Problems with 2008 Chevrolet Malibu ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Key won't turn to off position in ignition

My chevy 2008 malibu, the power locks stopped working on 3 out of 4 doors. *tr

2008 chevrolet malibu 4 door sedan. i purchased the car and approx. one month after purchase the front passenger door lock failed to operate, i took it to the dealer the car was purchased from and they fixed it under the warranty. approx. one year after the passenger door lock incident, both driver side door locks failed. took the car back to the dealer and they wouldn't fix it because i was 200 miles over my warranty. approx. 3 months later the rear passenger door lock failed as well. i cannot unlock the back doors, and have to use the key to unlock the front door. i have two small nephews in car seats and my concern is that if they are in the vehicle during an incident that i will not be able to get the children free from the back seat because of the door locks. they cannot reach the lock itself so they would be trapped. for myself to fix the door locks would cost more than three monthly payments on the vehicle and in the economy that is very high. i would prefer to have a safe vehicle with no concerns about the safety of my vehicle to have to worry about when traveling with my nephews. after doing some research i have discovered this is a wide spread issue with this make and model. considering this i believe it is a problem that gm needs to address. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the third brake light illuminated erroneously and failed to illuminate during deceleration. in addition, the driver's side turn signal, driver's side brake light, and instrument panel gauges malfunctioned intermittently. the electronic stability and traction controls also failed while driving various speeds in cold weather. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 40,000.

Brake lights stay on all the time, except when i first press the brake pedal. i have already applied dielectric grease to connector and plugged/unplugged many many times. works for about 1 day. *tr

The door lock actuators on all 4 doors do not operate, i have to use the key to unlock the drivers side door then climb over the seats to unlock the rear doors and reach across to unlock passenger door. *tr

Door lock actuator failed in rear, driver's side door. *tr

The electric door lock on the left side behind the driver will not come up all the way to unlock the door most of the time i either have to go around the car to the otherside to unlock it or crawl over the front seat to unlock it. i have been told by several others whom own the same type of vehicle that they too have had the same problem and have had to have it replaced. i purchased my car used and have recently been told when i called about the problem that the front drivers door lock had already been replace. if so may of them have had to be replace my concern is why has there not been a recall on such a device. to me this could be a safety hazard should you be in a wreck and the doors are lock and emergency personal tried to get in from the back to help someone and the door wouldn't open. *tr

I first experienced a problem october 2011 when the dashboard message indicated service traction and service esc, i took my car to an independent garage where they put dielectric grease on the bcm connectors. they stated if the problem continues, i would have to go to a dealer for the bcm to be reprogrammed. while this fixed the problem of my service brake lights coming on without touching my break pedal and then while breaking no break lights come on, the fix only worked temporarily. i took my car to a dealership, because like others have mentioned, when you shut the car off it clears the message until you are no longer at the garage and it comes back on. i too took my car back to the dealer and did not shut the car off. the service writer saw the messages which were, service traction and service esc. the first time i visited the dealer was on june 1, 2012, their report states code c0131 abs traction control system pressure circuit. i had this problem fixed on june 25, 2012 in which they replaced and calibrated brake pedal switch, greased bcm connector, cleared code, road test, replace brake light switch for a sum of money. this has not fixed my problem to date. the problem is especially persistent during damp and wet weather. it is an uneasy feeling driving because it happens at random times. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. while the contact's vehicle was stationary, it was rear ended by another vehicle. all of the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel upon impact. the air bag did not deploy. a police report was not filed. the contact sustained significant injuries to the head and a temporary loss of orientation. the passenger sustained injuries to the back. medical attention was required. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the independent mechanic repaired the vehicle by resetting the air bag indicator, and the driver's seat belt and gear shift assembly were replaced. ed bozarth chevrolet (5501 drexel road, las vegas, nevada 89130, (702) 967-5500) was made aware of the crash. in addition, the contact referenced several occasions of becoming locked out and locked in the vehicle. also, on one occasion, the transmission became stuck in the reverse position while driving various highway speeds. the manufacturer was made aware of the crash and other failures. the failure mileage was unknown.

