IllustrationTHE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME IN, THEN THE STABILITRAK LIGHT CAME ON, THEN ENGINE POWER REDUCED CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. WAITED CAR POWERED BACK ON. A KNOWN ISSUE IN THIS MODEL. *TR
2010 Chevrolet Impala
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Impala years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
260–25K
6725–50K
8750–75K
6375–100K
74100–150K
34150K+
351 reports with mileage · 90 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 132 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 102 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 88 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
18 crash reports3 fire reports10 injury reports
Electronic Stability Control (esc) complaints
74 reportsWHILE DRIVING, REDUCE POWER IN ENGINE. CHECK STABILITY TRAC, AND LOST ACCELERATION. THE CAR SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY. RESTARED AFTER A 10 MINUTE WAIT. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON, BUT NOW OFF. *TR HAPPEN FROM TIME TO TIME.
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN LIGHTS START FLASHING ON DASH BOARD SAYING TRACTION CONTROL, ENGINE PERFORMANCE REDUCED AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. CAR COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN ON MAJOR HIGHWAY. GM NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING!!!! BEFORE SOMEONE SERIOUSLY GETS HURT OR WORSE. WENT TO AUTO SHOP AND THEY SAID IT I…
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MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN LIGHTS START FLASHING ON DASH BOARD SAYING TRACTION CONTROL, ENGINE PERFORMANCE REDUCED AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. CAR COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN ON MAJOR HIGHWAY. GM NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING!!!! BEFORE SOMEONE SERIOUSLY GETS HURT OR WORSE. WENT TO AUTO SHOP AND THEY SAID IT IS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SENSOR GONE BAD ALREADY AT 56,103 ? I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR, AND ONLY HAD IT FOR 1 YEAR. I WILL NEVER BUY ANYTHING GM MAKES OR RECOMMENDED THERE VEHICLES TO FAMILY OR FRIENDS THIS IS RIDICULOUS. SOMEONE NEEDS TO CARE ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THEY DO NOT. PLEASE DO A RECALL AND SAVE A LIFE !!!!! *JB
WHEN TURNING ON THE AIR, THERE IS A KNOCKING NOISE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BY THE GLOVE BOX. SOUNDS LIKE THE AIR DOOR ACTUATOR. IT WAS THE SAME THING WITH MY 2003 CHEVY IMPALA. CHECK ON YOUTUBE. THERE MORE AND MORE PROBLEMS WITH THIS PART. JUST PURCHASE THIS VEHICLE ON JULY 24, 2013 AT A DEALERSHIP. *TR
MY CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING, NO WARNING. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THAT SAYS "SERVICE STABILITRAK". I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY AND AFTER A FEW MOMENTS I COULD DRIVE AGAIN. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2009 IMPALA AND THIS SAME THING HAPPENED! IT WOULD HAVE COST $1900 TO FIX WHICH IS WHY I JUST DECIDED TO UPGRADE AND BY ANOTH…
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MY CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING, NO WARNING. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THAT SAYS "SERVICE STABILITRAK". I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY AND AFTER A FEW MOMENTS I COULD DRIVE AGAIN. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2009 IMPALA AND THIS SAME THING HAPPENED! IT WOULD HAVE COST $1900 TO FIX WHICH IS WHY I JUST DECIDED TO UPGRADE AND BY ANOTHER. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE. *TR
IN APRIL 2011, I WAS DRIVING ON EXPRESSWAY AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WARNING READ REDUCE ENGINE POWER, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, SERVICE STABILITRAC AND THEN ENGINE CUT OFF AND I COASTED TO SHOULDER OF HWY. THE CAR FINALLY STARTED BACK UP AFTER A FEW MINUTES. I HAD TO BUY $100 ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR. NOW …
