Owner-reported complaints naming the body or structure system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2009 Chevrolet Impala submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 19 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
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 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.
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.
MY CAR STARTED PUTTING AN EVERYTHING WAS DIM WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE BRAKE LIGHT AN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BOTH WERE ON
THE PROBLEM WITH OUR VEHICLE IS OUR KEY FAB AND THE FRONT-DOOR BUTTON WILL NOT UNLOCK OUR BACK DOORS; AS WELL AS HAVING OUR DOORS LOCK AUTOMATICALLY WHEN YOU SHIFT TO DRIVE, THEY WILL NOT OPEN AFTERWARDS. MY WIFE HAS TO CLIMB THE BACK SEATS TO UNLOCK THEM MANUALLY BUY LIFTING THEM OR ROLLING DOWN THE WINDOWS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DOOR ACTUATORS FAILED TO OPERATE AS INTENDED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED INTO GEAR, THE ACTUATORS WOULD LOCK THE DOORS. ALSO, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AND PLACED IN PARK, THE DOOR ACTUATORS WOULD UNLOCK THE DOORS. THE FUNCTION NO LONGER OPERATED AS INTENDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DRIVER SIDE DOOR FAILED TO OPEN FROM OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
THE DASH BOARD ON MY CAR IS CRACKED AROUND WHERE THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG COMES OUT. I FEEL IT IS A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD FOR WHEN THE AIR BAG NEEDS TO DEPLOY. I FEEL THE CRACKED DASH BOARD MAY TURN INTO A SHARD OF HARD PLASTIC THAT COULD EITHER PIERCE THE AIR BAG OR HURT THE CORRESPONDING PASSENGER. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND SEEN THAT THIS ISSUE IS PREVALENT IN GENERAL MOTOR VEHICLE MODEL YEARS 2007-2013. NUMEROUS REPORTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO GENERAL MOTORS IN REGARDS TO THIS CRACKING. GENERAL MOTORS HAS DECLINED TO COMMENT TO EACH AND EVERY CLAIM BUT HAVE OFFERED SOME CUSTOMERS A HEFTY DISCOUNT TO REPLACE THEIR DASH. THE MAIN CALL TO ACTION HERE IS SAFETY. DASHES THAT ARE CRACKED IN PLACES AROUND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG CAN BECOME FLYING PROJECTILES IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT WHERE THE PASSENGER OR SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG DEPLOYS. PREVIOUSLY STATED, GENERAL MOTORS OBVIOUSLY RECOGNIZES THIS AS A PROBLEM BEING THAT IT HAS OFFERED PERSISTENT CUSTOMERS, WHO BRING UP THE VALIDITY OF SAFETY CONCERNS, A REPLACEMENT FOR $200 TO FREE. PLEASE HELP ME BRING THIS ISSUE TO LIGHT BY MAKING THIS AN ACTIVE RECALL ITEM. THANK YOU. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. WHEN THE DIRECTION OF THE AIR FLOW CHANGED FROM THE AIR CONDITIONER, A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE EMITTED FROM THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 106,000. UPDATED 10/07/16*LJ *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL FOUR DOORS ON THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT UNLOCK AND LOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE DOOR LOCK MECHANISM WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CHECK THE OIL LEVEL, THE HOOD LID WAS OPEN AND INADVERTENTLY CRASHED DOWN ONTO THE CONTACT'S HEAD WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHERE THE TECHNICIAN EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE AND REPLACED THE HINGE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,000.
I BEGAN MAKING A LEFT TURN, WHEN THE VEHICLE LOST CONTROL. THE ACCELERATION PICKED UP AND I LOST CONTROL OF THE ABILITY TO STEER. THE BRAKE WOULD NOT PRESS DOWN AND THE VEHICLE PICKED UP SPEED FASTER BEFORE HITTING A TREE. *TR
I WAS INVOLVED IN A VIOLENT, JARRING COLLISION ON JUNE 26, 2014 WITH AN SUV IN LAS VEGAS, NV. I WAS REAR-ENDED BY A TOYOTA RAV 4. I SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT INJURIES, & MY CAR SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, WHICH RESULTED IN MY VEHICLE BEING DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. THE ENGINE AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF & THE VEHICLE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY BECAUSE THE IGNITION SWITCH MOVED OUT OF THE RUN POSITION, TURNING OFF THE ENGINE. THE GM PROVIDED REMEDY WAS NOT MADE AVAILABLE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2014. *TR
DASHBOARD KNOCKS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE NEAR THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AFTER THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR WAS OPENED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE NOISE INCREASED AND SUDDENLY STOPPED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE DOOR ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.
