Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact was driving approximately 35 MPH when the power steering warning indicator illuminated and there was a complete loss of power steering. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the engine was turned off. Upon restarting, the vehicle resumed as normal. The failure occurred three different times. Also intermittently, the four power windows and power door locks failed to operate when the control mechanism was engaged. On a separate occasion the the key would not release from the ignition switch until after several attempts. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
2004 Chevrolet Malibu electrical complaints
Page 5 of 6: complaints 101 to 130 of 151, newest first, as owners wrote them.
For about 3 years the theft light would come on when trying to start. Then you would have to wait 10 minutes to start. In december while driving at 60 mps the engine stopped, power steering was lost and the theft light was on. After 10 minutes the car started again. Then two times later the engine stopped while driving between 60 & 65 MPH, power steering was lost. One of these times the car started up again and power steering recovered. I took the unit to the chevrolet dealer in emporia, kansas. They said the switch needed to be replaced and that the fuel pump cuts off because of the age of the vehicle. Both need to be replaced at a cost of over $1,100 according to them. Normally the car operates great! I can't understand why a product is allowed on the market with a fuel pump that works part-time. Prior to going to the emporia chevrolet, I explained the problem to the burlington, kansas chevrolet dealership and they said it had to do that at the time they were checking it or they could not find out the problem. This is a disaster waiting to happen. I am glad that my wife of 4'11" was not driving it when the power steering was lost because of the engine stopping.
Purchased vehicle for daughter on 8/17/2011 from asset recovery dealership colorado. While she was driving on a major road (approx. 40 MPH), a warning light on dash went on and the power steering went away (almost to the point of feeling like it was totally locked). She was in rh lane, put on flashers, turned off car and restarted car. Warning light went off and power steering was back. This happened two other times while pulling out of a parking space. It happened intermittently. Took the vehicle it to my mechanic who ran diagnostics and found the power steering assist relay to be faulty and replaced entire steering column at $580 (the relay cannot be replaced without replacing entire steering column). Since then I have found a number of websites (www.carcomplaints.com) were 100+ other 2004 malibu owners have had the exact problem. There does not seem to be a recall on the 2004 malibu for this particular problem but some have written there was a recall or bulletin for 2005+ malibu for this problem. This a very serious safety (and scary) issue to loose your power steering assist out of no where and a very costly repair. I also read in some of the posted complaints that their repair did not last and the problem recurred. I purchased this car from a"recovery" type car dealership. I would like to get reimbursement from gm. This problem occurred with people at various mileage ranges some as low as 7,000 which would seem to me to indicate a defect. Although the steering column has been replaced, I'm concerned about this problem recurring. Thank you.
Car engine will shut down at random times showing anti-theft light. Even while driving. This is a dangerous situation.
Vehicle's anti-theft system frequently locks up, preventing driver from starting car for a minimum of 10-15 minutes. Has failed on average once per two months since 2005. Have had the ignition switch replaced multiple times yet the problem persists.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the steering column would become loose while driving at any speed and the wheel would sporadically shake when driving over 50 MPH. In addition the power steering warning light was illuminated when the failure would occur. The contact stated the failure was the second occurrence and the steering column was replaced in 2007. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired for the recent failure. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 115,000. The consumer stated the vehicle made a clunking, knocking and rattling sound when driven at a low grade speed and when the steering wheel was turned. The vehicle also shook violently. The driver seat didn't to stay on track and was difficult to adjust forward and backward. The horn and cruise control were inoperative. The brake and accelerator pedals no longer adjusted. The safety locks did not latch at times when the button was pushed and the gas cap continued to open after it was locked causing the engine light to illuminate. Updated 02/01/12
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start at times after several attempts. The vehicle would also suddenly stop while she was driving. She had the vehicle towed several times as a result. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where a passlock sensor was replaced; however, the failure continued. The contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The current mileage was approximately 125,000. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000. Updated 01/06/11
The electric power steering in my vehicle is faulty. The steering wheel will move by its self while driving or in park. Also my power steering will go out without warning while driving at any speed. When the steering wheel locks up due to power steering I have a very hard time turning and controlling car. I have barely avoid several accidents because of this issue. I have taken car to dealership to see if can be fixed because when I called gm I was not eligible for the warranty that would have fixed issue but because it was past their recall time they would not assist me and the dealer wants 800.00 to fix and they say that even fixing the steering column and or the assist motor that I will more then likely have the same issues! My car is a 2004 with only 44,462 miles on it. I got the car used february of this year (2010) and didn't know that it would be a nightmare and a death trap for my family! I have video of the wheel moving by its self as well as video showing that when I loss power steering the car is hazardous. I am really afraid that I will not be able to keep up with this issue and will one day loss complete control of the car and hurt myself and possibly others! Chevrolet needs to fix this issue for good or replace the cars all together because its really only a matter of time before this issue bites them in the butt! I really like my malibu but I really think that I should have never got it because of all the issues losing power steering, pulls bad to left and right, loose shifter knob, & the remote keyless entry doesn't work right. I hope by filing this complaint with you that maybe it will be resolved. I want to have piece of mind while driving my family in car not worried about the car being a death trap on 4 wheels that will loss control when it feels like it and kill my family and myself. I know that I am not the only one with these issues with the malibu and chevrolet really needs to step up and make these issues right for us the consumers fast!
