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.
When I pressed down on my accelerator pedal (speed limit was increasing from 50mph to 65mph), a message of "starting disabled. Service throttle" came up on the dash. The accelerator pedal and steering wheel completely locked up and the car started to decelerate. I was able to force the steering wheel in order to turn onto a side street (narrowly avoiding a car stopped in the left lane to turn) and park the vehicle in a location out of the main lane of traffic. Had this side street not been there at that exact moment, the possibility of a crash would be very likely as steering was unresponsive and I may have been rear-ended due to the sudden loss of engine power.
This is the 1st time I am filing a complaint, but this complaint has happened multiple times! my wife is afraid to drive this car! my check engine and traction control light comes on. The dash alternates between "service traction control" and "reduced engine power." This is really frightening on the interstate when the engine begins to reduce power and you are surrounded by fast moving vehicles. The fault has been checked multiple times, but the diagnostic check reveals bogus faults unrelated to the traction control fault. I have learned that when this happens, I need to pull off the road, turn off the ignition, open the door and wait for the dome light to go off. Then I can restart and go on my way. This happens about once per month and has done it for 2 years. Can't wait until I can afford to buy a different vehicle. I have talked with other Chevrolet owners and they experience this same fault, but nothing is wrong with the traction control.
Three times now this has happened. The first time I was driving down a main street at about 35 miles per hour and all of a sudden my service traction control light came on and the wording was displayed, as well as my check engine light came on and the wording "engine power reduced" was displayed. About a month later, I was leaving a parking lot when the same thing happened and then again four days later I was merging onto a highway and the same thing happened. When I try to accelerate, it sounds like something is going to fall out of the bottom of my car. After reading the other complaints, I don't understand why this isn't being taken care of by the company and left up to the car owner to deal with. It is very unsafe and I can't afford to get a different car nor pay for expensive repairs that are beyond my control or fault.
I was driving on city streets and my check engine and traction control light came on. The dash alternated between "service traction control" and "reduced engine power." Yes the engine power was reduced but I was still able to drive in the city.
Today must of been a record for how many times my Impala shut itself off! I lost count at about 20 times! im over a hundred miles away from home at my parents house and on my attempt to get home the Impala wouldn't let me drive more than 10 minutes. Because of this I have now had to call off work and am out of a days wage because I made the mistake of buying this car. I have no money and cant get this fixed for awhile but it seems that I may have to chose between eating this month or fixing this so I guess ill just go hungry. I've been searching this site for other year Impala and it seems that every single year is having this issue, even the 2014 models! this has made me reach the conclusion that the NHTSA doesn't really care about our safety nor do they attempt to solve any problems based on how many times this complaint gets reported and does anything ever happen!? the answer is no! so im basically writing this to inform others who plan on getting an Impala, please for the safety of yourself, those around you, and your wallet don't! this is my last GM car I will ever purchase! not that GM really cares because they already got my $60,000 for my last 3 cars so this problem will never get recalled, nor will this website attempt to provide any type of help so save yourself the headache and buy foreign.
- Fort Wayne, IN, USA
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After 1 month of having my throttle body reset by the dealer, the car acts up again. Yes again in the rain. Well, I have an idea why it may be acting up. The freaking computer is located were the air intake is. So when the car starts, you guessed it GM it sucks in moisture aka rain, then the rain goes across the computer and all [xxx] breaks loose. Reduced engine power, traction control and it is ridiculous! why in the [xxx] do you put a computer were it is in direct line with moisture. My 2002 trailblazer has the computer under the passengers seat. Guess what no freaking problems even after 257000. This is a safety complaint! the car is begging to be another Ford pinto. Please recall the car, and move the computer. This should solve your problems, and it may give people a little less bad taste in their mouth. I know I have renamed my Impala to the Ford Impala. Not to insult Ford Motor Company but mine actually stands for fix or repair daily Impala. I used to love my Impala and I used to be a loyal to GM, but if this does not get recalled I see it being my last GM car I buy ever! bring back the pride in owning a GM, before the GM name will stand for garbage motors. Signed, once a loyal GM owner [xxx] parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
After just clearing the onboard computer with my obd2 scanner just a few minutes before it happened again. After sitting at another stoplight I proceeded into my left turn and as I'm coming into the lane my Impala died midway through the intersection as it changed from yellow to red leaving me in the intersection as the cross traffic began to go almost creating a head on collision and a multiple vehicle collision. Can a recall please be in effect for this! its to the point to where I'm afraid to drive my car to work! I'd rather walk the 20 miles to work then be in this unsafe GM car!
