general problems of the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu

Battery keeps dying due to ignition switch not totally off.

Been having same ongoing problem for just over 9 months. Car stalled out while driving and wouldn't restart. Cranked over though. Had it towed and $700 later, a new fuel pump and fuel filter. Few days later tried to start, cranked over and nothing but noticed theft system light was on. Back to the shop. They replaced a fuel injector fuse. Ran great for a few months then started happening again. Researched the issue and came across the 10 minute process: when she don't start shut it off turn the key to accessory and wait 10 minutes. 100% starts every time. Called gm to see if there was a recall. Nothing to that description so they recommended I take it to a gm service center. Did that. Explained what was happening. They made me a new key and said try to see if that fixed the issue, that the repair would run around 200-300. Worked fine for a few weeks. Back to the 10 minute deal. Took it back and now they tell me it's a passlock sensor in the steering column that doesn't acknowledge the key. For a cool $800 they can fix it. . . . . Seems to me with what I've read and researched, it is definitely a recall issue.

Went to dealer who mentioned the only remedy for my car is a small piece on the car key (nothing done to the car) and since I had a copied key, they would be unable to help unless I had a gm key available.

Airbag red warning light is flashing on dashboard when turning the ignition. This happens intermittently. I am afraid the airbag will deploy at any time even if there is no car crash. This has happened at least 2 times. Once when the car was sluggish and I had to turn it off at atop light because it would not accelerate over 40 miles and hour. The other time it happened just when I was starting the car. I.

Theft system light, leaves me stranded, car won't start unless open door with key in ignition for exactly 10 minutes then car will start. I am a woman that is left stranded several times a week, at night and only way car will start is to have drivers door wide open with key in ignition and other doors will not lock, leaves me in a dangerous situation. Began a couple of years ago, approx. 50,000 miles, just getting worse and more frequent.

The ignition key cylinder will not allow my key to go to a vertical position when turning my car to the off position. The car would be stationary and in the park position, as a result, the car stays on and my battery gets drained and I need a jump all the time. I started detaching the battery when I go in and out of stores and overnight when sleeping and reconnecting when I go to a new destination. I reported this to the Chevrolet dealership and they gave me a key, telling me the problem was the size of the hole my key ring had. Needles to say the problem still exists. I had not driven it since may of 2015. Now that the weather is getting colder, I don't want to keep going on with this hastle. I am not financially able to rectify this situation out of pocket, yet, there has been a recall on the ignition switches. You would not want to be in my shoes. I pray I will be able to go to a Chevrolet dealership to fix or replace a switch for me. If not, god will bless me for I am not at fault for this faulty ignition switch. I spoke with t Chevrolet dealership this morning and the only thing they could do was put my vehicle identification number in and file a complaint. The complaint number is 8-1656466940.

Ignition switch. I would like to know why gm, while knowing since 2001 that the ignitions switches they were using in their vehicles since 1997 were defective but were allowed to continue to use these defective parts putting the lives of the drivers, their passengers and the every person on the road at the same time someone was driving one of these defective vehicles in danger?.

The antitheft light keeps coming on and vehicle will not start(which is a problem gm is aware of becouse it has been reported for years and is all over the internet). It came on while driving and after a few miles shut the car down. No brakes, no steering. Almost had a major accident.

On 9/04/14 took car into sawyer gm dealer to be serviced and inspected all went well and all passed everything, went to grocery store went to start car and key would not turn in the ignition to turn car on, tried everything possible. Sawyer came and tried but could not turn the key it was like frozen. They towed the car and said I needed a new ignition. Thy never told me about the recall on the two key rings and an insert in the key slot or cover over the key head on all ignition keys. They put in a new cylinder & switch# 25832354 & a new key assembly# 2852058 for the total of $523. 80. I recvd a recall letter after that because I called gm corp. Went to sawyers they told me they could not help me. Mr. John cotich, manager supervisor of parts dept. Was very sarcastic. My question 1. Why didn't they tell me about recall# 14350 ? 2. If this is a defect than why did I have to pay for a brand new ignition, switch & key assembly? now my abs light won't go off and when you want to turn the car off it won't go to the off position without jiggling the shifting lever when it is in park , when you put the car in park and you try to turn it to off it doesn't go to off all the way and then you have to jiggle the shift and then the key will go to off all the way. This should not be happening. I do not feel very safe with all these issues taking place and am very leery about driving this vehicle. Am I still supposed to get this recall # 14350 done or what? I would appreciate it if some one knowledgeable would & could give me answers. Expecting to hear from you as soon as possible. This is very frustrating to say the least. If you would like copies of the bill and the inspection & service I will mail them to you . Thank you.

