Chevrolet · Impala · 2009
5
Recalls
823
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2009 Chevrolet Impala has 5 recalls and 823 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: air bags (132 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
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.
Remedy Status
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> .
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.
Remedy Status
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.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
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.
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.
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.
It rumbles when I start my car
Transmission
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
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.
None
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.
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.
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.
Front defroster not working AND windshield wiper not working consistently.
Unknown SRS light comes on and stays on I'm afraid the system will not work properly in an accident.
The driver seat power motor caught fire underneath the seat while driving my vehicle. It started smoking really bad. Out of no where.
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.
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
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.
"Air Bag Malfunction light is on. There is a NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V507000 (Air Bags, Electrical System) which I am associating with the failure and it tends to happen at the 80,000 mile mark which this car is almost at. Why isn't this VIN included in the recall? It's a 2009 Chevy Impala. Shouldn't this recall capture all of the 2009 Chevy Impalas?
While driving the car it would pop up a message saying “ENGINE POWER REDUCED”. Today while driving it home it popped up with a message saying “STARTING DISABLED, SERVICE THROTTLE” and then the car wouldn’t drive and I had to pull over on the side of the road. For months now when I drive and accelerate at times the car would almost grind. I believe it has to do with the traction control or the transmission.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that upon open or closing the front driver’s side door, he heard an abnormal sound. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a howling sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a faulty door actuator. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2009 Chevrolet Impala has 5 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 823 owner-reported complaints for the 2009 Chevrolet Impala.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2009 Chevrolet Impala.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2009 Chevrolet Impala are air bags (132 reports), electrical system (80 reports), engine (45 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 5 recalls on record for the 2009 Chevrolet Impala. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.