2002 Chevrolet Malibu

I FIRST PURCHASED THIS MALIBU 2002 IN FEB 2002. NOV 02 ( 9 MOS LATER) I HAD TO HAVE MY IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED WHICH WAS UNDER WARRANTY. AROUND THE SAME TIME MY TURN/HAZARD SIGNAL WENT OUT AND I HAVEN'T HAD IT REPLACED YET AFTER 4YRS OF HAVING THIS CAR. IF I WANT TO USE IT I HAVE TO KEEP PRESSING THE HAZARD BUTTON TO MAKE IT COME ON. NOV 2005 I TRIED TO START MY CAR, BUT IT KEPT CUTTING OFF. MY DAD STATED IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP. I HAD THE FUEL PUMP,CRANK SENSOR AND MODULE REPLACED. MY CAR STILL DIDN'T START. FINALLY MY DAD WENT UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL AND PRESSED THIS BLACK BUTTON (CUT OFF SWITCH) AND THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY IT WOULD START. I HAVE TO TRAVEL 25 MILES TO WORK SO I WAS TIRED OF WORRYING ABOUT THE CAR. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE THEFT SYSTEM. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER 11/29/2005 THEY HAD THE CAR UNTIL 12/15/2005. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS MY IGNITION SWITCH, CRANK SENSOR AND MY ALARM/AUTOMATIC STARTER. I WAS OUT OF $366.73 TO THE DEALER AND TAKING A CAB TO WORK AT 5:30AM FOR X7DY COASTED$210.00. I WAS ALSO OUT OF MONEY FOR A RENTAL CAR FOR THE LAST 7YS THEY HAD MY CAR PLUS GAS ON BOTH BECAUSE THEY USED ALL GAS IN MY CAR. I HAVE HAD X2 IGNITION SWITCHES PUT ON MY CAR, I HAVE TO CHANGE MY TAIL/PARK/BRAKE BULB SEEMINGLY EVERY 6MOS. I AM ONLY GETTING MY HAZARD/TURN SIGNAL REPLACED WHEN NHTSA REVIEWS IT AS BEING AN DEFECT. I AM HAVING A HARD TIME WITH THE SPEED OF MY CAR ALSO ON THE E WAY. I HAVE TO PUT MY FOOT TO THE FLOOR IN ORDER TO MAKE IT TAKE OFF AT 60MPH. I HAVE TO PUT GAS IN MY CAR EVERY 3DYS. I LAST CHANGED MY FUEL FILTER 1YR AGO AND AGAIN HAVING IT REPLACED 1/1/06. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON 1WK AFTER I GOT MY CAR OUT OF THE SHOP ON 12/22 AND IT HAS BEEN ON SINCE. MY COOLANT LIGHT COMES AND GOES OFF EVERY NOW AND THEN. I HAVE HAD MY COOLANT/FUEL FLUSHED. I HAD IT WINTERIZED WHAT'S THE PROBLEM. IF WE HAVE 47-50 PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME THING WHY CANT IT GET DONE. PLEASE RESPOND AND HELP US CHEVY OWNERS ASAP/WF. *JB

THE LATEST INCIDENT IS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE CAR BEGAN TO HESITATE AT 50-60 MPH AND STARTED LOSING POWER. I TOOK IT IN AND WAS TOLD IT WAS FINE. PICKUP BECAME NON EXISTENT AND THE DEALER FINALLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AFTER CHANGING THE FUEL FILTER AND OTHER REGULAR MAINTENANCE ITEMS. I LIMPED INTO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST $1600. I TOOK IT TO A GARAGE AND IT COST $150. THE AGGRAVATION WITH THIS CAR IS FRUSTRATING TO SAY THE LEAST. WARNING MALIBU OWNERS...THE CONVERTER IS A KNOWN FAILURE ITEM THEY DON'T WANT US TO KNOW ABOUT!! *JB

TWO WEEKS AGO MY WATER LEVEL LIGHT CAME ON. I ADDED DEXCOOL COOLANT PER MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDATION. THE LIGHT CONTINUED TO COME ON AND GO OFF FOR APPROX 1 WEEK. I ADDED DEXCOOL COOLANT EACH TIME. AFTER APPROX. 1 WEEK OF DOING THIS, THE LIGHT STOPPED COMING ON. YESTERDAY, WHEN I RETURNED TO MY VEHICLE AFTER WORK, THERE WAS COOLANT IN THE LOT UNDER MY VEHICLE. I FILLED THE RESERVOIR UP AGAIN AND DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME. TODAY, I TOOK THE CAR TO A REPAIR GARAGE WHO INFORMED ME THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE MY LOWER INTAKE GASKET AND THERMOSTAT GASKET AND VALVE COVER GASKET AT A COST OF $890.00. THE MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT GM HAS HAD SEVERAL COMPLAINTS IN REFERENCE TO THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. THEY FIXED FOUR OF THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. APPARENTLY THE PROBLEM IS POSSIBLY DUE TO THE USE OF THE GM-RECOMMENDED DEXCOOL WHICH GM HAS SINCE DISCONTINUED USE OF. *NM

