2009 Chevrolet Impala

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE DISPLAYED HALF A TANK AND THE VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. THE CONTACT HAD TO CALL FOR FUEL TO BE BROUGHT TO THE SITE. ONCE THE FUEL WAS POURED INTO THE FUEL TANK, THE VEHICLE STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED TWO OTHER TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,445.

I HAVE NOTICED A SORT OF JERKING OR CHUGGING FEELING WHILE TRAVELING AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS, SUCH AS HIGHWAY AND CITY. THE PROBLEM DOES SEEM TO BE WORSENING. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT THE DEALERSHIP REFERRED TO THIS AS A "FISHBITE". I DID NOT SEEM TO REALLY NOTICE THE PROBLEM UNTIL REPAIR WAS MADE TO THE MANIFOLD AND CRANK CASE GASKETS, DUE TO A SEVERE OIL LEAK. THE DEALERSHIP DID LOOK INTO MY CONCERN FOR THE "FISHBITE", BUT A CODE WAS NOT FOUND AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. IS THIS A PRECURSOR TO THE OTHER COMPLAINTS INVOLVING LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING? *TR

WHEN I PRESSED DOWN ON MY ACCELERATOR PEDAL (SPEED LIMIT WAS INCREASING FROM 50MPH TO 65MPH), A MESSAGE OF "STARTING DISABLED. SERVICE THROTTLE" CAME UP ON THE DASH. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKED UP AND THE CAR STARTED TO DECELERATE. I WAS ABLE TO FORCE THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO TURN ONTO A SIDE STREET (NARROWLY AVOIDING A CAR STOPPED IN THE LEFT LANE TO TURN) AND PARK THE VEHICLE IN A LOCATION OUT OF THE MAIN LANE OF TRAFFIC. HAD THIS SIDE STREET NOT BEEN THERE AT THAT EXACT MOMENT, THE POSSIBILITY OF A CRASH WOULD BE VERY LIKELY AS STEERING WAS UNRESPONSIVE AND I MAY HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED DUE TO THE SUDDEN LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH IN CRUISE CONTROL, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO STALL. THE VEHICLE ALSO FAILED TO INCREASE SPEED WHEN THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE ALSO FAILED SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT LISTED UNDER ANY RECALLS. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DECELERATED AND DISPLAYED MESSAGES: "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" AND "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL". THIS WAS THE SECOND INCIDENT. THE FIRST INCIDENT RESULTED IN THE ENGINE SHUTTING OFF COMPLETELY AFTER THE SAME INITIAL SYMPTOMS DESCRIBED; LOCKING UP THE STEERING DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC (ESTIMATED 65 MPH, NO INJURES, APPROX. 4 MONTH AGO). OUR MECHANIC CLEANED OUT THE THROTTLE BODY SENSOR AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT, AND PHONED THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE TROUBLE CODES. THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED WARRANTY SERVICE AS THE TROUBLE CODES HAD GONE BY THE TIME THE CAR HAD ARRIVED AT THEIR SHOP, AND WOULD NOT TAKE OUR MECHANIC'S PHONE CONVERSATION AS EVIDENCE. WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE THREE SERVICES COMMONLY PERFORMED TO FIX THE PROBLEM WERE TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY, THROTTLE BODY SENSOR, AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL; THE LATTER NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

VEHICLE GIVES A SERVICE THROTTLE STARTING DISABLED MESSAGE AND PROMPTLY SHUTS OFF THE ENGINE. IF YOU WAIT 5 MINUTES THE CAR WILL RESTART AND PERFORM AS USUAL.....UNTIL THE NEXT TIME. SHUTTING OFF THE ENGINE AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS AND IS GOING TO RESULT IN SOMEONE BEING KILLED. BASED UPON INTERNET SEARCHES THIS APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE, BUT GM WILL NOT PROACTIVELY FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR