This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 1999 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 1999 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact stated that the failure occurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic, who stated that the ignition switch was defective. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The failure mileage was 30,000.
I purchased a 1999 Chevy Malibu in November 2003. I have replaced the brake pads at least 10 times ($20 each time), the rotors have been replaced 3 times ($70 each time). The brakes give you no warning they just quit suddenly which has almost caused several accidents. The ABS light always comes on and when this happens you can guarantee the ignition switch is about to lock up on you. The rear windows quit working, I hear a weird popping noise coming from the rear of the vehicle while driving down the highway. The anti theft system has came on 6 or 7 times and will not allow me to crank the car(once it happened while my child was having an asthma attack and I was attempting to take him to the er). If you hit a bump in the road sometimes it sounds like a small explosion in the front end and causes the steering wheel to jerk uncontrollably for several miles. I have taken this vehicle to several mechanics who absolutely refuse to work on it because of the general fact that it is a 1999 Malibu, now my ignition has completely quit, actually it hung in the start position and was making my starter grind and almost catch fire, this has happened several about 15 times, but usually after jiggling the key a few times it comes undone, but not this time. My dad had to take my battery off in order to make the engine die. So now my employer got so fed up with me being late or calling in because of my car problems that I was terminated. I am a single mom with 2 children, both have chronic asthma and have to be rushed to the er with severe asthma attacks all the time, and now I have no way to take them should the need arise. The parts are going to cost me $200 and the cost of labor and now I have no job. If you call Chevrolet all they tell you is to take it to a dealer and let the mechanic look at it for a fee, and then they want to charge you more than I make in 2 months, and they never even ask you any personal info so there are no documented claims on your calls.
On several occasions my car has failed to start for no apparent reason. The alternator and ignition system have all been checked out with no problems and I had my battery replace because I thought that was the cause of the problem. The very next day after having my battery replaced, it happend again. Each of these times, I attempted to start my car and it would sound like it was trying to start but fail to turn over. Each of these times, my theft system light was blinking. If I wait several minutes, eventually the car will start. This has happened in cold and warm weather and has stranded me and my 2 young children many times. Also, now my the fuel gauge in my car has begun to fall to empty even when it is full with gas. My gauge suddenly went from 1/4 of a tank to empty a few minutes into my trip. I stopped to fill up my gas tank and was only able to put 7 gallons of gas in it when I know my gas tank hold 13 gallons of gas. This is a new problem just starting yesterday (3/16/05) but has happened every time I start my car since then.
- Sidney, IL, USA
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Two repairs in one week, alternator had to be replaced, dash lights started coming on & guages going crazy! car wouldn't start after being parked for 1 hr, then when jump started it, died again in few minutes, replaced alternator, battery, then next day ignition failed, key wouldn't turn in ignition, had to be towed to my mechanic (this was the third (3rd) time the ignition switch locked up like this and the key wouldn't turn & the car would not start & entire ignition assembly had to be replaced, 2X earlier it was under warranty...this time it cost me over $400 (the part alone cost $289.) I am so frustrated w/ this problem, as dealership repaired it the first 2 times & they didn't seem to understand it. This is the second battery I've had to purchase since I bought the car brand new in January 2000.
Please refer also to ODI id 703986. Was driving along a 2-lane road and bumped the keys. The car stopped running immediately. All lights on the dash came on, and all the gauges turned off. I had to make an emergency stop on the shoulder. I turned the ignition off and then back on, and the car restarted. The dealer does not know what the problem is yet. I am able to replicate the problem by tapping on the ignition switch when the car is running.
Was driving vehicle on freeway, hit a small bump in the road. The car stopped running instantly. All dash lights came on, all gauges went flat (spedometer, tach, fuel, temp), loss of power steering, power brakes. I had to make an emergency stop on the side of the road. I turned the ignition all the way off, then tried to restart the car. It restarted. Dealer could not find the problem.
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- Gardendale, AL, USA