Chevrolet Malibu: Problems & Solutions

redmaxx

[q]Also, is anyone else noticing a lot of driveline lash in their older Maxxes? Is this a symptom of the problematic transmissions that crept into part of the '04 mfr run?[/q]

Mine does feel a little "looser" but not terribly so. Almost 19k miles. Its a little over a year old.

imidazol97

Could it be an engine mount (transmount) with too much play in it? I'd definite check with the dealer and get a writeup while it's under warranty to be covered if something continues to develop later.

annodomino

I have a 98 malibu 6 cylinder, recently my brakes started to squeak horribly when in stop and go traffic. However when the car would be moving for several minutes without me applying the brakes everything is gravy. The squeaking sounds appear only when I press on the brakes lightly at low speeds(I don't want to cause wiplash with sudden stops)

My mechanic told me thats something he cant really fix, he said some brand new cars have this problem too. Please help in any way you can thanks!

meandmymaxx

19mm

swavek

I had this problem in my Daewoo. An Opel Vectra clone, just like Malibu, or maybe Opel is a clone of Malibu. There was a rust on rims of disc brakes. You have to hammer this rust out. First time I heard these squeaks my mechanic did it, two years later I did it myself. Quite easy.

csandste

on my 05 Maxx. No coolant loss, no coolant in oil, no overheating. Can happen anytime and lasts a few seconds at most. A little too early for the old Dex-Cool blues... any idea of what's going on?

annodomino

Thank you for the quick response. I am gonna go to the autoshop on sunday, and I will post the results and tell you if it works. Meanwhile if there is anyone else that can help me by telling me what else I can do?

thnx AnnoD

gla4601

Just had my 2004 Malibu base (8K Mi) at the dealer For CD stuck in player, rattle/knocking from under dash or hood drivers side (very annoying) and creaking noise from rear suspension passenger side. They put in a new radio/cd unit but the other problems still exist. Guess I'll have to fix them myself. I remember mention of others here having the knocking noise but this site seems hard to search/navigate. Anyone know what the cause of the knocking and the rear creak. Thanks

jggoody

I hope you can help me. My car started fine this morning and I drove it for 15 miles. I then stopped for breakfast and when I started the car again, it was shaking. I was terrified of it stalling or accelerating. It did neither, but I don't know what to check. I've seen through the threads, idle; ignition module; crankshaft sensor; and fuel filter. Can anyone help?

jggoody

Thank you sooo much for responding. My car is a Sedan with 6 cylinders. And yes, last week my check engine light came on but the dealer said that's common with Chevy cars and trucks and all I should do is to watch the fluid levels and temperature. I've been doing this and everything seems fine . . . actually the only fluid I know how to check is the oil. I wanted to clarify the vibrating. The steering wheel doesn't vibrate, it's more like the front end of the car is shaking (similar to that putter-putter you remember in old cars) I do love the Malibu. It's perfect for me and my daughter. I was widowed this year and need a car I can depend on. I thought this was a good choice. Thank you!

beedublu

Forgive the play on words, but each winter my 04 Malibu Maxx LS starts making this moderately loud humming sound when I'm cruising at speeds between 60 and 70 MPH and the outside temps are below freezing. When I release the gas pedal (or disengage the cruise -- assuming it's working, another long story)the noise stops.

Last winter I had the car into the dealer for a few other things, they drove it and said they didn't see anything unusual for this model. Anyone else experience anything like this? Can this be the dreaded transmission "howl" that I'm reading about?

maxx4me

no, the tranny howl is especially noticable in 2nd gear, just before it shifts to third, and then a bit less in third gear. Your speed is way too high for the tranny howl.

kurtamaxxxguy

possibly a resonating Exhaust pipe shield? Some early Mailbus had problems with those shields.

mr_bots

I'm experiencing this or something similar in my 04 LS Sedan. It feels like a slip or jerk when there is a slight change in the throttle. Say, if I'm coming up on a car and I let off the gas pedal until I'm a safer distance back than once I reapply the gas to maintain speed it has a little jerk and the tach jumps up a little then goes back to where it was.

