NHTSA Complaint #10597746 — 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA

OUR 2008 IMPALA LS, WITH 100,000 MILES, IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM I AM SEEING AT THIS WEB SITE AND ALL ACROSS THE INTERNET. LAST MONTH, MAY, 2014, AND THIS MONTH, JUNE, 2014, THERE WAS A SUDDEN REDUCED POWER ALERT ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE SPEED IMMEDIATELY DROPPED TO NO MORE THAN 35 MPH. BEFORE I COULD GET IT TO ADVANCE TO HAVE THEM CHECK TO SEE IF ANY CODES HAD BEEN DROPPED BY THE COMPUTER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. THERE WAS NO REDUCED POWER MESSAGE EITHER, AND THE SPEED RETURNED TO NORMAL. I WAS TOLD TO TRY FUEL INJECTOR CLEANER, WHICH I DID. ALL WENT WELL FOR ALMOST A MONTH, WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN THIS MONTH. THIS TIME I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO ADVANCE WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STILL ON. THE COMPUTER HAD DROPPED 2 CODES, BOTH RELATED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR. ADVANCE DID NOT HAVE THE PART, NOR DID AUTOZONE. FORTUNATELY, NAPA DID, FOR $90, INCLUDING TAX. OUR LOCAL CHEVY DEALERSHIP WANTED $50 MORE. SINCE IT IS A VERY EASY PART TO REPLACE EVEN FOR AN AMATEUR LIKE ME, I REPLACED IT. THERE ARE ONLY 2 10 MM BOLTS TO REMOVE AND AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION TO UNPLUG. SO IT WAS PRETTY SIMPLE, AND SO FAR, THIS HAS DONE THE TRICK, BUT IT'S ONLY BEEN 24 HOURS. THIS APPARENTLY IS A JOB THAT THE DEALERSHIPS WANT TO CHARGE $300 TO $400 TO DO. AS I SAID, THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM FOR GM, AND THEY HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT, SO FAR, DO A RECALL. THEY SHOULD. I'M ONLY OUT $90 SO FAR, BUT OTHER PEOPLE ARE OUT MUCH MORE. IF I HAVE THE DREADED, FOLLOW-UP PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE BODY, I WILL BE OUT A WHOLE LOT MORE. I SENT AN E-MAIL TO CHEVROLET AFTER THE FIRST INSTANCE, AND DID GET A RESPONSE BACK. I TOLD HIM I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE ANY FURTHER ACTION UNLESS THIS HAPPENS AGAIN. I WILL BE CONTACTING HIM AGAIN NOW ABOUT THIS LATEST INCIDENT. *TR