We had to have the intake manifold replaced, at 55,000 miles, which didn't occur until 2012, because I don't put a large amount of miles on my car annually. I could not get any money from the recall, because the class action suit payout ended in 2008, and I was never made aware. Both the front and rear struts are leaking fluid. I was told all four need, replacement, and the mounts as well. . The mechanics said normally these shouldn't need replacement until 75,000-80,000 miles minimum, and should have lasted until 100,000 which is normal. I'm a gentle driver who doesn't lend my car out. I drive over speed bumps very slowly in our town, because I didn't want suspension issues. Our town's speed limit is 15 mph over the speed bumps, and I do 7mph over then. Others with a 1999-2003 Malibu, have told me their struts have worn out just as fast also. (at 50,000 miles or so).

Driving car on highway when it powered down, turned off, lost power steering, etc. Had to pull over, stop car, and restart it. Prior to this, had been driving it in town on side street and the same thing happened.

After driving from our house to a family members house, we had parked our car to visit for a while. When we returned not even 30 mins later, we went to start the car and it wouldn't start. After many past issues with this, we sent it in to a shop to have them take a look at it. They stated that the theft-alert system was malfunctioning. I wish chevy would finally recall this issue.

I would like to commend your company for making a durable product. However, I purchase a 2003 chev-malibu in 2004 from carmax-raliegh, n. C. According to the carfax, there was only one previous owner. I purchased the extended warranty for only three years and had the vehicle serviced by rick hendrix Chevrolet in durham, n. C. After the warranty expired, I would take my vehicle to a certified mechanic in norfolk, va that I have dealt for the past 20 years. Consequently, I would have repairs done and he kept the car running as required. However, about year 2010, during regular maintenance - the check engine light came on, followed by the service engine light - then the vehicle would start but no display on the dash and no electrical functions worked? about 5-10 minutes later with car still running - the dash would light up and electrical functions operable. My mechanic was able to eliminate to check engine/service engine displays with required maintenance. However, the dash display and power loss continued? he decided to replace the ignition switch and shortly afterwards the same problems reappeared? now I have two separate keys, one for door/trunk locks and one for the ignition. Presently, even after maintenance, the vehicle has started missing/putting or possibly losing power? I contacted gm (800)222-1020 and (800)630-2438 and was told that my vehicle was not on the gm recall list? can you confirm that information and the reason why it is not on the list? do I really need to wait until my family is injured or worst before a defect is acknowledge?.

I. Was having trouble with the ignition couldn't get the key to work. It wouldn't turn and couldn't get the key out. I had the ignition replaced at my cost. Then I heard there was a recall for the ignition. I called gm they said they wont cover the cost of my repairs.

One of the tires slid on a puddle of water and stalled or vice or visa and hydroplaned off the highway rolling over several times and landing upside down in a ditch totaling the car. I was grateful to have survived the crash. I had just gotten the car out of the shop that same day. And the month before. The car repairs and the car notes and insurance payments were colliding.

Car powered off multiple times without warning while driving, triggering the doors to lock and unlock on their own. Luckily I was able to maneuver the car to the safe location quickly out of traffic, before the steering power was lost. There were many close calls! after powering off, had to pray it would start again because sometimes it would not. Took to firestone, they could not diagnose it. So I took to the chevy dealer. It was originally diagnosed as the fuel pump, which I paid to have replaced. A week later I still had the same problem. I went online to several blogs/websites and realized there were many people with the same issue with the Malibu. Some people online recommended replacing the ignition switch, based on the symptoms. I took the car to dealer and asked them to check my ignition switch, as it appeared online to be long standing issue which was never recalled. The dealer acknowledged that it was the ignition switch, a known issue for chevy and at that time I had my car repaired. Quite expensive and dangerous for driving. However, I noticed the 2003 Malibu is not listed on the current recalls. Many owners would agree that it should be.

My 2003 Malibu(65000 miles) started to idle high (2000-2500rpm). We took it to our regular mechanic shop, they decided it was the idle air control valve, replaced it and it worked fine until early June when it started idling high, intermittently. The rising idle would start with a rough acceleration, then the rpm's would start to rise and not come back down. We took it back and they could not get the problem to recur, so they told us to bring it in when it was acting up, since it was not constant. They assume at this point it was a faulty iac that had been replaced. 2 weeks later, it did and we took it in. The rpm's were close to 4000 and it was starting to overheat while the mechanic was checking it. That was on Monday, June 24, 2013. The mechanic reached into the engine and did something to stop the rpms from continuing to increase. Today is Wednesday and they do not know what the problem is. If anyone has any information on if this is a problem with this make and model, please let me know. Thank you.

On 9/4/2012 brought my car into king Chevrolet, in longmont, colorado, because my 'check engine light' kept coming on. Also I lost my electrical system, nothing electrical worked!! I was told that there was an internal short in the bcm, and was charged $639. 99 after my senior discount of $71. 28. Fine! two days later the same thing happened, check engine light came on!!! king Chevrolet told me they could not find anything wrong. Finally, on may 16, 2013 my vehicle was scanned with a tech tool scanner and the stored bcm codes indicated the ignition switch was bad. This was done by a king mechanic!!! it was misdiagnosed causing this outrageous charge of $639. 99!! the ignition switch was fixed (not by king), for $100. 00, and I have not had a problem since. I repeatedly emailed king about this, with no response. I don't think I should have been charged $639. 99 foe a misdiagnosed. Error by king Chevrolet. I always liked chevys, but I will not ever go to king Chevrolet again. It may not seem like a lot of money to you, but I am on a fixed income and had to put this on a credit card and pay interest. Not very good customer service. I put my complaint on facebook so all my friends and family would know what happened. I still would like my charge of $639. 99 returned to me. Is there anything you can do for me???.

Car failed to start, only cranked. Had spark plugs,wires,ignition switch,fuel pump, fuel filter,relays,coil packs,etc. . . Replaced. Got it running drove about 40 miles, now it just dies while driving. . . No warning just cuts off. I have taken it to various mechanics and have spent alot of $$. I even had new gm motor installed. I am afraid to drive it as several time I was on highway. This is a serious safety issue. This will cause an accident or worse death. Dealership has given no help.

I had trouble with the car starting/stopping in traffic. Replaced the key switch which solved the problem. Also have had trouble with the heating/air-conditioning fan system. The system will lose the ability to run except on setting 4 or 5. Also the switch that puts the system on recycled air has stopped working. This is the second time in 5 years that this has happened.

I was driving down a main highway in our town when my car stopped in the middle of the intersection. I was able to pull off the side of the road before getting hit, in rush hour traffic. The car acted like it wasn't getting any fuel, it would turn over, but not start. My husband thought it was the fuel filter, so we changed it in the parking lot. It didn't fix the problem. We ended up towing the car to the dealer and had the fuel pump replaced. Come to find out, the dealer theft system had turned on while I was driving. This has happened several times. It happened again this morning. After sitting for 10 minutes with my 3 year old in the car, I tried to start the car, to find out my battery was now dead from sitting with the key in the on postition to reset the theft system. This is becoming a major inconvenience and liability while driving down busy highways with my child in the car. If this happend on a major freeway it could be fatal. Please look into this problem. After searching the internet I have found that I am not the only one with this problem. The dealership refuses to fix it.

Car fails to start cranks and no starts took it to dealer and promise nothing spend almost 1000. 00 dollars and it did it again today.

I have had the thef system in my 2003 chevy Malibu repaied more times than I care to say. It stated in 11/7/2006 and it have been an ongoing thing. I am a widow and I am really afraid to take this car out at nights in fear that it might leave me stranded. The first time it cost me $351. 74 to repair the theft system. Then it went again in 6/7/2008 the same thing happened. This cost me $483. 37. It ran for a little while then the key wouldn't come out of the ignition and you couldn't turn the car off, back to the shop. Thank god they didn't charge me for this trip. Then on 8/31/2015 the thef system left me stranded again, and back to the shop to pay them another $538. 72. This car has been nothing but trouble and very expensive. I did complain when it was first happening and a customer rep. Told me that it was my problem and their where no recalls on it. After all the deaths and problems that your company has had you probably should recall everyone of them and start over from scratch. I have documented proof that this car is a piece of junk. Thank you pamela j. Shak.