2009 Chevrolet Impala

MY STERRING WHEEL ON MY 2009 CHEVY IMPALA HAS RECENTLY STARTED GETTING STUCK ONCE THE ENGINE HS BEEN CUT OFF AND PARKED. SOMETIMES I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS TURNING THE KEY AND IT CRANKS RIGHT ON UP WHILE MAJORITY OF THE TIME I HAVE TO ROCK MY STEERING WHEEL BACK AND FORTH WHILE TURNING THE KEY. MY TIRE AND PRESSURE LIGHT STAYS ON EVEN AFTER I HAVE BROUGHT NEW TIRES AND A OIL CHANGE. MY ACTUATOR MAKES A CLICKING NOISE WHEN I CRANK UP MY CAR AND LAST ABOUT A MINUTE OR TWO THEN STOPS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER AND LOCKED UP. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE DRIVER OF THE OTHER VEHICLE SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE KNEES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED AN INJURY TO THE NECK THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS MOVED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE BUMPER WAS REPAIRED AND REPAINTED. THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE REPLICATED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000.

THIS PROBLEM STARTED 2 YEARS AGO. MY CAR WOULD GIVE ME A WARNING "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL. ENGINE POWER REDUCED." THEN THE CAR WOULD SHUT OFF. I TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE FIXED A SENSOR. THAT WAS AROUND A YEAR AGO. I TRAVEL A LOT FOR MY JOB AND TODAY I ARRIVED IN PORTLAND OREGON HAD PULLED OFF THE INTERSTATE TO GET FUEL, AND ONCE I PULLED OUT TO THE EXTREMELY BUSY INTERSECTION MY CAR DID THIS AGAIN! I WAS STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT AND ONCE IT TURNED GREEN BOOM CAR DIED DUE TO TRACTION CONTROL. SO NOW I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY BUSY ROAD WITH TRAFFIC GOING AROUND 45 MPH ALMOST REAR ENDING ME. I TOOK THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION FOR ABOUT 45 SECONDS AND TRED STARTING IT WHICH WORKED. FOOLISHLY I THOUGHT I COULD AT LEAST MAKE IT TO THIS PARKING LOT RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET WHEN I WENT ABOUT 500 FEET IT DID IT AGAIN, IN AN EVEN WORSE SPOT. I TOOK THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION AGAIN FOR 45 SECONDS STARTED THE CAR AND GOT INTO THE PARKING LOT WHICH WAS NOW 50 FEET FROM ME. I SEARCHED ONLINE FOR WHAT COULD BE CAUSING THIS AND THAT'S WHERE I FOUND AT LEAST 50 OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND TRYING TO GET GM TO HELP. I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO MY JOB IF I CAN NOT GET FROM PLACE TO PLACE SAFELY. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO KILL PEOPLE.

I BOUGHT MY 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA USED IN APRIL 2015, AND SINCE THEN I HAVE HAD THE WARNING SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, FOLLOWED BY ENGINE POWER REDUCED POP UP ABOUT A DOZEN TIMES, WITH VARYING LENGTHS BETWEEN INCIDENTS, BUT NOT UNTIL YESTERDAY DID THE CAR RESPOND IN ANY WAY. YESTERDAY I WAS ACCELERATING UP AN INTERSTATE ENTRANCE RAMP WHEN THE SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL MESSAGE POPPED UP, THEN ENGINE POWER REDUCED, AND I PAID LITTLE ATTENTION UNTIL QUICKLY AFTER THE SECOND MESSAGE I REALIZED I HAD NO POWER, I HAD THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR WASN'T RESPONDING, THE ENGINE HAD SHUT DOWN. SO I TURNED ON MY HAZARD FLASHERS AND TRIED TO PULL OVER TO THE BERM, BUT HAD TO FIGHT THE DEAD STEERING WHEEL TO DO SO, THE POWER STEERING HAD STOPPED WORKING WHEN THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. THE CAR WOULDN'T IMMEDIATELY RESTART ONCE I HAD COME TO A STOP, BUT AFTER LETTING IT SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES, IT STARTED AND I HAD NO FURTHER ISSUES GETTING HOME. I HAVE READ ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL VEHICLE HERE ON THIS WEBSITE, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE ENGINE HAS SHUT DOWN ON ME AFTER THE TWO WARNING MESSAGES, AND I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC IN THE LANE I WAS TRYING TO MERGE INTO WHEN IT DID HAPPEN.

