Problems with 2003 Chevrolet Malibu ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Anti-theft system activates very frequently & under various conditions. *tr

Passlock system activates unpredictably on a 2003 chevy malibu. the only remedy is to wait 10 minutes for it to reset and then the car will start. this caused my son to be late in getting to his job that day. car was brought to a mechanic about a year ago for this very problem, and it was temporarily fixed by reprogramming and replacing the passlock sensor. the problem was fixed until now. it is a recurring issue, and is unpredictable in its occurrence. if this were to happen in the wrong place, like a darkened parking garage, someone could be mugged or attacked, or it happened in the winter, they could freeze or suffer hypothermia waiting 10 minutes for the car to start. *tr

My car would not start. i thought it was the battery. the battery was fine. i took it to the dealership and they said my passlock sensor failed. to replace it was $1200. i don't even have an alarm on my car just the factory installed theft system. i feel it is a defect with the car manufacturer, nothing i did to the car. *tr

2003 chevrolet malibu faulty ignition switch vehicle shut off in the middle of the road. *mw the consumer stated she had to replace the ignition switch on two different occasions. the first time was september 28, 2006 and the second time was june 3, 3014. after the second switch was installed, the consumer experienced other problems. she was informed the vehicle needed a body control module and lock switches. the dealer installed a chip in the keys, which did not correct the ignition problem. the front struts were replaced and the fuel pump needed to be replaced. *jb

At some point, i triggered my alarm system by not using the remote key and manually unlocked my car door. right after, i tried to restart my car, at which time it cranked, but did not start. since this incident of triggering my alarm, i have been daily reminded of this.. with the crank, no start. i have taken the car to the dealer who informed me that i need a pcm (power control module) which they replaced but to no avail. two days later, the car was crank/no start again and again. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated the vehicle failed to start when the key was inserted into the ignition. the contact mentioned that several attempts had to be made before the vehicle started and the theft system warning light illuminated intermittently. the problem recurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the ignition switch malfunctioned causing the electronic chip in key lost communication with the electronic module control. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the manufacture informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in any recalls regarding the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000. the vin was unavailable.

Car would not start at work wednesday morning, approximately 9:30 am. my husband came to look at it after work, approximately 5:45 pm. called chevrolet to have them tow it under warranty. tow truck showed up around 8:30 pm and towed to dominion chevrolet. dominion did not return any phone calls on the 6th until a little after 5:00 pm. they informed us that the anti-theft / ignition switch had gone bad and it would be replaced the next day. did not receive key or paperwork when picked up, just 10+ scratches all over my car. *jb

I have a 2003 chevy malibu. it won't start due to a flaw in the theft detection system. this has caused me many problems!! as i understand, this is pretty costly to repair. due to finances, i have not had the problem repaired. a mechanic gave me an alternative way to start the car which involves getting under the car and bypassing the ignition. chevy is fully aware of the problem and it should be recalled!!!!*jb

Own 2003 chevy malibu that will just shut off. the anti theft system built in the vehicle will do this. have to wait 10 min before it resets itself then it will start. chevy dealership that i went to is aware of this problem in this model and offered to fix it for $400. i was told that this is fairly common. sounds like a defect to me and needs to be fixed for free by gm. bought the car brand new. this started in 2006 and has continued to do this 1 or 2 times a month since then. *tr

When driving after a rain noticed there was water in right rear taillight. when trying to start the car the only way to get it started was to disconnect the negative battery terminal and reset the computer . well that was great except you might not want the car started then because everytime you step on the brake the radio shut off, gauges would peg out and not be able to be reset. then car would die in the middle of highway driving . if it takes the nhsta to have a death for someone i am not the one if it is water the car doesn't like i will send it back to detroit where they can put it in it's final resting place, lake michigan. let our voices be heard because these small inconveniences to them are major expenses to us all . and they wonder why the car industry is struggling own up to the problem general motors. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle starts intermittently. it was taken to the dealer, upon inspection the ignition needed to replaced due to the anti theft device. the manufacturer has not been alerted.

