2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA Complaints

COST OVER $483. TO HAVE DEALER REPLACE BRAKES ON THIS VEHICLE. THEY ALSO SAID THEY WERE REPLACING REAR ROTORS IN THE DEAL. WHEN CAR WAS RETURNED WE NOTICED THAT WHILE GOING DOWNHILL, APPLYING THE BRAKES THAT THE FRONT SHOOK VIOLENTLY. CALLED SERVICE MGR AT GM DEALER WHO PERFORMED THIS WORK, AND HE TOLD ME NOT TO USE BRAKES GOING DOWNHILL TO MAINTAIN SPEED, BUT TO GEAR THE CAR DOWN WITH THE USE OF TRANSMISSION. I LIVE IN SOUTHWESTERN PA WHERE THERE ARE HILLS EVERYWHERE. DO I DAMAGE THE TRANSMISSION USING THIS PROCESS SUGGESTED BY THE GM SERVICE MGR, OR USE BRAKES? THOUGHT THAT WAS WHY CARS HAD BRAKES ON THEM ANYHOW?? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AT 20 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO INSPECTED THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

THIS VEHICLE IS VERY DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES DUE TO THE WARPING OF THE ROTORS. AFTER RESEARCHING INFORMATION ON THE ROTORS TO A 2009 CHEVY IMPALA LT, I SEE THAT THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT CONSTANTLY REPLACING THEM ON THIS VEHICLE. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS MY BRAKES, BUT AFTER PAYING THAT "OVER-THE-HEAD PRICE AT THE DEALERSHIP" TO INSPECT FURTHER, MY SUSPICION LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT IT COULD HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH MY ROTORS; THE FINDINGS WERE THAT IT WAS INDEED MY ROTORS AND NOT JUST 1, BUT ALL FOUR. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS BECAUSE NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO CONSTANTLY REPLACE ROTORS, DUE TO SOME POOR ENGINEERING ON CERTAIN COMPONENTS. I ALMOST GOT INTO 3+ ACCIDENTS TRYING TO APPLY MY BRAKES WHEN DRIVERS DECIDED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO ENGAGE IN POOR, LIFE-THREATENING JUDGMENTS. APPLYING THE BRAKES TO THESE EASILY WARPED ROTORS, EVEN WHEN COMING DOWN FROM A SPEED OF 50, CAUSES THE PEDAL, STEERING, AND ENTIRE CAR TO SHAKE AS IF THERE WAS AN EARTHQUAKE OR YOU ARE BASICALLY LIKE FRED FLINSTONE AND USING YOUR FEET ON THE ROADWAY AS OPPOSE TO YOUR ENGINE. *TR

THE VEHICLE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM (TCS) - "SERVICE SYSTEM" WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED ( LIT UP ) ON DASH DISPLAY AS THE VEHICLE OPERATOR ATTEMPTED TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC, MAKING A LEFT TURN ONTO THE ROADWAY.THE WARNING MESSAGE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A GRINDING NOISE IN AREA OF THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL AND A SUDDEN DECREASE IN ENGINE POWER AND SELF SLOWING/BRAKING OF THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY, CAUSING OTHER VEHICLE OPERATORS ON THE ROADWAY TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION TO PREVENT A COLLISION. THE OWNER CONTACTED SEVERAL DEALERS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AS THE "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" WARNING ACTIVATED THREE TIMES PREVIOUSLY BUT WITHOUT POWER LOSS ON THOSE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE OWNER WAS ADVISED BY ALL THE DEALERS THAT THEY "CAN ONLY DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM WHEN THE WARNING LIGHT IS LIT AS IT IS A RANDOM PROBLEM." THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING DEFECT THAT IS WIDELY KNOWN BY IMPALA OWNERS AND CHEVROLET DEALERS FOR THE PAST SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO EFFECT A SAFETY RECALL. GOOGLE { IMPALA TRACTION CONTROL PROBLEM AND YOU WILL SEE MANY,MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS DEFECT. *TR

THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED . WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO GMC -BUICK DEALER WHO SAID THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH SEATBELT ANCHOR ASSEMBLY AND HAS HAD A RECALL. THEY SAID THE CAR HAD BEEN IN FOR THE RECALL ID # 89931 AND HAD BEEN CHECKED. WE DID NOT OWN THE VEHICLE AT THAT TIME. WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE ON 8/ 31/11 FROM A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP. WE HAD OWNED THE VEHICLE ONLY 6 WEEKS WHEN THE PROBLEM AROSE. WE DON'T KNOW IF PROBLEM WAS EVER SOLVED OR IF THE TROUBLE WAS JUST CLEARED. THE LIGHT WAS OFF WHEN WE LEFT THE DEALERSHIP THIS TIME. WE BELIEVE IF PROBLEM WAS PROPERLY REPAIRED ON THE RECALL THERE WOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. THIS DEALER (YOUNG- BUICK GMC) OF OWOSSO, MI SAID THE COST OF THE REPAIR IS $190.79. WE DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR BECAUSE IT WAS A RECALL AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. EVIDENTLY THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS IT MUST OF NOT BEEN FIXED PROPERLY. *TR

HAD TO REPLACE BRAKE ROTORS IN FEB. BRAKES ARE LOCKED UP NOW OCT 29 SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. *TR

WITH BRAKE APPLICATION THE VEHICLE VIBRATES, SHUDDERS, AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECOMES HARD TO HOLD. CONDITION IS MOST EVIDENT ON DOWN HILL BRAKING. AFTER BRAKES COOL THE PROBLEM IS LESS NOTICEABLE. THE PROBLEM CAN THEN HAPPEN AT ANY GIVEN BRAKE APPLICATION, WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE IS HARD TO CONTROL IN THIS CONDITION AND THE DRIVER AND OCCUPANTS ARE STARTLED BY THE VIBRATIONS TAKING AWAY THE DRIVERS FOCUS ON DRIVING. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF 40 THE ENGINE CAME TO A STALLED. I WAS FORCE TO PULL OVER AND WAIT FOR 15 MINUTES OR MORE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ALONE WITH TRACTION CONTROL. TOOK INTO DEALER AND UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AS OF TODAY OCTOBER 15, 2011. ALSO WITHIN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF PURCHASING THE VEHICLE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED BECAUSE THE DEALER CHARGE ME 185.00 TO REMOVE THE LIGHT. *TR

TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON 2 LANE ROAD, CHECK ENGINE AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED THEN VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. LIGHTS AND RADIO WORKED BUT VEHICLE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES VEHICLE CRANKED AND STARTED AND WAS DRIVABLE. TOOK TO CHEVROLET DEALER WHO MADE REPAIRS BY REPLACING 24 TERMINALS. VERBALLY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS CORROSION ON WIRES ON THIS 2 YEAR OLD VEHICLE WITH BARELY 60,000 MILES. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON A MULTILANE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SHUTTING DOWN LIKE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

MY 09 IMPALA LTZ HAS ALREADY HAD A BLOWOUT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT DUE TO A GOUGING AROUND THE ENTIRE DIAMETER OF THE INSIDE OF THE TIRE. I CHECKED THE PASSENGER SIDE AND THERE WERE WIRES SHOWING ON THAT TIRE, AS WELL AS THE SAME GOUGING. THE REST OF THE TREAD WAS FINE ON THE FRONT TIRES. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED AND THE CAR WAS ALIGNED. THIS PAST WEEKEND, JUST BEFORE MY WIFE LEFT IN THE CAR TO HEAD ON A 350 MILE TRIP, I HAPPENED TO NOTICE THAT, AGAIN, WIRES WERE SHOWING ON THESE TIRES, ALSO. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, I NOTICED THAT THESE TIRES ALSO HAD THE SAME GOUGING TO THEM. I CHECKED THE REAR TIRES AND THEY HAVE THE SAME GOUGING, ALTHOUGH NOT AS BAD AS THE FRONT. THE STRUT PLATE, ATTACHED TO THE STRUT JUST ABOVE THE TIRE, IS ABOUT A HALF OF AN INCH ABOVE THE TIRES. IT IS EASY TO SEE WHERE THE TIRES HAVE RUBBED THESE PLATES AT ALL FOUR CORNERS OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE READ ONLINE OF OTHER IMPALAS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, WHERE PEOPLE HAD CUT OR BENT THE STRUT PLATES, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING I WOULD RATHER NOT DO. *TT