TAKATA RECALL - I HAVE HAD MY VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THIS HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST 3 TIMES. GM IS AWARE AND HAS IGNORED MY REQUESTS FOR TWO YEARS. A FEW MONTHS AGO, GM ATTORNEY TOLD ME TO TAKE MY VEHICLE TO A GM DEALERSHIP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND THE RECALL REPAIRS WOULD BE DONE AT NO COST TO ME. I MADE HIM AWARE THAT MY VEHICLE HAD ALREADY BEEN SITTING AT A GM DEALERSHIP FOR MONTHS WAITING FOR THE REPAIR AND THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO REPAIR IT AND WILL NOT PROVIDE A RENTAL VEHICLE. PRIOR TO THE RECALL, I HAD NUMEROUS STEERING ISSUES AND HAD TAKEN IT TO GM DEALERSHIPS JUST TO HAVE THEM RETURN IT WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF, I WAS IN A BAD CRASH AND THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY, RESULTING IN ME GOING THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD.

MY VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH SHUT OFF, WHICH CAUSED ME TO LOSE STEERING. WHEN I CRASHED, THE AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. I WAS DRIVING IN A LARGE PARKING LOT AND WENT OVER A SPEED BUMP. I WAS KNOCKED OUT BUT THE POLICE REPORT INDICATED THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF BRAKING OR STEERING. I TOOK MY IMPALA TO THE GM DEALERSHIP OVER 12 TIMES.

MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH. A LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON SAYING ENGINE POWER REDUCED. AT THAT POINT MY VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN TO NEARLY 20 MPH WHILE I WAS STILL ON THE INTERSTATE IN MODERATE TRAFFIC. I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED MY VEHICLE OFF TO TRY TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. AT THAT POINT MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES. AFTER GETTING MY VEHICLE TO START I IMMEDIATELY DROVE IT HOME. THIS ISSUE COULD HAVE CAUSED A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT THAT WOULD HAVE INJURED MY WIFE AND I, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY OUR 7 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER RIDING IN THE BACK SEAT ALONG WITH ANY ONE ELSE INVOLVED. I HAVE BEEN ON MANY DIFFERENT FORUMS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM, AND IT SEEMS THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WITH THIS EXACT PROBLEM ON THEIR CHEVROLET IMPALAS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, THE STEERING FAILED AND THE CONTACT HEARD A CLICKING NOISE. THE BRAKES ALSO FAILED AND THE CONTACT CRASHED THE VEHICLE INTO A GUARDRAIL AND A TREE. THE CONTACT'S TONGUE WAS SEVERED AND HE SUFFERED INJURIES TO THE BRAIN, NECK, AND BACK. THE CONTACT WAS TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE TO THE HOSPITAL. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,500.

I WAS DERIVING DOWN A STEEP GRADE ON THE GATLINBURG BYPASS TOWARD PIGEON FORGE, TN IN SECOND GEAR FOR ENGINE BREAKING. I FIRST NOTICED THE CAR GETTING WARMER AND I CHECKED THE DUAL CLIMATE CONTROL BY FEEL TO MAKE SURE MY RIDER HAD NOT INCREASED THE TEMPERATURE. THEN I NOTICED THE STEERING WAS HARDER ON SLIGHT CURVES; THEN I NOTICED THE TACHOMETER GOING TO ZERO AND SONE OTHER GAUGES DECREASING; THEN I HAD TO SLOW FOR A CHARPER CURVE WHERE I HAD NO POWER BRAKE ASSIST AND NO POWERING STEERING ASSIST. I MANAGED TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE STOP WHERE I TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AFTER A SHORT CRANKING BUT ACTED IF IT WAS STARVING FOR FUEL. ONCE RESTARTED THE VEHICLE RAN SATISFACTORY, IF I HAD BEEN A WEAK PERSON OR HAD PANICKED THIS INCIDENT WOULD PROBABLY HAVE RESULTED IN A CRASH. THE IGNITION SWITCH RECALL HAD RECENTLY BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THE FUEL LEVEL WAS 1/2 TANK. AS AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER THIS APPEARED TO BE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WHERE THE ENGINE POWER WAS CUT OFF SHUTTING DOWN THE FUEL PUMP, INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, IGNITION, AND ELECTRIC STEERING ASSIST.