2004 chevrolet malibu ls, the left turn, parking, & drl bulb overheated and caused a fire that melted the amber plastic lens inside if the headlight assy causing it to scorch the inside of the headlight assy around the amber part. The right side had previously just melted the top of the amber lens. These were the original headlight assys with 3157 bulbs that caused the problem. The daytime running lights are very bright all the time. The bulb caused a fire that went out by itself that is the safety problem. Bought certified replacement headlight assys.
Wife started up her car after work on june 30th, come to find out, the electronic power steering failed and, good thing, she wasn't driving when it went out or else there could have been an accident. Now, it fails every once and awhile, still steerable, but very hard to steer. If you shut the car off, then, it goes a way for a while but then power steering fails again later on. We were driving down the interstate and it did the same thing while going 75mph. We're trying to research on if this is a recall or what the problem could be. Something needs to be done, I've seen a lot of complaints on the chevy malibu about the electronic power steering failing.
2004 chevrolet malibu - both front headlights assemblies are melting from the heat coming off of the turn signal/marker light. The plastic bulb housing is actually melting enough to drip onto the bulb causing them to break and need replaced. This is definitely a fire hazard.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. While driving 35 MPH the steering wheel began pulling to the right. The dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that the steering rack had excessive play and needed to be replaced. The failure also caused the driver and passenger side front tires to become worn which needed to be replaced. The repair cost was $657 since there were no related recalls or valid warranties. The wiring in the horn was also defective and it was repaired at the owners expense for $200. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure and current mileages were 23,800. Updated 11/15/10 *cn updated 11/24/10
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. While attempting a turn at approximate speeds of 10-15 MPH, the power steering failed causing the contact to barely avoid crashing into another vehicle. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times for concerns of the power steering failing. The dealer replaced the power steering column, ignition switch and throttle body. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 120,000.
Intermittent turn signals and horn continually goes off having to remove fuse.
The driver information center would reset the time. It also displayed "service air bag" as soon as the car turns on. When driving on the freeway, my steering wheel lost its power steering and the driver information center displayed "power steering" along with a car and wrench light flashing from the gauge window. This has not been fixed due to reading a customer satisfaction program that affected certain 2004 chevrolet malibu's. Should not be responsible for a defect that the dealer was aware of. A real scare when driving on the road, let alone on the freeway.
I have reported two previous incidents regarding noise in the front end of my 2004 chevy malibu ls. The same noise is again occurring in the front end of my car which leads me to believe it is a steering issue. When I took the car to jack phelan chevrolet, they did not find a problem with the front end/steering. I believe they aren't telling me because this will be the 3rd complaint regarding steering parts.
This car is terrible. Not only did my brakes not work which made my car crash through the front of my house the steering has been replaced twice and the problem still exists. The electrical system has major problems. The blinker burned a hole through the lens cover and makes the horn, doors and lights not work. I have contacted gm several times over the last 5 years and they don't care because the warranty is out. Then you read how many people have the same problems. They got their bailout how about a bailout for the people who bought gm products. There seems to be no help for the consumer.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the theft system in her vehicle would activate and cause the vehicle not to start. The failure worsened and recently began to occur every two days. The contact would have to place the key into the ignition and turn it so that it would reset and the theft deterrent light would dim. She took the vehicle to a service center, but they could not find any failures. The manufacturer advised her to take the vehicle to the dealer. The current mileage was approximately 53,450 and failure mileage was approximately 53,000.
Electronic power steering system failure with no warning. I started up my 2004 chevy malibu and as I was backing up off the drive way, my steering wheel started to lock up. No warning lights came on. This is a safety problem, what if this happened while driving at high way speeds! Here is a link to this particular concern that I found online. Http://www.lemonlawclaims.com/malibu_brake_and_steering_problem.htm I hope you guys can be able to check it out and make it safe for the driver and the public to drive in peace.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. Immediately after purchasing the vehicle in february of 2007, the exterior and interior lights would lose power intermittently. While driving approximately 50-60 MPH, the exterior and interior lights lost power and caused the contact to pull over to the side of the road. She turned off and parked the vehicle for a while and eventually the lights illuminated again. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. Approximately a year later, she drove the vehicle back to the dealer due to the exterior and interior lights losing power intermittently. The mechanic replaced the entire instrument panel, but the failure recurred a month later. The vehicle has not been repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were notified and stated that they were not liable for the repairs. The VIN was unavailable. The current mileage was 112,000 and failure mileage was 47,000.
