Anti-theft Controller problems of the 2001 Chevrolet Malibu - part 2

2001 chevy Malibu theft system, my car will not start.

This car is an absolute lemon,it forces you to use dexcool antifreeze and this eats away the rubber in the lines,have spent thousands fixing head gaskets and redoing the whole cooling system to be able to use the old green antifreeze and after all of the problems(cant afford new car!) I have looked on line and I am not alone,thousands have had same problem,this needs to be recalled. It is common knowledge with chevy about the anti theft system,you have to put key in on pos. And wait ten mins for it to reset. I have lost a job b/c I was late for work too many times,have had ignition replaced twice,it has nothing to do w/ignition. I get stuck in the middle of nowhere car wont start and gotta freeze to death (in michigan!) waiting for it to reset. This is ridiculous. And chevy does nothing!.

2001 Chevrolet Malibu pass key system will engage much of the time. My wife has to leave the key on for ten minutes plus before the anti-theft light will go out and the car will start. Dealer wants to keep replacing the ignition switch to fix the system but it never does go away.

Anti-theft system prevents car from starting. Car has slightly over 100,00 miles on it and suddenly recurring problems with the anti-theft system prevented the car from starting. Initially turning the key to on and letting the anti-theft system reset fixed the problem but it kept getting worse until now when the anti-theft light remains on and nothing will make it go off. In researching this I've discovered it is a common complaint for 2001 Chevrolet Malibu LS owners and very expensive to fix. Chevrolet is not supporting this issue through a recall and they should.

On at least 20 occasions over the past 4 years when attempting to start the vehicle the anti-theft system will activate for no apparent reason, which disables the ability to start the engine. If I turn the ignition key to on position and wait for 10 minutes, then turn the key to the off position and then attempt to start the engine it will startup successfully. This is very annoying and potentially dangerous when it happens while parked in dark parking lots late at night or operating the vehicle in very cold weather. This problem has been reported by tens of thousands of gm owners over the past several years. Why hasn't gm been forced to repair the problem?.

Theft system warning light comes on and will not let car be restarted until I leave key in started switch for 10 minutes.

Anti-theft system prevents car from starting. Falsely detects that ignition key is not the correct key for this automobile, even thou this key has been used to start the car thousands of times. To overcome the problem driver must turn off ignition, turn key to on position and wait approximately 10 minutes for the computer to register the key as being correct, turn the ignition key to off and then turn it to start to get the car started. This has happened to us at least 100 times during the past 6 years. Gm service says the remedy is to replace the ignition switch at a cost of $400. 00. This problem has been frequently reported by hundreds of thousands of gm 1998 thru 2006 automobile owners. I believe this is an engineering defect and should be repaired for free by gm. This is a safety issue with these cars and trucks.

Anti theft pass key car will not start due to theft protection kicking in have to reset everytime I want to start the car.

I have a 2001 chevy Malibu. The anti theft system light keep coming on causing me to wait for 10 - 15 minutes for it to reset. Causing me to go back to dealer to get my key reprogram. A very expensive job. I've not had it done yet. I've researched this and have found out that this is common among Malibu owners. What can we do to have gm recall our car to fix this problem. This problem last occurred on June 4, 2008. I've had this problem for awhile.

The anti-theft system on my 2001 Chevrolet Malibu frequently activates for no apparent reason, causing a ten minute waiting period before the car will start. This device does more harm than good and leaves me stranded in undesirable areas to in which to be stranded.

Gm passlock system is failing in the vehicle. Problems incurred are: no-start and engine shut-down while in operation. Sudden loss of power in vehicle is serious safety concern.

I purchased my 2001 in 2003 and has never given me any problems. But at the end of March my Malibu would not start. I had it towed and got a full tune up and it ran for about a week before it started skipping. I took it back to the mechanic and he gave the car a transmission flush and it ran for about a week. Two days later while I was driving the car it cut off, I was able to restart it but then Sunday morning 4/20/08 it would not start. I called my mechanic and he noticed that the anti-theft light was blinking and indicated that the system had locked me out, and that the ignition no longer recognizes the chip in the key. I have read online that several owners have been experiencing this problem. I am anger that general motors has not taken ownership of this very serious problem this problem and issued a recall. My car has 41,000 mi and I should not be having problems like this. This is not relevant to wear and tear this is a defected product and a safety issue that warrants the attention of the manufactures and owners who are having problems with their vehicle. This could possibly prove to be fatal if the car suddenly stops in the middle of traffic on the street or highway like my car did. My husband and I were lucky this time. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, and was contemplating trading for the newer 2008 model, not anymore.

