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2009 Chevrolet Impala

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

663 reports with mileage · 161 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.

  • Air Bags. Review the 232 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 224 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 179 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

43 crash reports9 fire reports34 injury reports

Power Train complaints

68 reports
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Mileage unknown · Oct 20, 2024
Power TrainCrashInjury

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.

NHTSA ODI #11620832

40,000 miles · Apr 6, 2021
Power Train

POWER REDUCED TO ENGINE AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COME ON AND LOSS OF POWER

NHTSA ODI #11406674

100,000 miles · Mar 4, 2021
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train

CAR CONTINUOUSLY GETS A REDUCED POWER MESSAGE AND GOES DOWN TO 25 MPH. IN MID JANUARY DID THE SAME THING, BUT STALLED ON I90 OHIO TURNPIKE. ALMOST HIT BY A SEMI TRUCK. HAVE HAD THE CAR IN THE SHOP NO LESS THAN 5 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. AT GM AND NON GM REPAIR SHOPS. WE HAVE HAD THIS SAME REDUCED POWER ON CITY ROADS, AND THE …

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CAR CONTINUOUSLY GETS A REDUCED POWER MESSAGE AND GOES DOWN TO 25 MPH. IN MID JANUARY DID THE SAME THING, BUT STALLED ON I90 OHIO TURNPIKE. ALMOST HIT BY A SEMI TRUCK. HAVE HAD THE CAR IN THE SHOP NO LESS THAN 5 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. AT GM AND NON GM REPAIR SHOPS. WE HAVE HAD THIS SAME REDUCED POWER ON CITY ROADS, AND THE HIGHWAY, IT SEEMS ALWAYS WHEN IT IS WET, RAINY OR SLUSHY. IT REALLY APPEARS TO BE A WATER CAUSES THE PROBLEM. WE HAVE PAID FOR TWO SETS OF THROTTLE BODY, SPEED CONTROL SENSOR AND HARNESSES. THE PROBLEM CONTINUES TO PERSIST AND APPEARS TO BE DANGEROUS.

NHTSA ODI #11399081

180,000 miles · May 24, 2020
Power TrainUnknown Or Other

GEAR SHIFT IS STICKING IN PARK. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11325755

Mileage unknown · May 12, 2020
EnginePower TrainSuspension

JUST KEEPS SHOWING WARNING SIGNALS A TRACTION CONTROL. THE FRONT LEFT STRUT COVER IS CORRODED WHICH WAS TOLD TO ME EVENTUALLY THE STRUT WILL COME THROUGH THERE. SHOWING NO SIGNS OF THE FAN WORKING TO COOL THE CAR DOWN WHICH THEN READS ENGINE TOO HOT TURN OFF AC. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11324252

100,000 miles · May 4, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EnginePower Train

WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR IN MOTION IT COMPLETELY LOSES POWER. HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS WHILE ON HIGHWAY, INTERSTATE, AND IN TOWN ROADS. SO PROBLEM OCCURS AT ANY SPEED, AND RESULTS IN VEHICLE COASTING TO A STOP AS THE STEERING AND BRAKES STOP WORKING TOO. HAS HAPPENED TO ME HUNDREDS OF TIMES AS WE CAN NOT PIN POINT PROBLEM, AND HAS RE…

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WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR IN MOTION IT COMPLETELY LOSES POWER. HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS WHILE ON HIGHWAY, INTERSTATE, AND IN TOWN ROADS. SO PROBLEM OCCURS AT ANY SPEED, AND RESULTS IN VEHICLE COASTING TO A STOP AS THE STEERING AND BRAKES STOP WORKING TOO. HAS HAPPENED TO ME HUNDREDS OF TIMES AS WE CAN NOT PIN POINT PROBLEM, AND HAS REPLACED NUMEROUS DIFFERENT PARTS TRYING TO SOLVE IT. WHEN POWER LOSS OCCURS THERE IS VERY LITTLE TO NO TIME AT ALL FOR DRIVER TO COAST & STEER VEHICLE & OCCUPANTS TO SAFETY AREA ON SIDE OF ROAD. THE DASHBOARD INFORMATION CENTER WILL STATE "STARTING DISABLED, SERVICE THROTTLE" ALSO ENGINE POWER REDUCED" AND "SERVICE STABLITRAK." A NEW THROTTLE HAS BEEN PUT IN VEHICLE AND STILL DOES SAME THING. OVER THE YEAR IVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE IVE NOTICED IT DOES IT MORE IN WARM WEATHER. AFTER VEHICLE COAST TO A STOP AND IS PUT IN PARK AND TURNED OFF, WAIT 5 TO 10 MINUTES THEN VEHICLE WILL START UP AND NO INFORMATION OR LIGHTS DISPLAY IN DASH CENTER, LIKE IT NEVER HAPPENED.

