Problems with 2002 Chevrolet Malibu EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Headlights dim when brakes are applied such as coming to a stop or slowing down to negotiate turns. this creates a dangerous situation where visibility is compromised during night driving. it is very easy to miss turns, exit ramps, and road signs. vehicle has been to gm service center, and was told this operation is normal. battery, and charging system no problems found. new headlight bulbs installed no difference. vehicle is like new condition; always garaged. no damage, rust, or modifications. it should be noted that there is a tsb #02-06-03-008a concerning the issue.

Won't crank, interior lights flick on and off. *tr

2002 chevrolet malibu. consumer states a light sign is not working properly. *tgw

After reading other comments, i have to laugh. why can't they fix this with so many complaints. the turn signals just stopped working one day. three days later they worked. then a few days after that they stopped working again and then just seemed to work when they wanted to. took it in to jimmie johnson chevrolet when the signals were not working. picked up the car to hear they could not find a problem. sure enough the signals were working. that lasted about a week before the turn signals stopped working again. since then, two more times to the dealership with pretty much the same result each time. now i notice if the weather is very warm, the turn signals work more part time and while it is cool they don't work at all. now, i have read your comments here and began playing with the hazard flashing button. if i press the button on the upper right, the turn signals work. i now have at least a little more information to take to jimmie johnson chevrolet. maybe this will strike some sort of recognition to the problem. thank you everyone for writing your comments. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the turn signal and hazard switch malfunctioned and could not be activated. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the signal switch was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified but no solution was offered. the failure mileage was 100,000.

Antitheft system intermittently causing car to stall and fails to restart tail lights are failing fuel system cutoff. *tr

Turn signals work on occasion this car only has 42,000 original miles on it and turn signal problem began at 36,000

Turn signals just randomly work when they want to. had it to the garage recently and asked why they didn't work right, didn't get much of an answer. this is a real safety issue and in doing my research, i'm not the only one with this issue. *js

I have a hard time getting any key to turn the car on. it seems like the whole where the key goes into is very loose. i sometimes have to try to turn it up to ten times before the car will start,i have tried both keys that came with the car and even got new ones and nothing works, if i ever have to start in an emergency i won't be able to do it. my turn signals also click when not in use, i did have a recall on this years ago, but it didn't work, i 'm afraid that one day they may not work at all. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the turn signal, brakelights, and hazard lights failed to function properly. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who confirmed that the hazard signals were defective. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,000. the current mileage was 120,000.

1. the turn signals would not illuminate. just stopped working for no reason. lights were not burned out. then they mysteriously started working just as they had stopped. for no reason. incidents became more frequent with no apparent cause. not weather related. after reading complaints on this site, i found that if i turned on my hazard flashers, the blinkers would work again. 2. i was rear ended on 11/4/11 though and could not get the flashers to work. i don't know if my brake lights were working or not when the incident occurred. 3. the air conditioner and heater only work on the highest level. 4. the door locks will lock and unlock at random while driving. 5. the key fob will work sometimes, most times not lately. 6. the security system will honk the horn sometimes when the key fob does lock the doors, most times it does not honk though. 7. the car overheats as the coolant container is loose and the radiator cap does not fit properly even though i purchased a new one. the gauge for the temperature doesn't seem to be accurate. 8. sometimes the heater does not work, just as the a/c didn't work most of the time in the summer. 9. anytime i try to use the cigarette lighter, it blows the fuse, leaving that feature totally useless. this car is very unpredictable and for a single woman, i feel it creates potential to be in a very dangerous situation. i do not know what to expect from this car and i really thought i was buying a reliable used car since it is a chevrolet malibu. was i ever wrong and although i have always bought chevrolet, it will not be my preference in the future. *tr

I turn the key to start my car. i drive to the corner to make a right turn onto the main street. the turn signal does not work. this has not happened before. i then turn on the turn signals left to change lanes and make a left turn and the signals don't work again. then i come to a stop at a light and the horn goes of on its own and i had to pull over and tried to stop the horn by turning off the car. the horn is still going. i turn the car back on and the horn is still going and the lights still are not working. i hit with an open hand the horn twice and it stops, but the turn signals still doesn't work. then a few weeks later, the headlights cannot be adjusted. the wheel that adjusts the lights from bright to dim doesn't work. you cannot adjust the lights and if you try, all the lights, inside and out go out. also the turn signals on both sides(left and right) work when they want and i don't have a horn. once a few months ago, the lights were blinking and the horn was going off in my car while the car was off and parked in my driveway. help me!!!!!! *tr

