2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

ANTI THEFT SYSTEM THAT IS INSTALLED IN MY CAR KEEPS GOING OUT. WHEN IT DOES GO OUT MY CAR WILL NOT TART AND I HAVE TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER SHIP TO HAVE IT EITHER REPLACED OR REPROGRAMMED. I JUST HAD IT IN THE SHOP ON 2-27-04 AND THEY SO CALLED REPROGRAMMED IT AND NOW ON 3-1-04 I WENT TO THE STORE AT 7 PM COME BACK OUT TO GO HPME AND MY CAR WILL NOT CRANK. IT HAS TO GO BACK TO THE DEALER SHIP TO BE SERVOCED AGAIN. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME. IN THIS CAR. NO ONE CAN SEEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM WITH OUT IT HAPPENING AGAIN.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING VEHICLE LOST POWER. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN TO THE DEALER, AND DEALER DETERMINED THAT IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

THE TURNING SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS QUIT WORKING WITHOUT WARNING. I HAVE CONTACTED GM ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTION ON THE CONSUMER AFFAIRS WEBSITE. GM HAS INFORMED ME MY VEICHLE IS NOT INVOLVED IN THE RECALL. *AK

ANTI-FREEZE LEAKS FROM ENGINE. AREA OF LEAK SEAMS TO BE AROUND THE MANIFOLD OR HEADS. THIS CAUSES FUMES TO INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND MAKES THE OCCUPATES DIZZY OR WITH HEADACHES.

ENGINE HAS EXPERIENCED "VALVE-SLAP" SINCE APPROX 5000 MILES. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THIS IS INHERENT IN THE DESIGN OF THIS PARTICULAR ENGINE TO MAKE IT ECONOMICAL. CHEVROLET OFFERED 100,000 MILE EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE ENGINE. THE (CHECK ENGINE) LIGHT ACTIVATED SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. CODE INDICATED "SMALL EMISSIONS LEAK". MADE SURE GAS CAP WAS ON TIGHT, THEN CLEARED CODE WITH READER - ISSUE RESOLVED. APPROX A MONTH AGO, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON AGAIN. CODE WAS P1404 (TEMPORARY CODE). TRIED TO CLEAR OUT CODE WITH READER, CAME BACK. DEALER ADVISED THAT THIS WAS CAUSED BY FAULTY EGR VALVE SO REPLACED THE EGR VALVE WITH GENUINE CHEVEY PART, CLEARED CODE WITH READER - APPROX 20 MILES LATER (CHECK ENGINE) LIGHT BACK ON. I SUSPECT THAT ISSUE IS RELATED TO THE VALVE-SLAP PROBLEM AND RELATED WEAR ON PISTONS. *AK

THE CAR HAS EXPERIENCED VIBRATIONS WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE FRONT ROTORS WERE TURNED AND PADS REPLACED BUT THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE ISSUE. *AK

I HAVE 43,000 MILES ON MY 2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU AND HAVE BEEN TOLD MY HEAD GASKETS ARE LEAKING. ANTI FREEZE IS LEAKING EXTERNAL TO THE ENGINE. I HAVE HAD THE CAR MAINTAINED AND SEE NO REASON A HEAD GASKET SHOULD FAIL WITH ONLY 43,000 MILES, THE MECHANIC SAID THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE. IF THE LOCAL MECHNIC'S KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM WHY HASN'T CHEVROLET BEEN MADE TO TAKE CARE OF THIS DEFECT AT THERE COST INSTEAD OF THE CONSUMER FOR A KNOW DEFECT.

TURN SIGNALS MALFUNCTIONED. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR ANALYSIS, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO WORN OUT PARTS.

** I DON'T HAVE ALL THE ABOVE INFO AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. BOUGHT 11/01- HIT POTHOLE 12/01, REPLACED TWO PASSENGER WHEELS(BENT) AND COMPLAINED OF "THUMPING" NOISE. DEALER 2X CLAIMED NOT TO HEAR NOISE. CAR WOULD NOT START ON NUMEROUS OCCASSIONS STARTING 5/02. PAID 111.00 FOR RENTAL WHILE DEALER INSPECTED. DEALER FOUND NOTHING. NEXT WEEK, FAILED TO START AGAIN, 800# TECH ADVICE TOLD ME ABOUT "ANTI-THEFT" WAS ACTING UP AND GAVE ME PROCEDURES TO START CAR. "ANTI-THEFT" SYSTEM HAS SINCE QUIT WORKING. AUTO IN "VERY MINOR" FENDER BENDER" IN 10/02, THAT WEEK DRIVER DOOR HINGE STARTED "CRACKLING", HANGING UP. INSURANCE COMPANY BODY SHOP SAID "NO RELATION" TO MINOR ACCIDENT. HINGE HAS COMPLETELY BROKEN AND NOT WORKING AT ALL SINCE THEN. 7/03 DRIVER POWER WINDOW "FELL DOWN" UPON ATTEMPT TO OPEN AS NORMAL WITH POWER BUTTON. OTHER PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN/ARE: REAR PASSENGER SPEAKER DOESN'T WORK, INTERIOR LIGHT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK, "" BLINKERS/EMER. FLASHERS"" HAVE QUIT WORKING PROPERLY ABOUT 4 TO 6 MONTHS AGO. (THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS SINCE I LIVE 'UP' A BLIND DRIVEWAY ON A HIGH SPEED ROAD)?!! 1ST WEEK I HAD THE CAR I NOTICED MOTOR RATTLED PRETTY LOUDLY UPON START UP. QUESTIONED DEALER AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS "LIFTER BLEED DOWN" AND DEALER WAS WAITING ON GM FOR REMEDY, IF AVAILABLE. I BOUGHT THIS CAR AS USED WITH NEW WARRANTY IN PLACE, ABOUT 23,300 MILES ON 36/36000 NEW CAR WARRANTY AS WELL AS BOUGHT A 1500.00 EXTENDED 5YR/100000 WARR. ANY SUGGESTIONS, VERY TICKED OFF AND DON'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN.

THE FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS ON THIS VEHICLE FLEX WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THIS HAS RESULTED IN UNEVEN AND PREMATURE WEAR OF THE BRAKE PADS. THE PADS WERE REPLACED TWICE, ONCE AT 17,000 MILES AND ONCE AT 30,000. THE ROTORS WERE REMACHINED AT 17,000 MILES, REPLACED AT 30,000 MILES AND RESURFACED AT 33,000. THE FLEXING OF THE CALIPER CAUSES MISALIGNMET OF THE GUIDE PINS, CAUSING THE CALIPER TO HANG UP. AS A RESULT ONLY THE INNER BRAKE PAD IS STOPPING THE CAR. THERE IS VIRTUALLY NO WEAR ON THE OUTER PAD. THE INNER PADS SHOW SIGNS OF OVERHEATING, WHICH CAN CAUSE THE ROTORS TO WARP (PULSATING), AND BRAKE FADE IN A PANIC STOP. THE CONSTANT FLEXING COULD ALSO COMPRIMISE THE INTGERITY OF THE ALUMINUM CALIPERS OVER TIME. GM CLAIMS THIS IS NORMAL. I HAVE CHECKED THE NHTSB WEB SITE AND FOUND 28% OF THE COMPLAINTS FILED FOR THIS VEHICLE WERE BRAKE RELATED AND ALMOST ALL COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO THIS CONDITION.