Problems with 1999 Chevrolet Malibu ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Positive side terminal on delco battery failed. second time this failure has happened in 4 years/40,000 miles. dt

Had to have the module replaced. mechanic didn't know why it went but knew thats what i needed. after contacting gm they said that it was not a manufactures defect and could not give me a reason why it just went out. *jb

The air conditioner doesn't cool properly. it seems that once my car is getting cool the air conditioner will shut off and will blow warm air. there also is a short between the recirculating air button and the outside air button. the lights will blink on and off simultaneously without even touching the buttons. sometimes an odor will come from the air conditioner. the rear-passenger door is hard to open. my rotors have been resurfaced and replaced. my brake pads have also been replaced but my brakes still grind and squeek.

Fuel and temperature gauges/ blower fuse replaced for 1and 2 positions. *ak

Please refer also to odi id 703986. was driving along a 2-lane road and bumped the keys. the car stopped running immediately. all lights on the dash came on, and all the gauges turned off. i had to make an emergency stop on the shoulder. i turned the ignition off and then back on, and the car restarted. the dealer does not know what the problem is yet. i am able to replicate the problem by tapping on the ignition switch when the car is running.*ak

Rear brake and turn signals have stopped working, water is getting inside rear brake lights and has caused a short. *ak

Had coolant/oil leaking from valve cover/ intake manifold. dealer replaced all 5 gaskets, oil and coolant. only have 31,000 miles on the car. also had resistor for fan control changed. blower would not operate in position 1 or 2. one month ago in january, had transmission cooling leak. dealer said it was "transmission internal wiring harness connector" leaking when i told them it was cooling line. invoice shows changed harness, which i couldnt tell it was new because it was dirty, and changed gasket in cooling line. at same time had a/c blower control unit replaced. ive had probelms with this vehicle since i bought it. tires were "cupped" after first rotation. dearler replaced 2 front tires under warranty. now i have a problem with tires/wheels after each rotation when rear wheels are put up front. said problem might be alignment, which is not covered under warranty. also have had horn repaired due to inop. dealer found wiring harness wasn't connected. had control switch changed on power drivers seat. drivers seat moves back/forth slightly when braking/accelerating. passenger-side airbag was replaced due to "squeaking" when hitting bumps in the road. had battery replaced due to acid leak eating off positive terminal. had to leave car overnight at work brakes are due replacement due to "brake fade". car is total disapointment. would trade it in, but i owe more than vehicle is worth.

My 1999 chevy mailbu has had many problems. i will start with the 2 fuel injecters replaced 2 months after purchasing. the car begin to run rough then would have problems starting. then there was the altanator, the thermostat, the head and intake gaskets and the numurous electical problems. the electrical problems still cannot be solved after numrous tripsto the repair shop. most of the problems have been corrected on more than one occasion. as a consumer i hope you will help us malibu owners who are in destress. i know the auto companies are in financial trouble but that still does not excuse making an unsafe auto. i am afraid enough not to drive my car. i feel i put my family and myself in danger taking thsi car on the road. i hope you will help correct this problem. i feel my only next option is to contact a lawyer over my legal rights.

The brake lights went out. when checking the problem for repair we found that the lights failed because they had been so hot the plastic melted over the contacts. this has happened to 3 of the 4 lights, but the 4th has signs of being very hot also. the fuse should blow before these lights get this hot. this manufacturing is unacceptable. what if all the brake lights were to go out at the same time??? big problems!*ak

Purchased vehicle 5/04/01. had to return 2 days later for melted brake light sockets on left rear. bulbs were replaced. melted again within 3 weeks. went back to dealer, was told they couldn't check it they were too busy. made appointment to have fixed. they replaced bulbs and reworked socket but it still failed. they said that there is nothing else they can do. i have replaced bulbs on average every 2-3 weeks. i think they have an electrical short causing the bulbs to melt the sockets. now the turn signal and back-up lights are starting to melt. the interior dome light also works sporadically. front brakes shudder when applied and have been replaced, rotors were cut. still having shudder and extended stopping distances.*ak

Vehicle will stall at any speed. please provide more information.*ak

Horn was replaced twice by the dealer. no lights illuminated on the dashbaord as linked to another problem. this keeps causing a short circuit.*ak consumer stated the vehicle has been to the dealership 5 times for electrical problems, the multi-function switch, relay switch and cancel cam horn were all replaced, also the intake manifold gasket was leaking oil due to the gasket being improperly sealed, the oil pump drive seal was replaced.*jb

Alternator replaced. dealer thought would remedy stalling/coolant leak at 38000 miles. manual said no maintenance needed until 150000 or 5 years. dealer told her to replace coolant, it kept leaking. finally, dealer found crack in intake manifold, replaced that. water pump was replaced due to leaking. *ak the a/c had never worked properly. the battery cable snapped off due to corrosion. *yh

This vehicle has had several problems i'll try to list.the airbags did not deploy they had been replaced when they fixed the horn problems.completely dissatisfied with my vehicle.i'm not sure if vehicle will be totaled since the accident was 9/6/01. i believe at the very least the airbags should have deployed.i don't know who to complain to.i've replaced rear brakes and rotors,altenator,water pump,battery,horn contact replaced twice at same time had to replace air bag due to sensor behind airbag,interior door panel replaced bracket broken,oil light continued to come on often even though service dealer could not dulpicate,air conditioner not blowing hard secured blower and blower resister wiring another time had to replaced a/c control unit,engine leaking oil around intake replaced intake gaskets,rear seat sqeaked w/ passengers service shop had attempted to fix but was unsuccessful ,so as you can tell many problems!!! makes me think twice before buying a chevrolet product again.thank you