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IN APRIL 2011, I WAS DRIVING ON EXPRESSWAY AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WARNING READ REDUCE ENGINE POWER, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, SERVICE STABILITRAC AND THEN ENGINE CUT OFF AND I COASTED TO SHOULDER OF HWY. THE CAR FINALLY STARTED BACK UP AFTER A FEW MINUTES. I HAD TO BUY $100 ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR. NOW ON JUNE 28, 2013, ONLY 2 YEARS LATER, IT IS DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN SO I HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER ONE. THE WARRANTY ON IT ONLY LASTED 12 MONTHS. I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN OCTOBER 2010 AND THIS PROBLEM STARTED IN APRIL 2011.THIS CAR IS JUST 3 YEARS OLD AND FROM READING ON THE WEB, THERE ARE ALOT OF CHEVROLETS HAVING THIS PROBLEM. I'M READING ABOUT MODEL YEARS FROM 2007 WITH THIS SAME ISSUE. GM SHOULD HAVE ADDRESSED THIS PROBLEM BY NOW. I NEED HELP WITH THIS ISSUE!!!! *TR
WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ACCELERATING TO MERGE, THE CAR FELT AS IF IT DROPPED A GEAR OR TWO AND THE POWER WAS NOTICEABLY REDUCED. THE SERVICE LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON AND THE ERROR MESSAGE "SERVICE STABILITYTRAC- SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" CAME ACROSS THE DASH. NOW THE CAR WHEN IT ACCELERATES "JERKS" AS IF IT'S HAVING T…
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WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ACCELERATING TO MERGE, THE CAR FELT AS IF IT DROPPED A GEAR OR TWO AND THE POWER WAS NOTICEABLY REDUCED. THE SERVICE LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON AND THE ERROR MESSAGE "SERVICE STABILITYTRAC- SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" CAME ACROSS THE DASH. NOW THE CAR WHEN IT ACCELERATES "JERKS" AS IF IT'S HAVING TROUBLE MAKING IT TO THE NEXT GEAR WHEN MOVING BETWEEN 20-30MPH ON THE SPEEDOMETER. THE POWER IN ACCELERATING AFTER 30MPH IS DRAMATICALLY REDUCED THE FASTER YOU WISH TO GO. *TR
I WAS DRIVING ON A RURAL ROAD AT 55 MILES PER HOUR IN MY 2010 IMPALA AND IT WAS JUST A NORMAL ACTIVITY NO EXCESSIVE TURNING OR DRIVING . MY LIGHT CAME ON AND SAID TO SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL. THEN MY LIGHT SAID ENGINE POWER HAS BEEN REDUCED. I WAS TRYING TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD AN MY LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND I…
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I WAS DRIVING ON A RURAL ROAD AT 55 MILES PER HOUR IN MY 2010 IMPALA AND IT WAS JUST A NORMAL ACTIVITY NO EXCESSIVE TURNING OR DRIVING . MY LIGHT CAME ON AND SAID TO SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL. THEN MY LIGHT SAID ENGINE POWER HAS BEEN REDUCED. I WAS TRYING TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD AN MY LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND IT SAID IT WAS DISENGAGING THE THROTTLE AND MY CAR JUST QUIT. NO POWER STEERING NO WARNING JUST QUIT AND I BARELY GOT IT OFF THE ROAD IN TIME TO KEEP ME FROM CRASHING! THE CAR WOULDN'T START FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES BUT FINALLY I GOT IT STARTED AND MADE IT HOME. IF I HAD BEEN ON THE INTERSTATE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN TRAGIC ! *TR
RIDING ALONG AT 70 MPH TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. COMPUTER SAYS ENGINE SPEED IS REDUCED. DROVE TWO MORE MILES TO PULL OVER SAFELY BUT CAR CUT OFF AND COMPUTER SAYS ENGINE START IS DISABLED AND CAR WOULD NOT RESTART UNTIL I UNHOOKED BATTERY. NOT REAL FUN WITH RUSH HOUR IN ST. LEWIS.GLAD I WAS NOT [XXX…
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RIDING ALONG AT 70 MPH TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. COMPUTER SAYS ENGINE SPEED IS REDUCED. DROVE TWO MORE MILES TO PULL OVER SAFELY BUT CAR CUT OFF AND COMPUTER SAYS ENGINE START IS DISABLED AND CAR WOULD NOT RESTART UNTIL I UNHOOKED BATTERY. NOT REAL FUN WITH RUSH HOUR IN ST. LEWIS.GLAD I WAS NOT [XXX]ENDED. *TR
STABILITRAC LIGHT ON WITH REDUCED ENGINE POWER - TESTED AND FOUND CODE B 2138 REPLACED SHORTED GAS PEDAL ASSEMBLY. ON APRIL 9, 2010 THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED. THE DEALERSHIP CHARGED ME $463 FOR THE FIRST REPAIR AND NOW THEY ARE SAYING I MUST PAY ANOTHER $500 FOR A SENSOR. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND A FAULTY SYSTEM THAT …
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STABILITRAC LIGHT ON WITH REDUCED ENGINE POWER - TESTED AND FOUND CODE B 2138 REPLACED SHORTED GAS PEDAL ASSEMBLY. ON APRIL 9, 2010 THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED. THE DEALERSHIP CHARGED ME $463 FOR THE FIRST REPAIR AND NOW THEY ARE SAYING I MUST PAY ANOTHER $500 FOR A SENSOR. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND A FAULTY SYSTEM THAT SHOULD BE UNDER WARRANTY AND/OR UNDER GMAC RECALL. *TR
Official recalls
416V507000 · 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.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.