I HAVE OWNED MY IMPALA SINCE MARCH 2010 AND WHILE IT IS AN ATTRACTIVE CAR, I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT ISSUES. FIRST MONTH A SENSOR GOES OUT IN THE ACCELERATION, $230 TO REPLACE, IN THE LAST 2 YEARS WE HAVE HAD AN ANNOYING TICKING NOISE WHEN YOU TURN THE CAR ON SOMETHING HAVING TO DO WITH THE AC/HEATER. SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE SAYS THAT IT IS COMMON IN IMPALAS BUT YET I HAVE NOT SEEN A RECALL. I DON'T HAVE THE $450 TO FIX AND IT IS RATHER EMBARRASSING WHEN YOU CAR POOL AS IT IS VERY LOUD AND LAST APPROXIMATELY 30SECONDS TO 45 SECONDS. I HAVE ALSO HAD LEAKS EVERY TIME IT RAINS OR WE GO TO THE CAR WASH. WATER SEEMS TO BE COMING IN FROM THE FRAME BY THE WINDSHIELD ON BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER ROOF AREA. IT RUNS DOWN AND COMES OUT BY THE BRAKE ON DRIVER SIDE AND FUSE BOX ON PASSENGER SIDE. I THOUGHT THIS WATER WAS AFFECTING MY POWER LOCKS AS IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE HAD ISSUE WITH OUR DOOR LOCKS NOT OPENING. THEY TAKE TURNS, NOT UNLOCKING BUT AFTER READING COMMENTS ON THIS WEB PAGE SEEMS LIKE OTHERS ARE ALSO HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE WITH LOCKS, YET NO RECALL. I HAVE TAKEN IT DOWN TO BE LOOKED AT BUT THEY SAY THEY DON'T SEE ANY ISSUES THEY CAN PIN POINT. DON'T HAVE ANY MORE MONEY TO PUT INTO THIS VEHICLE. I LIKE MY CAR BUT IT HAS ISSUES. I WILL DO MY HOME WORK BEFORE I PURCHASE MY NEXT CAR. *TR
THE REAR POWER DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS HAVE FAILED. THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR LOCK FAILED FIRST, THEN A FEW THOUSAND MILES LATER THE DRIVER SIDE ACTUATOR FAILED. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT BUT WITH A 90%+ OCCURRENCE OF FAILURE. ONE OR BOTH WILL FAIL FOR WEEKS AT A TIME, BUT MAY OCCASIONALLY SURPRISE YOU AND WORK ONCE OR TWICE. THE FAILURE IS IN BOTH THE LOCK AND UNLOCK MODES. THE FAILURE IS UNRELATED TO USING KEYLESS ENTRY OR THE MANUAL SWITCH OR HAVING CHILD SAFETY LOCKS ON OR OFF. IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH THE REAR DOOR TOP MANUAL LATCH POST FROM THE FRONT SEAT. ON ONE OCCASION I WAS TRYING TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR FROM THE FRONT SEAT. MY HEAD/NECK BECAME TRAPPED BETWEEN THE SIDE OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND THE DOOR PILLAR. I WAS UNABLE TO REMOVE MY NECK UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO REACH THE SEAT ADJUSTING MECHANISM AND MOVE THE SEAT FORWARD. IN THE PROCESS OF THAT I AGGRAVATED A CHRONIC BACK CONDITION PULLING A MUSCLE IN MY BACK. AN INTERNET SEARCH OR DISCUSSION WITH REPAIR SHOPS WILL QUICKLY REVEAL THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD ISSUE FOR MANY 2008-2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA, TAHOE, MALIBU AND SILVERADO OWNERS. DUE TO THE APPROXIMATE $365 PER DOOR REPAIR COST, THE DEFECTIVE LATCHES ARE NOT BEING REPLACED BY MANY OWNERS. CHEVROLET IS WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND OFFERS NO REPAIR ASSISTANCE. IN A CRASH SITUATION THE CRASH COMPUTER