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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
79,444 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Chevrolet Impala brakes problems

brakes problem

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2008 Chevrolet Impala Owner Comments (Page 3 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #18

Dec 132013

Impala

  • 72,424 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving at highway speed (60 mph) on a two lane road. Temperature was below freezing, no ice or snow. Suddenly a bell sounded, the "service traction control" blinked on the display, the traction light came on, and then the vehicle suddenly reduced power, and "engine power reduced" displayed alternately with the "service traction control" warning. I was scared, but had about 8 miles to drive to my home town. I pulled to the shoulder at about 40 mph, turned on my flashers, and continued on to my home. If this had happened with ice on the road, as there had been that morning on my way to work, a crash would no doubt have occurred as these roads are very slippery in winter.

- Superior, NE, USA

problem #17

Feb 172009

Impala

  • 5,200 miles
While driving at 60 mph the cars service traction control light comes on and so does the ABS brake service light. The car then reduces power to no more then 35-40 mph and that's with the gas pedal floored. It has happened since new. I have changed out the harness, and wheel hub and it still happens, sometimes in very dangerous situations like while driving on a hwy with a truck behind you and the car goes from 60 mph to 40 mph in a heart beat. The dealership said its a common electrical problem with GM cars in 2006-2009. The only part left to change would be the computer modulator, however talking to other GM owners with the same problem it doesn't seem to help.

- Cortlandt Manor, NY, USA

problem #16

Jul 162013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 58,000 miles
Stability control light and ABS braking system lights came on and stayed on for about a mile. Had short bursts of reduction in power causing the car to slow down for brief periods of time. This is an intermittent problem and has been happening frequently for the past couple of weeks.the risk of this happening at high speeds in traffic is very concerning.

- Weirton, WV, USA

problem #15

Jul 132013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 55,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

A few months ago, while driving my vehicle the service stabilitrak warning came on and engine power was reduced causing a safety hazard on a busy road. Following instructions from GM, my mechanic cleaned connections on the pedal relay. The same problem occurred this past Saturday while driving on the highway, nearly causing a collision. I have been told the repairs to fix this issue will run close to $1,000. I have also read many forums on the internet indicating this is a consistent problem with Impala's. it is my belief that this should be addressed with a safety recall.

- Livonia, MI, USA

problem #14

May 032013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle decelerated independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated that the accelerator pedal would have to be replaced. After the repair was performed, the traction control and power reduction warning lights illuminated as the failure continued. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #13

Jun 222013

Impala

  • 135,007 miles
On June 22, 2012 as I was driving approximately 40 mph, the reduced engine power and traction control message popped up on the dash. I know my car slowed down a lot and then picked up speed again. I notice that each time I pressed on the petal to stop at a light or stop sign the car would jerk forward. I did not think too much of it until my husband then drove it and said the same thing happened to him and the car was driving really rough. I did some research and see that lots of Chevy owners have been experiencing the same problem. Please enforce a recall as this is not safe especially when you are driving on a freeway.

- Duncanville, TX, USA

problem #12

Jun 112012

Impala

  • 95,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I currently drive a 2008 Chevy Impala, I've only had the car 1 1/2 and not even a year after I purchased it, I start experiencing the (tcs) traction control sensor - which alternatively reduce the speed of the engine; it happens sporadically, ... I took it to auto zone to have a diagnostic performed on the car, and they reader said it was due to a cylinder 5 misfire.... my car is a 6 cylinder, it is dangerous when driving on the highway as when the (tcs) does come on' the reduce engine speed is well under the highway speed limit. Other concerns that arise is that sense this sensor has been own, it' has accumulated other sensors' (ABS) (!) and the throttle pedal sensor. I have reached out to the GM to see if there was any recall on this, and was advise that nothing has been done. I think this is a huge danger, as this is a commonly used car in the U.S & if there has been several complaints thus far over the same issue, why hasn't anything been done to resolve the issue" what if you've worked hard to drive the vehicle you want;& have to pay out of cost; other than basic maintenance"

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #11

May 142013

Impala

  • 71,009 miles
I have read many other complaints similar to mine. I was driving yesterday and the "service stabilitrak, service traction control" warnings came on. After a few minutes "engine power reduced" warning came on and the car would not run over 50 mph. This is on a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. I was driving 45 mph and when the lights come on, they just as quickly turn off and on again. The car shook and the throttle was a bit off. It was very scary to drive, especially since this happened at night and it is not the first incident.as of today, this is the 5th time I have dealt with "reduced engine power"/"service stabilitrak". such a safety issue. Instead of being scared of getting into an accident, I'm fearful I will be the one causing the pile up.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #10

Mar 162013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 89,998 miles
When my Impala first started to display the engine power reduce message. I was told that it was the accelerator pedal position sensor. So I change the gas pedal the engine light when off for about two weeks. Then my car cut off one day as I was on my way to work. When I went to get it check they told me it might be the alternator and then it was the throttle body. Then there was nothing wrong with it but my car is now park and refuse to stay running. It will start only to cut off a mile or so into driving.