We own a 2004 chevy malibu ls sedan with 66,000 miles on it. In march we had the front right turn signal light bulb replaced, and within a week we had to replace the rear left turn signal. Then on may 1st, we were on a trip when the rear right turn signal went out, so we replaced that. The next day the front left turn signal went out for four hours, started to work again for a while, and went on and off again for two days. We brought it into our dealership because we suspected that there might be an electrical problem. The service person called us to report that we had to replace the electrical harness which had been cut (somehow) and it would cost a large sum of money. As with any fear of major electrical problems in an automobile, we gave him permission to replace it. However on the bill it only states that the bulb was replaced for a lesser cost and said nothing about the electrical harness that he had mentioned (which we never even knew existed). We are going back in to talk with the head service manager about this. Our concern is that there are so many reports listed here about turn signal problems. We are reporting this to chevrolet and hope other people will contact chevrolet at so they will be aware of and look into these problems.
Some time in december of 2007 the speedometer of my 2004 chevy impala began to malfunction. It is very erratic in that sometimes the needle doesn't move, sometimes it shows 100+MPH, sometimes it appears to be accurate, and sometimes it just stays fixed on a speed and doesn't move. We had a mechanic look at it and he said only a dealer could fix it and it would most likely cost over $1,000 to do so. We have chosen to live with it in hopes that chevrolet will put out a recall.
I have had several issues with my steering column that hopefully now have been repaired. My most recent problem is related to the headlights. The front marker lights have burned through the plastic casing. It has overheated my bulb resulting in turn signal going out. In the process of repairing.
2004 chevrolet malibu with noise in the steering wheel customer states that this problem has been going for 2 years without correction from the dealership**cc the dealer replaced various parts in the steering, however the problem remained the same. The battery was replaced. The vehicle hesitated to start. The dealer found the ignition switch had shorted out internally. The horn was replaced. The cd player made a clicking sound.
The horn on my vehicle failed. This LED to a near collision as I was unable to utilize the horn to alert the other driver to my presence. I took my 2004 malibu to my mechanic who replaced the fuse. The horn worked for about a day and then when being operated by another driver, he tried to use the horn when another vehicle ran a red light and the horn did not work. Per the mechanic the fuse blew again. He ran a check on service notices for the vehicle and found that condensation forms in the location of the horn due to a known defect in the location. Gm is aware of this, but has not issued a recall even though the mechanic states that it causes the horn to quit suddenly and the average consumer will believe it is the fuse, repair that only to have the horn fail again within days.
Three issues with my 2004 chevrolet malibu ls v6... 1. The steering gear needs to be replaced at 48,000 miles. 2. The starter stays engaged periodically or has trouble turning over to start the car. 3. A/c not cooling vehicle. Entire unit eventually replaced. The vehicle has been brought in numerous (13) times to various gm dealers and only has 48,000 miles.
2004 malibu anti theft light and radio lock light illuminates, problem with seal on the rear left window. *ts the steering was stiff, the molding on the let rear window came out of place when the window was rolled up. The vehicle would vibrate while driving. There was a rubbing noise coming from the front of the vehicle, the check engine light illuminated several times, the temperature and fuel gauge light illuminated. The trunk would not open properly when using the remote. The vehicle started by itself and all the lights illuminated which caused the battery to die.
This vehicle is equipped with remote start, which allows you to start the vehicle from the key remote. On friday 8-19 the "service engine soon light" came on briefly when vehicle was started but did not come back on after I shut the vehicle off and restarted. The following monday 8-22-05 after making a stop, shutting off the engine, and getting off the car the engine started on its own and stayed on for appx a minute, it then shut off and restarted in less than a minute. This cycle repeated for about 8 mins or so on its own. I got back on the car after dropping my child off at school and drove at hwy speeds with the cruise on, after a few minutes of hwy speeds the cruise control shut off and was non responsive. I got off the hwy parked and shut the vehicle off. Again the engine started on its own, this time staying on for several minutes. I drove the vehicle to a chevrolet dealership and explained the problem. The service dept replaced the keyless entry module and reprogrammed the brake ecu as they said the keyless module was malfunctioning and causing the engine to start using the remote start feature. They also said the brake module could have caused the cruise control to be non responsive. This malfunction concerned me greatly as the vehicle was garaged kept until this happened and I no longer trust to put the car in the garage in fear of possible carbon monoxide poisoning from the engine starting on its own while in the garage, specially at night while asleep.
Dt: the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The horn is not working. Contact does not know how long she has been driving without a horn. She noticed it on saturday june 18, 2005. The contact had numerous problems with the vehicle. Gm stated that they could not do anything else for her. Every since gm closed the file for her account she was still having problems with the vehicle.
Key is not released from ignition unless shift lever is put again back in drive and then park after car is off. Gm has replaced both ignition components and shift components but has not solved the problem since car was new, malibu 2004 lt, and it means sometimes having to leave car with key in ignition if can't remove it.
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