NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Chevrolet Impala. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
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.
Throttle body and throttle pedal
We bought a vehicle as is from a dealer and when we drove away the air bag comes on and off
I have 2 recalls on my vehicle but my key will not turn All the way off to remove it when I park I have contacted Chevrolet dealership in same town I live in they have not called me back to let me know when I can get recalls repaired it's been several weeks also my driver's door locks and want unlock until it decides too mypassenger seatbelt doesn't want to work also airbags lite on I have different types of lights going on and off also there's a clacking noise in my dash need
2009 Chevy impala Airbag light comes on and off when it wants to bought it from a use dealer ship in 2022
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the seat belt warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Passenger Presence sensor module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V507000 (Air Bags, Electrical System). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that upon purchasing the vehicle from an independent mechanic, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The mechanic informed her that the vehicle was included in an unknown recall. The independent mechanic took the vehicle to the dealer for the recall repair. A month after the repair, the check engine warning light reappeared. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.
The service airbag light comes on in the dash. Whether someone is in the passenger seat or not, the light came one and it stays on most of the time. I looked up recalls for my vin, and it wasn’t included in the previous recall. (recall number 36110 passenger presence sensor and instrument cluster) But it has the same issue as all of the other 2009 Chevrolet Impalas recalled for the same exact thing. I purchased this car in December 2020 from the state of Michigan so I am the second owner. My vin should be covered under the recall. I need it fixed and it’s no okay that as dealership won’t cover my vehicle and it has the same issue. Why didn’t Chevrolet just recall ALL of this year, regardless of vin? GM saving money at the cost of mine and my families safety is not okay!
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the warning message "Air Bag Malfunction" illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a used car dealer where it was diagnosed that the front passenger’s seat belt sensor had failed, causing the front passenger air bag malfunction. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V507000 (Air Bags, Electrical System) which she associated to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall as her VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
My car has started slowing down abruptly and displaying Engine Power has been Reduced at random times, but has become more frequent. I have had an independent service center tell me it was the throttle body, so they replaced it. That didn't fix it, so they replaced the accelerator pedal/sensor. It still is happening and when on the interstate, it is so dangerous to slow down with no warning because you can get rear ended quite easily. This first started August 2021 when my wife and I started on a vacation and had to turn around and go home and is still happening, only more frequent. This past Saturday 7/16, I was traveling on Interstate 77 and the engine power kept cutting down about every 10 minutes, so I had to pull over and cut the engine off for a while until it reset. I can't trust it to go anywhere.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that the driver’s side air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to the local dealer and she was informed that the failure was due to a defective seat sensor wiring. The contact was given an estimate for the repair which she declined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the air bag warning light remained illuminated with the “service air bag" message displayed on the instrument panel. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the Vin was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 16V507000 (Air Bags, Electrical System). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 121,000.
When I make a left or right turn the my car stops and struggles to accelerate. Meanwhile making a loud sound from underneath the front of the car. It sounds like something is getting ready to snap.
IN APPROX 2013-2014 ACTUATOR AFFECTING HEATING AND COOLING IN THE VEHICLE NEEDED REPLACED, THEN AGAIN ACTUATOR NEEDED REPLACEMENT IN 2016-17 AND AGAIN NOW. THE PROBLEM KEEPS OCCURRING. THIS IS AFFECTING THE ABILITY TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE DURING EXTREME TEMPERATURES WE EXPERIENCE. ACTUATOR MAKING HORRIBLE CLICKING SOUND AND CAR WILL NOT HEAT UP OR COOL DOWN AS APPROPRIATE 1ST OCCURS APPROXIMATELY 2013-2014 AROUND 90,000 MILES, AND AGAIN APPROXIMATELY 2016-17 AND AGAIN IN 2021
POWER REDUCED TO ENGINE AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COME ON AND LOSS OF POWER
On and off air bag light on speedometer area also service air bag will not stay on long enough to diagnose
I HAD THE PROBLEM WITH THE SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT COMING ON AND STAYING ON. I HAD THE PROBLEM FIXED BUT I SEE THAT MY VEHICLE ISN'T UNDER RECALL. I HAD TO HAVE THE PASSENGER SIDE PRETENSIONERS ASSEMBLY REPLACED. THIS LIGHT WOULD COME ON WHEN THE CAR WAS STARTED AND STAY ON UNTIL THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF.
THE SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON AND STAYS ON
I'VE BEEN HAVING CRAZY ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH MY IMPALA 2009 WHEN I PUSH THE BUTTON TO MOVE MY CHAIR MY LIGHT FLICKERS ON AND OFF AND WHEN I START MY CAR IT SHAKES IN THE HOOD ALSO
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.
SAFTEY AIR BAG ...LIGHT COME ON AND STAYS ON
ON 1/2/2021 I WAS TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN I HAD A FRONT END CRASH AT 60 MPH AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED CAUSING INJURY TO MYSELF.
