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).
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.
On this day I was driving normal speed, climate and roadway was dry and free of debris. The traction control light came on and the car began to shift hard when accelerating after a stop. Today, January 5, 2015 while operating under normal speed and dry climate the check engine light came on along with traction control, which has remained on since the initial incident. The car began jerking and the engine shut off while traveling at a rate of 40mph. I was almost hit by the vehicle behind me, however thankfully managed to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. My children were in the car with me. I shut the car off in hopes that the lights would reset, but they did not. I have contacted GM and in my opinion they couldn't care less about this issue. I have researched several online forums and see that this appears to be an issue with many Impala owners. …
Case # [redacted] our rear tires are wearing out twice as fast as the front tires. I went to costco yesterday to have my tires rotated, after looking at the rear tires we had to buy new ones because the back tires were worn down to the metal backing. . There had been a service bulletin sent out in 2011 to replace the spindle rods on all the 2007 and 2008 Impala's that were sold as police cars to fix this problem that they were having with rear tire wear. I would like to see that service bulletin extended all the other 2007 and 2008 Chevrolet Impala's. This is a major safety problem and people are going to be killed if this problem is not fixed you just don't expect the tires to wear out so fast. We had just finished a trip were we drove freeway speeds up to 75 miles an hour. After seeing our tires I don't know how we keep from having a blow out on the back tires.
While I was driving my car, about to accelerate, all of a sudden, a "service traction control" message came on and seconds after that, there was a "engine power is reduced" message. At this point there was some hesitation in the vehicle. I pulled over and shut the car off. When I turned the car on, after 2 minutes, I received the same message. I took the vehicle to my mechanic, and he couldn't find anything wrong with it. I called my locale GM dealer and for a "nominal" charge, they would take a look at it. Since then, I have researched it on line, and have found that there have been numerous complaints about the same issue. It is a shame that GM has done nothing to fix this. I'm glad I was not on the highway when this happened, as the loss of speed and lack of acceleration could have caused an accident.
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!!!!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The contact stated that there was a random failure with the service stability link and service stability traction control. In addition, the service engine warning light illuminated frequently followed by a drastic reduction in speed without warning. The contact had to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road each time the failure recurred, turn off the vehicle to reset the computer, and restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop who was not able to replicate and diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and was to be taken to a dealer for inspection and diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.
Takata recall. When vehicle is started a loud screech happen every time vehicle is started, once vehicle is in motion on highway, street, city.and in motion the vehicle starts alarming and lettimg me know in the information widow check tire monitoring system with tire pressure light consistently on then vehicle alarming sounds again to check stability trak and then it alarm s again with the check engine light that the vehicles engine power has been reduced and vehicle is no longer able to pick up speed right away this has been going on sense I purchased it. Also when im making turns the vehicle will alarm about having stability trak serviced
2006-2009 Chevrolet Impala ss ticking noise, engine misfire and/or ses light. This May be the result of an afm (active fuel management for displacement-on-demand) lifter that unlocks as soon as the engine is started or one that is mechanically collapsed/stuck. If an afm lifter unlocks as soon as the engine is started, a ses light and DTC p0300 will be experienced with engine misfires on cylinder 1, 4, 6 or 7 but it is unlikely that any noise will be experienced. If an afm lifter is mechanically collapsed/stuck, a consistent valvetrain tick noise, ses light and DTC p0300 will be experienced with engine misfires on cylinder 1, 4, 6 or 7.
I have had this reduced engine power/service traction control message before with this car. A few years ago I had it cut off on me in the middle of a side street. Thankfully it wasn't a busy street. But I've never felt threatened until this morning. I came to an intersection of a busy highway when I got the message. I needed to cross over to the other side. As I began to cross I was in the cross-hairs of a trash truck on one side and a car on the other. I tried to floor it but my car didn't respond as normal. It truly was reduced! Thankfully all the other vehicles performed as they should.
Traction control needs service message displayed, then throttle disabled message displayed shutting the engine off going down the road. So therefor no power steering, brakes etc . Once pulled onto shoulder car would not crank. Had to wait five minutes until the gauges flickered and then car was able to be restarted. This is highly dangerous if not where to pull off or being followed closely. Not to mention not power steering assist or brake assist. This could very easily cause a crash and there for should be a recall issued before people are injured or killed by this!
Traction Control complaints in other Impala years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Impala?
NHTSA has 75 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2008 Chevrolet Impala, 9% of the model year's 810 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2008 Chevrolet Impala traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control 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 traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 95,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to stability & traction control 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.