My turn signals do not always work. apparently there is a faulty hazard light switch that shorts out and causes the turn signals to non function. i was reading on the consumer affairs website that this is a common problem with malibus. *nm

I have a 2003 malibu sedan, and the alarm/horn has a defect. last year we had a high power wind storm and my alarm blew for about 45 minutes (2 horns). they finally died down by themselves. my car was not hit by anything except for the high winds. i had to take fuse #43 out to make the horn stop blowing every time i started my car. my car need to pass inspection, but the dealership want to charge me $95.00 an hour, to do an exploratory deal on the car, to locate the problem. another car repair company told me the cost would be $900.00, but could not justify, what they were going to do. they stated it could be the turn signal or it could be the fuse under my air bag on the steering wheel. no one can actually explain to me what's wrong, but they want to charge the heck out of me. i do not have that type of money for exploratory examinations on my car. i am quite sure the manufacturer know what the problem is with this malibu, and can fix it without a problem. i can not afford this, i was not told the car had two recalls on it when i brought the car. i feel this is very wrong, i would have never purchase the car, if i knew of recall problems. now i am stuck in the middle without a horn/alarm system. since the dealership wanted to go into my steering wheel to check the fuse for $95.00 an hour, my air bag light comes on. *tr

I have a 2003 chevy malibu. one day after work, i could not get my car to start. it sounded like it wanted to crank, but would not. myself and a few of my coworkers continued to play with it and finally, about 10 minutes later, it started. i took it to a mechanic near my work place. i was informed by the mechanic that he had a chevy that did the same thing. he informed me that chevy is aware of the problem but does not know what causes it. he showed me that if i turn the ignition on without starting the car and all the dash lights appear, it will start. if i turn the ignition on and only the theft system light appears, it will not start and i would have to continue to play with it until all the dash lights appear. it did okay for the next couple of days but starting again and does it frequently now. a little over a week ago, i was driving home and was approaching a railroad track. as i neared that track i heard my doors unlock (which does not happen unless i manually unlock them or the ignition is turned off). i realized that my car had cut off while i was driving. thankfully, it had enough momentum to cruise across the railroad track and i was able to steer it off the main road until i could start it again. the local dealership has been notified. *nm

I have a 2003 chevy mailibu and learned that my anit-theft system will not allow me to start my car even with the key in the ignition. from what i have learn is that i have to wait 10 minutes when i am "locked out" from driving my car before the anti-theft system light goes out then i can start the car and drive. i researched the problem on the internet and found out that i am not the only owner of a chevy mailbu who experience this issue. i learned that other owners had to pay large amounts of money to get the ignition lock cylinder replaced, but this did not always solve the problem. the same owners had to go back to the dealership and pay even more money to get other parts replace. the replacement of all the parts did not always fix the issue completely. also, found out that gm does know about the issue but won't recall the cars because it is not consider a safety issue. but i will like to disagree with that, because it is a safety issue to me. i may have an emergency and be in a need to go to the hospital but my car may not start and i would have to call 911 for help all the time. some people can't not always afford the ambulance ride to the hospital. also, i may be traveling through some unfamiliar places and i don't think that i can sit in my car for 10 minutes while someone may want to do harm to me. this is a big safety issue to me. i also fear that one day my car may cut off on me while i am driving due to my anti-theft system and i may get into an accident. from researching the issue, i read about some owners who are parents and they fear that the car will one day not work due to the anti-theft system and they may need to get medical attention for their child, but are unable to do so due to their car not working. i know that other car owners have complaint about the same issue. i also believe that gm should be responsible for fixing this issue since it is a "known" issue. and are the new 2006 ...

