2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

STUCK ACCELERATOR: ON 4/22/08, TOOK FOOT OFF GAS PEDAL -- CAR DID NOT DECELERATE AND MAINTAINED 47 MILES PER HOUR FOR 0.86 MILES. MADE SURE CRUISE CONTROL WAS TURNED OFF. RPM'S STILL STUCK AT 1.5. PROCEEDED THROUGH A GREEN LIGHT AND CAR CONTINUED AT 1.5 RPM'S FOR THE NEXT 2 MILES. APPROACHING A 2ND INTERSECTION, I DECIDED TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO BE ABLE TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE, BUT THERE WASN'T A SHOULDER; SO APPLIED BRAKES TO TURN ON TO QUIETER SIDE ROAD. BARELY MADE TURN. HAD BRAKES DOWN HARD AND CAR STILL TRAVELED AT 20 MILES PER HOUR. HIT EMERGENCY BRAKE AND CAR SLOWED TO 5 MPH. I THEN PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. TOOK IT TO SPUR CHEVY FOR REPAIR. THEY FOUND THE PRIOR OWNER HAD WORK DONE PER RECALL CAMPAIGN # 04V528000. NOTHING CAME UP ON THEIR SCAN TEST, NO FAULT CODES. CRUISE CONTROL CHECKED OUT OK. THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS THE TOP OF THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDING CLEANING. THIS IS THE 4TH TIME THE THROTTLE HAS BEEN CLEANED IN THE 1 1/2 YEARS I'VE OWNED THIS VEHICLE. PRIOR 3 SERVICES PERFORMED BY THE SELLER (BARRY DODGE) ON 8/7/07, 6/5/07 AND 4/5/07 WERE REQUESTED AS THE ENGINE ROUTINELY IDLED AT 1500 RPMS. THE 4/22/08 INCIDENT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE BRAKES WEREN'T ABLE TO STOP THE CAR. THE ENGINE WAS ACTING SLUGGISH IN THE WEEKS PRIOR TO 4/22. THE OIL CHANGE WASN'T DUE FOR ANOTHER 1000 MILES (BARRY DODGE OR VALVOLINE). I DON'T USE SYNTHETIC OIL. I ALWAYS ADD FUEL INJECTOR CLEANER AFTER AN OIL CHANGE. I PREFER SUNOCO GAS AND USE THEIR LEAST EXPENSIVE GRADE. *TR

LUCKILY I WAS NOT ON THE HIGHWAY ON MY WAY TO WORK WHEN THIS OCCURRED OR A CRASH WOULD HAVE BEEN UNAVOIDABLE. ENGINE SHUTS OFF WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND THEN DOES NOT RESTART FOR 10 TO 15 MINUTES. DASHBOARD LIGHTS DO NOT COME ON DURING THIS TIME. YOU CAN TELL WHEN IT WILL RESTART AS THE LIGHTS FINALLY COME BACK ON. GM DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM BUT IS UNABLE TO FIX - THEY KEEP REPLACING PARTS AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. (CARCOMPLAINT.COM HAS SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF THIS EXACT NATURE LISTED ONLINE.) *TR

I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT I NEED A NEW INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. I WAS TOLD THAT GM WENT TO A CHEAP CAM SHAFT AND INTAKE GASKET ON MOST OF THE 3.1 TO 3.8 LITRE V6 ENGINES ABOUT 7 YEARS AGO AND THAT OVER 90% OF THESE ENGINES HAVE A LEAKING INTAKE GASKET WHICH CAUSES THE CHEAP CAM SHAFT TO RUST AND THEN BREAK DESTROYING THE ENGINE. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS HAPPENS BETWEEN 50,000 AND 90,000 MILES ON THESE ENGINES, THAT THERE ARE NO REPLACEMENT ENGINES AVAILABLE IN THE SALVAGE YARDS AND THAT GM CONTINUES TO PRODUCE THIS DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. NOW IM LOOKING AT APPROX. $600.00 TO REPLACE JUST THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. I DON'T THINK THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO FOOT THIS BILL TO REPLACE A PROBLEM THAT GM HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME AND REFUSES TO CORRECT. *TR

THE CAR HAS DIED AT NIGHT IN NOT A VERY GOOD SIDE OF TOWN AND WOULD NOT START ON 10/07. HAD IT TOWED AND THEY FOUND THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET DAMAGED $1,000.00. FEB 08 CAR WOULD NOT START AFTER WORK. 10 MILES AWAY FROM HOME. HAD THE CAR TOWED BACK TO FIRESTONE THINKING IT WAS THE SAME THING INSTEAD THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM HAD CAUSED THE CAR NOT TO START. 4/08 CAR AGAIN WOULD NOT START AFTER WORK. PLEASE FORCE GM TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR VEHICLES MALFUNCTIONS BEFORE SOME ONE GETS HURT BECAUSE OF THE ANTI THEFT SYSTEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU. INTERMITTENTLY, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START BECAUSE THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM KEPT LOCKING THE VEHICLE. IT TAKES 10-15 ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS OCCURS. THE FAILURE HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE OVER TIME. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 49,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. UPDATED 05/05/08. *LJ THE DEALER WOULD NOT DISCONNECT THE THEFT SYSTEM. UPDATED 05/05/08. *JB

ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM: CAUSES THE CAR NOT TO START ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. TAKES SEVERAL MINUTES FOR SYSTEM TO RESET. *TR

PASS LOCK SYSTEM FAILURE ON A 2003 CHEVY MALIBU. OR THE THEFT SYSTEM WILL ACTIVATE AND NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO BE STARTED. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU THE PASSLOCK ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM MESSES UP IT EITHER WONT ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO START OR IT STOPS THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY OR ROAD AND WONT START THIS IS PROBLEMATIC FOR CHEVY OWNERS AND COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IF ON A BUSY HIGHWAY COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE CONTACTED GM ABOUT THIS PROBLEM THEY REFUSE TO RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR

A FEW MONTHS AGO MY 2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU TURN SIGNALS STOPPED WORKING FOR NO REASON. SOME DAYS THEY WORK AND SOME THEY DON'T. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS IF YOU HAVE TO MAKE A TURN AND ANOTHER VEHICLE IS BEHIND YOU. ALSO THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE MAKES A CREAKING RUBBING NOISE AND A CLUNKING NOISE. IT'S VERY IRRITATING. *TR

PASSLOCK SYSTEM ACTIVATES UNPREDICTABLY ON A 2003 CHEVY MALIBU. THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO WAIT 10 MINUTES FOR IT TO RESET AND THEN THE CAR WILL START. THIS CAUSED MY SON TO BE LATE IN GETTING TO HIS JOB THAT DAY. CAR WAS BROUGHT TO A MECHANIC ABOUT A YEAR AGO FOR THIS VERY PROBLEM, AND IT WAS TEMPORARILY FIXED BY REPROGRAMMING AND REPLACING THE PASSLOCK SENSOR. THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED UNTIL NOW. IT IS A RECURRING ISSUE, AND IS UNPREDICTABLE IN ITS OCCURRENCE. IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN IN THE WRONG PLACE, LIKE A DARKENED PARKING GARAGE, SOMEONE COULD BE MUGGED OR ATTACKED, OR IT HAPPENED IN THE WINTER, THEY COULD FREEZE OR SUFFER HYPOTHERMIA WAITING 10 MINUTES FOR THE CAR TO START. *TR