beedublu

Hmmm...yeah, this is what I thought it would be. And it's very specific in terms of speed and RPM: It's barely noticeable below 60 and it goes away completely during hard acceleration and/or above 70 mph.

pjab

I have a 2005 Malibu and when the weather turned cold, a crackling noise is coming from the dash area. When I brought it to the dealer, they told me that they would not replace the dash because GM did not have a service bulletin on the problem. Has any one else had this problem? I can not beleive that I can not get this fixed by GM. This will be the last GM car I buy new - pete

beedublu

I have a little of this in my 04 Maxx when the temps are in the single digits, but it's too minor for me to complain about...compared to the other noise (see my earlier post above).

chinch33

Yes, My 05 malibu started doing that as well. I noticed it only does it when the defrost vents are on. It seems like the hot air is causing some material in the dash to expand which causes the crackle. Its pretty annoying!

I havnt tried taking it in yet. I'll let you know what they say when I do.

mybooo

My 05 MAXX does this also. Once the inside of the car warms up, it goes away.

minn_maxx

My 2004 Maxx does that as well below about 20F. Goes away when the interior warms up. Annoying.

crb1024

Hello Group;
I purchased an 04' on 12/21/04. We never made it off the lot, the heater did not work. Since then I've been to two service departments for a wind noise on the passenger side rear hatch and alignment of the hatch which was off by a little less than a 1/4". The techs can't find d the win whistle, but my mother-in-law heard it on an 11 hour trip to DC and she is hard on hearing in one ear (no joke). The steering column was replaced. The ignition key won't return to the run position when you star the car, the moon roof rattles in the vent position, the handle to lower the rear seat broke, the day time running light has a bad socket assembly which I found that the dealer claim the can't, after I told them what the problem is. Now for the good part. I found gold over spray under the clear coat on a black car. It is also the same side as the day time running lamp problem. They did re spray the hood under warranty. As of today I've been working with GM in the Business Service Section. The rep has been great, considering that the selling dealer took two weeks to get the warranty claims sent to her. I should have an answer on 12/14/05. Any feedback would be great.
Thanks
RANDY

kurtamaxxxguy

Has anyone here had their Maxxs' Steering Rack and Pinon replaced yet? Mine is set to be replaced next week - the dealer claimed they were seeing a lot of these going bad.

Also, wrt the transmission problem in the early '04 Maxxes; is it true that a bad trans can be detected by Vehicle VIN only? Or do you need to verify the transmission Julian date?

Thanks!

maxx4me

kurt, no answer here, but a request: please keep us posted on the rack and pinion issue. I'd like to know more fine details about why this part has become an issue.

kurtamaxxxguy

Don't know much other than the dealer tech told me he had seen a lot of Malibu racks going bad. Symptoms appear to be noise and clunking or "pops" when vehicle moves from start, or when wheel is turned. The parts had to be special ordered...may be in short supply.

wrt transmission, I am very worried. If that goes out outside of warranty it will cost thousands of dollars to fix. The car is not worth that. What bothers me the most is the dealers won't give me a straight answer.

Am I misreading things, or does it seem Wagner and Lutz are more interested in shoving half-baked new models down our throats rather than getting them right? Serves me right for buying a first year car...never again. Which is a pity as the Maxx held great promise.

pao

if by bad transmission you are referring to the infamous "howling" I beleive that can be indicated by the build date....as I think they corrected or placed a different component....beleive its a drive socket or something like that...dont recall to be honest....but can be replaced by the service department.....mine is an 04 Maxx LT..built mid Feb 04....so I came right after the steering column issue....but beleive I still may have the transmission....factor.......I havent noticed it to be honest...and no problems with my steering column....with almost 56K on the car now....

would think if chevy is having a lot of problems with the rack and pinion steering....sounds odd as I thought this electronic steering eliminated that......but again..no mechanic here..but regardless if the service departments are completing field reports and sending them back to GM...then we should see something....a base cause or issue....much like the steering column....that one was a NHTSA engineering review...but wasnt enough for a mandated recall apparently.....