2003 chevy malibu has defective ignition lock cylinder. my car has 49000 miles on it and this is the second time the ignition lock cylinder has kept me stranded. this time i was in a somewhat dangerous area, and had no phone or way to get to one. when car was under warranty the dealer replaced the cylinder and now they want a couple of hundred bucks to do it again. *jb

Hvac system has had numerous problems from the fan not working in selected speeds to the air recirculate function failing to engage or to remain engaged. the ac would cut on and off during use the recirculate function would stop working the ac system would not turn on the system control unit, evaporator core and compressor was replaced without any resolution of the problem. the system still fails to work. multiple repairs done without resolution. *tr

Twice now, my car has not started due to the anti-theft system. i have only had the car a year and half and it is about to do it a third time. i know this because each time the theft system light comes on and off for about three weeks before the car won't start. i cannot get the car to a dealership right away, i have to remedy the situation myself by resetting the computer which erases any code that was stored, and therefore the car cannot get fixed. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet malibu. after the key was entered into the ignition, the vehicle failed to operate. in addition, the anti theft warning light illuminated continuously. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the pass lock sensor needed to be repaired and the ignition system needed to be reprogrammed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

After a year the lights on the dashboad/radio and window wouldn't come on right away. then the engine light would come on but there's was nothing wrong with it. then the service light would come on month after i had a oil change done. while i was driving, the car just slowed up and stop. told by my mechanic it was the fuel pump but while he had it for half the day; the car started right up with no problem. also sometimes there's a clicking noise like my signal is on but its not. i was told it was my alarm key. every time there is a incident computer shows it but can't explain the problem and it stop for awhile but comes back. been like this since i had it and i have taken it to the dealer they keep it over night same thing.

06/17/05 car stopped with no warning on a hot day with 4 kids not good! cylinder 2.188/ bcm 2.560 08/01/05 car stopped with no warning hot day 3 kids heading out of town! module3.107/fuel filter 3.890 just purchased the vehicle 01/28/05. *nm

The cherolet malibu we own thinks it is being stolen as the key has a computer chip in it and at times won't communicate with the computer in the car.today i had to have it towed for the third time because there is no other way to solve the problem other than getting it to the dealer.my husband and i are in poor health and need a reliable car.it has only 49000 miles on it.

Started in 2005 when car was bought used, auto theft system light will come on and soon after car will not start did this for 5 years straight off and on then completely stopped for 3 years now has started back up in 2013. this is very annoying afraid car won't start when needed for an emergency. also when put into park key will not come out until you mess with shifter and you hear the click of it going into park. *tr

The anti-theft system check light has turned on a total of four times and has caused the fuel supply to cut off and not start the vehicle. manufacturer has been contacted by consumer. *jb

Cd player inoperative - dealership diagnosed as manufacturer defect- internal radio/cd failure. dealership service removed radio/cd and sent out for an exchange unit. dealership service reinstalled radio new cd player and, again, inoperative. equipment-electrical system failure/inoperable. dealership still trying to reorder exchange units that would work without success and great inconvenience to owner. *jb

Tl* the contact own a 2003 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired however, the repair failed to remedy the vehicle. the contact mentioned that the ignition switch was replaced on three occasions. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v171000 (electrical system). the approximate failure and current mileage was 240,000.

Passlock system is defective due to nickel plating on starter tumbler causing oxidation. dealers are able to make a killing on this defective connector because they have to troubleshoot a full fuel pump system and wiring harness before they will replace the passlock system. occurs once every few months intermittently and becomes more serious as the oxidation worsens. potentially dangerous situations occur when vehicle would stall in an unsafe location (ie: railroad tracks or highway) and vehicle will not restart. coupled with the recall these vehicles had with the accelerator sticking (which mine did on a highway) this could be a very dangerous problem. i have researched the problem online (all you have to do is google "passlock problem" and you will get thousands of results and consumer fixes complaining about how gm ignores every service request for a solution that doesn't gouge customers. there is practically an underground club designed to handle this problem.) according to the shop foreman at colonial chevrolet in norfolk, va, after his 14 years of experience with service this is a problem he is intimately acquainted with and recommends replacing the key tumbler (passlock chip integrated inside) and the connector that leads to the body control module. *tr