- Joliet, IL, USA

problem #9

Apr 022013

Impala

  • miles
The car is always giving me a hard time and it almost caused an incident from shutting down on service stabilitrak, engine power is reduced, service traction control for no reason. Take it to the dealer and they say its just a malfunction and want to charge money not even sure what it is. They don't even know say it the computer and it happens to a lot of people and don't know what to do about it. This is unsafe almost got rear end.

- Hewitt, TX, USA

problem #8

Mar 142013

Impala 6-cyl

  • 92,578 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On March 14, 2013, we were accelerating from a complete stop when the service engine light came on and a message appeared in the message console that read "engine power reduced." It was difficult to get the vehicle to accelerate at first, but it then responded after a few seconds. The 'service engine" light stayed on. We took it to an automobile parts store so they could pull the code with a code reader. The vehicle parts store was able to pull a code reading P2138 which is for the throttle position sensor. Later on that night, I went online and did some research and discovered that there are many owners of 2008 Chevy Impala with the same problem. In the past year, there have been several occasions when my 2008 Chevy Impala tends to buckle and jerk or hesitate when accelerating from a complete stop making difficult to nearly impossible to navigate out of the way of traffic. Is there any way a recall can be issued for the throttle position sensor and the gas pedal so this issue can be resolve for all owners of 2008 Chevrolet Impala? please help.

- Irving , TX, USA

problem #7

Jan 292013

Impala 8-cyl

  • 148,000 miles
I was starting the car up and the engine was going in and out. I noticed that the check engine light was on and it stayed on. The stabili-trac light also came on. The panel also said that the engine was losing power. This happened 2 times within the last 8 days. I stopped the vehicle and turned it off. Cranked it back up and the check engine light was still on. Took it to the car dealer and they said that it was the throttle position sensor.

- Orangeburg, SC, USA

problem #6

Dec 292012

Impala

  • 90,095 miles
I started the car with the remote start and it was warming up, went out put my two small children I and started it with the key, went back to grab my bag, and got in to go. When I hopped in the message center was blinking; engine power reduced, stabilization track, and something else to do with the traction control. It was very cold out and we had a long drive, I was very scared we would be stranded in the cold. My car has several miles, but has always been taken care of. This is very frustrating, and scary. I have done some research on-line, and it sounds as though Chevy is doing nothing to help the situation, and its happening with a lot of the same year vehicles! I love my car, this is the first big issue, I am so sad about it. I am worried about driving with my kids, from what I have read the car will just turn off! not okay!!! I hope that something; say a recall happens so this can be repaired with few lives lost. Do they want to be like Toyota and all the headache they had!

- Freeport, MN, USA

problem #5

Jun 172012

Impala

  • 61,000 miles
My car shut off with a reduced engine power message with my two small children in the car while the car was in motion.

- Lansdowne, PA, USA

problem #4

Dec 132010

Impala

  • miles
Safety issue - vehicle looses power and control. The service stabiltrak and no power to the engine service lights appear and the car looses control and power while driving... multiple incidents GM dealer could not identify/fix. This recurring issue is a serious safety concern driving down the road in the snow loosing power and control will cause accidents/injury.

- Bethel , MN, USA

problem #3

Aug 182008

Impala

  • 39,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact had problems with traction on wet or slippery roads; however, the traction light does not illuminate. The failure also occurred while driving over a bump in the road. The vehicle was not inspected when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 39000 and the current mileage was 45000.

- West Bend, WI, USA

problem #2

Aug 142010

Impala

  • miles
2008 Chevy Impala lt. Consumer states possible system flaw with electronic stability control system the consumer stated while driving at 55 mph another vehicle who was traveling on his left crossed into his lane with no signal and forced the consumer to make a sharp right and then a sharp left to avoid an accident. As he made the sharp left, his vehicle went completely out of control and sent him into a 360 degree sliding spin across the highway. The end result was the engine completely shutting down. The consumer didn't believe that the vehicle should have went out of control at that speed on very dry conditions with or without the electronic stability control system. Upon research, the consumer discovered the purpose of the ESC was to maintain stability in those type of situations.

- Country Club Hills, IL, USA

problem #1

Mar 032008

Impala 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
I was involved in an accident I have a 2008 Chevy. Impala. My cruise was set at 52 mph and I applied my brake to release cruise and I applied my brake again I should of been going at least 25 mph. I had to slam my brake and try to avoid hitting a vehicle with no lights on and I hit them. I couldn't turn my wheels or stop and the cop said I sled 80 ft that is at least 8 of my car lengths im confused I was not going over 52 then applied brakes I was told it could be my cruise control got stuck and or sped up to because I had my brake on when I had to push them hard I need help with this I trying to get this investigated. Yeah im at fought I rear ended a van but I was not traveling at that speed please help.

- Henderson, MD, USA

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