2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

CAR ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN. EVEN ON BRAKING THE CAR WOULD STILL CONTINUE ACCELERATING WHICH MADE BRAKING HARD. CAR INCREASED SPEED ON ITS OWN FROM 25 TO 45 WHEN I HAD TO APPLY BRAKES TO KEEP FROM GOING OVER SPEED LIMIT. THIS WAS AN ONGOING EVENT UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO A PARKING LOT AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR RIGHT AWAY THE RPMS WERE UP SO I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND WAITING ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND RESTARTED. CAR WAS FINE FOR THE DRIVE HOME. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED FROM A DEALERSHIP APRIL 18, 2011. *TR

VEHICLE WILL IDLE HIGH, 3000 RPM, DRIVING IS DANGEROUS AND BRAKING IS DIFFICULT. I CALLED CHEVY ON 03/12/14 AND THEY MADE AN APPT. AND SAID IT WOULD BE NO PROBLEM UNDER RECALL #04092. I WENT DOWN TODAY 03/17/14 FOR MY APPT AND THEY TOLD ME RECALL HAD BEEN COMPLETED ON 12/13/2004. THIS IS NEW INFORMATION AND NOW THEY WILL NOT INSPECT MY VEHICLE TO TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG. THE DEALERSHIP GAVE ME A DOCUMENT WHICH STATES THAT ON 12/31/04 THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS INSPECTED BUT NO ACTIONS WERE TAKEN. THIS INFORMS ME THAT THEY HAD NOT PROPERLY REPLACED RECALLED ITEMS WHICH WERE REQUIRED. *TR

THE CAR HAS CUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON AT LEAST 10 OCCASIONS SINCE 2012. USUALLY, IF DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED IT WOULD HAPPEN AS I SLOWED DOWN TO TURN A CORNER, ALTHOUGH IT HAS ALSO HAPPENED ONCE OR TWICE WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. EACH TIME, I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO EITHER DRIFT OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER OR COMPLETE THE TURN WITHOUT GETTING HIT. WHEN THE CAR CUTS OFF I LOSE THE ABILITY TO STEER. DURING THAT PERIOD I ALSO EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS: SOMETIMES THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD NOT COME ON, THE AUTO LOCKS WOULD COME ON AND OFF BY THEMSELVES WHILE DRIVING AND THE AIR CONDITIONER WOULD NOT STAY ON. ON 5/3/12 MY KEY WOULD NOT TURN THE IGNITION. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT I PROBABLY HAD TOO MANY KEYS ON MY RING AND IT WORE DOWN THE IGNITION. SHORTLY AFTER HAVING THE IGNITION REPLACED, I NOTICED THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM LIGHT STAYED ON AND IT AFFECTED MY ABILITY TO START THE CAR. FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS, IN ORDER TO START MY CAR, I HAVE TO PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, THEN TURN IT TO THE "ACCESSORY" POSITION FOR ABOUT 15 SECONDS, THEN TO THE "ON" POSITION AND WAIT FOR THE GAS GAUGE AND DASH TO LIGHT UP (PERHAPS ANOTHER 15-40 SECONDS) IN ORDER TO START THE CAR. I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND SIMILAR PROBLEMS FOR MY MAKE AND MODEL. THIS IS HOW I LEARNED HOW TO START THE CAR UNDER THESE CONDITIONS. I HAVE MY REPAIR RECEIPTS AND INTERNET SEARCHES FOR THIS PROBLEM FROM 2012 AS WELL AS EVERY OIL CHANGE AND SERVICE TICKET FROM 2003. I THINK THAT THE 2003 MALIBU SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FOR INCLUSION IN THE IGNITION SWITCH RECALL. *TR

THE CAR WILL TURN OFF BY ITSELF. WE WILL BE DRIVING ALONG AND THEN FOR WHAT SEEMS LIKE NO REASON THE CAR SHUTS OFF - THE PS/PB DON'T WORK, NOTHING. THE CAR STARTS RIGHT BACK UP BUT THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. WE TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THERE WERE TOO MANY KEYS ON OUR KEY RING AND THAT IS WHY IT WAS TURNING OFF - WELL IT DOESN'T HAPPEN WITH THE SAME KEY RING ON ANY OF THE OTHER CARS WE OWN SO WHY JUST ON THIS CAR? I BELIEVE THIS RELATES BACK TO TSB 052203, BUT IT IS STILL VERY DANGEROUS AND GM ISN'T DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND HASN'T GONE AWAY. *TR

CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING. EVERYTHING QUIT, EVEN POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE. BOTH TIMES, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THE IGNITION WAS FAULTY. I'VE REPLACED THE IGNITION BOTH TIMES. I'M AFRAID THIS WILL HAPPEN WHEN WE ARE DRIVING IT AND WE WILL GET INTO AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES QUIT WHEN ALL THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS QUIT. *TR

