2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

THE TURN INDICATOR SWITCH DOES NOT HOLD THE SIGNAL WHEN TURNING LEFT, DOES WHEN TURNING RIGHT BUT DOES NOT SWITCH OFF. THIS BEGAN AFTER GETTING THE STEERING RECALL FIXED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000. UPDATED 7/10/15*CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHEN THERE WAS NO ONE SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. UPDATED 08/06/15*JB

I WAS ATTEMPTED TO PUT MY 6 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER IN THE CAR. I TRIED TO UNLOCK THE DOORS WITH MY KEYLESS ENTRY AND ALL BUT THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR WOULD UNLOCK. EVEN WHEN USING THE UNLOCK BUTTON ON ONE OF THE FRONT CAR DOES WOULD NOT OPEN. I HAD TO CLIMB OVER THE SEAT TO UNLOCK THE DOOR TO GET MY DAUGHTER IN THE CAR. OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT YEAR THIS WOULD RANDOMLY HAPPEN TO THAT SPECIFIC DOOR. ON THURSDAY MAY 7TH, 2015, THIS SAME ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN, BUT NOW BOTH CAR LOCKS IN THE REAR WERE NOT OPENING WITH THE REMOTE ENTRY OR THE UNLOCK BUTTON ON THE FRONT DOORS. THIS TO ME IS A SAFETY CONCERN. ESPECIALLY WITH A YOUNG CHILD THAT IS IN THE BACK SEAT. I SEARCHED THE PROBLEM AND THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ON ONLINE FORUMS ABOUT THIS HAPPENING TO THEIR BRAND NEW CARS AND USED CARS OVER THE YEARS. I BOUGHT MY CAR USED SO I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS WAS AN ISSUE WITH IT IN THE PAST.

LOSS OF POWER STEERING--NO ACCIDENT INVOLVED--- RECALL #14V153000..GM CASE #[XXX]. GM SAYS THAT MY VEHICLE WAS NOT MADE AT THE CERTAIN TIME AT THE CERTAIN PLANT THEREFORE IT IS NOT COVERED AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO FIX IT MYSELF. IT IS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS THE RECALLED VEHICLES AND THE FIX IS EXACTLY THE SAME. THERE ARE 100'S OF POSTS AN SOCIAL MEDIA OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT. IT COST ME $785.87 TO HAVE THIS FIXED. GM SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED ALL THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I WAS GOING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND I TRIED TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND IT WOULD NOT TURN USING ONE HAND, SO I USED 2 HANDS AND TURNED AS HARD AS I COULD. THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING AND WAS WAY HARDER TO TURN THAN ANY OTHER VEHICLE I HAVE DRIVEN WITHOUT POWER STEERING. THIS INCLUDES LARGE TRACTORS, PICKUPS, TRUCKS AND CARS THAT HAD NO POWER STEERING AND WERE FAR EASIER TO TURN THAN MY 2008 CHEVY MALIBU LTZ. AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN, THE POWER STEERING RETURNED. IT IS HAPPENING ALMOST EVERY TIME I DRIVE MY CAR NOW AND SOMETIMES HAPPENS WITH TURNING RIGHT AND MORE FREQUENTLY TURNING LEFT. I TOOK IT IN TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT AND WAS TOLD I NEED A NEW POWER STEERING PUMP AT $440 INSTALLED AND QUITE POSSIBLY RACK & PINION AT $660 INSTALLED. THE SHOP ADDED AN ADDITIVE TO THE POWER STEERING FLUID AND IT IS MAKING IT BETTER, ALTHOUGH IT IS ONLY A BANDAID AND DOES NOT FIX THE ACTUAL PROBLEM. GM CURRENTLY HAS A RECALL FOR THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM ON CERTAIN VIN NUMBERS ONLY. THE RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED USING 3 BULLETINS. MY CAR IS NOT COVERED BY THESE BULLETINS, ALTHOUGH, THE BULLETINS MAKE IT APPEAR AS THOUGH IT IS COVERED. I HAVE READ SEVERAL OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON-LINE. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS DEFECT, AS I HAVE ALREADY HAD SOME "NEAR MISSES" DUE TO THIS DEFECT. *TR

THE POWER DOOR LOCKS (THEIR ASSEMBLIES) ON ALL DOORS HAVE GONE BAD. THIS PREVENTS THE UNLOCKING OF ANY DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE AND BACK DOORS FROM INSIDE VERY DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FRONT SEAT WHICH CAN TRAP INFANTS OR OTHERS INSIDE. FOR ALL DOORS TO GO BAD AT SUCH A LOW MILEAGE AND NEWER CAR IS NOT NORMAL. DOORS INITIALLY STARTED GOING BAD 3 YEARS AGO. OTHER OWNERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AND DEALERS APPEAR TO ALSO KNOW THIS ISSUE IS COMMON AS THEY CHECK FOR IT WITHOUT REQUEST. GM SHOULD REIMBURSE OWNERS FOR PREVIOUS REPAIRS AND FIX ANY OTHER NON- FUNCTIONING DOOR LOCKS AS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL DOORS DO NOT HAVE KEYED LOCKS AND ALL DOORS TRY TO AUTOMATICALLY LOCK WHEN VEHICLE IS PLACED IN GEAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DOOR LOCKS ON THE VEHICLE FAILED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SECURITY SYSTEM FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

THIS PART HAS BEEN RECALLED IN BULLETIN #14118 (KNOWN BY NHTSA AS 14V153) FOR MOST 2008 MALIBUS. UNFORTUNATELY, FOR WHATEVER REASON, NHTSA SAW FIT TO NOT INCLUDE ALL MALIBUS WITH THIS PART NUMBER. THIS PART FAILED ON MY CAR AND GM HAS CHARGED ME $480 FOR THE MODULE AND $275 FOR LABOR BECAUSE MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL OF OTHER 2008 MALIBUS WITH THIS EXACT SAME KNOWN FAULTY PART. WHY? AS AN ASIDE, WHY DOES THE RECALL NOTICE NOT INCLUDE THE APPLICABLE VIN NUMBERS? WHY MUST A SECOND STEP OF FINDING THIS WEBSITE BE NECESSARY TO FIND OUT IF A PERSON'S VEHICLE IS INCLUDED, OR EXCLUDED, FROM A RECALL? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE DOOR LOCKS WOULD LOCK AND UNLOCK INDEPENDENTLY. AT TIMES, THE LOCKS WOULD NOT WORK AT ALL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SECURITY LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND NOT ALL THE LOCKS FAILED AT THE SAME TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

MY 08 MALIBU LTZ IS HAVING TROUBLE SHIFTING GEARS. I HAVE TO LET OFF ACCELERATOR FOR IT TO SHIFT GEARS. *TR