I have had intermittent electrical problems almost since buying the car in 2004. in 2010 i experienced a scary new twist: my blinkers won't always work. it happened maybe three times total over the next 12-18 months, but it is happening again, and i am now doing much more around-town driving. i have read other complaints where some owners have been able to get the blinkers working again by toggling the hazard lights, but this is not the case with my car. i turn the vehicle on and the blinkers will work the first time i use them, then not again for the rest of my trip (or in some cases, the rest of the day). *tr

2002 chevy malibu. for the last 2 months i have been experiencing intermittent turn signal failure. when the turn signals fail, the corresponding turn indicators on instrument panel do not work as well. often i can get them working again by turning off the car, removing the key, starting the car and repeating the process 2 or 3 times. since this started i have had some near misses as the car behind me doesn't know that i'm turning until i press the brakes. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that intermittently, the turn signal lights would not illuminate. in addition, the air bag warning light would intermittently illuminate on the instrument panel and the air conditioner blower motor would only function when set on high. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 60,000. the vin was unavailable.

2002 chevrolet malibu turn signal intermittently working/not working. is there or is there not a recall to fix this dangerous problem? *tr

2002 chevy malibu. turn signals work intermittently. you don't know what you've got until you try them. of course if a mechanic has the car all day the signals work fine. this is a dangerous manufacture defect. *tr

2002 chevrolet malibu turn signal intermittently working/not working. this situation poses a safety risk when not working properly. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet malibu. occasionally either one or both of the turn signals will suddenly stop working. if she turns the hazard light switch on and off and then push on the lower left corner, the turn signals will then began to function properly. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership. the current and failure mileages were 64000. updated 01/15/10. *lj updated 01/19/10.*jb

Turn signals stop working during travel. no apparent cause. signals will work during the trip, stop working, and sometimes start to work again. seems to happen 3-4 times per week. no corrective action has been taken. *tr

Turn signals and hazards work intermittent. at first it was only after a rain now im lucky if the work at all. it has come close many of times to cause a wreck. *tr

At 80,000 miles my 2002 chevy malibu's turn signals stop flashing. this is an intermittent problem and is dangerous. *tr

Turn signals don't always work. sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, sometimes they work and just stop while blinking. *tr

I was driving at about 45 mph when negotiating a turn and went to use the turn signal and it would not work. since then it only works a quarter of the time and often the hazard relay is clicking in and out very fast like it is shorting out. if you push the hazard button in sometimes you can make the turn signals work and sometimes not. and often times the hazard will not work either. no fuses are blown? *js

Turn signals fail to work properly. turning on flashers for a bit usually brings them back. this is an intermittent problem but occurs at least once or twice daily. *tr

Intermittent turn signal on 2002 chevy malibu. works only if hazard signal is pushed slightly. i must hold hazard signal while making a turn. 2001 malibus were recalled for this problem. why not 2002? problem still exists for this year also. *tr

Turn signal malfunction. *tr

I have a 2002 chevy malibu and the turn signals will quit working at any time with out warning and start working on their own. *tr

2002 chevy malibu, 80,000 miles brakes always noisy even when new..brakes and calipers have to be replaced every 2-3 months with minimal use......hazard light and turn signal failure...works intermittently.....ignition lock-out....could not start car or remove key from the ignition....lower intake manifold gasket failure......left headlamp field of vision narrow and short. *tr

My 2002 chevy malibu has been having problems since i bought it at about 104,000 miles but i am sure that it was having problems well before i bought it because of the low price i paid for it, but i needed a car badly. i have always had problems starting my car and usually would have to turn it on to make sure all the lights come on, not just the anti-theft light. if only the anti-theft light comes on, its guaranteed to not start. at exactly 111,111 miles my car would not start at all no matter how many times i took the key out and put it back in. it kept flashing the anti-theft at me! i replaced the idol speed motor and for some reason it started. a week later it wouldn't start again. i read about tricks online to get the car to start because this seems to be a prominent problem with 2002's. i finally got the car started. a few days later i was driving on a busy highway when i came to a stop light and my car just shut off. i was still able to use my breaks, thank god, but had to sit there in the middle of traffic trying to start my car for several minutes. i keep thinking what if this happens when my 2-year-old is with me? what if this happens in the dark and someone rear ends me because my lights go out? i have had the fuel pump checked, the fuel injectors, the idle speed motor replaced every time i replace something it works for a few days or weeks then it starts to act up again. the point is that the problem always comes back and it seems to get worst, and happens more frequently with every failure. the problem could be the ignition cylinder witch is what i am having fixed next, but i have acquaintances that have had the same problems that come back even after replacing the ignition cylinder. my biggest concern is having everything die again while i am driving because its not just a inconvenience anymore, it is a safety issue that chevy needs to address before there are deaths and or serious injuries. *tr