I have noticed several mailbu's where brake lights have failed. *ak

Lugs: nuts- these are constantly loose,i can turn them bye hand. some are broken right off.and the chevrolet h.q.and dealership(wildd dodge) along with the chevydealership(ewalds) keep givin me the run around. the paint is simply peeling off the hood of the car,the rotors are grinding and are beginning to peel apart.the back bumper is starting to hang,and the back tail lights are melting and constantly out.*ak

Positive post on battery leaked battery acid. not charging properly. informed by service technician at the dealer that this is a fairly common occurence for acdelco batteries. was also told i was lucky to have been able to drive it in to the dealer- they often times will die while running or will not start at all. battery was replaced under warranty, but with another acdelco product. *ak

Car purchased 5/00-2 map sensors, fuel filter, shortage to alternator, been in shop 6times in 2months, car stalls in the middle of traffic and at rest.no solution found. dangerous in traffic!!

Rotors and pads were replaced, control panel went out. happened 3 times. *ak

1 - brake failure at 15,000 miles; replaced brakes 4 times after dealer and manufacturer (chevrolet) failed to repair; i purchased 3 calipers, 4 rotors and many brake pads at costs of $1,000. 2 - gas guage sending unit failed after 60,000 miles; could not determine proper fuel level; purchased and replaced unit at cost of $325. 3 - intake manifold failed at 45,000 miles; vehicle experienced severe overheating; dealer charged $700 to perform valve job after charging $700 to replace intake manifold; 4 - battery failed after 25,000 miles; positive post fell out of battery; purchased replacement and did not have vehicle towed to dealer because i was in california from texas on a trip - costs $70 . *ak

1999 chevrolet malibu, the theft system will malfunction and the car will not start for 10 to 15 minutes. this is a safety issue if the car happens to stahl at an intersection or you need to get away quickly from robber or carjacker. *tr

Brake pads and rotors experience unusual wear. *slc

Front brake pads replaced and rotors turned, rear brakes serviced. *cj

At less than 3000 miles car started to lose power in acceleration. and transmission started shifting roughly. has now been to dealership 5 times for the same problem. my children and i have almost gotten ran over by other automobiles numerous times, simply because the car would not go. while the car was in for the 2nd repair of the clock spring they broke the tilt lever and scratched trim on steering column. tires are wearing unevenly dealer stated this was normal for a malibu. this car has been nothing but problems since the first day. i have driven more loaner cars than i have my own that i continue to make payments on. most of the miles on my car has been due to repeated visits to the shop. i am very unhappy with this car, the dealership, the service dept., and the way gm has handled the case. *ak( dot number: 93t m + s tire size: p2155or15 )

Please understand this is not the normal static electric shock you occasionally get from other vehicles. this is on the order of three or four times as strong. i am concerned that the energy released during one of these electric shocks could ignite gas fumes at a gas station when i go to fill up the gas tank.

Vehicle purchased in may 1999,has been in the shop 16 times for repairs, including inoperable horn, warped rotors,turned once, resurfaced once and finally replaced, interior vinyl peeling, replaced once and is occuring again,windows stuck in down position, current work order to have windows checked, break pedal making a "creaking" noise when depressed, recently repaird with at least 4-5 visits to the dealer with no successful repair of problem, defective motor on the heater, making strange noise, air conditioning is now starting to "smell" vehicle rolls when put in park, notified factory and have current file number, factory informed me that if it's still under warranty and in need of repair to bring it in...there is nothing else we (the factory) can do...i believe too numerous repairs in an 11 month period..still have outstanding work orders for needed future repairs. *ak

While operating the vehicle the rpm gauge started to show max rpm readings to 0 and changing rapidly. the car was being driven to the repair shop to have this checked when at a intersection the vehicle just cut off. the engine did not stop but the car could only be moved very slowly until a minute or two past then the speed went up a bit. the repair facility found a crankshaft sensor and the computer to be the fault. currently the vehicle runs good, but the gas mileage is only about 17-18 mpg. will turn it back into the german dealer to have this checked. *ak

Electrical system malfunctioned, causing brake light to be inoperative/ air conditioner to turn off/ abs light to come on and off, and vehicle to stall unexpectedly which may result in a crash. dealer replaced battery/ alternator, and etc. took to dealer for these problems 13 times. dealer could not determine cause. *ak all left side and right side brake lights failed. the a/c was shorting. the vehicle stalled on highway on the day it was repaired. the consumer believes the vehicle was unsafe. *yh

Was driving vehicle on freeway, hit a small bump in the road. the car stopped running instantly. all dash lights came on, all gauges went flat (spedometer, tach, fuel, temp), loss of power steering, power brakes. i had to make an emergency stop on the side of the road. i turned the ignition all the way off, then tried to restart the car. it restarted. dealer could not find the problem.

Problems with brakes since car was new, engine oil leaks, electrical problems