SEQUENCE CANNOT BE RELIED ON ACTUATE THE DEFECTIVE LOCK ACTUATORS. THE POSITION OF THE MANUAL LOCK POST DOES NOT FACILITATE MANUAL OPERATION WITHOUT EXTREME CONTORTION OF THE BODY. IN A FIRE, CRASH OR EMERGENCY IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO ACCESS CHILDREN OR PASSENGERS FROM THE REAR SEAT FOR EXTRACTION. MY SON HAS TOLD ME THAT IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT THE REAR DOORS ON THIS GENRE OF VEHICLE ARE COMMONLY UNLOCKED AND A TARGET OF THIEVES AND POTENTIALLY CARJACKERS. *TR
I PURCHASED A 2009 CHEVY IMPALA FROM A LOCAL DEALERSHIP ON 05/12/10 THE CAR WAS SOLD AS NEW 32 MI. ON 05/20/10 CAR WAS TAKEN BACK TO DEALERSHIP FOR DRIVEABILITY PROBLEMS, A REAR SWAY BAR WAS INSTALLED AT FIRST OIL CHANGE I WAS ALERTED BY SERVICE ATTENDANT THAT CAR HAD SEVERE RUST AND CORROSION PROBLEMS ON UNDERSIDE OF CAR I HAD ANOTHER INDEPENDENT MECHANIC INSPECT CAR, HE SAID BRAKE LINES AND OTHER PARTS WERE SO EATEN AWAY BY CORROSION THAT HE CONSIDERED THIS TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE I RETURNED CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO INSPECT PROBLEM, WAS TOLD CAR HAS LOTS OF WARRANTY LEFT AND IF BRAKE FAILURE OCCURS THEY WILL LOOK AT IT THEN I THEN TOOK CAR TO ANOTHER INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WE MADE VIDEO ---DVD--- OF UNDERSIDE OF CAR AND GOT A STATEMENT FROM MECHANIC TO VERIFY PROBLEM I AM TAKING CAR TO ANOTHER CAR DEALERSHIP IN ROCKINGHAM NC TO GET ANOTHER OPINION AND VERIFY I CAN FURNISH YOU WITH A COPY OF DVD AND STATEMENTS FROM MECHANICS TO VERIFY PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHERE TO MAIL SUMMARY--- I THOUGHT THAT I WAS GETTING A GOOD CAR FROM A REPUTABLE MANUFACTURE AND DEALERSHIP---WHAT I GOT WAS A BUCKET OF RUST AND CORROSION AND POTENTIAL SAFETY CONCERNS TO WORRY ABOUT----THIS IS A NEW CAR 3611 MI. ON ODOMETER NOW---HAVE YOU HAD ANY OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON NEW 2009 CHEVY IMPALAS?---RUST AND CORROSION IN ALL ON UNDER CARRIAGE FROM BUMPER TO BUMPER------------------THANK YOU *TR
A DEAD BATTERY AT THE AIRPORT PARKING LOT IN A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA MAY NOT SEEM LIKE A PROBLEM, HOWEVER THERE IS NO MECHANICAL TRUNK RELEASE FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND MY BACK SEAT DOESN'T FOLD DOWN, SO I COULDN'T CRAWL INTO THE TRUNK TO TRIP THE EMERGENCY RELEASE, I WAS UNABLE TO GET TO MY JUMPER CABLES. THEN WHEN I TRIED TO GET THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION TO LOCK THE CAR TO GO MAKE A CALL. GUESS WHAT WITH THE BATTERY DEAD I COULDN'T GET THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION EITHER. A HUGE CONCERN OF MINE IS THIS; IF THAT CAR WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, WHERE THE BATTERY WAS DESTROYED, THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY MEANS TO ACCESS THE TRUNK WHERE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT IS STORED, SUCH AS FIRST AID KITS, FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. *TR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .