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.
2003 Chevy Malibu: The theft light comes on and the car will not start for a period of time. This happens just about every day, and we have to wait for the car to start. The car also dies on us while we are driving, putting us in a very serious and dangerous situation. Without warning it just shuts off.
Passlock system is defective due to nickel plating on starter tumbler causing oxidation. Dealers are able to make a killing on this defective connector because they have to troubleshoot a full fuel pump system and wiring harness before they will replace the passlock system. Occurs once every few months intermittently and becomes more serious as the oxidation worsens. Potentially dangerous situations occur when vehicle would stall in an unsafe location (ie: Railroad tracks or highway) and vehicle will not restart. Coupled with the recall these vehicles had with the accelerator sticking (which mine did on a highway) this could be a very dangerous problem. I have researched the problem online (all you have to do is google "passlock problem" and you will get thousands of results and consumer fixes complaining about how GM ignores every service request for a solution that doesn't gouge customers. There is practically an underground club designed to handle this problem.) according to the shop foreman at colonial Chevrolet in Norfolk, va, after his 14 years of experience with service this is a problem he is intimately acquainted with and recommends replacing the key tumbler (passlock chip integrated inside) and the connector that leads to the body control module.
The anti-theft light has been coming on and off for the last four years - and when it flashes I need to reset by turning ignition to on and wait ten min. - now the light stays on all the time and I'm concerned that at some point the car will not start and I will be stranded.
I have a 2003 Malibu the anti theft comes on alot to fix this U have to have the key in the on for about 10 min, then turn the key in the off and turn the car on, and it starts, but that trick is taking longer and longer each time one day it will leave me there, I think Chevy should recall this and fix it... there is no way of knowing when and why this happens. Chevy says they need more people to campaign about this before they will do anything so here it is...
- Powers Lake, ND, USA
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Car would not start, theft lamp flashing, went online and found issues with GM theft deterrent system[pass key] many others are having same issues, also some claim the car quits on them and they have to wait 10 min. To restart car. Even in my owners manual it states that this system may fail. And it gives a procedure to follow. Car may or may not start//recommend fix is a new ignition switch/passlock sensor at a cost of $500 to $800 dollars to the consumer I feel that GM should replace these on an as needed basis under warranty for any one who encounters this quitting//no start condition may cause accident if car just shuts down while driving"??"
I own a 2003 Chevy Malibu. In the last 6 months, the theft system light pops on and doesn't allow me to drive my car. I found out if I turn the key in the on position for 10 minutes, the light will stop flashing and will allow me to start my car. This has happened 4 times now where my car will not start and I have to do the 10 minute wait for it to restart. My car is the only means of transportation for me and my husband who is severely disabled. I have read online that this is a problem that has occurred to hundreds of Chevy Malibu owners. I need my car to function correctly. What if I have to take my husband to the emergency room or doctor and my car stops running? I believe Chevy knows about this problem as they listed the 10 minute remedy in their owners manual. I would like Chevy to fix this as it appears to be a ongoing problem with the Chevy Malibu.
Anti-theft light continuously comes on. Replaced ignition lock cylinder two months ago. Now the car does not start at all and the anti-theft light is still on! this is a serious safety issue. I cannot travel with my kids, especially during the winter cold B/C I never know if I have to wait 10 minutes for the theft system to reset. I called the dealership today and they told me they need to hook it up to a $5000 computer to de-code the anti-theft errors. The gentleman said it sounds like the passlock module. With the cost of towing, the computer scan and parts/labor, I'm looking at $800. He also said there is no guarantee it couldn't happen again days or months down the road!
During normal operation of my car, I will randomly have issues with the passlock theft system not allowing me to start my vehicle. I had the modules replaced at a GM dealership approximately 15 months ago. At that time, I simply parked my car for the night in my driveway. I came out the next morning to take my daughter to school and the car would not start. I had to have my car towed to the nearest Chevy dealership. They called GM and it was recommended that I replace the ignition module and a sensor to the tune of over $500. I was told this would fix the issue. Now, I find myself facing the same problem only 30,000 miles later. I stopped at a gas station and filled the vehicle up with gas. When I went to leave, the car would not start and the theft system light was on. Being a veteran to this issue, I immediately turned the car off the waited for 10-15 minutes. This will sometimes work to allow the car to restart again. However, this time it did not. This same issue occurred and the results were the same. If you simply do a search for Chevy Malibu passlock, you will easily find the thousands of people affected by this problem on a daily basis. It puts everyone at an inconvenience and even some lives at risk (as it can turn the car off while it is in motion).