While driving or not driving the steering wheel shakes vigorously and the power steering warning light comes on. then the brake lights come on when i'm not touching them.when i do apply the brakes the lights go out. then have to apply a generous amount of pressure to get them to come on. i constantly keep getting the light service esc then it says it is off. i turn off car and it resets but after 2 or 3 minutes it comes back on. i also keep getting a seatbelt light as to buckle up and i'm already wearing seatbelt. the steering gets hung while driving pulling to either side of the road. *tr

While driving or not driving the steering wheel shakes vigorously and the power steering warning light comes on. then the brake lights come on when i'm not touching them.when i do apply the brakes the lights go out. then have to apply a generous amount of pressure to get them to come on. i constantly keep getting the light service esc then it says it is off. i turn off car and it resets but after 2 or 3 minutes it comes back on. i also keep getting a seatbelt light as to buckle up and i'm already wearing seatbelt. the steering gets hung while driving pulling to either side of the road. *tr

While driving or not driving the steering wheel shakes vigorously and the power steering warning light comes on. then the brake lights come on when i'm not touching them.when i do apply the brakes the lights go out. then have to apply a generous amount of pressure to get them to come on. i constantly keep getting the light service esc then it says it is off. i turn off car and it resets but after 2 or 3 minutes it comes back on. i also keep getting a seatbelt light as to buckle up and i'm already wearing seatbelt. the steering gets hung while driving pulling to either side of the road. *tr

After returning grocery shopping i could not get groceries into back seat, door would not unlock . this could have been going on for months as i always put groceries in front passenger seat and floor and never used rear doors . approximately 1-2 weeks later other rear passenger door would not lock or unlock. i contacted dealer who stated gm might work with me to help a little but doubt it as my mileage was at 42000 miles. after checking online i found numerous complaints from malibu owners that this has happened to them at 40,000 - 50,000 miles after the warranty is over. this problem should be covered by gm as it shows a defect in the actuater in doors go bad, as well as a negligent safety hazard knowing many cars having this problem. is it going toi take someone to die in rear seats due to this defect when an accident or fire occurs. this is a huge safety hazard as children in the back seat cannot open door if there was an accident or fire, as well as a policeman/fireman/rescuerer, cannot open either rear doors from the outside. you have to crawl over and sqeeze in between front seats and have entire body in back seats before you can reach the door locks to manually open them. this is going to cost me approx $400-$500.00 for rear doors and reading other customers this could eventually apply to all doors including front doors (another $400-$500.00). this is my first chevy i purchased brand new and will probably my last. *tr

Keyless door fob will not unlock rear doors. looking this up on the internet has shown this problems is a comon complaint and not covered after 3 year or 36000 mile warranty though mileage is not a factor for this problem. the safety factor involved would be inability to open rear door in the event of a crash with injuries. *tr

Incident date is approximate. it started on a trip home from chicago when the front passenger seat warmer kept coming on by itself. my wife had to sit in the back seat most of the way home. what we did not know until june 25th 2015 was that it was coming on due to a condensation line leak at the passenger side cowl. on june 28, 2015 i discovered soaked carpet in the right side rear floor board. i pulled the carpet and found 1" of water. over the last few years, only during summer months with ac running, the seat warmer was shorting out due to water waves traveling forward and back during acceleration/braking. the last two years id find wet carpet, but thought maybe it was a fluke, possible sunroof leak, or that i left my water thermos lid unscrewed because it would not stay wet all the time due to weather, drive times etc. out of warranty, i knew it had to be ac condensing line related. i went to the dealer (weber chevrolet in creve coeur mo), where purchased new, to get a diagram of where the ac lines run. they would not assist me. i went to an ac auto repair person who found a factory plug in the ac drain hose that exits the cowl into the engine compartment. he removed the plug and water of course came out. i thought that was it but the water kept leaking into the carpet. i removed the front carpet and found the source of the leak after visiting a post on a chevymalibu forum. it is leaking through a 3or 4sponge rubber seal about the size of a hockey puck, that apparently surrounds the blower housing tube that encases the condensation line that extends though the cowl. i have been communicating with a service supervisor at weber. i just received a forum reply with the following tsb information: moisture in cabin: tsb 09-01-37-002a (a/c - front/rear passenger carpet wet). i have been unable to find a viable repair procedure because i cannot access the tsb bulletin.

