Table 1 shows two common seat belt related problems of the 2000 Chevrolet Malibu.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Rear Seat Belt problems | |
| Front Seat Belt Buckle Assembly problems |
Latch plates on the rear seat belts broke twice since vehicle ownership. Ph the feature was a sliding lock bar built into the latch plate assembly which broke twice on the consumers vehicle. Gm inspected the part and it was sent to an engineering for review. Gm agreed to replace the latch plate as a good will even though the vehicle was out of warranty. This feature was designed to lock the belt into place and prevent a child safety from rocking while vehicle is in motion. The vehicle was repaired.
On 4 occasions the tongue has been "false latched" into the buckle. On 1 occasion I travelled over 12 miles, came to a stop & it opened. On three occasions it opened when I was in the process of backing out of the drive. On everyone of these occasions, the seat belt light on the instrument panel went out and remained out until the tongue totally disengaged from the buckle. I do not specifically recall hearing the "click" but I do specifically recall feeling as if the tongue had engaged, but apparently it would "hang" on the lower left inboard corner of the buckle. (if that makes sense. ) I have taken it to the dealer and the replacement part for it will be installed this Monday, July 1st. The service man said there was a problem and it would be fixed under warranty (although the vehicle is out of warranty), but he would not (or could not) tell me what the problem was. I know in the "real world" "false latch" can not occur. However, I believe these events contradict this theory.