2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

MY BOYFRIEND AND I BOUGHT A 2000 CHEVY MALIBU FROM A USED CAR LOT. IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR I WENT TO TAKE THE CAR FOR A CAR WASH FOR THE FIRST TIME AND WHEN THE CAR GOT WET IT TURNED OFF - ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH BOARD CAME ON AND THE CAR THAT I JUST FILLED UP 5 MINUTES PRIOR- THE GAS NEEDLE WENT TO ZERO. I TOOK THE KEY OUT AND WAITED FOR THE CAR WASH TO BE OVER AND IT FIRED UP RIGHT AWAY. BUT WHEN I GOT HOME AND I TURNED IT BACK ON THE CAR WOULDN'T START AND A LEFT LIGHT WOULD COME ON. WE LET THE CAR SIT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND THEN IT STARTED UP FINE AND WAS RUNNING FINE. ONE NIGHT COMING HOME FROM A CONFERENCE IT WAS RAINING AND WE WERE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN CAR SHUT OFF, ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH CAME ON. WE WERE THANKFULLY ABLE TO SAFELY GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE CAR FIRED UP AGAIN AND WE GOT HOME BUT WHEN WE PARKED IT IT WOULDN'T TURN ON. WE TOOK IT TO A LOCAL CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND WE HAVE TO HAVE THE COMPUTER AND ALL THE WIRES REPLACE $1,000 IT COST - HASN'T HAPPENED SINCE. BUT THERE ARE OTHER INCIDENCES TO ADD... *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS WOULD ACTIVATE INDEPENDENTLY OR FAILED TO WORK AT ALL. ALSO, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT BURNING FUMES WERE EMITTED INTO THE VEHICLE AND SHE COULD HEAR THE WIRES SPARKING. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

RACK CAME LOOSE FROM SUB FRAME RUSTED FRAME FROM THEM MOUNTS TO HOLD RACK CAN'T DRIVE IT OR STEER IT. TO HAVE IT FIXED LIKE $900.00. *TR

WHILE PARKING I HEARD A NOISE IN THE FRONT END AND UPON TURNING THE WHEEL HARDER THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I COULD BARELY TURN THE WHEEL. LATER IN THE DAY PUT IN MORE POWER STEERING FLUID THINKING THAT WAS THE PROBLEM BUT HAD THE SAME ISSUE. I THOUGHT THE POWER STEERING WAS GOING OUT AS I WAS HEARING A GRINDING TYPE NOISE IN THE FRONT END. THE NEXT DAY I COULD FEEL SOMETHING UNDER THE DRIVER FLOOR BOARD AND LOUDER NOISES WHEN TURNING HARD. TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD SUB-FRAME IS RUSTED AND NEEDS REPLACED AS WELL AS THE RACK AND PINION; THIS WILL START OUT AS A $2000.00 REPAIR AND COULD GO UP TO $4000.00 DEPENDING ON WHAT ELSE THEY FIND WHEN THEY WORK ON IT. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND SHOULD BE FIXED BY GM AS THEY USED SHODDY MATERIALS BUILDING THIS VEHICLE. MY MECHANIC SAID I SHOULDN'T DRIVE IT AS I MAY LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THIS CAR WAS KEPT IN A GARAGE FOR THE FIRST 10 YEARS I HAVE OWNED IT AND HAS ONLY BEEN PARKED OUTSIDE FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS. AT ONLY 89,000 MILES I AM DISGUSTED AT THE WAY THIS VEHICLE WAS BUILT. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET, NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE! *TR

PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED THIS REPORT/COMPLAINT ON THIS SITE, TO GM AND TO THE FTC AROUND 2004 WITH NO RESPONSE. THE CHEVROLET MALIBU FROM 2000 HAS SIMILAR IGNITION AND ENGINE ISSUES NOW REPORTED ON THE NEWS IN THE COBALT AND OTHER CARS. OWNER HAD TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD SEVERAL TIMES, THE IGNITION,STARTER, KEY SYSTEM, IDLE CONTROL VALVE, AND OTHER PARTS NUMEROUS TIMES DUE TO THE CAR ENGINE SMOKING, "TURNING OFF" OR NOT STARTING AFTER STOPPING, PARKING, AND NOT STARTING UPON INSERTING THE KEY, IDLING HIGH OR TIMING OFF. THIS BEGAN WITHIN 2-3 YEARS OF OWNING THE CAR. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHEN DRIVING OR STARTING THE CAR. MULTIPLE TIMES THE SECURITY LIGHT WOULD BLINK AND OWNER WOULD HAVE TO WAIT 15 MINUTES TO TURN IT ON. GM EVEN HAS THIS LISTED IN THE MANUAL (IN SECURITY FEATURE/LOCK SYSTEM). OWNER FIRST TOLD IT WAS DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE, THEN KEY, THEN IT WAS A SECURITY PROGRAMMING ISSUE, THEN IT WAS THE INTAKE MANIFOLD (NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY FOR SOME REASON). SOME OF THE REPAIRS COST HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS AND COSTS FOR TOWING. EVENTUALLY THE CAR WILL NOT START AT ALL AND IT MUST BE REPROGRAMMED, WORKED ON BY DEALER. THE MALIBU AND OTHER CARS SUCH AS SATURN HAVE THIS ISSUE. MAY BE RELATED TO THE ENGINE AND IGNITION ISSUE MENTIONED IN THE NEWS. AT TIMES OWNER WAS STUCK FAR FROM HOME AND HAD TO TOW THE CAR. HIGHWAY DRIVING WAS NERVE WRACKING BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNEW WHAT THE CAR WOULD DO. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF INTERNET COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE MALIBU FROM 2000 AND ONWARD RELATED TO ENGINE AND IGNITION FAILURES. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, IGNITION SWITCH FAILED CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STOP WITH LOSS OF POWER STEERING, BRAKES, ETC. FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT AND REQUIRED REPEATED SERVICE CALLS TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF PROBLEM AS THE IGNITION SWITCH. *TR