The power door locks are intermittent or have failed. this has become a problem with children in the back seat leaving them with unlocked doors or making it very difficult to reach across to unlock the door were a baby seat is located. *tr

My 2008 chevy malibu has a recurring brake light issue. the brake lights stay on randomly, and when you step down on the brake pedal you get no brake lights randomly. i've almost been hit countless times due to vehicles behind me not knowing when i'm actually stopping due to the brake lights being on for 20 miles straight. this is very dangerous for me and my family. *tr

Steering wheel shook violently when the car was at rest and then began to shake while driving down the highway at approximately 49k miles. took it to dealer and had the steering column replaced. then the power door locks began to fail; both passenger door locks and the driver's lock must be operated manually now (well, the driver's door lock works 1/2 of the time...never know if it is actually engaged unless you do it manually). no outside keyhole exists for the passenger door side to be unlocked, which is very inconvenient and potentially unsafe, especially when you are driving alone and cannot get the doors locked by pushing the button. have driven gm vehicles my entire life, but this is the last time the company will ever get my money. sad.... *tr

First rear door lock actuator failed. was replaced under warranty by dealer. about two months out of warranty the other rear door actuator failed. got a quote of almost $400 to fix. yeah, right. then the replaced actuator failed. so we're up to $800 to repair. then (see my other complaint filed) - the door locks start randomly locking and unlocking whether the car is on or off.

Back door locks will not lock unless pushed down manually. both back doors will not lock with power locks or with key fob. i have read on many forums that it is the actuator not working. the car can actually be broken into because the doors are actually unlocked. *tr

You have to take off front end of car to change headlight bulb(bumper, grill, brackets). replaced 3 headlight bulbs in little more than 1 year . problem with replacing bulb......you have to take off front end to change bulb. last time i changed bulb was 3 weeks ago. bulb out again. i am not a mechanic or body person so i have to pay someone to change the bulb. paid someone to take off front end and change the bulb. because it only lasted about 2 weeks or less, i am assuming there is a problem with electrical. i never know when bulb will go out. i can pay to fix it again, but, i cannot see at night with one light and others cannot see me. it is a hazard and i don??t know what to do. chevy quoted me $320.00 to do this. i paid 1st $220.00 2nd 180.00 3rd $180.00 . ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- because of lock problem described below, that is why i think it may be electrical my brother and i got a car (same car 3 months apart) his car did the same thing - all door locks malfunctioned - he took in to chevy. gave him some weird excuse and said it would cost him so much money to fix which was a ridiculous amount. he traded his 2008 chevy malibu in finally because of all the problems and bought a toyota camry. the cost quoted him was the reason i did not take mine in to repair. i couldn't afford to pay for chevys malfunction. *tr ## vin failed ##

Both back door locks stopped working. they will not unlock or lock without manually doing so. this makes it very hard to quickly get my toddler son out of the car without rolling the window down first to unlock it. cruise control works on and off due to the break lights flashing off and on even when i'm not pushing the break pedal. this is very dangerous when i am driving on the free way and my break lights stay on. this also occurs more often when it has rained and the car is wet. i assume this is due to a leak of water getting into the electrical... my trunk leaks when it is shut. when it rains heavy i notice the bedding becomes very wet on one side. the radio is also effected along with the cruise control. certain buttons stop working for periods of time. the screen will also go black and the radio will not work at all then suddenly come back on. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the computer codes illuminated and all of the temperature gauges on the vehicle stopped working. the vehicle also began to run very rough. if the vehicle was turned off, occasionally she had to wait 10 minutes before it would restart. the dealer replaced the steering column module, but that only corrected the failure for a short period of time. the wires within the computer were repaired; however, the repair only lasted a few weeks. the dealer and manufacturer have stated that they do not know what caused the failure. the failure mileage was 58000 and the current mileage was 60000.

