2013 Chevrolet Malibu

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE, THE KEY TURNED IN THE IGNITION; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE DID NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS JUMPSTARTED AND DRIVEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE CAMSHAFT FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE PERFORMED NORMALY FOR A WEEK, BUT LATER WOULD NOT START AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SAME INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE VARIABLE VALVE TIMING INTAKE AND EXHAUST FAILED AND NEEDED REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BOTH TIMES. THE MECHANIC ALSO STATED THAT THE WIRING ON THE BATTERY WAS DONE IMPROPERLY. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,080.

TAKATA RECALL THE LIGHTS ON MY DASH KEPT GOING IN AND OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND WHILE STATIONARY. WHILE MY CAR WAS OFF, WITH NO KEY IN THE IGNITION, THE GAUGES WOULD MAKE CLICKING SOUNDS AND BOUNCE UP AND DOWN ABOUT AN 8TH OF AN INCH. THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH WOULD STAY OFF FOR DAYS AT A TIME, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO SEE HOW FAST I WAS GOING OR HOW MUCH GAS WAS IN THE CAR. SOMETIMES THE LIGHTS WOULD CLICK ON FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS AND THEN THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD BE STUCK AT THE LAST SPEED I WAS GOING AT, FOR DAYS, WITHOUT SHOWING ANYTHING ON THE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER. WHEN I TOOK IT TO GET LOOKED AT, NO CODES WERE FOUND. MY CAR KEPT DYING WHILE I WAS DRIVING, WENT AND HAD MY BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR TESTED AND THEY WERE 100% FINE. CAR DASH LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING ON AND OFF WHILE I WAS GOING AROUND A CURVE. CHECK ENGINE, OIL, WIPER FLUID, GAS LIGHT, EVERYTHING FLASHED ON AND OFF, THEN MY STEERING LOCKED UP, CAUSING ME TO GO OFF OF THE ROAD AND HIT A TREE. MY CAR WAS TOTALED.

THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER WOULD TURN ON/OFF ON IT'S OWN AT RANDOM. AT FIRST THE ISSUE SEEMED TO HAPPEN THE MOST WHEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURES WERE LOWER. THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL HAS NOW COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING. NONE OF THE GAUGES OR LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WORK. DUE TO THIS ISSUE, I AM UNABLE TO KNOW MY SPEED, FUEL LEVEL, MILEAGE, TEMPERATURE, BATTERY, ETC. THIS CREATES A HAZARD WHEN DRIVING.

DOOR LOCKS ENGAGING AND DISENGAGING RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING, HEADLIGHTS TURNING OFF AND ON RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING, CAR STARTING WHILE PARKED IN GARAGE (NO REMOTE START). DEALERSHIP REPLACED BCM, COULD NOT GUARANTEE THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM. INDICATED THEY HAD NEVER SEEN THE ISSUE BEFORE. WITHIN 2 WEEKS, ALL ISSUES REPEATED THEMSELVES. RETURNED TO DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP KEPT THE CAR FOR 2 WEEKS AND THEN CALLED ME AND LEFT A MESSAGE TO PICK IT UP AS THEY COULD NOT FIND THE ISSUE. WHEN I CALLED BACK, THE DEALERSHIP SAID "IT WAS A GOOD THING YOU HAVEN'T PICKED UP THE VEHICLE YET, IT STARTED ON ITS OWN 3 TIMES THIS MORNING". IF I HAD PICKED THIS VEHICLE UP, THE ISSUE WOULD HAVE HAPPENED AGAIN WHILE I WAS AT HOME. CASE HAS BEEN FILED WITH CHEVROLET CUSTOMER CAR, AND SUFS (GM GLOBAL SAFETY). NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN. NO ENGINEERS HAVE BEEN SENT DOWN TO LOOK AT THE CAR FROM GM HEADQUARTERS. AFTER THE CAR STARTED ON ITS OWN AT THE DEALERSHIP, THEY CHANGED OUT THE IGNITION SWITCH, BUT AGAIN, CANNOT GUARANTEE THE ISSUES WON'T REOCCUR. CAR WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A THIRD TIME ON MAY 2ND AFTER THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED ON AND OFF 3 TIMES ON THE WAY TO WORK ON MAY 1ST. AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE UNTIL MAY 10TH, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND AN ISSUE, AND I SHOULD PICK THE CAR UP AS THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM IF THEY DO NOT SEE IT. THE RESPONSE FROM GM HAS BEEN A JOKE. THE CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. I CANNOT DRIVE IT AT NIGHT, AND CANNOT PART IT IN MY GARAGE, AS IT COULD START AND CAUSE MY ENTIRE FAMILY TO DIE FROM CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING, OR COULD OVERHEAT FROM RUNNING IN PARK WHILE WE ARE SLEEPING AND START A FIRE. I CANNOT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE SELL THE CAR EITHER. SO, I AM STUCK WITH AN UNSAFE VEHICLE THAT GENERAL MOTORS WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR. MY CONCERN IS THAT THERE MAY BE OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD WITH THE SAME ISSUE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM UNDER THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT MADE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING TURN OFF INTERMITTENTLY. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING REMAINED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

WHEN MY 2013 CHEVY MALIBU IS IN MOTION AND SOMEONE IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT (MANY BUT NOT ALL TIMES) ALL OF THE ELECTRONICS, INCLUDING THE ELECTRONIC SPEEDOMETER, AND ALL DASHBOARD GAUGES, IN THE CAR STOP WORKING AND NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT THE AIRBAG SYSTEM AND BRAKING SYSTEM APPEAR. THE MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF THE CAR STILL SEEM TO WORK FINE, BUT THE NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT THE AIRBAGS AND BRAKING MAKE ME CONCERNED THAT IT IS NOT SAFE. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A YEAR. I HAVE TRIED TAKING MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY EITHER CANNOT REPLICATE IT OR THEY WILL "FIX" SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T END UP SOLVING THE PROBLEM. GIVEN THAT THIS PROBLEM STARTED RANDOMLY AND NOT WITH ANY INTERVENTION ON MY PART OF THE PART OF ANY MECHANIC, I AM CONTACTING NHTSA BECAUSE I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THE AIRBAG SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND THAT THIS MIGHT BE HAPPENING WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND COULD REPRESENT REAL DANGER IF THIS REALLY IS AFFECTING THE AIRBAG AND BRAKING SYSTEMS (EVEN WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT IS NOT IN USE).