While sitting at a stop light the information panel said reduced engine power as the light turned green. I held up numerous cars as I scanned the obd2 port to clear the code, once again the code read P0601. Cleared it and it started right up.
On my commute to work on the interstate my Impala shut itself off. I was in the left lane when the car showed the reduced engine power on the information panel, it then fully disengaged all engine power and powersteering. Being in the outside lane I had to maneuver my Impala through the heavy traffic and almost caused numerous accidents trying to squeeze to the shoulder. I then coasted off into the grass almost into a large ditch but I slammed on the brakes hard and went into a skid coming to a full stop. I scanned the car with my obd2 scanner, it read P0601.
I was driving down a very busy street looking for a restaurant and my car made three dinging sounds indicating a issue. Before I even could read what was displaying on my information panel the car lost all power steering and engine power. Because I was traveling at about 55mph I could very luckily coast to a parking lot near by. After coasting to a parking spot I put the car in park and read the information panel, it read reduced engine power, service stabilitrak, and service throttle body. Because I know most american made cars are pure garbage I wont drive one without a ebdii scanner. After reading the ebdii scanner it showed a P0601 code, which indicates a PCM memory issue. After clearing the code it started right back up and drove for about 10 more minutes until I was at a parking lot on a steep grade. The 3 dings happened again and my engine shut off causing me to roll backwards about 10 feet almost into over vehicles. I have done some research on this and have come to found that this is a engineering fault caused by to much current flowing into the power control module, which creates a small hairline crack on the PCM onboard computer, with which many many other GM products have experienced. I feel a recall should be done on all GM products affected by this, this is very unsafe and I feel could lead to deaths. I am a [xxx] male who could control the vehicle with no power steering, imagine a student driver encountering this issue and not being able to maneuver the vehicle away from other drivers or even innocent pedestrians! I know for a fact this has happened to many other GM vehicle owners so does a body count have to stack up before a recall is issued by GM??
I drive a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. On 8-6-13 driving the far lane on the highway I experienced a series of warning messages on the dashboard. The messages were, "service traction control, engine power reduced and service engine." As the speed of the car began to reduce, I went to merge into the slow lane to prepare to take any necessary precautions. Before I could switch one lane a message popped up saying, "steering column has been locked." At that point the steering wheel became very tight almost enabling me to steer into the right lane. At the same time, the vehicles mileage has dropped down to practically nothing. Lets remember I'm on the highway during 5:00pm rush hour. By the time the oncoming traffic reached me, I was able to get off onto the should of the highway. I then get a warning message saying, "engine has been disabled." At that point I shut the car off. I've lost a family member to car failure on the high way. At this point I sit for about a minute or two and then start the car back up. After turning over a couple of times, the car starts and operates at an exceptional speed. Imagine had the cars behind not been paying attention. Maybe they were texting, fatigued, looking behind them or anything to have made them not notice the disabled vehicle ahead. This could've been a massive fatal crash. My [xxx] year old child would not have stood a chance. After researching on the internet that this is a known issue and GM has done nothing to justify the poorly assembled parts, I am very upset at the lack of concern for their buyers safety. As a single parent, I had no choice but to have the car serviced as soon as possible to eliminate any safety hazards to my child. Coming out of $300+ for something GM should've recalled when notified is unacceptable. I will be contacting all sources possible to inquire on getting a recall and hopefully saving someone's life. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U
I am having problems with my 2009 Chevy Impala, it started at 43K, the acceleration pedal was changed when the reduced engine power/service traction control came on. Then again at 100K same problem, this time the dealership told me it was a bad throttle position sensor, the throttle body needed to be changed. I changed it, but it came back again less then 3K miles. I replaced the throttle body again. 3K later same thing. The problem is when it is raining the throttle sensors go nuts. I took the car to advance auto and read the codes, same as before, P0121, P2176, throttle position sensor. Once in a while you can remove the batter lines and unplug the throttle body and mass air flow sensor to get it to restart. Other times you have to go to advance or autozone to clear the codes in order to get it to run long enough for a sunny day. I had one occurrence were the car would not start and it said service throttle position. The throttle sensor needs to be recalled before someone get killed. I have renamed my car to the Ford Impala. Found on the road dead Impala.
