Your helpful attitude blue-impala is so enlightening...thank you!!

 

I can fully relate to this. I bought a computer which was a demo computer and the guy even gave me a discount. But I have had problems with this laptop since day one. And it was a Demo laptop at BestBuy.

I would take it to the dealer and ask for full diagnosis. I would be direct. Who know someone there made a mistake just to sell a care and doesn't want to take responsibility so he doesn't look bad in front of upper management.

 

You're Welcome

Really, what do you expect, you have no diagnosis, you have no idea what caused the issue, yet the first thing you do is cry safety issue. There is no such thing as a car that has no issues. What would you do if you got a flat tire, cry that it is a safety issue and that all tires be made so that there is no possible way for it to fail. Things fail, that's reality, complaining without any diagnosis is of no help either. It did not go into reduced power mode for no reason at all, it did it because the computer detected a major problem that needs to be addressed. Until you get it to a dealer and find out what the problem is, there is not much advise anybody can give you.

It is not a safety issue, the vehicle did what what it was designed to do in the event of a malfunction. The reduced power mode or also called limp home mode is not new, it has been used in vehicles for quite a few years. GM, Ford, Chrysler and most other manufactures have had it for a long time. It is designed so that you will not be completely stranded and so that the power-train will not be severely damaged in case of severe malfunction.

 

Obviously, Blue and Sledge, you have never experienced this problem. If you ever had your engine do a complete shutdown - NOT just limp mode and NOT just the reduced acceleration as you quote from the owners manual - maybe you wouldn't be so self-righteous about our concerns about safety. So you don't think a complete,engine off, no power steering, no power brakes, and disabled starter while driving at highway speeds on an interstate is a safety issue? Are you so in love with Chevys that you can't acknowledge there might be a real problem. Have you also read the similar posts in the Malibu forum? How about the complaints about this problem covering 2008 - 2011 Impalas and Malibus on the NHTSA web site?
Or are you really GM employees trying to deny the issue like GM customer service is doing?

 

I had a 1987 car that stalled in the middle of the road.

After it cooled off a little, it started up and I looked like an idiot blocking traffic.

Did I call and bitch to GM-Chevy? No, I found and fixed the issue.

I surely would have liked to been able to at least drive it off the road and into a parking lot or something at reduced power.

 

Not self-righteous, just better educated about how vehicles operate than most and a bit more in touch with reality than most. I have been driving cars for almost 40 years, been a mechanic and an engineer for about as many, so I guess I have a bit of experience over the years.

The original post does not state the engine shut off, it went into reduced power mode and he was able to drive it home as it was designed to do. The next step is the vehicle needs to be diagnosed as to what system failed and caused it to go into reduced power mode, that is still unknown. As far as cars that have shut off completely, it happens, and it has been happening since the Automobile was invented, it is nothing new. I have had cars completely shut down on me for various reasons, ignition module went bad, fuel pump died, plugged up catalytic converter, computer failure and numerous other reasons back in the days of carburetors, it happens, it's reality and most likely will never go away completely. If you were never taught what to do if a car dies while driving, you should go back to where ever you took drivers education and ask for your money back.

A car dying out for what ever reason on the highway is a reality. It sure would have been nice to have things like reduced power mode back in the 70's and 80's, but we had nothing. Now anytime something that affects the engine is all in a sudden a safety issue. I think the biggest safety issue is the lack of education on how newer cars operate and the lack of education that drivers have on how to deal with a vehicle on the road in the event of a problem.

The reliability of Automobiles and their components is about as good as it will get at least for the next few years and more reliable than vehicles of the past. Maybe we can have them put redundant back up systems in vehicles and use aircraft grade components, that should make the average vehicle price rise to completely affordable.

And no I don't work for GM, what happened to this persons vehicle is not a GM only issue, it can happen to any vehicle built within the last 15 to 20 years and just about any brand.

 

Read the post from greenfield3 (VERY dangerous reduced engine power issue!!) in the Malibu Forum and read it with the same attention to detail you apparently read the owner's manual. Notice that it happened 8 times!
I suppose that if they had paid attention during drivers ed it might not have seemed like such a problem.
BTW, I have a few more years of driving experience than you do and in all that time I have NEVER had a car fail like my Impala did. Based on many years experience in the IT field, I blame the problem on incompetent or negligent program design. All these "reduced power" problems and shut downs seem to lead back to either the APPS (Accelerator pedal position sensor) or the TPS (Throttle position sensor). A true limp mode would be an acceptable solution for that kind of problem but in too many cases, including mine, the engine is completely shut off and the starter is disabled. Tell me that isn't a real safety issue, especially in the middle of a busy interstate. That's exactly what happened to those 12 people who were killed because of the faulty ignition switch. Maybe if they had read their owners manual and paid more attention in drivers ed they'd be alive today?
"A bit more in touch with reality?" Really?

 

Software would be affecting every car built, how many Impala's and Malibu's have been built vs how many have complained of a problem ? Have you had it to a dealer ? What is their assessment ? Are any codes being set or stored in history pointing to those sensors? Has the APPS and TPS been changed, if they are failing then the software is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. If the computer detects that there is a problem with APPS it is supposed to shut it down, it works that way on all vehicles with drive by wire, and most likely will not be changed as the alternative is worse. What if it did not shut down and went full throttle instead ?, far more dangerous than a shut down.

Do not keep absorbing all the hype about the cobalt switch, it has nothing to do with your issue and is certainly affecting your judgement. The shutdown or reduced power is a result of another problem, not the problem itself. If you do not get to the cause of the issue it will keep happening.

 

WOW....I came to this forum looking for help and advice regarding a very scary issue that I didn't feel should be happening to a car with such low miles...and a bunch of "armchair" mechanics a want to try ti tell me this is not a safety issue and that I am screaming unsafe without warrant? When I clearly stated it was a 2009 someone posted a link for a 2011 manual...which I clearly stated I have, accompanied by the manual that came with the car and am very capable of reading it, thank you! JimK....thank you for having my back regarding the safety issue....when your vehicle slows to virtually no power it is very scary and no matter what anyone says..THAT IS UNSAFE!! The vehicle is currently at the dealership and I will let you all know the outcome...hope to know today....sledge and blue, you make me sorry I ever came to site, that I thought I could trust to help with an issue that could be potentially life threatening!! I'll complete my rant when I let you all know the diagnosis!!

 

You're an armchair complainer then.
You post no codes. Only that it has reduced engine power, and expect an answer.

There are many things that can cause it.