2009 Chevrolet Impala

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

PURCHASED VEHICLE ON 9/6/2012 USED WITH 27,479 MILES. ON 9/19/2012 WITH 27,960 MILES, I WAS ACCELERATING ON AN ONRAMP GETTING ON A HIGHWAY AND TWO MESSAGES APPEARED ON MY DASH: "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" AND "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL AS WELL AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. EXPERIENCE ROUGH AND HESITANT SHIFTING BETWEEN GEARS AND COULD NOT GO FASTER THAN 35MPH. WAS ABLE TO SAFELY NAVIGATE HOME ON SIDE ROADS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER I PURCHASED IT FROM FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD IT WAS READING CODE P2138 AND THE THROTTLE PEDAL ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE SERVICE WAS COVERED UNDER THE DEALER'S WARRANTY AND I WAS SET TO GO. FLASH FORWARD TO 10/24/2012 WITH 29,355 MILES, I WAS DRIVING ON A SIDE ROAD AND THE SAME MESSAGES CAME UP. I CALLED ON STAR AND THEY PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC WHICH RESULTED IN THE COMPUTER READING CODES P2138 AND C0242. EXPERIENCED OUT OF CONTROL WHEEL SPINNING AND SENSITIVE BRAKING. TOOK IT TO A DEALER IN THE AREA I WAS CURRENTLY IN TRAVELING FOR BUSINESS AND THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE WITH ANY ISSUE. ALL CODES AND LIGHTS WERE NOT ENGAGED. I STILL DID NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY VEHICLE DUE TO PROBLEM WITH ACCELERATOR AND HAD TOWED TO THE PURCHASING DEALER NEAR MY HOME. THEY ALSO COULD NOT DIAGNOSE WITH ANY ISSUE AS THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ERROR. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AND A PROBLEM (ESPECIALLY ON THE HIGHWAY) WITH A POPULAR MODEL. I HAVE ALSO FILED A COMPLAINT WITH GM ON THIS ISSUE AND AM HOPING TO HAVE IT RESOLVED IMMEDIATELY. *TR

I WAS TURNING LEFT INTO A DRIVEWAY GOING NO MORE THAN 7 MILES AN HOUR, BECAUSE I WAS FOLLOWING A CAR, WHEN I HEARD A LARGE GRIND THEN POP. I PARKED MY CAR AND KNEW IMMEDIATELY THE TRANSMISSION FAILED BY THE FLUID TRAIL AND PART LEFT BEHIND. I TOOK IT TO A DEALER AND LUCKILY IT WAS COVERED UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. A WEEK AFTER RECEIVING MY VEHICLE BACK THE ALIGNMENT WAS OFF, DRIVER-SIDE HEADLIGHT SOCKET CAUGHT FIRE, I HAVE LABORED START UP, HAVE STALLED ON THE FREEWAY! AND HAVE STABILITRAK, AIRBAG, AND REDUCED ENGINE POWER ERROR CODES THAT RANDOMLY APPEAR. *TR

CAR STALLED ON THE INTERSTATE. MERGED CAR TO BREAK DOWN LANE WITHOUT BEING HIT. TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. CAR WOULD NOT RESTART FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES. CAR THEN RESTARTED AND WARNING LIGHT WAS OFF. PREVIOUS ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE INCLUDING REAR WINDOWS THAT WILL NOT ROLL DOWN AND DEFECTIVE AIR BAG SENSOR. *TR

IN JUNE 2010 I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE 90 WEST TOWARD DENVER CO. THE TERRAIN WAS STEEP AND WINDING AND DUE TO HEAVY TRAFFIC THE PACE WAS FAST. THE TRAFFIC AHEAD OF ME BEGAN SLOWING AND I BEGAN TO SLOW BY STEADY LIGHT PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. MY BRAKES HEATED UP FAST AND I FOUND MYSELF WITHOUT BREAKS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME DUE TO THE ROTORS FEELING AS THOUGH THEY WERE WARPED AND THE FRONT END STARTED VIBRATING. I DOWN SHIFTED TO 3RD. GEAR BUT THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO SLOW ME ENOUGH SO I DOWNSHIFTED TO 2ND AND THIS STILL WAS NOT ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN A DOWNHILL SPEED TO KEEP FROM HAVING TO USE THE BRAKES. FINALLY I SHIFTED TO !ST GEAR TO MAINTAIN THE SAFE SPEED THAT I NEEDED. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE THAT THE CAR FREEWHEELS SO EXCELLENT THAT EVEN ON LOWER GRADES AS EXPERIENCED IN THE CAROLINAS IN OCTOBER WHEN WE WERE THERE THE CAR IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GEAR DOWN SO AS NOT TO OVERHEAT THE BRAKES WHEN TRYING TO MAINTAIN POSTED SPEEDS IN MOUNTAINOUS COUNTRY. I DISCUSSED THIS WITH SOLOMON CHEVROLET IN DOTHAN WHERE I GET THE CAR SERVICED AND THE DEALER FROM WHOM I PURCHASED THE CAR. THEY HAD NO SUGGESTIONS BUT ASSURED ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO DEALERSHIP WISE TO HELP ME. I FEEL IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHICH DOES NOT SURFACE UNLESS YOU DRIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS. *TR

2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA,BOUGHT IN JULY OF 2010 WITH 18,000 MILES ON IT. WHEN I STOP TO PARK THE CAR, MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE, I PUT THE GEAR SHIFT INTO PARK AND WHEN I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE THE CAR WILL ROLL FORWARD 8 TO 10 INCHES. IT ALSO DOES IT IN REVERSE BUT ONLY A 3-4 INCHES. HAPPENS ABOUT 1 TIME IN 5. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN TO THEM AND WAS TOLD THAT WAS NORMAL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED HE HAD EXPERIENCED BRAKE FAILURE SINCE THE DATE OF PURCHASE. WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THE PEDAL WOULD PULSATE ABNORMALLY. THE BRAKES WOULD ALSO MAKE AN ABNORMAL NOISE SIMILAR TO SCRAPING METAL WHEN APPLIED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE REAR ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS THREE TIMES BUT TO NO AVAIL. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT ALSO STATED WHEN THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS PLACED IN PARK; THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO DRIFT FORWARD AND BACKWARDS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED FOR THE FAILURE AND THERE WERE NO FURTHER REPAIRS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,143 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 17,009.