433 messages,
Last post on May 28, 2013 at 7:34 AM
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Chevrolet Impala, Auto Repair, Electrical, Fuel System, Sedan
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#261 of 433 Re: Impala SS [yourtroubl]
by trumble09
Jan 24, 2013 (12:14 pm)
If you jiggled the wires and it ran perfectly it would seem this is the problem. Jiggling isn't a permanent fix, it allows you to self diagnose before paying beacoup bucks to have the dealer "diagnose" that you need 500$ worth of reprepair. You have 1 of 2 options. 1. Take it to the dealer show them the wire harness and have them replace it, GM charges customers 180$ for the part plus whatever labor the garage sees fit to charge. 2. Find someone with pretty basic electrical repair knowledge show them the wires tell them one has a broken connection and needs to be re-soldered and pay them whatever they charge for wire repair which won't be nearly as much as the wireharness repair bill from the dealer. Look at the youtube video "throttle body harness wire" I linked to up a few posts to see how to disconnect the wire from the terminal to re-solder it.
#262 of 433 Re: Impala SS [kdh12389]
by trumble09
Jan 24, 2013 (12:23 pm)
My only other 2 suggestions are to disconnect the gas pedal and inspect that terminal and those wires for corrosion or damage. If that seems to be fine then you could possibly try to clean the throttle body there's a part called a butterfly its basically a metal disk with a rod through the center that opens when you put the throttle on and closes when you take it off, this can become gunked up and require cleaning with throttle body cleaner. Have your husband Google it and see if either of these problems may be the cause, sorry the wire jiggle didn't turn out to be the issue. =(
P.S. try the wire jiggle on the gas pedal terminal too as one of these wires could be loose.
Jan 28, 2013 (9:39 am)
I drive an impala SS 2010 with only 59,000 Last night while driving on the freeway my check stabilitrack, check traction control and then the reducing engine power came on my dashboard. I was able to drive the car off the free way but am not sure if I should continue to drive it anywhere else(a mechanic). I did notice a slight tug while I was driving but also know I am due for an oil change. I have read about gas petals and sensors being off. I have already replaced 5 sensors since I got it so this would not come as a shocker. I have had nothing but problems with this car but as a girl living by herself in a new city does anyone have any suggestions????
#264 of 433 Re: Help. [shesok2010]
by rq_malibu
Jan 28, 2013 (9:52 am)
I am not a mechanic but everything I've read online and heard from my dealership is that you are still able to drive the car when these errors appear. You do want to get it into the shop asap but you can drive it there rather than getting it towed. I had this problem with my 2011 malibu which is out of warranty and the dealership fixed it for nothing because they know that GM is having issues with the throttle body. I also have a co-worker who owns a 2008 Impala with 50,000 miles and this happened to her last week - same error messages you are seeing. She drove straight to a local dealership armed with the information that MANY GM's are having this issue and there were no questions asked, she got it fixed for nothing. They didn't even charge her the diagnostic fee. If I were you, I would go to or even call the nearest dealership and see what they are willing to do for you. It seems as though most of them are being pretty reasonable in dealing with customers who have this problem.
#265 of 433 Re: chevy impala "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" message [littlegrayone]
by whiskeyfire
Jan 28, 2013 (9:54 am)
The throttle body is no longer covered under the powertrain warranty as of 2010. They must have been spending too much money on throttle bodies so they quit covering them. I have a 2011 Impala with a similar problem, code P2135. The car has 53K so the real warranty has expired. The dealership wants around $500 to replace the throttle body. I can buy the part on ebay for $130 and take a half hour of my time to replace it. It's upsetting that Chevrolet extended the throttle body warranty on the trucks for the same problem but not the cars. Good job GM.
#266 of 433 Re: Help. [shesok2010]
by gmcustsvc
Jan 28, 2013 (1:28 pm)
shesok2010,
If you want for us to get you more information about any applicable warranties or to assist with working with a dealership to get this checked into, please email us at socialmedia
gm.com with more details (including your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and a summary of the situation).
Sarah, GM Customer Service
#267 of 433 Re: Help. [shesok2010]
by trumble09
Jan 29, 2013 (4:11 pm)
I experienced the same thing with my 2009 Impala LS, I had it narrowed down to a throttle body wire harness since juggling it would make it start and run right, turns out it was the pins that those wires were connected to in the electronic portion of the throttle body, I continued to drive it with no problems except occasionally getting a message that the throttle was disabled and the car wouldn't start but wiggling the wires worked. Last night however my car wouldn't start and I killed the battery cranking it over and trying to clear it with an Actron code reader, I had it towed after much hassle because the company sent a truck that wouldn't fit in the low clearance garage, I called the dealership I had it sent to explained the problem and informed them that while the battery was dead this wasn't the issue. they performed the diagnostic and found codes pointing to the throttle position sensor and knock sensor and replaced the throttle body with no hassle, I will be picking it up from the dealer tomorrow morning. I have heard estimates of it being costly, I've found replacement throttle bodies online for 130-150$
#268 of 433 Re: Help. [trumble09]
by gmcustsvc
Jan 29, 2013 (7:07 pm)
It looks like you'll be tackling the throttle body work on your own, trumble09 - hopefully things go well!
Sarah, GM Customer Service
#269 of 433 Re: Help. [gmcustsvc]
by trumble09
Jan 29, 2013 (7:18 pm)
No, I took it to the dealer as it was covered under warranty, they replaced the throttle body electronic portion not the part containing the butterfly and said the car ran like a charm when they test drove for 20 miles, My father went to go pick up my car from the dealer, got in turned the key over and wouldnt start at first then it turned over and it immediately began running rough and displayed the "Engine Power Reduced" message. It seems like the technicians are stumped, as it was giving code p2135 which indicated a throttle position sensor and having replaced those it is still displaying the message, I'd rather not pay to have them guess what the possible cause could be, in the past I've been nothing but happy with their service, but for them to not know why my car is displaying this message is frustrating to say the least...
#270 of 433 Re: Help. [trumble09]
by gmcustsvc
Jan 29, 2013 (7:58 pm)
Sorry for my misunderstanding!
If you want for us to check into this further, if for nothing else than further documentation, please don't hesitate to contact us at socialmedia
gm.com (include your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and a summary of the situation).
Sarah, GM Customer Service