The 2009 Chevrolet Impala has 5 safety recalls and 824 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is air bags (233 complaints).
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Chevrolet Impala vehicles manufactured April 25, 2008 through February 16, 2010. The front passenger seat frame may contact and damage the wires of the passenger presence sensor module.
Risk: If the wires are damaged, the passenger presence sensory system may fail to recognize that the passenger seat is occupied, disabling the air bag. Damage may also cause the air bag fuse to short resulting in a loss of all air bags and seat belt pretensions. Both conditions increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will double wrap the wires with anti-abrasion tape and replace damaged wires as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 1, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 36110.
Components: Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification; Electrical system › Wiring
Electrical system › Ignition
NHTSA recall 14V355000 · Jun 23, 2014 · 3,141,731 vehicles
Problem: This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2011 Buick Lucerne, 2000-2005 Cadillac DeVille, 2006-2011 Cadillac DTS, 2006-2014 Chevrolet Impala, and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Risk: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position will cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 23, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), and 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14299.
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower arm
NHTSA recall 12V377000 · Aug 3, 2012 · 36,413 vehicles
Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Chevrolet Impala police vehicles because the front lower control arms may fracture. This safety recall does not include non-police Chevrolet Impala vehicles.
Risk: A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower control arms, free of charge. The safety recall began on August 21, 2012. Owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
NHTSA recall 10V480000 · Oct 13, 2010 · 303,100 vehicles
Problem: GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 CHEVROLET IMPALAS FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 210, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES." THE FRONT SAFETY BELT WEBBING MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY SECURED TO THE LAP BELT ANCHOR PRETENSIONER MOUNTED TO THE SIDE OF THE SEAT NEAREST THE DOOR.
Risk: THE SAFETY BELT MAY NOT RESTRAIN THE OCCUPANT AS INTENDED DURING A CRASH, WHICH COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT BOTH FRONT SAFETY BELTS FOR PROPER INSTALLATION OF THE ANCHORS TO THE PRETENSIONERS AND, IF NECESSARY, REINSTALL THE ANCHORS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 5, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Air bags › Frontal
NHTSA recall 08V517000 · Oct 6, 2008 · 79 vehicles
Problem: GM IS RECALLING 79 MY 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT AIR BAG INFLATOR THAT COULD FRACTURE AT AN INFLATOR TUBE DURING A DEPLOYMENT.
Risk: DURING A PASSENGER-SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, PIECES OF THE INFLATOR TUBE COULD STRIKE AND INJURE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AND THE AIR BAG CUSHION WOULD NOT INFLATE FULLY, REDUCING THE CAPABILITY OF THE BAG TO PROTECT THE PASSENGER.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT AIR BAG. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 10, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA side barrier crash test
2009 Chevrolet Impala 4-DR w/SAB
Overall
Not Rated
Frontal crash
Not Rated
Side crash
Not Rated
Rollover
Not Rated
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Fuel economy
Impala FFV
23mpg combined
City / highway
19 / 29 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
3.5 L · 6 cyl · Automatic 4-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,900/year to fuel
Impala
22mpg combined
City / highway
18 / 29 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
3.5 L · 6 cyl · Automatic 4-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $3,050/year to fuel
Impala FFV
21mpg combined
City / highway
17 / 27 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
3.9 L · 6 cyl · Automatic 4-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $3,200/year to fuel
Impala
19mpg combined
City / highway
16 / 24 mpg
Fuel
Regular Gasoline
5.3 L · 8 cyl · Automatic 4-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $3,550/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
Problem area
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Typical mileage*
Air bags Frontal; Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
233
29
1
28
78,000 mi
Electrical system Ignition; Wiring
225
8
4
8
82,463 mi
Engine
179
8
1
10
89,000 mi
Vehicle speed control Accelerator pedal; Throttle › Throttle position sensor (tps)
132
2
0
0
90,100 mi
Electronic stability control (esc)
108
6
1
2
87,300 mi
Power train Automatic transmission
68
3
1
2
97,000 mi
Steering Linkages › Knuckle › Spindle › Arm; Linkages › Tie rod assembly
58
14
1
15
54,400 mi
Traction control system
46
2
0
1
72,735 mi
Unknown or other
44
1
0
0
87,891 mi
Service brakes
39
8
1
6
76,953 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic Foundation components › Disc › Rotor; Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Abs warning light
35
0
0
0
19,408 mi
Suspension Front; Front › Wheel bearing
25
1
0
0
39,312 mi
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
Jun 6, 2026Air bags For the last 2 years, the car willl come up saying airbag system issues. There airbag sensor under the passenger side seat will randomly throw a code for the erorr and then turn off. It does not have to be a bump, move the seat, Just goes off. We have had it professionally scanned and it is always the same sensor with the issue. We noticed certian models had recalls but our was not on the list for some reason even though it fits all the other models with same issue. The cost to get it repaired and a chevy dealer is astromical. There are too many dates to count of the light and sesnor error.
Mar 27, 2026Air bags I believe the passenger seat occupant sensing and airbag issues from recall 16V507 have not been fixed. I am still having issues related to it, even though I had it fixed.
Sep 30, 2025Electrical system Smelled an odor of burning wires when using rear defroster. Defroster then stopped working. After further troubleshooting I observed the wire pigtail under the front passenger door was charred and burned. The pin inside the harness that was burned was the rear defroster. After further research I found this is very common for the Chevy impala. However no recall existed. I feel it is a fire risk due to the fact that the wires over heated enough to melt and char the plastic surrounding the electrical pin within the harness. Pictures was taken of the damage.
Jan 3, 2025Engine Transmission
Feb 27, 2025 · 101,000 milesAir bags The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
Feb 3, 2025Engine It rumbles when I start my car
Dec 31, 2024Electrical system I have a 2009 with 77000 miles 0n it I have fix the knocking noise under dash 3 times now it is a actuator there are 2 of them. I have also found by spraying Carburetor cleaner in the throttle body just remove the the big air hose and spray all around in side this stops the the speed reduction control lite from coming on saying you have no power. The problem I'm having now is while I'm driving the dash lights go out and radio light goes dim. after a while the lights come back on bright and working great they go on and off when they want to The lights showing me the mileage works great all the time its just the dash lights going on and off and my car just pass smog in California in June. I…
Sep 17, 2024 · crash · 2 injuriesPower train A piece broke off and had fallen off of transmission when stopped at a redlight when put in gear car didn't want to move had to manually shift to get off the road and towed it home. The piece that broke fell into pan when changing transmission fluid. Believe it's off flywheel possibly forward band.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.