2006 malibu Maxx Problem

burnt_3

When I am driving down the road at at least 60 km/h and I let off on the accelerator my rpms will fluctuate up and down. It almost feels like the transmission is kicking in and out. Can anybody help me?

glennb

Interesting. I have an '04 Malibu with a similar problem. I first noticed it while driving in town; the trans appears to "slip" after letting off the gas and then re-accelerating. Now I have noticed this happening at all speeds in town and on the highway. It almost seems to shift into OD too quickly as well. The dealer could not ID the problem and called it a "flair". 64,000 miles; is this I can expect from my Maxx?

pao

it might be worth a transmission flush and fill to see if that solves the problem....04 Maxx here....didnt have any of those issues...but did do the flush and fill at 95K...and it definitely helped the shifting.....128k on it now

glennb

I had the dealer do the trans service at 50k. My first thought when this problem cropped up was that the dealer didn't put enough tranny fluid back in. I'll never know.
I complained to my service advisor and mentioned another call to Chevy (that's what it took to get my steering fixed) and he said I should get the shifter fixed first, which currently will not cycle through the gears when in L(ow). He said it might be related, but can't guarantee it. $400 fix. He also told me an investigative tranny tear down would be about $2k. This is bugging me as I go on vacation next week, and had been mulling a drive to DC to visit my son. Not sure I want to risk it. It is going to an independent garage for the first brake job this week; maybe I'll see if they can shed some light on what is going on.

Glenn

pao, a familiar login name from way back in '04. I thought we had a lot of miles on our Maxx!

glennb

Trans problem fixed! It was all related to the +,- toggle switch on the shifter! $49 part, $49 labor. Independent garage. The dealer wanted $400! Now to get that exhaust fixed...

burnt_3

That is great! I hope my problem is the same and as cheap to fix. Did your RPM,s fluctuate at all speeds on the highway and in the city? My RPM's go from about a 1000 to 1300 when I do not press on the accelerator. Thanks man.

glennb

I would say my trans problem was less of a out and out fluctuation, and more like the trans was slipping into neutral when I let off the gas, and then the engine would rev as I tried to re-accelerate. It would then eventually drop back into gear, which was very noticeable. Does your +,- toggle work on your shifter? Or is it malfunctioning like mine was? That seems to be the common component that Chevy doesn't have much history on (or my dealer's service manager was just lying to me!)

burnt_3

Yes my +/- shifter does work, maybe it is not at the point of malfunctioning yet. i do appreciate your help regarding this problem. I was just trying to narrow it down and I was hoping it was a quik fix like yours.

aday1025

I was driving home the other evening when my traction control indicator with the line through it went off, the check engine light came on and a dic message appeared saying eng pwr reduced. This is an 06 malibu maxx. The engine seemed to slow also and I had a very hard time getting up past 30 mph. Anyone else had this problem. If so what was the fix? Thanks in advance.

madhatter4

The shifter cable broke on my 2004 Maxx. The problem is that GM cannot find a replacment part anywhere in North America. The scrap yards are also without this item.
Does anyone have any suggestions. :mad:

pao

is it the detent cable ACDELCO Part # 24200092

you might want to check the aftermarket auto parts stores online....I like RockAuto....they state its a non-stock item...and 12 business days to get

murphyc

aday--Don't know if you fixed your problem yet or not, but I've now had it happen twice on my '05 Maxx. First time re-screwing the gas cap seemed to fix it. Couple of weeks ago it wasn't that simple. Took it to a shop with codes in hand thanks to Auto Zone. Turns out the car was spitting other codes, related to a TSB I can't recall right off hand. Shop said I had a replacement windshield, and when that windshield was installed job wasn't done right. Windshield molding had gaps and had to be replaced because water was getting in, causing wiring to short out. Molding was replaced and problem gone on test drives, but when I picked car up the same three original problems were back. They kept car overnight, pointing multiple fans at the area in question. That was almost two weeks ago, no problems since. Just have to keep floor vent on since carpet behind mats evidently got damp over time.
For what it's worth, two codes from Augo Zone both pointed to possible wiring and/or Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor issues.

shadow5599

I am having the same problem. In city driving at city speeds if I completely let off the gas and then back on, no matter how lightly, it seems to downshift for a second and you can see the tach jump up, then back to normal. Also today I noticed my manual up down when in low does not work right and the display always says 3. All else seems normal.

If you have any info on the shift control switch that was replaced and how it's done I'd appreciate it! What I'm wondering if a do it your selfer like me can do it and find some directions on how to.

glennb

Can't help with the procedure, but the cure from the local garage was a lot cheaper than the dealer. The up/down switch actually cost $49, the other $40 was labor. I would imagine it could just as be a DIY job. I just assumed the worst, so I took it in.

shadow5599

I decided to take a look so I pulled out the centre console by removing 6 screws.
2 up front on either side, 2 at the back on either side and 2 under the cup holder. Once it's loose and out a bit there is a harness to the lighter and traction control switch that has a plug. With the console out it stares you right in the face, a broken yellow wire. There is a pink and a yellow wire going across the bottom and drivers side of the shifter that go up the shifter shaft to the switch. There was no hunting for an internal break in the wire, it was completely broken, insulation and all, just like it had been cut. I cut the pink wire too and spliced in an additional 2 inches on each by soldering and wrapping them. Put it all back together and everything now works as normal. No weird shifting problems and the +/- button works again. All in all it took about an hour and was quite easy. But without this forum it wouldnt have been near as easy!

hannamd

My AC won't come on, checked switch and fuse...good, also have over heating problems when sitting idle, don't here the fan kicking in when the gauge is over the haft way point.

gmcustsvc

Hello Hannamd,
I am from GM Customer Service. Can you please email me more information on your vehicles concerns, so I can look into your situation further? You can get my email by clicking on my name. Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service

chris_henry

my engine light and TC traction control light both came on at the same time. just after that happened i noticed my car shifted into gear very very hard with a knock. has anyone had this problem? when i place the car in park the TC light will go off but the engine light stays on.

gmcustsvc

Chris Henry,
I would recommend taking your vehicle to a GM dealer to have the vehicle diagnosed. Please keep me updated on your progress.
Christina
GM Customer Service