CAR FAILED TO START. A LOCAL MECHANIC WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM THAT GM WAS HAVING WITH THE MALIBU'S. HE SHOWED ME HOW TO TURN THE KEY TO ON FOR 10 MINUTES AND THEN THE THEFT LIGHT WOULD STOP BLINKING AND YOU COULD THEN START THE CAR. THIS PAST YEAR IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING ABOUT DAILY OR EVERY 5 TO 6 TIMES THAT YOU GO TO START THE CAR. MOSTLY ON SHORT TRIPS OF LESS THAN 2 MILES. I CONTACTED 2 LOCAL CHEVY DEALERS AND THEY CLAIM TO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM! I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO BRING IT IN AND THEY WOULD CHECK IT OUT - AT A CHARGE. WHAT IF THIS HAPPENED IN AN AREA THAT WAS NOT SAFE FOR MY FAMILY OR ME - WE COULD NOT START THE CAR AND WOULD HAVE TO JUST SIT THERE FOR 10 MINUTES!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK VIOLENTLY. THE FAILURE ALSO OCCURRED WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. ADDITIONALLY, THE DOOR CHIMES WOULD SOUND SPORADICALLY AND THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD ENGAGE INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,882. *TR

VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AFTER I CAME OUT FROM GROCERY STORE. COULD SEE ANTI THEFT SYSTEM LIGHT ON DASHBOARD BUT I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANT THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. I WOULD LAUGH WHEN YOU LOCK THE CAR USING THE LOCK ON THE DOOR WHEN YOU GET OUT TO LOCK ALL THE DOORS THEN YOU HEAR A BEEP LIKE OTHER PEOPLES VEHICLES WHO HAVE ALARM SYSTEMS WHICH THIS CAR DOESN'T HAVE. I MEAN I DON'T HAVE A KEY LOCK FOR MY VEHICLE. ONE REPAIR PERSON TOLD ME IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP ESTIMATED $800, I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A SHOP AND FOUND OUT ON SUNDAY THAT IT WAS THE ANTI THEFT SYSTEM, THEY HAD TO REPROGRAM MY KEYS AND I HAD MORE THAN ONE IGNITION KEY ON MY RING WAS TOLD NOT TO DO THAT ANYMORE AND COST ME HUNDRED DOLLARS, THIS IS A PROBLEM THOUGH AND IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. I HAVE GONE ON LINE AND FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS AND PEOPLE HAVE SPENT A LOT MORE MONEY THAN I HAD TO. *TR

THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM KICKED IN APPROXIMATELY AFTER 35 MINUTES OF DRIVING WHILE AT 65 MILES AN HOUR. IT CUT POWER TO THE FUEL PUMP WHICH TURNED OFF THE CAR AND WE HAD TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF A HIGHWAY. WE WERE VERY NEARLY IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THIS DEVICE MALFUNCTIONING AND COULD HAVE KILLED ME, MY HUSBAND, AND OUR UNBORN CHILD. THIS PROBLEM IS WELL DOCUMENTED ALL OVER THE WEB AND CURRENT FIXES ARE NOT WORKING. THIS CAR HAS NEVER KNOWN ANOTHER OWNER AND I HAVE TRIED TO RESET THE DEVICE WITH THE KEY FOBS THAT WERE ISSUED WITH THE VEHICLE BACK IN 2003. I PERFORMED THE RESET PROCEDURE PROPERLY AND IT DID NOT WORK. THESE SECURITY DEVICES NEED TO BE RECALLED AND FIXED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR WORSE KILLED. *TR

I PARKED THE CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY WHICH IS SLOPED DOWNWARDS, AND THOUGHT I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AND TOOK OUT THE KEYS. AFTER I GOT OUT OF THE CAR, IT STARTED ROLLING FORWARD INTO THE GARAGE DOOR. I QUICKLY JUMPED INTO THE SEAT AND SLAMMED ON THE BRAKE. THANK G-D, NO REAL DAMAGE WAS DONE, BUT I AM PREGNANT AND GOT REALLY SHOCKED. I REALIZED THE EXTENT OF THIS SAFETY ISSUE WHICH I PREVIOUSLY DISREGARDED. THE ISSUE IS THAT THE KEYS CAN COME OUT OF THE IGNITION WHILE IT IS IN THE ON POSITION. THEREFORE IF I FORGET TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TAKE THE KEYS OUT THEY COME OUT. MOST CARS HAVE A SAFETY FEATURE WHICH PREVENTS REMOVING THE KEYS UNTIL THE IGNITION IS OFF, WHICH CANNOT BE DONE UNLESS THE CAR IS IN PARK. IN MY CAR HOWEVER THIS IS NOT THE CASE AS THE KEYS COME OUT IN THE ON POSITION AND I AM THEREFORE LACKING THE FEATURE TO REMIND ME TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK. THIS CAN G-D FORBID CAUSE A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. I SUBSEQUENTLY CHECKED MY BROTHER IN LAW'S CAR WHICH IS ALSO AN 03 MALIBU AND IT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR