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2001 Chevrolet Malibu electrical complaints

Page 6 of 11: complaints 131 to 160 of 285, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2001 Chevrolet Malibu electrical problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Jun 21, 2010 · Acceleration, Electrical · 103,957 miles · CA

Intermittent issue at start with vehicle rpms elevating to 3500, if put into drive the vehicle speeds to 45 MPH. Happens at different times (cold, warm, hot). Have had iac and tps sensors replaced (2 times) and most recently the power control module. Each fix works for a few weeks, then issue begins again. Most recently fremont chevrolet had vehicle for 10 days and could not get it to repeat; therefore, could not have computer read or provide problem and repair. No service completed.

Filed Jun 20, 2010 · Electrical · 89,000 miles · MN

2001 malibu security system - failed to allow owner to start the car. Required 10 minute wait to re-set. Also failed. Owner unable to drive vehicle home from work late at nite. Very dangerous situation. Has occurred numerous times in past several months. Dealers only able to temporarily fix problem at huge cost. There are many, many problems reported on this "security" system. Why isn't gm ordered to recall and repair?

Filed Jun 10, 2010 · Electrical · 29,000 miles · TX

My 2001 chevy malibu has an anti-theft system feature on it. However it doesn't read my key right and most of the time won't start. And when it does start it will out of nowhere shut off while im driving. This is really dangerous because if this happened on the highway or on any road really, it could cause a serious accident or even a fatality. This is a serious matter and there needs to be a recall on this vehicle. I have done a lot of research and apparently every other malibu owner has the exact same pass-lock theft system problem. It only takes a matter of time. Please investigate this problem because it really needs to be fixed this is my only car and I cant afford this thank you.

Filed May 19, 2010 · Electrical · 73,300 miles · NY

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet malibu. While driving at 30 MPH, the lights on the instrument panel turned off suddenly. The lights turned back on after a minute. The failure continued to occur intermittently. The vehicle had not been inspected at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 73,300. The current mileage was 74,217.

Filed May 19, 2010 · Electrical · CA

I have a 2001 chevrolet malibu and I have been checking online for a remedy for the theft system the theft system comes on when it wants to causing me to be stuckon the freeway off ramp for 10 min until it stopped flashing and became solid, the theft system has put my families well being in danger believe me I love the car but it's theft system has become a safety hazard I have had emergency's and had to wait until the theft system stopped flashing if you could help resolve the problem it would be great I don't want chevy to lose a lifetime customer I have a 2yr old daughter to worry about and my car stopping and locking up is a danger thank you

Filed May 3, 2010 · Electrical · 161,000 miles · OK

Gm vats 2001 chevy malibu theft light comes on and car is unable to start replaced the ignition switch and the passlock sensor which is suppose to correct the problem well it did for only a few months now I'm having the same problems again. I don't have the money nor the time to keep repeating this fix. After reading numerous complaints online about this particular problem why hasn't gm had a recall on this problem. This is beyond ridiculous!

Filed Mar 26, 2010 · Electrical · 110,000 miles · MI

2001 chevrolet malibu: anti theft/pass lock problems. Sporatic issue cause the vehicle to not start. Multiple tows and service charge with no consistent fix.

Filed Feb 12, 2010 · Electrical · IA

My wife drove our 2001 malibu around in the morning, after parking it in the driveway until the afternoon it would not start. It sat for 3 day until I could research how to fix it. The passlock system was failing. The system will not recognize your key and the car will not start. This seems to be a major issue for these vehicles, numerous accounts documented on the internet. To bypass it you have to wait 10 mins and hope the reset takes place and a replacement could cost you upwards of a thousand dollars. A ten minute wait to start a car I own is ridiculous.

Filed Feb 9, 2010 · Electrical · 100,000 miles · OK

I have a 2001 chevy malibu. The anti-theft system prevents me from starting the vehicle about three times a month. I have to wait 15-20 minutes before it will start. This has caused me to be late to work many times.

Filed Dec 14, 2009 · Electrical · 75,000 miles · CT

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet malibu. While driving approximately 20 MPH the engine stalled without warning. He coasted to the side of the road and jump started the engine to resume normal operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The mechanic repaired the ignition bypass switch. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on numerous occasions for the identical failure. The technician repaired the ignition lock cylinder. None of the repairs have remedied the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000. The current mileage was 78,000.

Filed Nov 25, 2009 · Electrical · 74,866 miles · MI

2001 chevy malibu, ignition theft system keeps blinking and the car won't start.

