2002 Chevrolet Malibu

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

THE RADIO SOMETIMES WORKED AND SOMETIMES DIDN'T. AFTER 7 TRIPS, IT WAS DETERMINED THE PROBLEM WAS THE AMPLIFIER. THE RADIO WORKED FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND NOW IS DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN. ALSO, THE TURN SIGNALS WORK WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE IT. I HAD THE DEALER CHECK AND THEY SAID I NEEDED A NEW SWITCH. I DID NOT GET ONE AS YET, BUT SEE WHERE OTHER OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RECALL, NOR DID THE DEALER INFORM ME OF THE ISSUE. I INITIALLY HAD TROUBLE WITH THE OUTSIDE MIRRORS BUT THEY DID REMEDY THAT. I GET SHOCKED (ELECTRICALLY) MANY TIMES WHEN I EXIT THE CAR AS DO SOME OF MY PASSENGERS.*AK

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK THIS MORNING (AT 6:40AM 3/30/05), THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW TOTALLY (100%) SHATTERED. I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65MPH. ALL THE WINDOWS WERE ROLLED UP AND THE HEATER WAS ON. I WAS ALONE IN THE CAR AND WAS NOT INJURED IN ANY WAY. THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS IN THE 40'S AND THE SUN WAS SHINING ON THE WINDOW (A CLEAR MORNING). TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, THE WINDOW WAS NOT IMPACTED BY ANY OBJECT. NO CARS OR PERSONS WERE ON MY LEFT SIDE. MOST OF THE WINDOW ENDED UP ON THE CAR'S FLOOR AND IN MY LAP. SOME PIECES REMAINED STUCK IN THE FRAME.*AK

CHEVROLET MALIBU 2002, TIRES WORN AT 9,000 MILES. *BF THE DEALER REPLACED THE TIRES WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED. AT 29000 MILE THE TIRES WERE BADLY WORN AGAIN. THIS TIME THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE TIRES INDICATING THAT THE WEAR WAS THE CONSUMER'S FAULT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TIRE DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE TIRES WERE IMPERFECT. *NM

2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU TURN SIGNAL WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. MY DAUGHTER DRIVES THIS CAR AND WAS INVOLVED IN A MINOR ACCIDENT IN DECEMBER 2004. SHE WAS TRYING TO MERGE LEFT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHEN A CAR JUST BEHIND HER ,AND TWO LANES TO THE LEFT, WENT FOR THE SAME SPOT. BECAUSE THE TURN SIGNAL FAILED, THE DRIVER IN THE OTHER LANE DID NOT KNOW SHE WAS TRYING TO MERGE AND PROCEEDED INTO THE SPOT. MY DAUGHTER HAD TO SWERVE BACK INTO HER LANE TO AVOID THE OTHER CAR , AND COULD NOT AVOID REAR-ENDING THE VEHICLE AHEAD WHERE TRAFFIC HAD SUDDENLY STOPPED. I RECENTLY TOOK THIS CAR TO THE DEALER, WHO COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH REVEALS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, AND IN FACT THE PREVIOUS TWO MODEL YEARS WERE RECALLED FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM, WHICH IS RELATED TO A BAD HAZARD SWITCH. I FIDDLED WITH THE SWITCH AND FOUND THAT TAPPING THE SWITCH CAUSES THE SIGNALS TO MALFUNCTION. ALTHOUGH WE DIDN'T GET THIS CHECKED OUT UNTIL AFTER THE ACCIDENT, I BELIEVE THE ACCICENT WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE SIGNALS HAD BEEN WORKING, AND I AM REALLY ANNOYED THAT THE DEALERSHIP SEEMED SO IGNORANT OF THIS WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS INJURED, BUT THEY EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN. *AK