2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

WHILE ON MY WAY TO WORK, SUDDENLY MY TRACTION LIGHT AND SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE REDUCED POWER NOTIFICATION CAME ON MOMENTS LATER, THE CAR SLOWED TO ABOUT 10-20 MPH(LIKE IT ALMOST DIED BUT STILL RUNNING) AND THE CAR WAS SHAKING. I COULD NOT ACCELERATE, I COASTED INTO A PARKING LOT AND IT WAS IDLING ROUGH. I SHUT IT OFF, WAITED A FEW MOMENTS AND STARTED IT LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED. I WAS SCARED AND JUST WANTED TO GET HOME AND BORROW ANOTHER CAR TO GET TO WORK. I WAS LESS THAN A MILE AWAY FROM HOME, AND MANAGED TO GET IT HOME. WHILE RETURNING HOME IT DID THE SAME THING BUT, IT ADDED A NEW CODE DISABLED ENGINE. I HAVE READ THESE FORUMS, AND I DON'T HAVE EXTRA MONEY TO WAIST ON REPLACING PARTS THAT DO NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH GM, I DON'T WANT TO BE GIVING THE RUN AROUND WITH BS REASON, I WANT TO FIX MY CAR. *TR

STARTED CAR AND SERVICE TRACTION ESC LIGHTS CAME ON. UPON DRIVING CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AS IT NORMALLY DOES, AND SEEMED TO LOOSE POWER. THE ENGINE VIBRATED AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT, MUCH MORE THAN NORMAL. THE NEXT DAY WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR RECALL NO. 13036, THE HTSA CAMPAIGN ID NO. FOR THIS RECALL IS 14V252. THE DEALER ONLY REPLACED WHAT WAS OUTLINED IN THE RECALL, WHICH WAS CLIP, RETAINER, STRAP, RETAINER. HOWEVER, THIS HAD NO EFFECT ON THE PROBLEM. THEY WOULD NOT FURTHER DIAGNOSE OR FIX THE PROBLEM.

THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD OF THE 2008 HAS A SEVERE CRACK WHICH ALLOWS EXHAUST FUMES INTO THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. I CANNOT KEEP THE FAN ON WHILE THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED, IDLING, OR IN SLOW TRAFFIC AS THE FUMES ARE SO STRONG THAT IT CAUSES HEADACHES AND NAUSEA. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TWO DIFFERENT CHEVROLET DEALERSHIPS TO PINPOINT THE SOURCE OF THE EXHAUST FUMES AND NOTHING COULD BE FOUND. AFTERWARDS, IT TOOK MY HUSBAND LESS THAN 10 MINUTES TO LOCATE AND PHOTOGRAPH THE EXHAUST LEAK ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. TWO OTHER CLOSE FRIENDS ALSO HAVE 2008 MALIBU'S AND BOTH OF THEIR CARS HAVE THE SAME DANGEROUS ISSUE OF EXHAUST FUMES LEAKING INTO THE CABIN. ONE HAS HAD THIS REPLACED AT CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP WITH OEM PARTS AT A COST OF $1500 WITH THE EXPLANATION OF THE HIGH COST FOR THE REPAIR BEING THAT THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD IS CONNECTED TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND THE WHOLE UNIT HAD TO BE REPLACED. ONE YEAR AFTER THIS EXPENSIVE REPAIR, HER EXHAUST MANIFOLD HAS CRACKED AGAIN. ANOTHER FRIEND GOT A QUOTE OF $1300 BUT CANNOT AFFORD THE REPAIR. I CANNOT AFFORD THIS REPAIR EITHER AND IT BAFFLES ME THAT CHEVROLET WILL ISSUE A SERVICE BULLETIN TO REPLACE MY CHROME WHEEL COVERS BUT WHEN I CALLED TO ASK ABOUT THE WELL KNOWN ISSUE OF CRACKED EXHAUST MANIFOLDS, TOLD ME THAT THEY HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THE ISSUE AND SIMPLY PASSED ME OFF TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP TO MAKE A REPAIR APPOINTMENT. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND ONE THAT IS COMMON AND WELL DOCUMENTED WITH A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH ON EXHAUST CRACKS ON CHEVROLET MALIBU'S AND COBALT'S IN THE 2007-2009 YEARS. GIVEN THE DANGEROUS NATURE, THE HIGH COST OF THE REPAIR THAT MANY CANNOT AFFORD, AND THE COMMON OCCURRENCE OF THE PROBLEM, CHEVROLET SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL FELT ABNORMAL AND AN UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE MAKING A U-TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE GEAR SHIFT FAILED TO SWITCH GEARS AND THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 14V252000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL , EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) AND 14V153000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SHIFT CABLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 14V224000 (POWER TRAIN) AND 14E044000 (STEERING). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,500.

MY ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND AFTER I REPAIRED THAT ISSUE, WAS TOLD THAT MY CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE MAINTENANCE GUY FOUND A LETTER STATING 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU WAS BEING RECALLED FOR FAULTY CATALYTIC CONVERTER. HOWEVER, WHEN I ENTERED MY VIN NUMBER ON GM'S RECALL SITE MY 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU WASN'T LISTED. THE LETTER IS EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ON THE CONVERTER FOR 10 YEARS OR UP TO 120,000. I WANTED TO KNOW IF THERE IS SOMEONE AT GM THAT I CAN CONTACT DIRECTLY REGARDING THIS SITUATION. PLEASE ADVISE BEST REGARDS *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHAKE AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

NOTICED GAS SMELL FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE. TOOK VEHICLE TO CHEVY DEALER AND THEY IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE SMELL OF GASOLINE. THEY FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING FUEL FROM THE FUEL MODULE HOSE. THEY STATED THAT THE ENTIRE FUEL MODULE HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $868.35 WHICH WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY OR MANUFACTURER RECALLS EVEN THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN RECENT ISSUES WITH THE FUEL MODULES ON MANY GM MODULES INCLUDING CHEVROLET IN AREAS THAT HAVE EXTREMELY HOT SUMMERS LIKE THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY IN CALIFORNIA WHERE I LIVE. THE MECHANICS STATED THAT WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT CATCH FIRE AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT SUCH A THING COULD NOT BE RELATED TO A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. THE CHEVY COBALT 2007-2009 MODELS AND EQUINOX 2007 MODEL HAD THE SIMILAR ISSUE. THANK YOU. *DT

WHILE DRIVING ON CITY ROADS OR 65-70 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES. AS OF NOW IT'S A "MILD" SHAKE (BUT IT SEEMS AS IF ITS GETTING "SHAKER" AS THE DAYS GO BY. IM NOT SURE IF THERE AN ALIGNMENT NEEDED. I HAD A NEW TIRE PUT ON (PASSENGER BACK TIRE) APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS AGO HAD TIRES ROTATED BACK IN JULY 2014? *TR

PASSENGER HEADLIGHT STARTED BLINKING TURNING OFF, HIT A BUMP THEN COMES BACK ON, WE CHANGED BULB AND LIGHT WORKED FOR TWO DAYS THEN WENT OUT CAME BACK ON FOR A MOMENT THEN WENT BACK OUT. THE BULBS ARE GOOD SO I SUSPECT A WIRING PROBLEM. THERE IS ABOUT 60,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A HAZARD I HAVE TO DRIVE WITH HIGH BEAMS ON. *TR