We got this car from elderly parents who never drove it much--very low mileage. Shortly after starting to drive it we noticed that under wet road conditions the power steering would stop working- most often when turning a corner. In order to get the power steering back on, you have to put it in neutral and then gun the engine slightly and then it comes back on. Quite a maneuver when you are trying to turn a corner. I wonder if there have been wrecks or injuries resulting from this. I have had several people look at the problem including the dealer. I am astounded there has been no recall on this problem.

In short, the problem must be caused by the serpentine belt slipping on the pulley that powers the transmission pump. The only two factors that could be in play would be the belts is too loose or worn. But, we had the belt changed and the tension was set correctly. The only scenario that makes sense it that it is a design flaw. Either the pulley does not make proper contact with belt or the design allows for far to much water to be thrown on the belt--or both. Neither my mechanic or the dealer successfully dealt with the problem. We want to get rid of the car, but we don't want to pass on a dangerous vehicle to an unsuspecting buyer. I don't think we will be buying any more Chevy's in the future. What a sad situation for such a great car company. I have seen all of the similar complaints from people on this forum and others. Is it going to take some class action suit to get them to do the right thing? Wow.

This started this past summer and usually occurs when it rains, the steering wheel locks up and you cannot turn it. I almost hit several cars and mediums, very dangerous. No dealer can diagnose it, one says the rack, one says the belt. The service battery charging system light came on today, when it went off the steering freed up????

These Chevrolet's are supposed to be very dependable, this is the second one that I have purchased. It is not very reliable and downright frightening when I drive it, especially in the rain. The rack is now leaking, the crankshaft seal is leaking, a transmission seal is leaking and some type Fuel solenoid switch is faulty. Both of these Chevy's I own have the same problem with the rear door mechanism's that will not unlock with the remote. Funny, both cars? Both Impala's.

The only solution I see is to purchase a for sale sign and be done with Chevrolet's. The problems seem to stump the dealers mechanics? I end up spending many hours driving to and from and many dollars for no help,,,,,,,,

This is the third time my steering column has locked up on me in the rain. Its especially dangerous because my car is usually filled with my family, my wife and 3 year old son. I have taken my car to the dealership a couple of times already and they have no idea why this is happening and they don't have a definite solution. One rep and GM actually told me to bring my car back the dealership if it happens again....that's unacceptable as an answer on a safety issue with one of their vehicles. Once i reminded them about the "lemon law" and that my lawyer is on standby to "expedite" their handling of the situation, i was told to bring the car in ASAP for another assessment. If they cant mechanically find the solution, i was told they will "find" a way to solve the problem. This will probably be the last time i buy from GM. Not for the problem with the steering, which seems to be pretty uncommon, but for their terrible customer service. Either way, i would love to hear if anyone has had this problem fixed.

THIS PROBLEM STARTED LAST YEAR IN AUGUST BUT DUE TO HARD TIMES I DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY TO GET IT CHECKED OUT.. I CALLED 9/16/2011 AND REPORTED IT AGAIN AND I TOOK IT IN ON 9/27/2011 TO THE CHEVY OF WINTER HAVEN, THEY STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE BELT WAS HOLDING WATER AND THAT'S WHAT WAS CAUSING MY CAR TO LOCK UP THE STEERING. UNTIL IT GETS OUT THE THE STEERING WORKS AND IT ONLY DOES THIS WHEN IT RAINS WHICH IT IS VERY SCARY WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING AND YOU CANT TURN CAUSE YOUR STEERING LOCKS UP. THIS NEEDS TO BE CHECKED IN ALL 08 IMPALAS BECAUSE THIS IS VERY UNSAFE. THE CHEVY PLACE OF WINTERHAVEN STATES THEY'LL REPLACE THE BELT WITH WHAT THEY CALL A GATOR BELT. WILL FIX THE PROBLEM, WILL SEE WHEN IT RAINS AGAIN.

Just want a solution to a very dangerous steering problem with my 2008 Impala. Dealer has been very cooperative- new belt, new tension pulley, but it still locks up when water splashes from even small puddles. I have never driven a car in my 50 plus years of driving that did this. Via the internet, I see I'm not the only person with this problem. Every tiime it rains, the caution flag goes up! So far it has only happened(many times in 2 years) in city driving.I saw a complaint where the driver was going 50mph on the interstate! Thank God they stopped safely! What's the solution-please ?

Update from Apr 2, 2016: After many trips to my customer friendly dealer and contact with customer service at General Motors, the problem was solved. It wasn't the belt slipping. It was the harmonic balancer that's connected to the drive shaft. It had to be replaced. It was slipping when wet, and failing to turn the belt. Pass it on !