Problems with anti-theft system. Car would not start. Have had to have car towed to dealership twice and had the ignition pass lock changed both times within a 6 month period. The third time it happened was one day before the 1 year guarantee on the parts and labor of the previous replacement ran out. Had car towed again. This time they said it was the wiring harness to the pass lock. They said it was corroded and they replaced it but I had to pay for it since it was not the same part as the pass lock part they replaced twice before. Naturally I have no way of knowing whether the wiring harness corrosion was the real problem on the first, second or third time. They never reimbursed me for the tow on the second replacement that was under their warranty either. Tow truck driver told me that this was an almost everyday occurrence for him on gm vehicles that he towed. Recall and reimbursement seems to be in order.

Cannot start engine because of anti-theft system.

Anti-theft light comes on then the car just wont start. Had many sensors, as well as ignition switches, replaced. At my cost! had to be towed, pushed, and pulled, too many times to count. Wont ever by a chevy again. Ever!!!! if you own a 2001 chevy Malibu, sell it trade it. Whatever you do get rid of it. Save yourselves! a lot of money too.

Car initially failed to start. Towed vehicle to shop. Shop couldn't find any thing wrong. Kept on happening. After multiple tows it was determined that it was the anti-theft system. System replaced-was ok for 3 months now happening again. Should not have to put $400 into same problem every 3-4 months.

I went outside to start my 2001 chevy Malibu and it wouldn't start. So I had it towed to mechanics they kept my car for a week. They could find a trouble code to find out what cased the problem of the anti theft system to go on. I use the same key everyday no one there to steal the car. So now my light stay on all the time an I learned how to program the code myself this way I don't have to pay every time it don't start. All so my turn signals stop working sometimes I never took it to get fix because I learned that if you push the hazard lights they will work again.

2001 Malibu with 50,525 miles with first occurrence 12/07/06. Passlock system failure and car will not start (new fuel pump). Anti theft light keeps blinking and car won't start continues almost monthly. Malibu has been towed to dealer 7 times since Dec 06. Fuel pump replaced Dec 06 not the problem. Iginition cylinder not the problem. Towed again 10/17/07 same problem. Dealer clipped 3 wires to passlock sytem said they were crimped. (that might be the problem according to tech) however, probably been that way since car purchased in 2001 new. Wait and see. Called gm at one point and they covered half of a $800 repair bill. So far over $1500. 00 in repairs and $400. 00 plus in towing plus rental car fees. Gm why not recall? too many complaints on same problem.

This 2001 chevy Malibu is junk the anti-theft light keeps coming on the car starts only half the time. The sad thing is my wife and 4 month old baby rides in this car with me when it dies out on the high way here in town and it does it on busy streets here in town. My wife used to love gm products but now after this car and pontiac grand am we had she hates gm. It disappointing they have all bad consumer rating and no recall to fix this.

Ignition switch / passlock anti-theft system prevents vehicle from starting about 70 percent of the time.

Car fails to start due to passlock system. Manufacture defect.

The passlock system on my 2001 chevy Malibu (the absolute worst car I have ever owned) is bad. Took it to the dealership several times under warranty and was told that they fixed it. Now it's way off of warranty and the system is failing on a weekly basis. $500 to fix, chevy won't issue a recall or (as usual) offer to fix the problem which there are literally thousands of complaints on.

Electrical problems, with anti theft lock switch, kill switch, hazard and signal lights.

Theft device replaced in ignition switch twice in just over 2 years, both repairs over $300+. Last time it failed while driving down the road, ignition just shut off. Had to tow to dealership to repair. Wife luckily got car stopped and someone helped push out of street. I see this complaint a lot. Sounds like it should be a recall just like the rest of the junk that is failing on these models. I will never buy Chevrolet again.

