Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Chevrolet Impala owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Was driving down the road and out of no where my car flashed a message that said service traction control and then engine power reduced and my car came to an almost complete stop. It would not accelerate at all. This has happened many times now and have caused very dangerous situations while going down the road. The problem will go away after the car has been turned off for a few hours but it will do it again out of no where I have tried to have this fixed multiple times ad there is no fix! It is very dangerous and there should be a recall before someone is killed!
In motion on a city street turning left , pedal stuck brakes not working and hit by on coming car , flipped in air about a block , rolling over again and again , no air bags depleated, broken ribs, concussion, skin lacerations , bruises,glass logged in parts of body , face and feet
While driving my car on the freeway suddenly the check traction control light came on and there was reduced engine power. I was traveling at a rate of 75 MPH and quickly went down to 45 - 50 MPH causing a 3 car rear collision.
While I was driving, the car gave a notice of reduced engine power, then a few miles later, another notice came on service throttle disabling service. And the car shut off! With no warning, and no way to get to safety. If I wasn't in an area that had a shoulder I could get to quickly or if there was any traffic near me, I would be dead! This is incredibly unsafe and is going to get someone killed, if it hasnt already! That has to be some sort of flaw in the programing. If I would have been on the highway, which is where I normally am at that time of day, I would have had no time to react and get to a safe area before the car shut down on me. It also locked up the steering wheel and braking system so I had next to no power. It was incredibly scary. I am just glad that I was driving the car, instead of my elderly mother. She very well May have had a heart attack from the fear. …
Driving on highway @ 60 MPH when engine dies with no warning. Dash shows following messages: "engine power reduced" "serivce traction control" "service stabilitrax" power steering and power brakes stop working. When car key is turned off and check engine codes are cleared, the car starts up fine and continues to run smoothly. Luckily I was able to safely stop the car (albeit on the middle of a major highway), turn it off, clear the codes, and start it back up to get out of the way. Same problem happened in January 2018. After this I took it to a Chevy dealer. They said car was covered under "warranty" for this problem and they replaced the throttle body. One month later same problem keeps occurring. Car runs fine but these messages appear about once a month. Typically the engine stays on and is only limited in power. …
When first purchased I had to change accelerator pedal. When I took it to the shop I was told they get a lot of people w impalas same as my year 2008 that needed to have the accelerator pedal changed every so often because they would go out and it would cause the check engine light to go on and off because the vehicle was sending the wrong signals.I would drive on the highway and street it would cause reduced engine to come on and slow my car down almost leading into accidents because I did not know it was about to happen. It would come and go on as it wanted. The electrical part of the car is something in the car continues to drain my battery. I've gotten a new battery and it still drains causing me to have to get it recharged. The suspension I was also told for the year of my car is bad. …
I was left sitting on the side of the road. I was going 70 MPH on I-94 when the "service traction control" light came on, followed by the "engine power reduced" light, then something about "disabling throttle" sensor... My car shut completely down, leaving me to coast across 4 lanes of traffic on interstate 94. I've owned this 2008 Impala for just about a year... I don't know what to do I received the letter about an extended recall back in December and I called GM because there's a stipulation of the amount of miles you can have on your car to have this problem repaired... Because my car has 276000 miles GM told me there is nothing they can do, at that time I asked why this item wasn't recalled. I was told if I felt the problem called for a recall I should reach out to the national highway and safety commission. I don't even feel comfortable driving my car anymore... …
I was driving on interstate 81 in cny when my dash lit up and said "service traction control, reduce engine power" at that point my car would not down shift to accelerate. About 15 miles down the road my car said "service throttle control sensor", and the engine shut off!!! I was just coming out of a huge work zone and I lost power steering and power brakes in the left lane of a 3 lane highway. I made my way to the shoulder as safely as I could and was unable to restart my car for at least 5 minutes!!!!!! 3 days later it did it all over again on a country road thankfully!!. I remember the reduce engine power service traction control had acted up once before in 2012 right after I bought the car. This needs to be recalled immediately before someones engine shuts off when they are going faster than 45!!!!!!
I was driving down the street and out of nowhere the engine light came on and said engine reduced power. The car seemed to slow down and not have power. If I came to a stop and began to drive again, the car barely accelerated and the transmission jerked every single time it shifted. I had every car going around me down the busy street, because the car would barely go. I was worried I wouldn't even make it home and that the transmission was going to have serious problems along with the engine as it jerked roughly with every gear change. This is something that needs to be recalled immediately! It couldn't have happened at a worse time, as I just purchased this car a few weeks ago, have my first child on the way, and just got a house.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. While driving 70 MPH, the engine power reduced warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle decelerated. The contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously diagnosed by an independent mechanic who stated that the accelerator pedal and an unknown sensor failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that they would start a case file and send it over to their team. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.
Acceleration complaints in other Impala years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Impala?
NHTSA has 92 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2008 Chevrolet Impala, 11% of the model year's 810 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Chevrolet Impala acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2008 Chevrolet Impala, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Chevrolet Impala acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 98,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 1 fire and 3 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.