2009 Chevrolet Impala

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

LAST NIGHT, I STARTED UP MY CAR AND IMMEDIATELY THE CAR STARTED TO SHUDDER PRETTY HARD. MY CAR STARTED CHIMING AND A SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL SHOWED UP ON MY DASH, FOLLOWED BY AN ENGINE POWER REDUCED. THE LIGHT INDICATOR FOR MY TC WAS LIT. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE CAR OFF AND TRIED TO RESTART IT. THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. I TURNED IT OFF AND WAITED 2 MINUTES BEFORE RESTARTING. IT STARTED FINE, WITH NO BAD INDICATIONS. THE CAR ALSO DROVE NORMALLY. A FEW HOURS LATER AS I WAS STARTING HOME, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. MY CAR WAS STILL PARKED AS BEFORE WHEN THE INDICATIONS SHOWED UP. SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED AND IT CLEARED OUT. NO PROBLEM ONCE I STARTED DRIVING. THIS MORNING WAS NO DIFFERENT. SO FAR, THIS ONLY HAS HAPPENED WHEN I WAS STARTING MY CAR UP. I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE THAT THIS HASN'T HAPPENED TO ME WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION- YET. OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS PROBLEM HAVEN'T BEEN SO FORTUNATE. THERE HAS BEEN NO BAD WEATHER AT ALL. DRY AS A BONE. I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN 2010 KNOWING IT USED TO BE A RENTAL. I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH IT UNTIL NOW. I TOOK MY CAR INTO MY CHEVY DEALERSHIP, WHO THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE THE THROTTLE BODY SENSOR. THEY ARE ORDERING THE PART IN, BUT I'M STILL SKEPTICAL IF THAT IS REALLY WHAT IS CAUSING IT. I HAVE HEARD THE SENSOR ON THE HUB ASSEMBLY COULD CAUSE THIS, AS WELL AS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SENSOR. FROM READING MULTIPLE FORUMS, MANY OWNERS HAVE HAD SCARY EXPERIENCES WITH THE CAR DECELERATING ON FREEWAYS OR OTHER DANGEROUS PLACES THAT COULD RESULT IN WRECKS AND PERSONAL HARM. THEY HAD TAKEN THEIR CARS IN MULTIPLE TIMES AND SHELLED OUT THOUSANDS TRYING TO FIX THIS PHANTOM GHOST PROBLEM. FRANKLY I AM AMAZED THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL FOR THIS. I AM MOVING TO CA, AND I'M DRIVING THERE BY MYSELF IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. I CAN'T HAVE MY CAR TRY TO DO ME IN RIGHT NOW, NOR DO I HAVE ENDLESS AMOUNTS OF CASH TO FIX A MECH'S GUESS. WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER THIS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE TRACTION CONTROL, EMISSIONS AND ENGINE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC.THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

I WAS ACCELERATING TO MERGE LEFT INTO A HIGHWAY. WEATHER WAS DRY AND HOT. TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH ENGINE LIGHT CAR SHOWS MESSAGE: "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL", "ENGINE POWER REDUCED". CAR TAKES LONGER TO ACCELERATE. AFTER I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND TURN IT ON, TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT DISAPPEARED. ENGINE LIGHT REMAINS ON. *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