2008 chevrolet malibu. purchased new november 2007. october 2010 front passenger door actuator failed @ 15,584 miles . fixed as warranty was to expire, no charge. november 2011 both rear door lock actuators failed. purchased parts, repaired @ home. november 2012 driver?s door lock actuator failed. purchased part, replaced @ home. june 2012 some radio buttons fail to function. replaced entire radio @ dealership . electrical failure expenses total $831, with most labor done by self. car has 30k miles as of june 2013. *tr

2008 chevrolet malibu. consumer writes in regards to unsatisfactory customer service at dealership for unnecessary repair work and seeks reimbursement. *smd the consumer stated the service brake illuminated when the brake was not applied, the cruise control would not engage and the traction control light illuminated intermittently. instead of fixing the wiring harness as described in the safety recall notice the dealership replaced the brake sensor and charged him $245. 03. the consumer stated while driving, he discovered the cruise control had not been fixed., even though the technician noted everything was operable. the consumer returned to the dealer, where they kept the car for a day and a half and replaced the bcm and dtc.*jb updated 09/10/15*lj updated 10/2/2017*cn

The power door locks do not lock or unlock when the vehicle gear shift is put in park or drive. the first lock became disabled while under warranty and was repaired.. now the remaining (3) three power locks do not function.. they stopped functioning when the warranty ended... i did not repair them because the cost is a few hundred dollars per lock.. i have to turn the car ignition off while the transmission is in drive and then put the shifter in park. otherwise i have to go around to each door and lock them manually.. very embarrassing.. not certain of the possible safety hazard though. *tr

Doors stopped locking when the car is put into drive or reverse, and unlocking when in park. this is a safety issue as we carry a toddler/child in the back seat and they are not locked in, and could open the door. we are told this is very common in malibu's and the dealer maintains an inventory of actuator's to repair all of the vehicles that are brought in. *tr

My 2008 chevy malibu have had numerous problems starting with rim bent, leaky roof, wet floor, burnt wire unable to start car. *tr the left rear door lock was inoperative. the dealer replaced the door lock actuator and the sun roof drain was clogged. updated 05/12/10. *jb

On multiple occasions while driving, speed doesn't change outcome, door locks will continue to lock and unlock by themselves and car alarm will go off and will set itself while driving down the road. this is very distracting to the me, the driver and to the drivers around my car. thus potentially causing a crash. also, the brake lights will illuminate until you press the brake pedal then they go off. this is definitely backward! the doors will unlock, sometimes. however, you will have to guess which ones will unlock. usually, the ones that unlock are the front-right passenger and back-left passenger. the reason the unlock is because they don't lock! no one can "duplicate the problem". the driver door and right-back door sometimes are unable to be opened. this requiring me to find a door that can be opened or that did unlock and climb through to the drivers seat. all of this while making sure my autistic son and daughter remain safe in a parking lot. this is very unsafe, as i park in a parking garage several times a week on a college campus. unfortunately, neither key less remotes work either! most recently the shifter cable has broken. the care wouldn't budge. chevy was notified, we were told to have it towed to the closest chevy dealer. just to be charged a diagnostic fee, we told them the problem, and they decided not to cover it under the power train like we were told would happen. then two weeks ago, the shifter cable broke again! this seems very odd. the entire time i have had this car when i press the accelerator pedal it feels like the car is running out of gas or like its having a hard time shifting. this has been reported from the beginning with no help. so, this is my last reach out for help. as i hear about all the carjackings, cars getting stolen and robbed, i just think my car is an open invitation! please help. chevy wouldn't help us even under warranty. *tr