WE REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND FUEL FILTER AFTER THE CAR CONTINUED TO CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. ANOTHER ISSUE WAS SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WOULD AUTOMATICALLY SPEED UP WHICH MADE BRAKING HARD AND ROUGH. I WAS RECENTLY TOLD BY THE MECHANIC TO REPLACE MY IGNITION SWITCH WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO FIX THE CAR TURNING OFF WHILE DRIVING. *TR

FATHER WAS IN LATE 80'S OR EARLY 90'S (DIED AT 97 IN 2013). CHEVY MALIBU WITH ON DASH IGNITION SWITCH WAS STILL STOPPING WHILE ON ITS THIRD IGNITION SWITCH, THE REPAIR COVERED FREE BY GM. I DROVE THE CAR TO TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT THE IGNITION AND HENCE POWER STEERING ( HEADLIGHTS STILL ON) SHUT OFF WHEN GOING OVER THE GRAND TRUNK RAILROAD CROSSING. THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED WAS THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH WOULD TURN SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT (1/8 INCH) OR EVEN TURN FULLY OFF DEPENDING ON THE MOMENTUM OF DAD'S LARGE KEY CHAIN HANGING FROM THE IGNITION KEY. IT WAS A DANGEROUS SITUATION SINCE THE POWER STEERING QUIT AND THE POWER BRAKES DON'T WORK WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF. ACCORDING TO A LOCKSMITH, THE DETENTS ON THESE SWITCHES WERE VERY POORLY MANUFACTURED. SOLUTION WAS TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF KEYS ON THE KEY CHAIN. *TR

EARLY IN 2011 I STARTED HAVING DIFFICULTIES WITH MY 2000 MALIBU. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD APPEAR RANDOMLY ON THE DASHBOARD. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS IT WOULD DISAPPEAR. IT BEGAN STAYING ON LONGER AND LONGER SO I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER. THEY CHECKED IT OUT, COULDN??T FIND ANYTHING SPECIFIC, AND TOLD ME I SHOULD HAVE THEM PUT IN A NEW COMPUTER. THIS COST APPROXIMATELY $550.00 AFTER THE REPAIR A NEW SYMPTOM BEGAN TO APPEAR: SPONTANEOUS ENGINE STALLING COUPLED WITH LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE CAR RESULTED IN NO ENGINE CRANKING. I FOUND THAT AFTER WAITING FOR A WHILE THE CAR WOULD START AGAIN AND BE FINE. AT ONE POINT WE WERE TRAVELING AT FREEWAYS SPEEDS ON THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE. MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AND MY TWO YOUNG GRANDDAUGHTERS WERE IN THE BACK SEAT. SUDDENLY THE ENGINE STALLED AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. IT WAS FRIGHTENING, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. WE SAT FOR A FEW MOMENTS ON THE SHOULDER OF THE FREEWAY, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF WE WERE GOING TO BE STRANDED. AFTER A FEW TRIES, THE CAR STARTED UP OKAY AND WE CONTINUED TO OUR DESTINATION. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL PARKING LOT, IT REPEATED THIS BEHAVIOR. WE COMPLETED OUR JOURNEY AND GOT HOME SAFELY. A FEW DAYS LATER I TRIED TO START THE CAR BUT IT WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. I CONTACTED THE SAME CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP WHO SENT A TOW TRUCK TO FETCH US AND THE VEHICLE. ONCE AT THE DEALERSHIP, ONE OF THE MECHANICS QUICKLY SUGGESTED THAT IT MIGHT BE THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH AND CHARGED ME OVER $400. I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN AND THE REPAIR BILLS WERE A LOT FOR ME TO HANDLE. *TR

MY MALIBU IS NOT LISTED ON THE RECALL LIST, BUT I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE IGNITION FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS. 90 PERCENT OF THE TIME WHEN IT WON'T START THE INDICATOR LIGHTS SHOWS THE ANTI THEFT LIGHT. YOU CAN SIT THERE FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES AND THE CAR WILL THEN START. IF YOU TRY IT IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES IT MESSES UP AGAIN AND YOU HAVE TO START THE 10 MINUTES AGAIN. WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE MECHANIC NUMEROUS TIMES AND THEY HAVE TRIED NUMEROUS THINGS TO GET THIS TO CORRECT ITSELF. THEY THOUGHT IT WAS IN THE KEY AND WE HAVE GOTTEN NEW KEYS FROM THE DEALER AND THAT DIDN'T WORK. IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS, THE CAR HAS STARTED JUST CUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING. LUCKILY IT HAS BEEN WHILE STILL IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND NO ONE HAS GOTTEN HURT. WE THEN PUSHED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WAIT THE 10 MINUTES AND RESTART THE CAR. THIS IS THE SAME THING THAT THE GM RECALL IS FOR OTHER VEHICLES. PLEASE INCLUDE MY CAR IN THE RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. *TR