BTW took the plunge or another first year Gm car..and picked up our 06 Pontiac Solstice two weeks ago...WOW is all we can say so far!!!

simone

Not sure if I am in the right area... but here goes...Just had a regular service done on my malibu Lt (50,000) and again mentioned this annyoying problem,whcih seems to be getting louder and more freguent...the Service Mgr took a ride with with me and and verified the issue...He then went and serched some where on gm service and site for current bulletins and found this update,which i hope will help all those with this issue...
dated oct 24 2005 document id# 1716682
in short,it details the issue covering malibu/maxx 2004 thru 2006 and pontiac g6 2005 and 2006 models...
I quote"The root cause has been determined and corrective action in in the validation process" " At thsi time service parts are expected in the first quarter of 2006"
The service Mgr gave me a copy of the document and updated my service file to follow up with me on this matter sometime in feb when i would be due for my next service...
It looks to me the gm although being quite about this design problem will be able to fix it shortly...
Sorry about the rambling on and i hope this will be of use to all of us who are having this issue...thanks

justamom1

hello, i have been searching for my husband on the computer and thought i would try one more place. i can not find a manual to my 2004 Malibu classic and i need instructions on how to change out the front panel. a deer hit me a few months ago and i finally got all parts needed if you can give him instruction i would be most thankful it can not be inspected until i get this done and with an autistic child i need my car on the road. thanks in advance even if you can not help me out.
thanks justamom1

drej

HI,Good update! Thanks Simone! Please keep us up to date oon this. Our 05 with 20K has this "Popping clicking" when turning the wheel sharp right (or left..) mostly noticed at startup, going backwards with the windows down to hear the noise from the under-hood wheel area. Of course winter now the windows are shut tight and we may miss this sound. I hope they fix this in my next go-around at the dealership. We really like our MAxx and they just say they can't reproduce the problem. D~

kurtamaxxguy

My '04 maxx got its new steering rack today. Took about 3 hours to install.
Feel of the Steering has improved considerably - no more pops/steering kicks during low speed turns and the stick/drag at the center of the steering wheel position is gone. Unfortunately there is still a rattlyness about the front suspension over some rough roads, but I guess that's the way the Maxx is built.

The fix earned the Maxx a reward of a new set of Goodyear TripleTreads (TT). Initial impressions are the tires are not harsh, but a bit stiffer than the Bridgestone Invictas the car was wearing, so there is more road feel. The tires also seem to help traction and squeal less. Once the rain storms hit S. Calif I'll advise how the TT's handle in the rain.

beedublu

The latest chapter in my cruise control hassle: :sick:

After complaining over a year ago that my 04 Maxx LS would sometimes require me to practically stand on the brake pedal in order to disengage the cruise, I gradually learned to live with the problem. I wasn't taking too many long trips, so I didn't press the issue with the dealer.

Then, this fall, the cruise would occasionally quit for no reason. Other times, it would not engage unless I pressed the Set button 2 or 3 times. This problem disappeared for a while, but then it returned -- requiring me to press the button as many as 10 or 12 times.

That problem morphed into another one: The tap accelerate/decelerate function would quit working. If I pressed the "-" button to slow down, there would be no response. Ditto with the "+" button. The car would just keep going at the preset speed. (This is getting scary). Or, sometimes I'd press "+" or "-" and the cruise would just quit.

Now the cruise is completely dead. (Naturally, it died while I was on a 600 mile trip). What is going to be really aggravating about trying to get this fixed is that this erratic behavior shows up only after the car has been driven at least 100 miles or so. How will the dealer be able to duplicate the problem? Has anyone else had this same problem? :confuse:

Thanks in advance for any advice.

kurtamaxxguy

My 2 cents is it's a combination of thermal expansion/heating and bad connections in sensors or links between CruiseControl and other modules. Let's hope the repair finds any that may be lurking about.