Filed Nov 10, 2009 · Electrical · 90,200 miles · CA

Not that I think doing this is going to make any real difference but I will try. I own a 2001 chevy malibu and besides being one of the worst cars made I am having problems with my passlock system not working properly. I know that you have had many complaints about this problem and I see that there is still nothing done about this problem. Is it because your do not care? Is gm lining your pockets and you are sweeping this under the rug? What ever it is the fact that you turn a deaf ear and do not make gm fix this problem is wrong!!!!! If I had the money I would sue all of you and make them fix this problem on all of the cars! Come on this is america and we are supposed to build good cars. Gm will never outsell the imports in cars as long as we build junk!!

Filed Nov 6, 2009 · Electrical, Lights · 94,500 miles · SC

The turning signal on my 2001 chevy malibu works when it wants to and when it doesn't it's very dangerous. This past halloween I was riding up the main st. And could not signal to cars behind me (it was dark) that I was turning. This is very scary since it happens unexpectedly when you push the arm down. Nothing. There's no lights on the car or flasher on my dash. I had to pass my turn & keep going out of my direction so I could send a signal through braking and used my hazard light to let them know I was turning. I live in south carolina where I can't just hop on a bus or train if my car malfunctions. I'm a single mother of two girls and our car ride ended up scarier than the halloween masks. I'm writing before an accident happens. On the roads down here if you put on your hazards and slow down, people generally go around you. This would be very dangerous on a two lane road where I'm trying to make a left turn & they try to go around. Gm had a recall in 2003 for this issue & when I called 11/2 they said my vehicle was serviced before I purchased it in 2005 from caring and that I'd have to figs this gm issue out of pocket. I have a problem with that. The very reason for the recall is the reason for the issue. The soldering cracks and affects the circuits. Gm knows this issue will reoccur under those conditions & needs to make this right before I have to trust a mechanic to half fix this gm issue & charge me an obscene amount of money in the process.

Filed Nov 4, 2009 · Electrical · 90,000 miles · DE

Own 2001 malibu. Began shutting off while driving about 2 yrs ago. Had ignition switch replaced 2 mos ago. Also, horn beeps, locks go off and on and hazard light button clicks as if the car is possessed.

Filed Nov 2, 2009 · Electrical · 155,000 miles · VA

2001 chevrolet malibu shuts off while in motion (much fun in washington d.c. Commuter traffic) or parked. It shuts off like the key is turned to the off position. The doors unlock and the lights turn off. Within seconds the lights are back and a with the car coasting in neutral I can restart. Occurs whether the engine is cold or hot. I see hundreds of similar complaints. I hope my wife or children being injured aren't the catalyst for a safety recall of this electrical problem.

Filed Oct 27, 2009 · Electrical · IL

Purchased a 2001 chevy malibu and after a week worth of starting the car, the car would "crank" but not turn over. I had to wait 10-15 minutes with my key in the acc position then restart my car. I have night classes and if this happens at night it could be dangerous. My friend also has a 2002 chevy malibu and he has the same problem. To correct this problem I am having my anti-theft passlock system wire (yellow) disabled. How is the anti theft lock going to lock out the owner with the original key?!?!

Filed Oct 26, 2009 · Electrical · 105,000 miles · CO

I have a 2001 chevy malibu that is giving me safety problems concerning the bcm, and the passcode theft feature. I have had 2 dealer experienced mechanics try to fix this problem with out success. The theft light comes on and then prohibits the car from starting until you reset the car by leaving the key in the on position until it resets. Not safe if sitting in a dark parking lot (the system will not allow the doors to lock) and very afraid that if the car stalled in traffic this would trigger and not good to leave your car in traffic 1 min while it resets.

Filed Oct 10, 2009 · Electrical · OH

2001 chevy malibu theft system, this problem is robbing people and it's just not fair.

Filed Oct 2, 2009 · Electrical · 140,000 miles · NY

I have a 2001 chevrolet malibu with the anti-theft system/passlock problem, that turns the car off while I am driving on the highway at 55 MPH (or any speed for that matter). In fact, it simply turns off whenever it likes. This morning turning onto a highway, it stalled as I turned and I was almost hit by a truck had the truck not moved out of the way. I could not move because my power steering did not work due to the car shutting off. The mechanic I took it to said he's replaced hundreds on all kinds of gm cars, and that he was surprised it was not recalled. After researching this, I have found thousands of posts of people complaining about the identical issue! This is incredibly frightening and has happened to me on more occasions than I can count! It happens at least once a day.

Filed Sep 19, 2009 · Electrical · 43,000 miles · CA

Bought a 2001 chevy malibu in april with 41,000 miles. Ran fine for a couple of weeks, but then wouldn't always start (had to keep trying and try every key I owned). About 6-10 weeks ago it started shutting off while I'm driving. I have to either coast to the side of the road or jam it into neutral and try to restart it. Hazard!!!!!!! Had it to my mechanic 3 times and it doesn't do anything wrong when he has it. Just got it back this past monday and it ran ok for 4 days and then today it stopped 3 times in 1/2 mile drive. Help - I'm afraid to drive it. I fear someday I will cause an accident when it just stops running. Have had other people in the car with me when it just stops running and scared them when it happened. I need my car to get to work to make a living. I know I'm not the only one with same complaints. Who can I call for assistance without it costing a fortune to fix. I can't afford huge repair bills at this time and I can't afford to go buy another car. I put today's date as the incident date, but it has happened at least 12-15 times in the past 6 weeks. Shouldn't chevrolet fix this for free?????? It's a defect in the car!! Thank you

Filed Sep 4, 2009 · Electrical · IL

I have a 2001 chevy malibu and I have had multiple issues with the passlock system. I have spent numerous hours, and a large amount of money trying to figure out the problem and get it fixed. I know now that this is a very common issue and wonder why there isn't a recall for the said part.

Filed Aug 29, 2009 · Electrical · 124,000 miles · PA

My car is a 2001 chevrolet malibu ls. 1. The car failed to start. It got more and more frequent, from once a day to every start. 2. The garage diagnosed it and said the theft protection system failed to recognize my key. 3. I get new keys from the dealer. 4. The problem gets better and it is still there.

Filed Jul 15, 2009 · Electrical · 66,000 miles · IN

Theft system on car occasionally kicks in, preventing starting for 10 minutes or more. This happens when I put in key quickly to start car. Usually I can remember to insert the key, let it register, and then turn the ignition. The first couple of times it happened I didn't know the problem and had it towed. The dealer fixed it once, said it was warranty work, the next time a mechanic put in a new ignition system which helped for a while.

Filed May 11, 2009 · Electrical · 74,000 miles · NJ

Problems with the passlock theft system. First problem with it two years ago. Now, the passlock is not allowing my car to start at least once a day. I have to put the key "on" for ten minutes then "off" before restarting it. My biggest concerns are "what if I was rushing out the door to take one of my children to the hospital and now I have to wait 10 minutes to start my car". This is not acceptable. I know this system is a problem for many gm owners (just looking it up on the web shows me all the problems). I think too common of a failure that a recall on this product should be considered. Disabling this feature could also be an affordable way for consumers to "fix" the problem, especially us who were forced to have the "theft deterrent" in our car.

Filed Apr 30, 2009 · Electrical · 94,930 miles · NC

Two months ago we bought a used 2001 chevrolet malibu. Two days after was sitting, stranded because of a malfunctioning passlock system. The first time it malfunctioned I turned the key and the security system light blinked so I waited 10 minutes and it cranked after it reset. We took it to our local dealer and they replaced the ignition switch at a cost of $470. The very next day I get stranded at the gas pump only this time the security system light comes on solid for 5 seconds then goes away. No other lights on my panel other than the mileage shows up. I sat for two hours waiting and trying to crank it before getting a ride home. Went back the next day and it cranked right up. Yesterday I was stranded again only this time the thing went dead. It cranked right up and then after a second or two went dead again. Went to re-crank and the security system light only comes on for a couple of seconds and no other lights. I sat for two and a half hours trying to crank that thing and finally had to call the police to give me and my two children a ride home. We went back this morning and the evil thing cranked right up. We drove it home and it's sitting in our drive looking innocent as ever. It will crank 20 or so times before the passlock kicks in again. This car runs great and I have no other complaints other than the passlock system of the '!@#$%!!!!

Filed Apr 26, 2009 · Electrical · MN

My theft system light came on and the vehicle would not start. This happened 3 times about a week apart each. I ended up replacing the ignition lock cylinder and relearn. The repairman indicated he has seen this issue on a number of malibus. Sometimes using a different key fixes the problem. Not in my case. Similar complaints are logged on internet chat rooms.

Filed Apr 15, 2009 · Electrical · AR

I purchased a 2001 chevy malibu used. There are times the car will not start. I come back in 10-15 minutes and it starts right up. This occurs about every other day, I also many others have reported this same issue.

Filed Mar 11, 2009 · Electrical, Lights · AR

Trying to find out if the recall parts have been fixed on my 2001 malibu and its hard to get any one to respond.

Filed Mar 3, 2009 · Electrical · UT

2001 chevy malibu theft system, my car will not start.

Filed Feb 1, 2009 · Electrical · 99,000 miles · IL

2001 chevrolet malibu pass key system will engage much of the time. My wife has to leave the key on for ten minutes plus before the anti-theft light will go out and the car will start. Dealer wants to keep replacing the ignition switch to fix the system but it never does go away.

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