2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

ENGINE STOPS RUNNING, INSTRUMENTS DO NOT LIGHT UP, BOTH GAS AND TEMP GAUGE NEEDLES FALL BACK TO OFF POSITION. CAR CAN BE RESTARTED BY MOVING GEAR SELECTOR LEVER AND TWISTING IGNITION KEY TO ENGAGE STARTER. CAR ALSO IS AT TIMES HARD TO START. IF THE IGNITION KEY IS INSERTED AND TWISTED TO ON, SOMETIMES ICONS DO NOT LIGHT UP, NOR WILL THE GAUGES REGISTER,THE ENGINE WILL CRANK BUT NOT START. IF THE KEY IS TWISTED BACK TO THE OFF POSITION,THEN TWISTED BACK TO THE ON POSITION AND THE NEEDLES OF THE GAS AND TEMP GAUGES MOVE, THE ENGINE WILL START. THIS CAR IS 5 YEARS. OLD AND HAS 45,000 MI. ON THE SPEEDOMETER HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES,BUT SINCE THE ENGINE RESTARTS,IT HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN FOR REPAIRS. THE PCV VALVE HAS BEEN REPLACED, AND CAR HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO THE STATE MANDATED TESTING,WHICH REQUIRES USE OF THE OBD PORT. THIS WAS LAST FALL. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WITHOUT WARNING THE TURN SIGNALS HAVE BECOME INOPERABLE. THERE WAS A RECALL, #03V327000, CONCERNING THE HAZARD LIGHT SWITCH; HOWEVER, THE COMPONENT HAS FAILED AGAIN. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN NOTIFIED, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SUBJECT TO THE RECALL ANY LONGER AND NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. UPDATED 03/28/06. *JB

I BOUGHT MY CAR WHEN IT WAS A YEAR OLD, SINCE BUYING THE CAR, I HAVE HAD TO PAY 800 DOLLARS TO HAVE THE IGNITION SWITCH CHANGED, WHICH I FOUND OUT LATER THE DEALERSHIP SHOULD HAVE ONLY CHARGED 400. I HAVE ALSO RESPONDED TO THE TURN SIGNAL RECALL TO HAVE THE HAZARD SWITCH FIXED ONLY TO HAVE THE SAME SWITCH GO OUT AGAIN, NOT EVEN 2 YEARS LATER. I AM BEING TOLD THAT IT WILL COST AT LEAST 200.00 TO FIX. INSTEAD OF THE TURN SIGNALS NOT WORKING NOW THERE IS A CONSTANT CLICKING IN THE DASH, WHICH THEY SAID IS CAUSED BY THE HAZARD SWITCH BEING DEFECTIVE...IF THAT IS THE CASE THEN WHY WOULD THEY REPLACE THE ORIGINAL SWITCH WITH A DEFECTIVE ONE AND NOT REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE ONE? *NM

I TOOK MY 2001 CHEVY MALIBU LS IN TO GET THE OIL CHANGED. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE GM ENGINES OF MY YEAR AND OTHERS WAS THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING COOLANT, AND THAT IF LEFT UN-FIXED, THE ENGINE WOULD EVENTUALLY SEIZE UP. I WAS TOLD THAT THE MATERIAL THAT THE GASKETS WERE MADE OUT OF HAS SINCE BEEN CHANGED, WHICH WOULD IMPLY THAT THEY KNOW IT TO BE FAULTY. I CONTACTED GM AND TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER WHERE THEY CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS ISSUE MAKES THE CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE, BUT I HAD HEARD THAT THERE WAS A RECALL IN PLACE FOR FAULTY ALTERNATORS AND FIGURED THIS PROBLEM WAS ABOUT EQUAL TO THAT IN POTENTIAL DANGER. OUT OF CURIOSITY, I LOOKED ON THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF WEBSITES WITH PEOPLE THAT HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. *JB