I have a 2001 chevy Malibu and I have had to many hard times trying to start it due to the theft system in the car. And gm don't make a recall for this problem.

The car would turn on but would not start. I tried jumping but it still wouldn't work. I had it towed to a mechanic and spent $200 for them to tell me the anti-theft system needed to be reset. A few weeks later the car did the same thing. I did some research, and found out it could be reset by leaving the car on for 10 to 20 minutes then start it. Also, I read this was a common problem with Malibu owners and gm was doing nothing to remedy the problem.

I own a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu, for the last 3 1/2 years I have had to replace the ignition cylinder 3 times. The theft light will come on and the car will shut down. The dealer told me that this was a common problem and gm won't do anything about it. So here I am again having to replace the part again.

I purchased a used 2001 Malibu and have experienced problems with the anti-theft system , and learned of it being a common problem from a number of sources ,and would like to support any efforts to get gm to fix what was clear to me a system design defect. The intent of the system may be well meaning and may work well, however, when it causes the owners of the vehicle such inconvenience, and who knows how much money. In 3 weeks of ownership of this car this has occurred twice. The first time it cost me over $200 and over 12 hours of trouble shooting to discover way to get the car running. The second time it was just the annoyance of having to wait for the system to reset.

About 1 year ago I purchased a 2001 chevy Malibu. I loved my car! that summer my sister and I went to the beach and spent the whole day there. When we got into my car to crank it up the theft light was on and it would not crank. I had to wait for 3 hours for a tow truck to come all the way out to the beach. I was told that the computer chip in my key was wrong and I needed another key. Well I got a key made and it worked fine. Today I got off of work and was on my way to taco bell and my theft light came on, my car started but what is this problem. I do not want to stop anywhere just in case my car wont start. I am pregnant now and it is 95 degrees outside, am I expected to wait? what happens when I have my child and this happens? I did an internet search and this seems to be a big problem. Does someone have to get hurt or even die from this in order for a recall? I think it is crazy that I spent money on a car with defects and no one will fix this. Believe me I will not stop with this complaint. .

The anti-theft on the car has caused me to be late to work many time since I bought it in January 2001. Also, it has caused me to be stranded alone in shopping centers until I could get a tow truck to come. Many times! incident date was the last date it happened.

Chevrolet Malibu, year 2001. Repeated problems with pass lock / anti-theft system malfunctioning. Two separate conditions occurred 1. System will malfunction so that vehicle cannot be started , cannot bypass/reset the anti-theft system. 2. System will not arm itself, and theft system does not provide intended purpose. Addressed this with Chevrolet , and they refused to acknowledge any service bulletin related to this problem. They could only recommend that I contact my dealer. My concern is with the possibility of the theft system malfunctioning and causing the vehicle to stall while in motion. This problem has reoccurred seven times since October, 2006. So far, it has been possible to reset problem (1) by keeping the key in the accessory position for 10 minutes, and "problem ; (2) by turning the driver door lock 3 times to the right, then once to the left, then starting the vehicle. (these measures were obtained from an internet search which revealed widespread problems of this nature with this vehicle type.

I have had several instances were the 2001 Chevrolet Malibu won't start after the theft system light came on. I have replaced the ignition cylinder once ,and I refused to pay to get the same item fixed within a year. Gm needed to do a recall and have this fixed. There were hundreds of people with the same problem and something needs to be done.

My wife went shopping after a long trip, so the car should have been fairly warm. After she finished her shopping, the vehicle wouldn't start and the theft light was on. Because she has seen me fix the problem several times, she knew to turn the key to the on position, wait 10 minutes for the theft light to go out, turn the key to the off position, wait a few seconds, and restart the car. No one was injured.

My 2001 Malibu suddenly would not start. The battery checked out okay, etc. It did not have any power at all. My husband removed the battery cables. Upon replacing them the anti-theft light came on and the car still would not start. Upon resetting the system, the anti-theft light went out and the car is running again. Now I am concerned that the car will stop again on the interstate with my infant in the car.

Loaded up the family for a trip and the car won't start. Theft light is on and I've had the problem too many times before, so I knew what to do. Turn the key into the on position, wait ten minutes for the theft light to turn off, turn the key to the off position for a few seconds and restart. No one was injured this time.