Regarding my previous complaint about my 2003 chevrolet malibu that wouldn't start, doors were locking themselves,and warranty was up... i carried the car to the dealership where i purchased it new and upon checking the car and finding a code for a problem that showed up with my body control module while they had it on thier computer, the service man informed me that he was ordering a new body control module and was going to cover it for me under warranty. *ak

I drove my 2003 malibu to a friends house and parked it for about 10 minutes. could not restart the car. it would turn over and sound like it wanted to crank, but wouldn't start. had to have it towed. mechanic said that it was some sort of body computer problem and the anti theft system wasn't letting the car start. said that it had shorted out internally. the mechanic reset the thing but after cranking the car 4 times, the problem recurred. mechanic said computer would have to be replaced at a cost of about $500. at just over 41,000 miles, the warranty is no good on my car anymore. however, i told the service men at the dealership where i purchased my car months ago that the doors were locking by themselves after i'd exited the car and walked about 12 feet away. told them that it had happened several times and asked if they'd had any other similar complaints. he just looked at me, laughed and said that he'd not heard anything like that before. if a short in the body computer is causing the anti theft to activate so the car won't start, then it seems likely to me that the same short could have been causing my doors to lock. instead of checking that problem out at the dealer when i first told them about it,and my warranty was still good, the service man just told me that i was probably hitting the button on my remote keyless entry. i don't even have keyless entry on my car and i told him that. still all i got then was a laugh and a shoulder shrug. if the problem with the door locks had of been checked out, then the problem that i'm having now may have already been detected while my warranty was still good. bought this car new and feel like the dealer or the manufacturer should cover costs of parts and repair. would like to know if there are similar complaints and how they've been handled. *nm

Just looking for place to enter vin # no safety defect lidted in summary. *ak

The car will turn off by itself. we will be driving along and then for what seems like no reason the car shuts off - the ps/pb don't work, nothing. the car starts right back up but this is very dangerous. we took the car back to the dealer and they said that there were too many keys on our key ring and that is why it was turning off - well it doesn't happen with the same key ring on any of the other cars we own so why just on this car? i believe this relates back to tsb 052203, but it is still very dangerous and gm isn't doing anything about it. this has been an ongoing problem and hasn't gone away. *tr

Headlights, dashlights, go dim, flicker when step on brakes. also heater fan slows down when step on brakes. *la

The key will shift from the 'on' position to the 'accessory' or 'off' position by itself and without warning. this shuts down the engine, ps, pb, airbags.... i first complained about this back in 2003/2004 to the dealer and was told to remove the keys form the key ring. now this car is under a recall (gm recall #n14350, nhtsa recall #14v400) and all gm and the dealer say they will do is shave off some of the plastic from the gm emblem on the original keys to make them lighter. i was told that they do not even have to have the car in the shop - all they do is modify the plastic emblem on the original keys. this won't solve the problem as i don't use the original gm keys and there is no plastic to shave off and i don't have a huge key ring full of keys. this is an ignition problem, not a key problem. *tr

Car has stalled numorus times in traffic. at city speeds and highway speeds, even in the fast lane at rush hour.have you ever seen a semi that is tailgating try to stop at sixty-five in your rearview mirror because your engine just stalled? i fear for my life every time the dealer calls and say's come pick it up i think we got it fixed? how can they send me out with a vehicle that they dont even know if its fixed? when they can't even find out what is causing it to happen? it's been in the shop eight times for stalling. they replace a part and send me out on the road like a test rat hoping the brand new car i bought keeps running so i don't die or worse cause someone else to. they have checked the wiring,computers, engine, even duplicated the problem.how do i ever feel like i can drive this car safley. i have no choice because the big car company dont care for me. it's sales they care about. it's been at the dealership for six days now, no problem i'll send my payment in even though it's been in the shop for about thirty days the last four months.