MY DASHBOARD SAYS MY SEATBELT IS OFF IT SAYS MY AIRBAG IS OFF IT HAS ABS AND TRACKING THE LIGHTS IN THE DASHBOARD EVERYTHING COMES ON AND GOES OFF YOU HAVE TO SEE IT IN ORDER TO BELIEVE WHAT I'M SAYING BECAUSE I DIDN'T TOOK IT TO EVERYONE AND THEY KEEP TELLING ME THEY CAN'T DO NOTHING ABOUT THE AIRBAG SENSOR AND THE OTHER SENSORS COULD BE ANYTHING
MY CAR STARTED PUTTING AN EVERYTHING WAS DIM WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE BRAKE LIGHT AN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BOTH WERE ON
I have taken my vehicle to Lannon-Woburn several time and they fix the airbag issue but it always turns back on????? Clearly there is an issue here.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: I HAVE A 2009 CHEVY IMPALA WITH 100,000 MILES ON IT. THE 1ST TIME THIS ISSUE HAPPENED, I WAS DRIVING SLOWLY, ON A SIDE STREET, IN JULY 2019. OUT OF THE BLUE, THE FOLLOWING WARNINGS APPEARED: ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED, SERVICE STABILITRAK, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL. IMMEDIATELY MY CAR STARTED RUNNING HORRIBLY (IT DIDN'T WANT TO GO, WAS CHUGGING, AND ALMOST FELT LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING). I PARKED IT. LATER I STARTED IT AND ALL WARNINGS WERE GONE, BUT THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. . THE NEXT DAY I STARTED IT AND JUST THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. 3RD DAY I STARTED IT, ENGINE LIGHT STILL ON. DROVE IT TO A SHOP,.RIGHT BEFORE I PULLED IN, THE LIGHT TURNED OFF! THEY SCANNED IT ANYWAY & SAID THAT NOTHING CAME UP. THE CAR HAS DRIVEN JUST FINE, NO WARNINGS OR LIGHTS UNTIL 11/25/2020. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 20MPH, TURNED RIGHT ON A SIDE STREET AND ALL OF A SUDDEN ALL OF THE EXACT MESSAGES AS BEFORE CAME ON. VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY STARTED RUNNING SLOW AND "CHUGGING"AGAIN. I PARKED IT. WHEN I STARTED IT AGAIN LATER, ALL THE SAME MESSAGES WERE STILL THERE. IT'S DEFINITELY SCARY WHEN THIS HAPPENS & SINCE THE 1ST TIME IT HAPPENED, I WAS NERVOUS TO DRIVE IT FAR BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE WHEN IT MAY HAPPEN AGAIN. I WENT ON A CHEVROLET FORUM & READ THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE. I WAS VERY PLEASED ABOUT THAT. I PUT IN MY VIN & IT STATED THAT THERE ARE NO RECALLS. SO I CALLED GM THIS MORNING. THE REP SAID THEY'RE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, BUT THERE IS NOT A RECALL FOR IT. SHE THEN SAID THAT IT WOULD'VE COVERED BY SPECIAL WARRANTY BUT UNFORTUNATELY THAT WAS UNAVAILABLE AS OF APRIL 2019! HER ADVICE WAS TO TAKE IT TO A CERTIFIED DEALERSHIP AND HAVE IT CHECKED AND FIXED SOON FOR MY SAFETY! I ASKED WHY THERE ISN'T A RECALL, IF IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE AND SHE SAID I COULD TALK TO A CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP AND MAYBE THEY COULD DO SOMETHING FOR ME. PLEASE HELP!
CAR HAS HAD SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT ON FOR YEARS PRIOR TO BEING INHERITED. 4 CODES WERE PULLED INLCUDING: 1. B0021 PASSENGER SEAT SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT LOOP OPEN. 2. B001B PASSENGER PRETENSIONER DEPLOYMENT LOOP 2 OPEN. 3. B001B PASSENGER PRETENSIONER DEPLOYMENT LOOP 2 HIGH RESISTANCE 4. B001B PASSENGER PRETENSIONER DEPLOYMENT LOOP 2 HIGH RESISTANCE IT APPEARS SOME 2009 IMPALAS WERE RECALLED REGARDING THE SIDE PASSENGER AIRBAG WIRING AND THIS ONE MAY BE RELATED.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. ON THE HWY GOING 60MPH, ALL OF A SUDDEN MY ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED AND AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. THE NEXT DAY THE AIR BAG LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT ARE BOTH ON. WENT TO MY MECHANIC FOR AN INSPECTION (WHICH I FAILED DUE TO THE AIRBAG) AND HE INFORMED ME TO CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP FOR RECALL. I DID, ONLY TO FIND OUT THE RECALL IS CLOSED AND I CAN'T GET THIS FIXED UNLESS I COME UP WITH A LOT OF MONEY. I EXPLAINED I NEVER GOT ANYTHING FROM THE MANUFACTURER ABOUT THE RECALL. HOW CAN I GET MY CAR FIXED ON A CLOSED RECALL?
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the airbag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the warning light illuminated for a long period of time and then went away after the reset button on their instrumental panel was pressed. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000.
THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AND HAPPENED AGAIN YESTERDAY..... PULLED OUT ONTO 4 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON, DASH SAID "ENGINE POWER REDUCED", BUT DID NOT SEEM TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY LOW ON POWER. DROVE ABOUT 5 MILES DOWN THE ROAD, THEN CAR SUDDENLY DIED. WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO SIDE OF THE ROAD (WITH THREE SMALL CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE), TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR BUT DISPLAY SAID "STARTING DISABLED, SERVICE THROTTLE". WAITED ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND CAR RESTARTED. WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME, NO REDUCED POWER BUT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON. I HAVE SEEN MANY COMMENTS ONLINE FROM OTHERS WHO OWN SIMILAR GM VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD SIMILAR ISSUES. WE HAVE ALSO HAD SIMILAR ISSUES WITH OUR 2011 SUBURBAN, ALTHOUGH NO STALLING. THERE SHOULD BE AN IMMEDIATE RECALL FOR ALL 2008 - 2011 GM VEHICLES TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE, MOST LIKELY ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR.