I purchased a used 2001 malibu and have experienced problems with the anti-theft system , and learned of it being a common problem from a number of sources ,and would like to support any efforts to get gm to fix what was clear to me a system design defect. The intent of the system may be well meaning and may work well, however, when it causes the owners of the vehicle such inconvenience, and who knows how much money. In 3 weeks of ownership of this car this has occurred twice. The first time it cost me over $200 and over 12 hours of trouble shooting to discover way to get the car running. The second time it was just the annoyance of having to wait for the system to reset.
2001 Chevrolet Malibu electrical complaints
Page 8 of 11: complaints 191 to 220 of 285, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2001 malibu. Theft system light comes on constantly. Atleast 1x a week. I have followed teh turn to acc until light shuts off, turn off and then try and start, but this is time consuming. Now when the car does start the fuel gauge says I am empty, radio will not work, acc and heater will not work and if and when it kicks on the car makes a weird sound.
I have a 2001 malibu. The theft system keeps kicking on, and won't let it start. I have to wait 10 minutes before it will allow itself to start.
The car would turn on but would not start. I tried jumping but it still wouldn't work. I had it towed to a mechanic and spent $200 for them to tell me the anti-theft system needed to be reset. A few weeks later the car did the same thing. I did some research, and found out it could be reset by leaving the car on for 10 to 20 minutes then start it. Also, I read this was a common problem with malibu owners and gm was doing nothing to remedy the problem.
I own a 2001 chevrolet malibu, for the last 3 1/2 years I have had to replace the ignition cylinder 3 times. The theft light will come on and the car will shut down. The dealer told me that this was a common problem and gm won't do anything about it. So here I am again having to replace the part again.
About 1 year ago I purchased a 2001 chevy malibu. I loved my car! That summer my sister and I went to the beach and spent the whole day there. When we got into my car to crank it up the theft light was on and it would not crank. I had to wait for 3 hours for a tow truck to come all the way out to the beach. I was told that the computer chip in my key was wrong and I needed another key. Well I got a key made and it worked fine. Today I got off of work and was on my way to taco bell and my theft light came on, my car started but what is this problem. I do not want to stop anywhere just in case my car wont start. I am pregnant now and it is 95 degrees outside, am I expected to wait? What happens when I have my child and this happens? I did an internet search and this seems to be a big problem. Does someone have to get hurt or even die from this in order for a recall? I think it is crazy that I spent money on a car with defects and no one will fix this. Believe me I will not stop with this complaint..
When the steering wheel is turned the horn will not work.
The anti-theft on the car has caused me to be late to work many time since I bought it in january 2001. Also, it has caused me to be stranded alone in shopping centers until I could get a tow truck to come. Many times! Incident date was the last date it happened.
Chevrolet malibu, year 2001. Repeated problems with pass lock / anti-theft system malfunctioning. Two separate conditions occurred 1. System will malfunction so that vehicle cannot be started , cannot bypass/reset the anti-theft system. 2. System will not arm itself, and theft system does not provide intended purpose. Addressed this with chevrolet , and they refused to acknowledge any service bulletin related to this problem. They could only recommend that I contact my dealer. My concern is with the possibility of the theft system malfunctioning and causing the vehicle to stall while in motion. This problem has reoccurred seven times since october, 2006. So far, it has been possible to reset problem (1) by keeping the key in the accessory position for 10 minutes, and "problem ; (2) by turning the driver door lock 3 times to the right, then once to the left, then starting the vehicle. (these measures were obtained from an internet search which revealed widespread problems of this nature with this vehicle type.
Purchased car in 2002 and ran fine until about 8 months ago. Replaced alternator and car ran fine for another 3 months. Since, has failed while driving on highway and city roads. Replaced ignition control module. Ran for another month. Same problem arose. Replaced spark plugs and engine sensor. Ran for another 2 months. Still having same problem. Will kill while driving and eventually won't start at all. Will turn over but won't fire.
I have had several instances were the 2001 chevrolet malibu won't start after the theft system light came on. I have replaced the ignition cylinder once ,and I refused to pay to get the same item fixed within a year. Gm needed to do a recall and have this fixed. There were hundreds of people with the same problem and something needs to be done.
Vehicle was fairly cool having only traveled about a mile from home. After being stopped at a busy intersection, my car died while accelerating into the intersection. After I stopped the vehicle and switched on my hazard lights, I was able to restart the vehicle without a problem. Had this been a time when my vehicle wouldn't start for 10 minutes, this could have created a major traffic problem. Fortunately, no one was injured.
I was driving the vehicle later the same day after the previous incident I reported. Car was fairly cool. As I approached a turn, the vehicle died leaving me without power steering. I came very close to having an accident. Fortunately, no one was injured. After I brought the car to a stop and turned on my hazard lights I was able to restart the vehicle without incident.
Vehicle was fairly cold as it had only been running for about 1.5 miles. As vehicle was leaving the i64 eastbound at the oakland exit in st. Louis it died. Car lost power steering. After I was able to get the car in park, I was able to restart it with no problems. Fortunately there were no injuries. Unfortunately, several cars behind me had to wait as I fixed the problem. Had the car not restarted, as it does regularly, this could have created a major problem on the interstate.
My wife went shopping after a long trip, so the car should have been fairly warm. After she finished her shopping, the vehicle wouldn't start and the theft light was on. Because she has seen me fix the problem several times, she knew to turn the key to the on position, wait 10 minutes for the theft light to go out, turn the key to the off position, wait a few seconds, and restart the car. No one was injured.
A few miles after the car wouldn't start, the car dies in the middle of an intersection during accelerating after a stop. Lost power steering. Vehicle restarted immediately after I got the car in park.
Loaded up the family for a trip and the car won't start. Theft light is on and I've had the problem too many times before, so I knew what to do. Turn the key into the on position, wait ten minutes for the theft light to turn off, turn the key to the off position for a few seconds and restart. No one was injured this time.
I unlock my car, get in, put my key in the ignition and go to start the car, which it doesn't because the theft system light starts flashing. I then have to wait 10 minutes with the key in the "on" position, wait for the theft system light to go out, turn the key off, then start the car. This has happened at least 20 times. No parts have been replaced.
2001 chevy malibu 70000 miles.. Bought in february 06 was replaced in may of 2006 theft light comes on while driving then after a few months of that car wouldn't start took to a chevy dealer and replaced passlock sensor few months later 07/06/06 problem restarted again dealer put car on computer cant find problem no code stored now less then a year 03/03/07 car is now flashing theft light and car wont start until I leave in the on position and wait 10 mins then car resets again. Dealer wants more money to find problem and I have to pay another 500 dollars for part I shouldn't have to pay for this when I already did that less then a year ago. There are many complaints on this issue isn't chevy going to find why this is happening and recall it ..I wont buy a chevy every again.
My 2001 malibu suddenly would not start. The battery checked out okay, etc. It did not have any power at all. My husband removed the battery cables. Upon replacing them the anti-theft light came on and the car still would not start. Upon resetting the system, the anti-theft light went out and the car is running again. Now I am concerned that the car will stop again on the interstate with my infant in the car.
I have a malibu 2001. First I wasn't able to start my car. I went to the shop and they changed the fuel pump. I didn't realize then that problem was the theft system. Same thing happened 20 days after I changed fuel pump. I went to same store and mechanics started car without any problems. Now twice a week theft system light turns on and I cant to start car without resetting it. A few days ago theft light turned on while I was driving a car and turned engine off. I have almost been killed. After I pulled over car I was able to turn it on again .
I was driving down the road one day in my car and the theft system light stayed on then started blinking for a couple of days then one day the car wouldn't start and the theft light just stayed on in I took it to a dealer in they said it was a theft system malfunction and that many 2001 malibu's have the same problem and that it would cost $300.00 to 400.00 to be fixed.
2001 chevy malibu died while driving. Engine didn't sputter or anything, the electrical system just switched the car off causing a loss of power steering while driving. Car was fairly cold as it had only been running for a few minutes. Specifically it died in the middle of an intersection during acceleration after a stop.
2001 chevy malibu won't start or when started will switch off for no apparent reason. Have had the vehicle in the shop numerous occasions and have had many repairs (e.g. New ignition switch) that were supposed to fix the problem but have not. To this point the car has refused to start on three occasions because of a problem with the computer's theft system and has died while driving on dozens of occasions for unknown reasons. Fortunately, every time the vehicle has died, the driver was able to avoid accident. Unfortunately, we may not be so lucky in the future. Although the chevy dealership has indicated that they're unfamiliar with my complaints, the people who towed my car this last time indicated that almost every chevy they tow is for the same reason.
Tl* - the contact owns 2001 chevrolet malibu. Less than one month after purchasing the vehicle the ignition/starter failed. The contact paid a repair shop to fix the ignition, and the failure recurred. The towing mechanic stated that when the lights blink allowing the vehicle to sit for 20 minutes, it will restart. The mechanic stated that the starter sensor failed. The contact was advised that there was a recall related to the failure, and the driver requested reimbursement. After the ignition repair the contact experienced problems the air conditioning problems. The mechanic repaired the air conditioning and stated a few days later that there had been a compressor defect, a possible leak which caused air conditioner failure. The contact had been disputing the lemon law, reimbursement, and the failures for quite sometimes. The manufacturer refused to assist her. The current and failure mileage were 61,512.*ak the contact has provided the repair order, the buyer's guide information at time of purchase and a list of major defects that may occur in used cars. Update 5/3/07
The car will not start no warning signs.
Tl* - the contact stated that the anti theft system engagesdfor no apparent reason. The contact stated she has taken the vehicle to deale r 4 times for this failure. The dealer has reprogrammed the crankshaft, reset sensors and reprogrammed the pass lock systethe check engine light came on intermittently and also the anti-theft light will flash as an indication that the anti-lock systemwas not going to engage. The contact stated this has happened quite frequently in the last two weeks. The contact stated someone has told her how to bypass the failure, but she felt this was a safety problem.
The horn will beep on its own, usually when car is first started or turned off, but will also beep (by itself) while driving. Also the automatic power door lock switch on the driver side door, which is supposed to lock all doors when depressed when I am leaving the vehicle doesn't work properly. Both of these problems have been "fixed" several times over the last 12 - 18 months by the dealer, but they keep recurring. Another problem, which the dealer had "fixed" a couple of times is that I would go out to start the car, it just wouldn't start. The dealer claimed it had something to do with the anti-theft system/ignition lock cylinder in that if you try three different keys or make three attempts to start the car, then the anti-theft system would lock the car out. Two times over the last 12-18 I've gone out to the car, put my car key in the ignition (once each time) and the car would not start, would not even turn over. I'm waiting for it to happen it again, because once the horn and locks start malfunctioning, the anti-theft system usually starts malfunctioning.
5 mos after purchasing car, the transmission had to be replaced. A few months later the engine would shut off while driving on the road. The following parts have been replaced: ignition module, spark plugs, fan belt, water pump, knock sensor, camshaft position sensor, crankshaft sensor, ignition switch.
My turn signals work when they want. I call chevrolet and I was told this part had been changed july of 2001. This was a recalled part and I'm not sure if the one put in in july 2001 was a new part or still one that was on recall. But I was told by chevrolet that they would not pay to fix it.
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