NHTSA ODI #11323282

Mileage unknown · Nov 22, 2019
Power Train

DROVE MY VEHICLE TO ATTEND CHURCH ON A SUNDAY MORNING. AFTER CHURCH, RETURN TO MY VEHICLE TO GO HOME. I STARTED MY VEHICLE AND PUT IT IN DRIVE GEAR. THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T MOVE. I SHIFTED IT TO 2ND GEAR AND IT MOVED SLOWLY AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. I GOT NO PRIOR WARNING OF ANY PROBLEM BEFORE PARKING. NO CHECK ENGINE LIG…

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DROVE MY VEHICLE TO ATTEND CHURCH ON A SUNDAY MORNING. AFTER CHURCH, RETURN TO MY VEHICLE TO GO HOME. I STARTED MY VEHICLE AND PUT IT IN DRIVE GEAR. THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T MOVE. I SHIFTED IT TO 2ND GEAR AND IT MOVED SLOWLY AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. I GOT NO PRIOR WARNING OF ANY PROBLEM BEFORE PARKING. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND IT SCARED ME BECAUSE IT COULD HAVE OCCURRED WHILE I WAS ON THE BUSY INTERSTATE. I HAVE NOT HAD IT REPAIRED BECAUSE THE PROBLEM CAN'T BE ISOLATED BY THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOPS BECAUSE THERE IS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED FINE PRIOR TO THIS. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 117,000 MILES.

NHTSA ODI #11281764

200,000 miles · Apr 30, 2019
Power TrainService BrakesUnknown Or Other

"TAKATA RECALL" HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE ROTORS, TIRE END RODS, AND MOTOR MOUNT.

NHTSA ODI #11204857

130,000 miles · Jan 1, 2019
Power Train

I PLACED MY CAR IN PARK, WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL RUNNING. WHEN I GOT BACK IN, AND TRIED TO PUT IT INTO GEAR, THE CONSOLE SHIFTER SEEMED LIKE IT WAS LOCKED IN PLACE, AND WOULDN'T LET ME PUT THE CAR IN GEAR. THERE IS APPARENTLY A SWITCH UNDER THE CONSOLE COVER THAT ALLOWS ME TO TEMPORARILY FIX THIS ISSUE, BUT I HAVE TO DO SO EVERY…

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I PLACED MY CAR IN PARK, WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL RUNNING. WHEN I GOT BACK IN, AND TRIED TO PUT IT INTO GEAR, THE CONSOLE SHIFTER SEEMED LIKE IT WAS LOCKED IN PLACE, AND WOULDN'T LET ME PUT THE CAR IN GEAR. THERE IS APPARENTLY A SWITCH UNDER THE CONSOLE COVER THAT ALLOWS ME TO TEMPORARILY FIX THIS ISSUE, BUT I HAVE TO DO SO EVERY TIME I WANT TO PUT MY CAR INTO GEAR FROM PARK. ONLY HAPPENS WHEN MY CAR IS IN PARK. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A RECALL ISSUE OR NOT. BUT ANY REPLY ON THIS ISSUE, AS WELL AS WHAT I NEED TO DO TO GET IT FIXED WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

NHTSA ODI #11164402

Mileage unknown · Oct 30, 2018
Electrical SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed Control

LATELY, I HAVE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE ACCELERATION OF MY VEHICLE. EVERY SO OFTEN, MY ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND I GET A "ENGINE REDUCED" NOTIFICATION, AND MY VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN. WHENEVER I REACH 40MPH, MY HP METER DROPS AND MY CAR STARTS SHAKING. THERE HAS EVEN BEEN A TIME WHEN MY CAR WOULD COMPLETELY SHUT OFF AND DISPLAY "I…

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LATELY, I HAVE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE ACCELERATION OF MY VEHICLE. EVERY SO OFTEN, MY ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND I GET A "ENGINE REDUCED" NOTIFICATION, AND MY VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN. WHENEVER I REACH 40MPH, MY HP METER DROPS AND MY CAR STARTS SHAKING. THERE HAS EVEN BEEN A TIME WHEN MY CAR WOULD COMPLETELY SHUT OFF AND DISPLAY "IGNITION DISABLED". EACH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING ON A HIGHWAY. I WENT TO A SHOP TO GET THE ERROR CODES AND I WILL UPLOAD THEM.

NHTSA ODI #11144141

Official recalls

5

16V507000 · 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.

08V517000 · Air Bags:frontal

Oct 6, 2008

GM IS RECALLING 79 MY 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT AIR BAG INFLATOR THAT COULD FRACTURE AT AN INFLATOR TUBE DURING A DEPLOYMENT.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: DURING A PASSENGER-SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, PIECES OF THE INFLATOR TUBE COULD STRIKE AND INJURE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AND THE AIR BAG CUSHION WOULD NOT INFLATE FULLY, REDUCING THE CAPABILITY OF THE BAG TO PROTECT THE PASSENGER.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT AIR BAG. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 10, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.