2003 Chevrolet Malibu

OWN 2003 CHEVY MALIBU THAT WILL JUST SHUT OFF. THE ANTI THEFT SYSTEM BUILT IN THE VEHICLE WILL DO THIS. HAVE TO WAIT 10 MIN BEFORE IT RESETS ITSELF THEN IT WILL START. CHEVY DEALERSHIP THAT I WENT TO IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM IN THIS MODEL AND OFFERED TO FIX IT FOR $400. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS FAIRLY COMMON. SOUNDS LIKE A DEFECT TO ME AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED FOR FREE BY GM. BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW. THIS STARTED IN 2006 AND HAS CONTINUED TO DO THIS 1 OR 2 TIMES A MONTH SINCE THEN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START INTERMITTENTLY. IN ORDER TO START THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO TURN THE KEY TO THE ON POSITION AND ALLOW IT TO SIT IN THE IGNITION FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES WHILE THE VEHICLE WOULD RESET ITSELF. IN ADDITION, THE REAR TAIL LIGHTS WOULD BECOME FILLED WITH WATER WHENEVER IT WOULD RAIN, CAUSING THE BULBS TO BLOW. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE IGNITION LOCK HOUSING ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START BECAUSE THE COMPUTER ASSUMED THE VEHICLE WAS BEING STOLEN DUE TO THE IGNITION SECURITY SWITCH FEATURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE IGNITION LOCK HOUSING ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED JUST RECENTLY PRIOR TO THE MOST CURRENT FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,760. STATUS UPDATE 11/15/11

FOR YEARS, CAR STALLS WHILE DRIVING AND CAN NOT BE RE-STARTED, OR MORE FREQUENTLY, JUST WON'T START. NO WARNING EXCEPT A FINE, DIM RED ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM LIGHT WHICH IS UNLIKELY TO BE NOTICED AT ALL, AND CERTAINLY NOT IMMEDIATELY. CAN HAPPEN SEVERAL TIMES PER DAY, OR CAN GO TWO WEEKS WITHOUT A PROBLEM. SHORT TERM REMEDY IS RELIABLE IF INCONVENIENT AND IN SOME SITUATION, DANGEROUS; WITH CAR IN "PARK," TURN OFF ALL SYSTEM, TURN ON IGNITION SWITCH BUT DO NOT START, DO NOT DISTURB FOR AT LEAST EN MINUTES. SYSTEM WILL THEN BE RESET. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THIS PROBLEM HAD MULTIPLE CAUSES. GOT PARTIAL, TEMPORARY IMPROVEMENT (LESS FREQUENT FAILURE) BY REPLACING DEFECTIVE DS LOCK SWITCH, WHICH IS ALSO USED TO PROGRAM THAT LOCKING SYSTEM FEATURES. BECAUSE THE USERS IS SUPPOSED TO INITIATE LOCKING SYSTEM PROGRAMMING BY HOLDING THE SWITCH CLOSED, AND THE LOCK WAS STICKING CLOSED AND OPENING UNPREDICTABLY, IT WAS SURELY CREATING INPUTS NOT ANTICIPATED BY THE SYSTEM'S PROGRAMMERS. I BELIEVE THE IGNITION SWITCH SYSTEM, INCLUDING THE INTERFACE WITH THE TRANSMISSION SELECTOR SYSTEM, IS STILL CAUSING THIS PROBLEM, AND FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE INCREASES. HAVE NOT FOUND SATISFACTORY SOLUTION. CAN'T AFFORD THE $400 DEALER SAYS IT WILL COST FOR (POSSIBLE) FIX, AMBIGUOUS EXPLANATIONS MAKE ME DOUBT THE DEALER REALLY UNDERSTANDS THE CAUSE. NO ACTUAL PROPERTY DAMAGE OR CRASH YET, BUT OBVIOUSLY RISK IS HIGH WHEN CAR SUDDENLY STALL IN TRAFFIC. *TR

MY TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS DO NOT ALWAYS WORK. SOMETIMES THEY DON'T WORK AT ALL AND OTHER TIMES THEY BLINK A FEW TIMES AND THEN STOP. I DRIVE ON MAJOR INTERSTATES AND I'M ALWAYS AFRAID THAT THIS WILL CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I CANNOT PREDICT IF OR WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN. WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN, IF I TAP OR LIGHTLY PRESS THE FLASHER BUTTON ON THE DASH IT SEEMS TO HELP. I'VE SEEN OTHER REPORTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY FLAW. *TR

THE GAS PEDAL IS STICK. IT ACCELERATES THE CAR BY ITSELF. I HAVE TO USE MY FOOT TO GET IT OUT TO AVOID ACCELERATION. I CALLED GM AND THEY TOLD ME THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY TOYOTA'S STICKY PEDAL IS A BIG DEAL, WHILE GM DOES NOTHING FOR IT. I SAW POSTINGS OF THE SAME PROBLEM FOR A LONG TIME. I HOPE GM TAKE ACTION BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. *TR

IN FEB 2009 I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND MY CAR ACCELERATED BUT I WAS ABLE TO STOP BEFORE HITTING THE CAR NEXT TO ME. THE SAME THING HAPPENED A FEW DAYS LATER. THEN AGAIN, ON FEBRUARY 17, 2009, PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE THE CAR ACCELERATED AND I COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO STOP. I JUMPED A CURB AND WENT INTO A GRASSY AREA AND FINALLY GOT THE CAR STOPPED. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE MECHANICS COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS PROBABLY THE FLOOR MAT UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. HOWEVER, ON JULY 7, 2010, PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE THE CAR ACCELERATED AND I JUMPED A CURB. AFTER JUMPING THE CURB, I NARROWLY MISSED AN ELECTRICAL BOX AND UTILITY POLE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER AGAIN. I WAS TOLD IT WAS A WORN CABLE WHICH THEY TOLD ME NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE OTHER MALIBU OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM YET THERE IS NO RECALL FOR OUR PARTICULAR MODEL NUMBER REGARDING THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I CALLED THE CHEVROLET CONSUMER NUMBER, BUT WAS TOLD THAT UNTIL THERE ARE ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO WARRANT A RECALL FOR MY MODEL "THEY" ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY REPAIRS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, SHE NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STOP. THE RPMS INCREASED EXCESSIVELY TO 2000 WHEN SHE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL. WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, AS SHE DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, SHE NOTICED AN ODOR IN THE BRAKES WHICH WAS HEAT ACCUMULATED AFTER SHE TRIED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. SHE ALSO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE FLOOR MAT WAS NOT UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND WAS NOT THE CAUSE OF THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR ASSEMBLY SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REPAIRED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. WHEN THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL 04V528000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL ACCELERATOR PEDAL) AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 101,000.