Low coolant light kept coming on. had this checked during an oil change and oil was found in the coolant. intake manifold gasket was replaced for the 2nd time. the intake manifold gasket was previously replaced 2 1/2 years ago. starting in the spring/summer of 2008 started having problems with the turn signals only working part of the time. this was checked at a dealership and i was told that since the signals seemed to work fine for them and the problem couldn't be reproduced they weren't able to determine what was wrong to be able to fix it. the problem continues. *tr

Turn signal lights do not work all the time on intermittently. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet malibu. while driving less than 70 mph, the exterior brake lights on the vehicle continued to illuminate even when the brake pedal was not depressed. the contact was concerned that the other drivers would swerve around her and assume that she was braking, when in reality, she would be in acceleration or drive mode. the dealer replaced the ecm and the sensor approximately three times. the vehicle has been at the dealer at least twice a month for one year. the repairs have not corrected the failure. the failure and current mileages were less than 40,000.

I am the owner of a 2002 chevy malibu which i have owned since 2003. for the last two years (starting around approximately 90,000 miles) i've have been having problems with the turn signal and hazard light indicators. the malfunction leads to total failure or flickering of the turn signal lights, the hazard lights and the indicators on the instrument panel. the malfunction will occur at any time - sunny, rainy, dry, humid, snowy, hot or cold weather; daytime or nighttime; whether the engine is hot or cold. occasionally the indicators will work for a couple of days but then the malfunction will occur again. i have no idea what caused the malfunction to begin. the original malfunctioning parts are available as they are currently still installed in my vehicle. i have also been having problems with the heater switch in my car. a rattle type noise in the heater fan assembly was the first indication that i noticed at around 70,000 miles. that stopped when the car was repaired after i ran over a truck tire tread that was in the middle of the highway. the switch worked for a while then i lost the number one and two speeds. eventually the number three speed went out. i currently can run the heater on speeds number four and five; however, the output is less that what it should be for the two highest fan speeds. the replacement part is currently still installed in my vehicle. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet malibu. while leaving the highway at an unknown speed, the contact noticed that the turn signals failed. the failure has occurred several times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they could not determine the cause of the intermittent failure. the dealer replaced the upper and lower head gasket seal, but the failure was not corrected. the rack and pinion failed and was replaced in 2006 and again in october of 2008. the failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was 52,300.

My 2002 chevy malibu has bad signal lights. sometimes they work sometimes they don't. i see there is a bulletin posted about this problem so i called the local dealer and they told me that they know nothing about it and i have to pay to have them fix it. can you look into this for me? the last 8 digits of the vin. that's what they asked for to check. thanks. *tr

I bought a 2002 chevy malibu from a car dealership. once i drove off the lot the blinkers stopped working for me, they were working during the test drive. after trying to figure out what was going on i found that the problem was connected with the emergency lights box. whenever it was in a certain position the blinkers would work otherwise they did not. i tried fixing it with some rubberbands and duct tape- for some reason that worked for awhile but now it's acting up again! help! *tr

I own a 2002 chevy malibu and i am experiencing an intermittent clicking noise coming from somewhere in the dash. i took it to the dealership and their diagnosis was "small intermittent voltage bleed from the turn signal switch. needs the switch replaced." although i referred the to the defect found by the odi, gm refused to replace the switch at no cost because their internal policy is that they will only replace the hazard switch. when i showed that the report listed the components as the hazard switch and the turn signal switch. they still declined. they stated that although the two exhibit the same symptoms, their policy states they only cover the hazard switch alone. they recommended replacing the turn signal switch at my cost. then "if the problem persists, which it may, then replace the hazard switch." which at that point, i would be eligible to replace the hazard switch at no cost. *tr

