2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

PROBLEMS WITH MY 2008 CHEVY MALIBU. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE THE STEERING WHEEL SHUTTERS AND NOISE COMES FROM STEERING COLUMN. THE "POWER STEERING" DISPLAY MESSAGE COMES UP. THE OWNERS MANUAL REFERS TO SEEING THE DEALERSHIP FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT THEY CAN SEEM TO FIX IT FOR ME. IT CAN BE CLEARED, BUT IS VERY ANNOYING TO HAPPEN TO YOUR CAR EVERYDAY. THIS ISSUE STARTED ROUGHLY 3 MONTHS AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN MARCH OF 2011. THERE'S NO SPEED RANGE THAT THE ISSUE OCCURS IN. IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY AT ANY SPEED. WHILE DRIVING STEERING WHEEL SHUTTERS RANDOMLY, AND STEERING BECOMES DANGEROUS. SEEMS THAT YOU CAN ONLY TURN THE WHEEL IN EXACT 5 DEGREE INCREMENTS, WHICH HAS ALMOST CAUSE SEVERAL COLLISIONS WITH OTHER VEHICLES. IT SEEMS THIS PROBLEM IS EVIDENT IN OTHER MALIBU MODELS EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRIC POWER STEERING, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN A RECALL OR SERVICE PUBLICATIONS TO REMEDY THE ISSUE. GM KNOWS ABOUT THIS, BUT IS DELIQUENT IN TAKING ANY ACTION TO FIX PERMANENTLY. PLEASE HELP! *TR

DRIVER DOOR DOES NOT UNLOCK WITH REMOTE ALL THE TIME OR LOCK WITH REMOTE ALL THE TIME. ALSO THE COMPUTER THAT GIVES YOU OIL LIFE ,AVERAGE SPEED,AND OTHER READINGS IS GIVING THE WRONG READINGS. I TOOK THIS CAR TO A DEALER WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY SAID IT COULD NOT BE VERIFIED.THE DOOR LOCK IS AN INTERMITTANT PROBLEM. *TR

VEHICLE BRAKE LIGHTS ON THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WILL TURN ON WITH OUT ANY APPLICATION OF THE BRAKE PEDAL. VEHICLE ALSO HAS ADJUSTABLE PEDALS, YOU CAN MOVE PEDALS FORWARD OR BACK AND GET LIGHT TO GO OUT. GENERAL MOTORS HAS REPLACE BRAKE SWITCH ONCE. LITTLE OVER A YEAR LATER VEHICLE IS DOING EXACT THING AGAIN. THERE IS A BRAKE POSITION SENSOR IN THIS SYSTEM AND IT APPEARS TO BE LOSING ITS CALIBRATION WHEN PEDALS ARE MOVED CAUSING THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO COME ON. THIS CAUSES AN UNSAFE CONDITION FOR ANYBODY FOLLOWING THE VEHICLE OR RIDING IN IT. *TR

THE STEERING WHEEL TURNS ON ITS OWN CAUSING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THERE HAS BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ON THIS WITH THE 2008 MALIBUS AND OTHERS WITH THE ELECTRIC STEERING MOTORS. I KNOW A FEW OTHER VEHICLES WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM HAVE BEEN RECALLED AND IT IS TIME FOR GM TO RECALL THE MALIBU BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED. YOU TUBE HAS A FINE EXAMPLE OF THIS PROBLEM IF ANYONE CARES TO WATCH. THE VEHICLE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE MOVING FOR THE WHEEL TO MOVE ERRATICALLY BACK AND FORTH. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ASAP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARD AFTER BEING PARKED AND SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START UNTIL AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE SHIFTER CABLE WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,735.