Okay, this complaint is about Chevrolet Malibu. They are having a huge problem with their anti theft system. The car would run perfectly and then the next time you turn the key it wouldn't start. This has happened 3 times to us within a week. And if you google it, you'll see that there are thousands of people who are having the same problem! it's a real safety issue and has to be taken seriously and dealt with. Tonight my mom who owns the car was stuck on a dark parking lot at a temperature below 0 for over an hour. She's sick now, thanks to Chevy. Of course the technicians won't find anything but start replacing the ignition, reprogram the anti theft system, etc. But this all doesn't help. The problem is that there are single women out there in the dark not being able to start their car. There are elderly people who are unable to make their doctor's appointments. And there are people on the highways praying the car won't shut down in front of a truck this time. It is a huge safety issue and has to be dealt with. Please confront GM with this and let them fix it. We don't want to wait for an incident like a rape, robbery, or even death to start them thinking.
I have a 2003 Chevy Malibu. The passlock anti theft system has left me stranded many times. I have recently been stuck at night in a dark parking lot waiting the ten minutes for the system to reset. This is a personalsafety issue for anyone having to sit in an unsafe location waiting for the system to work. This problem occurs often (two or three times a week). This should be recalled and fixed on GM's dollar because it is a common problem and anyone who owns a GM car is spending money out of their own pocket to try and fix the problem when it is GM that is responsible for it.
For the second time in two years, as I started my car the theft system light came on and the car would not start. The dealer says that the ignition has to be replaced due to the pass key theft system not recognizing my key (the original key) and breaking the ignition. This has left me with a dead car alone as a woman at night. This is the second time this has happened and I have had to replace the ignition.
The theft system (passlock) engages on my car for no reason. The first time this happened, back in 2003, shortly after purchasing my car. I was at a bank, with my young daughter, getting money out of an atm. After returning to my car, the vehicle would not start. I had to pay money for a tow, and the mechanic charged me $800 to replace the fuel pump. Car did not need a fuel pump, it only needed the theft deterrent system turned off. I know this because the mechanic called to ask me how to do this. At the time, I had no idea. I now know that the $1000 I paid for tow and fuel pump were a total waste of money. Since 2003, this theft system engages for no reason, 2-3 times per week. It is insane. In order to dis-engage it, I have to wait 10 minutes sitting in my car; sometimes with my young children. I have read thousands of complaints for this problem, dating back to cars made in 1996. I cannot believe GM has not been forced to issue a recall for this worthless theft system. I wonder what genius felt it necessary to force someone to sit in their car for 10 minutes, key in the ignition, to reset the theft deterrent system. I'd rather my car be stolen! while I am sitting in my car, waiting for it to start, me and my family could be kidnapped, robbed, killed. This is insane. If it cannot be made to where it does not malfunction, they should just not put in on vehicles. Or, they should only make you wait a mere 1-2 minutes with the key in the ignition. 10 minutes is an insane amount of time to have to wait for this to reset.
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that there was an electrical issue with her vehicle. The turn signals would operate without initialization and the power door locks were also inoperable. The check engine warning light continued to illuminate on the instrument panel; however, there were no other failures. The independent mechanic advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer could not assist with the repairs because there were no recalls available. The current and failure mileages were less than 87,000.
I had a problem with my turn signals. They would work when they wanted to. I took my car to a Chevy dealer to find out what it was and how much it was going to cost to fix the problem. The service attendant was very knowledgeable about this particular problem. I was told that they had recall up to 2002 Malibu for this same problem but of course mine is A2003 so I had to pay for it to be repaired. The cost was $110 which wasn't bad but the 2002 and 2003 parts interchange. So why wouldn't they have same recall?
Anti-theft system kicks in even when original key is used to start vehicle and vehicle will not start without waiting 10 minutes to restart system. This happens at irregular intervals, usually when it is least convenient. I have had to be towed twice until I learned the override trick. I am going into the dealership again today to try to get a permanent fix.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Houston, TX, USA