2002 malibu turn signal work when they want. have to hit dash by hazard lights to make them work. haven;t had a accident yet ,but am scared to drive my car. bought the car new from the dealership. have never received any recall notices. horn also has a mind of it's own. only have 45,000 miles on my car. i used to love it but now i am afraid of having a wreck and either dying or killing someone else. chevy needs to recall all the problem cars and not just a few. *tr

Turn signal intermittently not operating. *tr

Turning signals and flashers work when they want to. sometimes cut off while trying to make a turn or while waiting to make a turn. this has been going on for at least 2 years. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet malibu. the hazard warning switch worked intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the diagnostic indicated that the hazard switch wire shorted out, which caused the hazard lights to work intermittently. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 03v327000 (exterior lighting: hazard: flashing warning lights: switch recall). the failure mileage was 30,400 and current mileage was 31,100. updated 09/10/08 *bf updated 09/10/08. *jb

On 6-24-2008 i was driving down the street, and i went to turn on my left turn signal, 100 feet before the turning lane (so as to warn the person behind me, that i was going to move into the left hand turning lane), and i went to turn on my left hand turn signal, and not realizing that it wasn't working, i went to move over into the left hand turn lane, and i almost hit the car that was behind me, because as he said "you didn't give me any warning that you wanted to go into the left turn lane, where i already was. you didn't turn your signal on"! the guy was really pissed off at me. i had my turn signal on way ahead of time. however ,after careful inspection, i noticed that the turn signals were "no longer working at all"! this really worried me, because if this guy had gone totally crazy on me, and had a gun, i have no doubt that he would have used it on us. i noticed that these turn signals on my 2002 chevy malibu, are some how inter connected to the emergency signal (i found this out, after reviewing my 2002 chevy malibu repair book. this problem needs to be corrected immediately, because it is a major problem, every time i go to make a turn. it's caused more problem's than my family or i have ever wanted. up until this problem arose, my family & i always believed in chevy car's. now thou, i would have to reconsider ever buying a chevy. i need this problem fixed immediately. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet malibu. while driving approximately 45 mph, the turn signal mechanism failed. the turn signal has not yet been repaired. the contact plans to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer for repair. the current and failure mileages were 68,961.

I have a 2002 chevy malibu. it has the turn signal/flasher problem that was covered in pe05055. the dealer installed the new flasher per the service letter but this did not fix the problem. dealer wants $94 to diagnose the real problem plus possibly hundreds to fix it. chevy customer service will not do anything until i pay for the diagnosis, even then they will not give any assurances. a quick internet search indicates that many others have had similar experiences. i think that you closed your investigation prematurely. *tr

Turn indicators intermittently quit working. *tr

2002 chevy malibu turn signal flickers or does not work all the time. nov 08, $1000 paid to fix multifunction switch and hazard switch for car to pass inspection that only worked for a month. 11 sep 09, $144 fine paid for improper lane change because turn signal did not work. sep 09, $36 dollar for owner to replace hazard switch which did not solve the problem. owner is unwilling to pay $240 for another multifunction function switch. please help! *tr

While driving in with cruise control on at 55 mph, the cruise quit with no warning and the turn signals stopped working. although the cruise has had no problems to date, have to tap (sometimes beat) on the top of the dash to get the turn signals working again. have had a couple of close calls where i had someone behind me - the signals would just stop. saw nhtsa campaign id 03v327 but that recall was for 2000-2001 malibu. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet malibu. while driving at an unknown speed, the turn signals failed sporadically. as a consequence, the contact was unable to notify other drivers of his intention to turn the vehicle, which increased the risk of a crash. the dealer stated that the vin was not included in the campaign issued by gm. the turn signals would have to be repaired at the cost of $400. the contact has not had the vehicle repaired. the vin and nhtsa campaign id number were unknown. the failure mileage was 67,000 and current mileage was 87,000.

The seal on the back lights gets bad and allows moisture to get in and short out the brake, turn signal and back up lights. repairs are over $200 and they cannot guarantee it will not happen when the lighting housing is replaced. this should be a recall, because living near atlanta, brake lights and turn signals are very important. i never know when they are working. this is very dangerous. come on gm, make drivers of your vehicles safe!!!!! *tr