DT: THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE, BUT THE CONSUMER HEARD NOISES AND THE VEHICLE FELT AS IF IT WAS NOT GOING TO STOP. THE CONSUMER WAS NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE. THE DEALER WAS SHUT DOWN BY THE GENERAL STATE INSPECTORS OFFICE. *AK THE NOISE REMAINED THE SAME. THE VEHICLE FELT UNSAFE DURING EXTREME WET WEATHER. *SC *JB

IN JANUARY 2004, THE ?LOW COOLANT? LIGHT WENT ON. IT REQUIRED MORE COOLANT TO BE ADDED. THERE WAS NO EXTERNAL LEAKING OF THE ENGINE COOLANT. THE LIGHT WENT ON AGAIN ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER. I TOOK IT TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC AND THE CAP WAS REPLACED. THE LEAK STOPPED. IN FEB. 2005, THE ?LOW COOLANT? LIGHT WENT ON AGAIN AND AGAIN I ADDED COOLANT. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE ?LOW COOLANT? LIGHT WENT ON. THIS TIME I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A CHEVROLET DEALER. I WAS INFORMED BY THE SERVICE DEPT. OF THIS DEALER THAT MY CAR REQUIRED A NEW INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. ALSO, ENGINE COOLANT MIGHT HAVE LEAKED INTO MY ENGINE, SO THE OIL AND TRANSMISSION FLUID REQUIRED FLUSHING AND FILTERS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED ME THAT IT NEEDED TO BE DONE IMMEDIATELY OTHERWISE SERIOUS DAMAGE COULD BE DONE TO MY ENGINE. I HAD THE SERVICE DONE AS I THOUGHT CONTINUING TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE MIGHT HAVE POSED A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. SO THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND MY COST WAS $1,700.00. I PHONED CHEVROLET CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THIS REPAIR IS CONSIDERED ?NORMAL MAINTENANCE? AND I NEEDED TO COVER THE ENTIRE PRICE OF THE REPAIR. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE OF THE VEHICLE, NEGLECTING TO HAVE THE NECESSARY SERVICE COMPLETED MAY HAVE RESULTED IN PERMANENT DAMAGE LIKE THE ENGINE CEASING TO WORK. I THINK THE ENGINE CEASING WHILE IN OPERATION MIGHT CAUSE A SLIGHT SAFETY HAZARD TO MYSELF, PASSENGERS IN THE CABIN AS WELL AS OTHER VEHICLES IN THE VICINITY OF MINE.*AK

MY TURN SIGNALS WORK INTERMITTENTLY MY ,FUEL PUMP FAILED AT 38,000 MILES,COOLENTENT SYSTEM ACTS UP OFF AND ON IT OVERHEATS AND THEN IT MIGHT WORK JUST FINE,HEAD GASKET STARTING LEAKING AT 39,000 MILES,MOTOR IS VERY LOUD AND NOISY WHEN IT FIRST STARTS, IT MISSES OUT WHILE RUNNING BUT PARKED, GAS GAGE DOESN'T READ PROPERLY IT BOUNCES ALL OVER THE PLACE. *AK

CATALYTIC CONVERTER WENT OUT WHILE TRAVELING 500 MILES FROM HOME. MILEAGE WAS ONLY 60000 MILES. WAS UNDER WARRANTY BUT PART WAS ON NATIONWIDE BACK ORDER. CHEVROLET CUSTOMER SERVICE WOULD NOT AUTHORIZE RENTAL OR TOWING. WE WERE STUCK FOR TWO EXTRA DAYS WHILE SOMEONE TOOK COVERTER OFF AND DROVE HOME WITHOUT IT. THEN I WAS INFORMED BY CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT I HAD VOIDED WARRANTY. DEALERSHIP WAS ABLE TO GET COVERTER REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY ONLY AFTER A HUGE FIT WAS THROWN ON MY BEHALF. SECOND, GAS CAP SEAL IS BAD; AFTER FILL UP SOMETIMES HAVE TO RESTART CAR BECAUSE EMPTY LIGHT COMES ON. THIRD, AT 80000 MILES THE INTAKE AIR GASKET HAD TO BE REPLACED. COST OF $1200. FOURTH, WHILE TRYING TO INSTALL AFTER MARKET CD PLAYER DISCOVERED THAT YOU HAVE TO BUY $100 WIRE HARNESS AND NEW FRONT SPEAKER IN ORDER FOR STEREO TO WORK, THE WAY CHEVY MADE IT TO BE.*AK