I pulled into my driveway as i normally do. i turned the key to the off position and went to remove the key from the ignition. the key would not come out. it got jammed. i had to pull it out. it took about 10 mins for me to get it out. the first time it had happened was 10/27/09 at about 9:15pm. *tr

2008 chevy malibu automatic door locks fail to operate properly. began with passenger rear door and moved to all doors. when car reaches 15 mph the doors are supposed to auto lock. they do not. keyless entry and starter do not work. battery was replaced in the key fob with no change. took car to dealership for repair. cost would be 250 dollars per door to repair. car was taken in to dealership prior to 3 yr 36000 mile warranty had expired with intermittent door locks on rear door working and was told there was nothing wrong. door locks completely failed after 36000 mile warranty had expired. *tr

I was driving approx 45 miles per hour on a one lane road. my car dic displayed power steering the wheel began to shake, pulled to the left and became very hard to steer, almost making me hit the car in oncoming traffic, the lady driving the other vehicle swerved onto the shoulder which prevented the accident. i shut the car off. a mechanic friend of mine came to my location and could not find any issues with the vehicle because apparently the electric assist power steering resets once the vehicle is shut off. this incident could have been tragic and by the grace of god it was not. after checking on the internet my understanding is i am not a sole individual experiencing this type of problem with the 2005 and newer chevy malibu. please prevent these type of occurrences from continuing before someone is killed. *tr

Upon starting the vehicle, all 3 brake lights turn on and remain on. the lights remain on until the brake pedal is depressed. at that point the lights turn off. if you press the pedal again, they will come back on, but only if you slam your foot on the brake. the lights cycle on every 5 seconds, providing you depress the brake to turn them off. primary concern is that no one knows when you are going to stop and when you do stop, the brake lights turn off (with a hard push on the pedal). it appears this problem only occurs at night. i have brought my car to a chevrolet dealership 3 times regarding the issue. every time it just 'stops'. no remedy. the problem remains unsolved. *tr

Initially the left rear door lock malfunctioned - approximately 17 months after purchase, would not unlock; problem continued and then the door would not lock. spoke with gm dealer - not covered, parts cost $165 plus, the next lock to malfunction was the front passenger door, would not unlock; problem continued and then the door would not lock. contacted gm dealer - no recall notice out, no warranty coverage. contacted gm customer care - no recall or warranty coverage.the latest door lock to malfunction is the right rear door, will not lock or unlock. whet to gm dealer for diagnostic service - cost $ 58.80, informed, "need right front an both rear door lock actuators, $ 784.24 installed - have to order." ironically, the entry alarm system still functions if it has been set although the door appears, and actually is, unlocked. *tr

The driver door locks stopped working. when i brought to the dealer to repair, it was determined the actuator no longer worked properly and it was repaired under warranty. after another six months, the passenger side went out, the unit was no longer under warranty. the following year the same problem recurred on the driver side. today, neither side works nor do the key fobs. the cost to repair is $350 per lock. after researching this seems to be a recurring and noted issue with gm. the manual states "unlocked doors can be dangerous". many malibu owners have lodged complaints on independent sites including chevrolet malibu forum. *tr

The car had an issue with the syatem setting a code to check transaction and esc and the brake lights would stick on. this happened about once every 2 or 3 months. now that the gm recall has been done it is setting these same codes 2 or 3 times a day. but instead of my brake lights being on, the brake lights don't work, my cruise control doesn't work, my tail lights don't work the car still says service transaction and esc daily. this recall has made my problem much worse. it is dangerous to drive as i never know if my tail lights and brake lights are working or if my antilocks or stabilization systems work. gm needs to find a different solution to this problem.

I have a 2008 chevy malibu that has some steering issues. the steering wheel will jerk back and forth while driving or while sitting still, steering wheel makes a popping noise when turning. 2 of the 4 door locks completely quit working electronically. so many more problems, this car is a lemon and gm and the government should be ashamed for making this vehicle car of the year. *tr

The door lock actuator failed on all doors. this is a common problem and should be a recall with gm. check the forums to see the number of people with the same problem. the doors will not unlock/lock from key fob or from driver's door panel.