THE FRONT OF THE CAR SHAKES WHEN DRIVEN OVER 45 MPH. WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT BLINKS AND AN ALERT SOUND BRIEFLY CHIMES. THE CAR IS NOT EASY TO STEER. THE SERVICE POWER STEERING ALERT APPEARS RANDOMLY AND GOES AWAY WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED. I HAVE HAD THE CAR REALIGNED MULTIPLE TIMES BECAUSE THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE ALWAYS WEARS QUICKLY. THERE IS AN UNDIAGNOSED OIL LEAK CAUSING THE CAR TO SMOKE FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. *TR

GAS GAUGE FLUCTUATES FROM EMPTY TO FULL MOSTLY REMAINS IN THE EMPTY POSITION EXCEPT AFTER A TURN OR A START/STOP. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. I HAVE ANOTHER 2008 CHEVY MALIBU (THAT MY SON DRIVES), VIN # [XXX] WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THE MILEAGE AT FAILURE FOR THAT VEHICLE WAS ABOUT 40000 MILES. I WAS TOLD BY CHEVY CUSTOMER SERVICE REP THAT THESE VIN #S ARE NOT ON THE LIST ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA # 10030685. I CONTEND THAT THERE IS A MATERIAL AND/OR DESIGN DEFECT WITH THE FUEL SENSOR ON THESE VEHICLES AND THAT A RECALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN INITIATED BY GENERAL MOTORS. FURTHERMORE, THIS FAILURE CAN REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT HAZARD TO DRIVER AND PASSENGERS OF AFFECTED VEHICLES. I BELIEVE OWNING TWO OF THE SAME MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR VEHICLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM REPRESENTS A MORE THAN RANDOM OCCURRENCE. I THEREFORE REQUEST THE NHTSA TO CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS EQUIPMENT FAILURE AND POSSIBLE SAFETY HAZARD. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

IN THIS 4 DOOR VEHICLE, THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS APPEAR TO HAVE A DEFECT THAT HAS AFFECTED NUMEROUS VEHICLES OF THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL. THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS EITHER COMPLETELY FAIL OR BECOME INTERMITTENT. THERE ARE TWO PRIMARY SAFETY CONCERNS WITH THESE ACTUATORS FAILING. THE FIRST BEING THAT NOT ALL THE LOCKS AUTOMATICALLY LOCK WHEN VEHICLE IS PLACED INTO DRIVE, GIVING WOMEN OR MEN A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY AGAINST CAR JACKING BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO INDICATION THAT ALL THE LOCKS ARE WORKING OR NOT ON ALL FOUR DOORS. SECONDLY, IMPAIRED PERSONNEL OR PREGNANT WOMAN MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REACH (MANUALLY) FROM THE INSIDE TO THE REAR LOCKS TO UNLOCK THE DOOR DUE TO THE POSITIONING OF THE LATCH TO THE FAR MOST AFT POSITION OF THE VEHICLE. NOR IS THERE A KEY SLOT TO UNLOCK THE REAR OR PASSENGER DOORS FROM THE OUTSIDE. THEREFORE, SOMEONE WITH A DISABILITY OR PREGNANCY MAY BECOME INJURED WHILE TRYING TO MANEUVER IN A POSITION TO UNLOCK THE REAR DOORS VIA THE INSIDE LOCK LATCH. A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH OF THE ISSUE REVEALED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT THAT MANY CONSUMERS ARE EXPERIENCING. IN FACT, CHEVROLET RE-ENGINEERED THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR FOR NEWER MODELS AND FOR REPLACEMENT PARTS OF OLDER MODELS, HENCE CONFIRMING THE DEFECT. HOWEVER, NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED TO PROTECT CONSUMERS AGAINST A KNOWN ISSUE. THE SAFETY OF VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AND OWNERS ARE COMPROMISED BY THIS FLAW. CASE IN POINT, OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR IN AL, THREE MEN ROBBED A MAN AND LEFT THE AREA IN HIS CHEVY MALIBU. ASKING A CONSUMER WITH A DISABILITY OR WHO IS PREGNANT, WHO BUYS THIS VEHICLE WITH AUTOMATIC LOCKS, TO CRAWL OVER THEIR SEATS TO SECURE/UNSECURE THEIR VEHICLE IS WRONG. PLEASE HELP. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE AIR BAGS UNEXPECTEDLY DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER DENIED ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 70,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR COULD NOT BE LOCKED WITH THE KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEM OR MANUALLY. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE DOOR ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,741 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 70,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 04/25/12 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR, WAS ALSO BEGINNING TO DISPLAY THE SAME PROBLEM. UPDATED 04/30/12