ON TWO OCCASIONS 2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU HAS FAILED TO START. *TS ***NO ANSWER REQUIRED*** THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE. DIAGNOSTIC TEST WERE RUN BUT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIND A CAUSE FOR THE PROBLEM EITHER TIME. *NM

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY 2001 CHEVY MALIBU'S MANIFOLD TWICE, AND I HAVE NOTICE THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE. THIS IS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. *JB

THE VEHICLES HEAT GAUGE STOPPED WORKING AND LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. CHECKED COOLANT LEVEL AND DISCOVERED SLUDGE IN EXPANSION CHAMBER ( COOLANT RECOVERY TANK). FLUSHED SYSTEM OF SLUDGE AND TROUBLE SHOT REASON FOR COOLANT LOSS. FOUND INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING. VEHICLE WILL REQUIRE NEW INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET SET, THERMOSTAT, HOSES, WATER PUMP AND POSSIBLY RADIATOR. TRIED TO FLUSH SYSTEM COMPLETELY BUT FOUND SECONDARY PLUMBING SUCH AS HEATER CORE, RADIATOR,COOLANT CROSSOVER AND COOLANT BLEED HOSING GUMMED UP WITH OILY WAXY TYPE SUBSTANCE RESEMBLING GUMBALLS (DEX-COOL?). I THINK GM SHOULD STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SO CALLED "WONDER COOLANT". AFTER ALL THE STICKER ON THE EXPANSION CHAMBER DOES SAY ANYTHING ABOUT CHANGING EVERY 5 YEARS OR 150000 MILES. *JB

(1) COOLANT LEAKING IMMEDIATELY AFTER PUTTING IT INTO MY VEHICLE. (2) MY CAR HAS OVERHEATED THREE TIMES ON THE FREEWAY. IT WILL NOT ACCELERATE, STARTS VIOLENTLY VIBRATING, THEN SMOKE BELLOWS OUT OF MY HOOD WHEN I FINALLY STOP. I HAVE BEEN STRANDED ON THE FREEWAY THREE TIMES WITH MY TWO-YEAR-OLD IN THE CAR, AS WELL AS MY UNBORN CHILD. (3) I HAVE TAKEN MY VEHICLE TO A CHEVROLET REPAIR MAN WHO FOUND A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE PROBLEM ISSUED BY CHEVROLET. HE EXPLAINED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS MANUFACTURED CROOKED CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK INTO MY ENGINE AND DILUTE MY OIL WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY BURN MY MOTOR AND RUIN IT COMPLETELY. WHEN I CONTACTED CHEVROLET, THEY WERE VERY UNHELPFUL BOTH TIMES STATING I HAD TO PAY A CHEVY DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND THAT THEY MIGHT HELP ME WITH A LITTLE COST ASSISTANCE BUT NOT MUCH. IT IS ABOUT $600 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM THAT IS NOT NORMAL MAINTENANCE OR WEAR-AND-TEAR. IT IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE E-MAIL ME ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM AFTER POSTING A COMMENT ABOUT IT ON A WEBSITE. *NM

I WENT OUT TO START MY CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START. HAD IT TOWED AND WAS INFORMED IT WAS THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM AGAIN. THE SAME THING HAPPENED BACK IN APRIL OF 2005 AND THE WHOLE SYSTEM HAD TO BE REPLACED WHICH WAS $300.00. THEY ARE HAVING TO REPLACING THE WHOLE SYSTEM AGAIN FOR $500.00. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ANTI-THEFT SECURITY SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. WHILE DRIVING THE ANTI-THEFT WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. IT HAD TO BE PULLED ONTO THE EMERGENCY SHOULDER AND TO SIT FOR TEN MINUTES. THEN, THE KEY WAS TURNED TO THE ACCESSORY POSITION FOR TEN MORE MINUTES. AFTER THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM RESET BY ITSELF THE VEHICLE RESTARTED. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE MANUFACTURER UNDER CASE FILE # 1-384-309-432. *AK UPDATED 01/25/06. *JB