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 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist intermittently failed without warning. In addition, the door locks for all four doors failed to engage when using the key fob remote. Also, when shifting the vehicle into park the doors failed to unlock. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 92,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated the front and rear driver and passenger's side door locks would fail intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated the automatic door lock actuator would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the doors on the vehicle would not lock with the key fob, but it did lock with the key. The contact stated that the check engine light also illuminated on the instrument panel and the air conditioner smelled like the coolant was burning; however, the vehicle did not overheat. The failure was not diagnosed by a dealer or mechanic. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 50,000.
Initially the left rear door lock malfunctioned - approximately 17 months after purchase, would not unlock; problem continued and then the door would not lock. Spoke with GM dealer - not covered, parts cost $165 plus, the next lock to malfunction was the front passenger door, would not unlock; problem continued and then the door would not lock. Contacted GM dealer - no recall notice out, no warranty coverage. Contacted GM customer care - no recall or warranty coverage.the latest door lock to malfunction is the right rear door, will not lock or unlock. Whet to GM dealer for diagnostic service - cost $ $58.80, informed, "need right front an both rear door lock actuators, $ $784.24 installed - have to order." Ironically, the entry alarm system still functions if it has been set although the door appears, and actually is, unlocked.
I am having the same issue as many on the Chevy.com website. The issue has to do with the door locks not locking. The power door locks attempt to pull the lock down but have lost the ability to consistently do so. It is tot he point where the only way to lock the door is to manually do so. This wouldn't be an issue if the car hasn't already trained you to be use to the doors automatically locking when the car is put in drive and lock with the key fob while walking away from the car with a click and a honk. There are some safety issues here as you aren't quite sure when you car is locked or not. The number of complaints of this same issue was disturbing when I logged onto the Chevy.com forum which discuss such issues. A recall seems inevitable and very much needed for safety reasons.
- Evansville, IN, USA
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The door lock actuators on all 4 doors do not operate, I have to use the key to unlock the drivers side door then climb over the seats to unlock the rear doors and reach across to unlock passenger door.
Doors stopped locking when the car is put into drive or reverse, and unlocking when in park. This is a safety issue as we carry a toddler/child in the back seat and they are not locked in, and could open the door. We are told this is very common in Malibu's and the dealer maintains an inventory of actuator's to repair all of the vehicles that are brought in.
Steering shakes violently, while driving or stopped, to the point of losing control. Condition is intermitent. Vehicle has been checked by dealer and diagnosed as needing a steering control module. So far Chevrolet has not offered a fix, except to replace it at a cost of 743.00$ with the same part that is defective? engine light came on at 70000 miles and dealer replaced cat conv at no charge. The third issue is door locks stopped working at 74000 miles, and will only open manually. The steering is a very dangerous condition and I fear will cause a accident.
Three of my car doors do not lock unless manually locked. The electronics have failed on all three doors. I have to replace the motor in each door, at the cost of over $750. The cost is not the only problem. The motors that failed in each door will be replaced by the same faulty part. I can't believe it costs $300 to fix one door's locks alone. The drivers lock had greater problems than the others because sometimes it locks me in the car because it shifts the lock a little and the door gets jammed. This should be recalled. I filed a complaint with GM.
Automatic door lock failed to open when transmission was put in park. The only way to open the door was to pull up on lock knob which was almost impossible due to limited mobility (arthritis in shoulder). Needed to remove seat belt, slide over and sit on console to reach lock knob. Automatic locks still engage when car is put in drive but will not open when put back in park. I can not easily or quickly exit the car with this failure. GM says not a safety issue since automatic locks are only a convenience and older cars were not equipped with automatic locks. However, on older cars the door would unlock when the door handle was pulled. On the Malibu pulling up on the lock knob is the only way to exit the car. Cost to have dealer repair $300. An internet search reveals automatic door lock failures are very common.
Started the car to come out of a parking spot, heard humming/rattling noise. Steering wheel started to vibrate then would do rapid half-turns by itself, jerking left and right. Shut the car off and restarted. Seemed ok for first few minutes then started again. Got on the road, driving about 35-40 mpg on highway and it became uncontrollable. Could not keep it straight within the lane. Almost hit a car in the lane on my right! pulled up to an auto shop near by. They test drove and experienced the issue but explained that with these cars, the technology in them is too advanced and would have to be taken to a Chevy dealer. Mechanic explained that the matter is quite hazardous and it would be a huge risk driving it now. Single mom driving 45 minutes from home with 2 minor children. Had to get a tow truck to get back home, 45 minutes away. $$$!! had this vehicle for 11 months only. Prior to this issue, had door locks issues as I've ready on other threads and also currently experiencing issues with faulty tire pressure sensor as well. Nothing but problems with this car since I've had it. This is my first and very last Chevrolet!!
The door locks do not work. How is this not a safety problem? sometimes the door locks work sometimes they don't. I have a newborn that rides in the backseat. If the doorlocks don't work, the only way to unlock the back door is to either roll down the rear window or crawl into the back seat from the front. If I had to get my child out of the car in an emergency, I don't know how I would do that without working door locks. I have researched this problem online and it appears this is a common problem with this car.
The driver's side rear door lock no longer works when using the power lock button. It must be actuated manually- by manually lifting the knob up. The main problem is the knob is located to the rear of the door and is not accessible unless you are in the back seat- the knob cannot be raised from the front seat area of the vehicle in order to unlock the door to help occupants exit the vehicle, especially in case of emergency. The lock pull knob is located in a poor position.
Both back door locks stopped working. They will not unlock or lock without manually doing so. This makes it very hard to quickly get my toddler son out of the car without rolling the window down first to unlock it. Cruise control works on and off due to the break lights flashing off and on even when I'm not pushing the break pedal. This is very dangerous when I am driving on the free way and my break lights stay on. This also occurs more often when it has rained and the car is wet. I assume this is due to a leak of water getting into the electrical... my trunk leaks when it is shut. When it rains heavy I notice the bedding becomes very wet on one side. The radio is also effected along with the cruise control. Certain buttons stop working for periods of time. The screen will also go black and the radio will not work at all then suddenly come back on.
Turn signal arm does not stay in place when signaling to turn. Also the turn signal arm when it does stay in place it will not return to normal position/turn off signal by itself after making a turn. When turning the steering wheel it makes popping noises. Door locks on all doors stay either in the "lock" or "unlock" position at all times. One of the rear passenger door lock has been replaced at the dealership for $300 and the door lock still fails. The only way to unlock the passenger doors is to do it manually and climb over the seats. The driver door has to be unlocked with the key and manually locked when exiting the vehicle.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the power locks failed to lock and unlock. The failure occurred intermittently. The failure affected the rear doors and the front passenger door. The failure occurred when attempting to lock the doors using the inner door lock control on the driver's side instrument panel. The contact noticed that the failure occurred more often when there were higher temperatures. The vehicle was not taken to dealer for inspection or repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 24,500 and the current mileage was 25,600. Updated 09/05/12
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that none of the doors would lock or unlock. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that all four door actuators needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000. Updated 09/05/12 the consumer stated in order to unlock the doors the window had to be rolled down to be able to reach inside and manually unlock them. The consumer's three grandchildren were in the parked vehicle with the ignition off when the locks failed. The consumer purchased the vehicle with 56,000 miles. Updated 09/10/2012
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Columbus, OH, USA