Starter problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, all the lights on the instrument panel illuminated, and the engine started to choke. The service vehicle light remained illuminated after the other lights turned off. The engine started choking again and failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic and was diagnosed with an inoperable fuel pump power control module. The mechanic informed the contact about a recall associated with the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred the next two days. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was informed of the issue and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

This was a rental car, equipped with an electronic key fob and a starter/turn engine-off button on the dashboard. This particular vehicle could be locked remotely from outside the vehicle, while it continued to run. Additionally, it appered that an occupant of the locked vehicle who did not have an electronic keyfob in his possession could not open the doors from the inside. Thus, adults or children could be asphyxiated under certain not-too-hard-to-imagine situations.