While merging onto a two lane highway my Impala suddenly lost power and I received a "low engine power" warning and then " service traction control" the check engine light comes on and the car runs roughly at reduced power - you need to pull over and shut the car off until you can start it again. This is a very dangerous issue that GM refuses to acknowledge. In this instance I had my daughter in the car - I also lost the power brakes. I have been to two Chevrolet dealers and a Buick dealer because this has happened several times over the past year and a half. They replaced my throttle body, oil sensor, battery and something else and charged me over $2000 for the three visits and I am still experiencing the issue. I have also been to a local repair shop and had the wiring harness changed and had several diagnostics done. After all this the problem still exists. I normally don't write letters but, this is a very dangerous situation and many others are experiencing the same thing based on the message boards I have read. My concern is that GM refused to help or issue a recall. My fear is that someone gets seriously hurt or killed before GM answers for this. This is not good for GM. My hope is that someone finally addresses this issue before someone is killed. In my last communication with GM - I was told to take my car to a dealer for a diagnostic at my own expense. So, basically I am on my own and they offered to do nothing. Just not right!
About 2 months ago I was on the interstate & I received the message 'service stabilitrak, engine power reduced '. I was using cruise control at about 75 which immediately cut off, the cars speed dropped quite a bit, I stopped for fuel, turned the car back on & the error was gone. Just a few days ago the same issue happened, I was only going about 40 this time, the message flashed & my cars power immediately began to drop. I could feel the cars hesitation when I attempted to accelerate & then it jolted a few times & cruised fine. The issue seems to be a sensor in the pedal which is common with this car. The fact that my engines power can cut at anytime, including in the middle of highway traffic is a scary thought.
I recently purchased a Chevrolet Impala ltz 2009 model a few months ago and it has 82,000 on it. While driving on the highway my check engine light came on. It said that I had a bad accelerator sensor. Followed by a flashing light that said my car had reduced engine speed. I have looked up many times about this issue with my car and many other people have had problems with a bad gas pedal. GM knows and I'm confused as to why they never asked for a recall on this.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact was driving approximately 40 mph when the check engine warning indicator illuminated continuously as there was a sudden reduction in engine power. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.
About 2 weeks ago my service traction control light appeared on the dash. Being the person that I am I was very concerned with this issue and took it to have it checked by the dealership. They told me that this will occasionally come on with the amount of rain we had in our area.they said when it has the opportunity to dry out it will go off. Well to date it has not gone off but stays on the majority of the time. Now it is having fun with the reduce power light which basically slows down the car. Not only are the flip flopping but when I push the brakes it sometimes acts as if it will catch but then let go and catch again. How scary is this when you feel your brakes will not stop the car" this is not a good feeling. Called the dealership to get an appointment and it will cost me $85 to $100 to have this put on a machine to see what the problem is. And get this just like everyone else this is not a covered problem. My question is why" I have tried very hard to stick with Chevrolet products but this is really making me rethink my decision. Everyone seems to be having the same issues with these alerts and sensors. I am not one to sink a whole lot of money into a car with repairs, I will get rid of it immediately. I maintain my car on a regular basis.
While driving. Apprx 30-45mph. Random service light appeared showed as "reduced power engine" vehicle then automatically slowed down. Turns off without notice. Un-safe. Over 1500 reviews same situation same vehicle.
My Chevrolet Impala reduces the power of the engine down to 20 mph or less and indicates check traction control and reduced engine power. I was almost rear ended because of this and had to pull off the freeway to avoid further potential collisions.
The vehicle suddenly decelerated and displayed messages: "reduced engine power" and "service traction control". this was the second incident. The first incident resulted in the engine shutting off completely after the same initial symptoms described; locking up the steering during rush hour traffic (estimated 65 mph, no injures, approx. 4 month ago). Our mechanic cleaned out the throttle body sensor after the first incident, and phoned the dealership with the trouble codes. The dealership refused warranty service as the trouble codes had gone by the time the car had arrived at their shop, and would not take our mechanic's phone conversation as evidence. We were informed that the three services commonly performed to fix the problem were to replace the throttle body, throttle body sensor, and accelerator pedal; the latter not covered under warranty.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hamilton, OH, USA