMISSION SLIPS. USUALLY HAPPENS TAKING OFF FROM A STOP WITH A SLOW ACCELERATION. FEELS LIKE BEING REAR ENDED AND CAN CAUSE SLUGGISH ACCELERATION. PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH A RECALL AS MANY OTHER IMPALA DRIVERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME ISSUE. ISSUE …

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BAD SOLENOID IN TRANSMISSION CAUSES CAR TO JERK UPON ACCELERATION. TRANSMISSION SLIPS. USUALLY HAPPENS TAKING OFF FROM A STOP WITH A SLOW ACCELERATION. FEELS LIKE BEING REAR ENDED AND CAN CAUSE SLUGGISH ACCELERATION. PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH A RECALL AS MANY OTHER IMPALA DRIVERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME ISSUE. ISSUE HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 9 TIMES WITHIN A 6 WEEK PERIOD.

NHTSA ODI #11113292

110,328 miles · Feb 23, 2018
Fuel/propulsion System

WARNING LIGHTS - ENGINE REDUCE POWER LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE TRAVELING IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE OF A MAJOR OUT OF STATE INTERSTATE. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO COAST ACROSS ALL LANES OF TRAVEL TO GET TO THE SHOULDER. WHEN I TURNED THE IGNITION, THE CAR DID RESTART SO I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO A REPAIR LOCAT…

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WARNING LIGHTS - ENGINE REDUCE POWER LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE TRAVELING IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE OF A MAJOR OUT OF STATE INTERSTATE. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO COAST ACROSS ALL LANES OF TRAVEL TO GET TO THE SHOULDER. WHEN I TURNED THE IGNITION, THE CAR DID RESTART SO I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO A REPAIR LOCATION. IT WAS DETERMINED BASED ON CODES THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THIS IS THE 3RD VEHICLE THAT I OWN THAT HAS NEEDED THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED. UNFORTUNATELY GM HAS DETERMINED THAT SINCE IT IS NOT A RECALL AND THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED BY STATE LAW TO REIMBURSE FOR REPAIRS AFTER 10/31/2016, EVEN THOUGH THEY EXTENDED DEALER COVERAGE UNTIL SOMETIME IN 2018 OR 120K MILES. I MET BOTH OF THESE CONDITIONS. SINCE THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON THROTTLE PROBLEM ACROSS MANUFACTURERS AND THE VEHICLE CAN AND DID SHUTOFF AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS, I WOULD REQUEST THAT YOU CONSIDER MAKING THIS A RECALL.

NHTSA ODI #11074527

120,750 miles · Dec 27, 2017
Fuel/propulsion System

120,757 MILES AND THE CAR IS NEEDING A 3RD GAS PEDAL. THE GAS PEDAL WAS ALREADY REPLACED A FEW YEARS BACK AND GM WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT I AM HAVING TO REPLACE IT AGAIN, $339.00. DID I RECIEVE A FAULTY REPLACEMENT? WARNING LIGHTS FOR TRACTION CONTROL, CHECK ENGINE AND MESSAGE OF REDUCED ENGINE POWER. I'VE NEVER HAD TO …

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120,757 MILES AND THE CAR IS NEEDING A 3RD GAS PEDAL. THE GAS PEDAL WAS ALREADY REPLACED A FEW YEARS BACK AND GM WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT I AM HAVING TO REPLACE IT AGAIN, $339.00. DID I RECIEVE A FAULTY REPLACEMENT? WARNING LIGHTS FOR TRACTION CONTROL, CHECK ENGINE AND MESSAGE OF REDUCED ENGINE POWER. I'VE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A SENSOR/ACCELERATOR PEDAL ONCE, LET ALONE TWICE ON A CAR!!

NHTSA ODI #11056838

190,000 miles · Oct 19, 2015
Fuel/propulsion System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A HARD START. IN ADDITION, WHENEVER DRIVING IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AND RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A HARD START. IN ADDITION, WHENEVER DRIVING IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AND RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TROUBLE CODE DETECTED WATER IN THE FUEL TANK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 190,000.