When we got the car we loved it. after 4500 miles the battery died had to wait 3 days for the dealer to get us a new one. great car ran fine then after 15,000 miles the check engine light came on and was told that it was something to do with a valve sensor. dealer fixed it as it was under warranty. then at 65,000 miles then check engine light came on and was told it was the valve sensor again. they brought it in the garage and said they couldn't replicate the check engine light coming on. so around 79,000 miles all the door locks stopped working. now when my wife was driving it tonight the car started "chugging" and the check engine light came on again. the chevy reps. said all they can do is give me a 500.00 rebate for a newer car. *tr

2008 chevy malibu 4 cylinder has electronic power steering. this morning driving to work it ripped the steering wheel out of my wife's hands if she had been going more than 35mph she would have ran into a ditch. i went and met her and drove it home it violently jerked backed and forth on me as well. good think we were not on the interstate going 70mph someone would have probably died. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. while driving approximately 60 mph the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle began to slow down. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the head gasket was replaced. the contact also stated that she had to replace the powertrain control module, the air conditioning unit, the mass air flow sensor, the battery, the starter cable wires, the system computer and the door locks on both rear doors. all of the repairs were made by an authorized dealer. the failure mileage was 16,988 and the current mileage was 58,000.

I have had nothing but trouble with this car. i should have kept exact records, but i haven't. the first issue was the factory battery in 2008. it exploded in the car within 5 months, they stated that this was not covered under warranty. i have replaced 3 batteries in this car. i have had 4 sets of tires. i have had to change the front headlights 2 times. i had the entire computer system go down 2 years ago and had to replace. when i reached out to the place i purchased the car, they wanted to charge me outrageous amounts of money. so, all of my work has been done at another auto mechanic. of course, because of that they are not willing to do anything because the work was never done with them. i believe there is something wrong with the electrical system, along with the suspension, and god only knows what else. i am currently getting ready to replace the headlights again, along with i am needing new tires on the front end after only 4 months. i have had this car for 6 years. *tr

I bought a 2008 chevy malibu ltz from dave smith auto in kellogg, idaho, picked it up on june 6, 2008, drove it to casper, wy. on 7/22/08, car won't start, find out it is the body control module (has to do with anti-theft, etc.), as of today's date, august 13, it still sits in the shop awaiting the part from chevy, who says they will not have a part available until sept./oct. because all the parts now are being put into their new cars. i have about 1400 miles on it, and it is inoperable. what good does a warranty do when there are no parts available to fix their defective parts? i have called chevy's so-called customer assistance, and the girl that's assigned to my case can't do anything but call the local dealer, which i can do, and call the parts department, who give her information contrary to what they're giving the local dealer. i want my money back. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. while driving between 20-40 mph, the contact depressed the brake pedal and then the accelerator pedal. the vehicle jerked violently and was taken to the dealer twice; however, the failure persists. the current mileage was 8,432 and failure mileage was 7,900. updated 10/14/08 *bf updated 10/23/08.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. on several occasions, the power door locks and windows have failed, locking the contact inside of the vehicle without an escape. the contact had experienced several electrical failures with the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions to have the front and rear door actuators replaced; however, the failure would persist. in addition, the alternator, engine light and radio have been replaced due to electrical failures. the dealer stated that all of the failures were related to an electrical failure. the failure mileage was 75 and the current mileage was 65,473.

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. while driving between 55-60 mph on normal road conditions, the contact heard a noise when the brake pedal was depressed. there was a decrease in the brake line pressure and the stopping distance increased. in addition, the steering wheel exhibited excessive wobbling, which made steering difficult. the failures occurred without warning. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the computerized system failed. the technician reprogrammed the computerized system, but the failure recurred on eight separate occasions. the vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer six times without any resolutions. the failure mileage was 700 and current mileage was 16,000. updated 03/18/09. *lj the consumer stated if felt as though the brakes were locking up. the traction control light illuminated. updated 03/20/09. *jb