Chevrolet Impala Complaints (2009)

824 consumer complaints on file.

#11742721June 8, 2026
AIR BAGS
For the last 2 years, the car willl come up saying airbag system issues. There airbag sensor under the passenger side seat will randomly throw a code for the erorr and then turn off. It does not have to be a bump, move the seat, Just goes off. We have had it professionally scanned and it is always the same sensor with the issue. We noticed certian models had recalls but our was not on the list for some reason even though it fits all the other models with same issue. The cost to get it repaired and a chevy dealer is astromical. There are too many dates to count of the light and sesnor error.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11727490March 27, 2026
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I believe the passenger seat occupant sensing and airbag issues from recall 16V507 have not been fixed. I am still having issues related to it, even though I had it fixed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690540September 30, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Smelled an odor of burning wires when using rear defroster. Defroster then stopped working. After further troubleshooting I observed the wire pigtail under the front passenger door was charred and burned. The pin inside the harness that was burned was the rear defroster. After further research I found this is very common for the Chevy impala. However no recall existed. I feel it is a fire risk due to the fact that the wires over heated enough to melt and char the plastic surrounding the electrical pin within the harness. Pictures was taken of the damage.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11647219March 9, 2025
ENGINE
Transmission
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11645235February 27, 2025
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11640271February 3, 2025
ENGINE
It rumbles when I start my car
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11633331December 31, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I have a 2009 with 77000 miles 0n it I have fix the knocking noise under dash 3 times now it is a actuator there are 2 of them. I have also found by spraying Carburetor cleaner in the throttle body just remove the the big air hose and spray all around in side this stops the the speed reduction control lite from coming on saying you have no power. The problem I'm having now is while I'm driving the dash lights go out and radio light goes dim. after a while the lights come back on bright and working great they go on and off when they want to The lights showing me the mileage works great all the time its just the dash lights going on and off and my car just pass smog in California in June. I now live in Texas ,I have to have my car inspection here and it failed do to a EVAP and a 02 sensor not responding. They tell cause I replace the battery this cause the computer to reset and these 2 sensors have not reset yet and I have to drive the car 100 miles to make sure they reset to the computer So these are the problems I have been having with my car. You can find your car problem on you tube by putting in the year and make of your car saying what light came up and usually its a easy fix
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11620832October 20, 2024
POWER TRAIN
A piece broke off and had fallen off of transmission when stopped at a redlight when put in gear car didn't want to move had to manually shift to get off the road and towed it home. The piece that broke fell into pan when changing transmission fluid. Believe it's off flywheel possibly forward band.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11608911August 16, 2024
AIR BAGS, SUSPENSION, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
None
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11603038July 17, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
the frame of the car is rusted . in places almost all the way through the frame. this was confirmed by chevy dealer. this car has always kept in a garage. I kept the car clean going through a car was with under wash.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11589955May 21, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that upon attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact then observed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the wiring harness and observed that the wiring was exposed. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V355000 (Electrical System), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 222,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11570246February 6, 2024
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:ABS WARNING LIGHT, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The traction control, ABS, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic however, a diagnostic test could not be performed due the excessive rust underneath the vehicle. The mechanic was unable to hoist the vehicle on the lift because safety and liability issues. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11566631January 20, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Front defroster not working AND windshield wiper not working consistently.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564368January 9, 2024
AIR BAGS
Unknown SRS light comes on and stays on I'm afraid the system will not work properly in an accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563810January 5, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting to reverse, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact continued to reverse the vehicle and felt a pulling sensation. The "Traction Control" failure light illuminated. The contact decided to move forward and park the vehicle. After several hours, the contact restarted the vehicle and the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was then able to be driven. The failure occurred several times after the tires were changed. The contact linked the failure to NHTSA ID Number: 10090054 (Vehicle Speed Control, Engine). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the accelerator pedal failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The vehicle was not returned to the dealer when the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and it was confirmed that the vehicle was past the 10-year coverage for NHTSA ID Number: 10090054 (Vehicle Speed Control, Engine). The failure mileage was 65,510.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11542239September 2, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Driving home one night, August 8th, 2023 (thank goodness it was night) took a turn and got a service traction control light with a ding ding ding noise (I assume to alert me that something is wrong) and then it said engine power reduced which I assume happens because if your traction control is bad, it doesn’t want you slipping. Immediately called my father and he said to just drive it home and we’ll check it out. Not 2 miles later, my engine just stopped and it went into ignition. I couldn’t steer, I couldn’t stop because the engine was no longer running. I’ve driven a time or 2 (more like backed up) when I didn’t turn my key all the way and it was in ignition and that’s how it felt because it wasn’t on. This was very scary because I thought the car had just gave out. The engine just stopped and I got warning saying "STARTING DISABLED, SERVICE ENGINE THROTTLE " this is my first car, and after reading the complaints on it, I thought it was a recall. We ended up changing out the gas pedal, which made the problem go away right away, and I haven’t had issues with it since. Failure Mileage: 175K
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11541043August 27, 2023
SEATS
The driver seat power motor caught fire underneath the seat while driving my vehicle. It started smoking really bad. Out of no where.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11539480August 18, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY
The support frame rusted due to water collection from rain. This has caused the entire frame to rust through and collapse when the car was jacked up, with the manufacturer supplied scissor jack, to replace a tire. Because of this the DRIVER SIDE door is no longer able to open, causing the driver to be put at risk where they can not escape the car in case of an emergency.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11530351July 4, 2023
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SEAT BELTS
2009 Chevy impala Airbag light comes on and off when it wants to bought it from a use dealer ship in 2022
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528363June 22, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:THROTTLE:THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR (TPS)
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on separate occasions, the messages “Reduce Engine Power” and "Service Traction Control" were displayed on the instrument cluster, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving on a bumpy road surface and while turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the throttle position sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that her father used an OBD reader and retrieved codes indicating that the throttle position sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, who informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 169,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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