NHTSA ODI #10783347

58,970 miles · Aug 28, 2015
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineFuel/propulsion System

MY CAR SHUT DOWN ON ME ON MAY 15 2015.SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL AND REDUCED ENGINE POWER MESSAGE APPEARED. I MANAGED TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME AT SLOW SPEED.THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE READ REPORTS THAT SIMILAR PROBLEMS HAVE APPEARED ON OTHER 2009 IMPALAS. SOME REPORTS SAID THE CAR SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY IN FAST MOVING TRAFFIC.I HA…

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MY CAR SHUT DOWN ON ME ON MAY 15 2015.SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL AND REDUCED ENGINE POWER MESSAGE APPEARED. I MANAGED TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME AT SLOW SPEED.THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE READ REPORTS THAT SIMILAR PROBLEMS HAVE APPEARED ON OTHER 2009 IMPALAS. SOME REPORTS SAID THE CAR SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY IN FAST MOVING TRAFFIC.I HAD MY OWN MECHANIC LOOK AT THE CAR AND THE PART THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WAS THEA.I.R. SYSTEM CHECK VALVE.I LATER RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM CHEVROLET ABOUT ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT COULD CAUSE THE CAR TO SHUT DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY. (APP) SENSOR ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR.I BELIEVE A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED FOR THESE PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR ACCIDENTS ON THE HIGHWAY.ALSO, CHEVROLET DID NOT COVER THE COST OF THE REPAIRS TO THE A.I.R. PUMP. THANK YOU *TR

NHTSA ODI #10759972

Official recalls

5

16V507000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification; Electrical System:wiring

Jul 5, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured April 25, 2008 through February 16, 2010. The front passenger seat frame may contact and damage the wires of the passenger presence sensor module.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the wires are damaged, the passenger presence sensory system may fail to recognize that the passenger seat is occupied, disabling the air bag. Damage may also cause the air bag fuse to short resulting in a loss of all air bags and seat belt pretensions. Both conditions increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will double wrap the wires with anti-abrasion tape and replace damaged wires as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 1, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 36110.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured April 25, 2008 through February 16, 2010. The front passenger seat frame may contact and damage the wires of the passenger presence sensor module.

Consequence: If the wires are damaged, the passenger presence sensory system may fail to recognize that the passenger seat is occupied, disabling the air bag. Damage may also cause the air bag fuse to short resulting in a loss of all air bags and seat belt pretensions. Both conditions increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will double wrap the wires with anti-abrasion tape and replace damaged wires as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 1, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 36110.

Electrical System:wiring

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured April 25, 2008 through February 16, 2010. The front passenger seat frame may contact and damage the wires of the passenger presence sensor module.

Consequence: If the wires are damaged, the passenger presence sensory system may fail to recognize that the passenger seat is occupied, disabling the air bag. Damage may also cause the air bag fuse to short resulting in a loss of all air bags and seat belt pretensions. Both conditions increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will double wrap the wires with anti-abrasion tape and replace damaged wires as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 1, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 36110.

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.

10V480000 · Seat Belts:front:anchorage

Oct 13, 2010

GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 CHEVROLET IMPALAS FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 210, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES." THE FRONT SAFETY BELT WEBBING MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY SECURED TO THE LAP BELT ANCHOR PRETENSIONER MOUNTED TO THE SIDE OF THE SEAT NEAREST THE DOOR.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE SAFETY BELT MAY NOT RESTRAIN THE OCCUPANT AS INTENDED DURING A CRASH, WHICH COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT BOTH FRONT SAFETY BELTS FOR PROPER INSTALLATION OF THE ANCHORS TO THE PRETENSIONERS AND, IF NECESSARY, REINSTALL THE ANCHORS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 5, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

08V517000 · Air Bags:frontal

Oct 6, 2008

GM IS RECALLING 79 MY 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT AIR BAG INFLATOR THAT COULD FRACTURE AT AN INFLATOR TUBE DURING A DEPLOYMENT.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: DURING A PASSENGER-SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, PIECES OF THE INFLATOR TUBE COULD STRIKE AND INJURE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AND THE AIR BAG CUSHION WOULD NOT INFLATE FULLY, REDUCING THE CAPABILITY OF THE BAG TO PROTECT THE PASSENGER.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT AIR BAG. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 10, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.