Problems with 2004 Chevrolet Malibu EXTERIOR LIGHTING

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. *tr

Both yellow daytime running light covers are melted. there is a burn mark surrounding the holes over each light bulb -- on both the right and the left side of the vehicle. the clear plastic shell around the headlight is discolored as a result of the excess heat. *jb

I purchased this vehicle used from crane chevrolet, clifton, new jersey, within six months after purchase i observed that the power steering would suddenly stop operating while the engine was running. i discovered that the only corrective was to shut the car off and restart the engine. the power steering would then reengage. this failure has persisted for nearly the entire time i've owned the vehicle. during that entire time, crane chevrolet has claimed there was/is no defect in the power steering, and no recall notice outstanding. i just received a gm safety recall notice 14116, which claims, among other things, that "previously, you had the steering column replaced under customer satisfaction program 04050". that is false! neither crane chevrolet, nor gm has ever contacted me concerning the steering column, or made any attempt to replace it! i also notified crane chevrolet that the front headlamp assembly turn signal lamps repeatedly burned out, and that the bulb housings were burnt and completely melted through!! both gm and crane chevrolet denied there was any defect in the lamp/housing design or function. i have to replace the front turn signal lamps about every six months. finally, the undercarriage support struts, shocks, and springs are woefully underdesigned. the car runs like it has stone tires. i now have to replace the entire strut, shock, and spring undersupports for the second time. and i just run the vehcile on asphalt smooth roads in a develped suburban city!! this was serious underdesign. fortunately, these parts are available on the web and i've got a good mechanic that charges fairly for this difficult work. go to crane and gm and you'd need to mortgage your home to do the work!! *tr

The left front turn signal had to be replaced around 9 times in the three years i have owned the car. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the vehicle's exterior front turn signal consistently fails. the vehicle purchase date was unknown. the current mileage is 46,793 and failure mileage was 44,532.

The turn signal lens a part of the front headlamp assembly is apparently melting from heat caused by the turn signal light bulb. the lens is mounted inside of the clear headlamp lens and is made out of amber colored plastic. this melting is occurring on both sides of the vehicle and has caused several light bulb malfunctions to occur. this problem not only causes the failure of the turn signal bulb but also creates the potential for a fire to break out. *tr

My wife and bought a 2004 chevy malibu in july 2004. in march 2007 my turn signals began to fail, both the left and right sides. also, the right side amber cover on the running lights has a hole burnt in the top of it and the left side is beginning to burn thru now. i replaced several bulbs and also took it the dealership that we purchased it from; the first time they replaced the bulbs and the turn signals worked for about 1 hour after leaving the dealership. i took the vehicle back and was told that i needed to have the sockets replaced, the sockets were replaced and everything worked fine for 2 months and the problem happened again, so back to the dealership i went and this time i was told that i needed to have both complete headlamp assemblies replaced. there's obviously a major problem with these vehicles. sooner or later this situation will result in a fire and possibly bodily injuries and property damage. what is going to take before gm wake up? there are no recalls for this issue.... *tr

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.

Front turn signals have burned out numerous times. the plastic housing for the bulbs has melted through. this is a very common problem for the 2004 malibu. *tr

After one year of driving our 2004 malibu (about 20, 000 miles), the signal lights began failing. replacement of the bulbs by a gm dealer solved each problem (4 incidents). then about two weeks ago the right front signal revealed an electrical short in the wiring harness, which was replaced at our expense. today the left rear signal socket and harness have the same problem. there appears to be a manufacturing or design defect in the signal light system. *nm

Auto: 2004 chevrolet malibu ls - front turn signal-daytime running light melted a hole in the amber lens on both sides of the car. grand prize chevrolet of miami replaced both headlight assembly's . have seen other malibus with the same problem and i am trying to find out if this is going to be a recurring problem. i have noticed that on newer models the daytime running lights are now the headlights instead of the turn signal lamps. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. while driving at any speed, the turn signals fail. the failure occurs intermittently. the vehicle has been diagnosed for the failure, but has not been serviced. the current mileage was 71,957 and failure mileage was 65,000.

Rear light bulbs keep burning out on driver side have to replace bulbs everytime it rains or gets cold. *tr

I bought a 2004 chevy malibu in august of 2004. since that time all 4 signal lights and one headlight assembly have burnt out and needed to be replaced. the left rear signal light is now inoperable. making this the 5 time i have had problems with the signal lights. i have asked them (chevrolet service department) to check the entire electrical system every time and every time they tell me that the problem has been resolved. several times the work invoice copy said, "replaced signal light bulb" there appears to be a more serious issue to this problem and i see that i am not the only one that it has happened to. although no fire has occurred, i feel that there is definite safety hazard when it unexpectedly stops operating because you are unable to signal other drivers that you are turning. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated the right front turn signal stopped working without warning. upon initial inspection, the amber lens inside the headlight housing had visible damage on the headlight assembly as though it had burned. there were no visible flames or smoke to indicate a fire. the dealer was alerted, but no repairs were made.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated while driving at various speeds the power steering would suddenly malfunction making the steering wheel very difficult to turn. when the failure occurred the check engine, abs and tc (traction control) sensor lights illuminated. the failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. the manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. the contact also indicated that while driving various speeds the vehicle would drift from side to side. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the control arms were faulty. the control arms were replaced but the defect was not remedied. while driving the headlights, turn signal lights and rear lights would intermittently shut on and off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the defect was caused by an electrical short. the defect was not repaired. the failure mileage was 17,000.

Left turn signal inop. replaced under warranty. failure again within an hour of leaving dealership. *nm

Front turn signals have been constantly overheating for the life of the car. has 113000 miles on it now and have had to replace turn signal bulbs constantly. also had to replace left front turn signal socket because of severe overheating. *tr

Turn signal bulb does not work or works periodically in the front. both sides have stopped working at times causing the driver to be unable to signal ongoing traffic of turn. car has been back to dealer who at first replace bulb than when it failed again said it was a "short". same thing of right and left sides. *cn

The front yellow signal light seen to get very hot melting the inner cover which is locate inside the headlight in both of them it seen that most of these car has the same problem.

I bought the 2004 malibu in june 2004. in january 2005, the front driver's side turn signal and headlight stopped working. i took it to the nearest shop, and they replaced the bulbs. a few weeks later, it happened a second time. they replaced the bulbs again. when it happened the third time i asked for further investigation into the problem, including wiring. they discovered the whole light carriage needed to be replaced. problem fixed. in march 2005, the rear driver's side light did the same thing. the entire carriage was replaced. it just seemed a bit excessive for a car less than a year old.*ak

i have had many problems with my 04 malibu. rough idle, power steering faliure many times took to dealer 3 times could not duplicate, brought in with power steering out at it was duplicated, but could not figure out for a while told me to continue to drive, no safety factor.finally thought they figured out put in a new steering column, 9,000 miles later back to having problems with power steering. also problems with hard shifting,and also with ignition sticking or continuing to turn over after leeting go of the key. i would not recomend this car to anyone and they should all be crushed.my wife is terrified of the car and will not drive.car is at dealer right now we are driving a loaner. *jb ea04018_cat

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. the turn signals and hazard lights work randomly, especially in changing weather conditions. the failure was noticed while driving 15 mph. whenever the contact activated the turn signal and hazard lights, he would hear the lights flicker, but they would not operate. the contact found a recall on the nhtsa website and called the manufacturer. he was informed that his vin was not included in the recall, even though the vehicle was experiencing the same failures. the recall number was unknown. the failure mileage was 98,000 and current mileage was 122,000.

2004 chevy. malibu turn signal bulb/daytime running lights melt through the plastic amber cover and constantly burn out the 3157 light bulbs. the company has several repair reports for this vin; now i replace the bulbs myself. gm does not want to recognize the problem. my headlights are ruined, the lens covering the entire headlamp has cracked from the heat and is stained from heat damage. this is a costly repair that gm will not perform. *tr

While driving power steering pump failed . the consumer took the vehicle to dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. *ak ea04018_cat currently the vehicle still does not steer properly. the vehicle was taken four times before the service dealer to say it was okay. the headlights shined too high, there was a vibration when the vehicle was in motion and was unable to be duplicated. *sc

Consumer complained about an electrical problem. consumer took vehicle to dealership and had the work done on july 1, 2004. vehicle had only 100 miles. on august 13,2004 the dashboard lights failed, and the tail lights were out. on august 23, vehicle had the same problem. consumer parked the vehicle and the locks automatically unlocked while the vehicle was still running. also, the air conditioner was running when the key was not in the ignition. *ak

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the headlight bulbs constantly overheated and need to be replaced. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. however, the headlight covers were replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 200 and the current mileage was 168,000. updated 08/19/14*lj

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the brakes, steering, and electrical wiring for the headlights failed. the failures have occurred since 2004. while making left turns, the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact had been submitting complaints to the manufacturer since 2004. the failure mileage was 35,000. updated 10/23/14*cn updated 4/13/2015 *js