As a side note, a number of my Maxx's "push" switches like mirror controls now need much more pressure to make contact. I suspect the switch surfaces are oxidizing

I'd be happy to pay GM a little more for better connectors and switch surfaces within its vehicle wiring. Most Japanese cars already do this, and their electrical problems are far, far less than GMs'.

hhmax

HI Group,

My first post here. After a serious accident which totalled my car (miraculously, I wasn't hurt), safety is high on my list for a new car. So I boght a malibu 2005 LT in a hurry mainly because of the IIHS ratings. But am now wondering if I made the right decision after researching more.

It seems that steering wheel can lock up causing loss of control of the vehicle. Especially on 2004 models. There are also several consumer complaints about the steering problems for 2005 models at www.mycarstats.com.

There was a post( msg #2780) about the clunking and poping issue which claimed that the issue is for malibu 2004 through 2006. Is this steering column clunking and popping? It seems that the steering failure often comes after clunking and popping noises in the steering column.

The problems with the car so far are:

1. wiper fluid does not come out when the car was right off the lot: fixed. Connector loose?
2. Brake pedal switch does not work: Fixed. connector loose.
The car was built on Aug. 2004 and has been sitting on the lot for a year. Could that be the reason that the connectors are loose?

3. It happened on one occastion: In a parking lot maneuver at very low speed. I noticed that the steering was heavy when the wheel is turned fully right. I could not reproduce it since.
Is there a TSB covering this? Would this lead to steering wheel lockup? You can tell I am a bit freaked out but I just don't feel safe after reading all these steering wheel lockup problems.

4. At highway speed, 120 km/h, 75 miles/h, I felt the gas pedal ( and probably the car) is vibrating. Some posts suggest that it could be flat spot on the tire. Would reblance the tire help?

The last 7 digits of my VIN is F139364, it is built in Aug, 2004. What issues this built may be prone to?

Thanks!

hhmax

husikesque

Hey Gang, this is my first entry into the forum. I have been reading pages of concerns and complaints on the Malibu Maxx. I have an 04 Maxx which has had a list of problems, pretty much since day one. Most importantly a starting issue. Frequently when I turn the key to the start position the engine will turn over with a hesitation to start. This happens when I am turning the key and when using the remote start. So far on one occassion it wouldn't start at all, I had to turn the key back to the off position and try again.

My Maxx has been in the shop 6 times for this complaint most of the time they tell me that they "can not duplicate the problem". On my fourth visit the tech witnessed the problem but because it wasn't popping any codes on their dx equip. He said there was nothing he could do because according to their machine there was nothing to fix. He recommended that I not top off my gas when refueling because by doing so, over-fueling would cause the engine to shut down for safety reasons. Well that sounds great and safe but my car would present this problem whether I had just filled it up, had a half a tank of gas, or when I was low on fuel. It didn't seem to make a difference.

My 5th and 6th visit was at a new Chevy dealer. On the 5th I was told that they could not duplicate the problem and the 6th I spoke with the lead tech not only about my starting issue but also a steering issue (ticking and clunking noise). He turned the key and guess what, yup it cranked and cranked and cranked and eventually it started. His response was, " that's the way it was designed". He said that when the engine shuts off that there is a sensor, a crank position sensor, that needs to line up properly and if it doesn't the engine will keep turning until it lines this sensor up and then it will fire.

Well I understand what he is saying but it doesn't seem right to me that this would happen several times a month. Seems to be something wrong. So long story short still working on getting some answers. My bestfriends bought the same car the same day and they have the same problem. Anyone else having this problem with their Maxx?

Thanks for taking the time to read.

04bu

I've been noticing a slight clunking in my steering over the last couple months. When I had it in for an electrical gremlin I mentioned it and they replaced the steering column for the second time! The clunk is still there. I crapped on the dealership in the Chevy survey because they couldn't even write the symptoms correctly on the service order. I think this rack and pinion deal could be a big deal.

minn_maxx

My 2004 Maxx had a similar problem. +/- buttons would not respond when cruise active. Cruise would refuse to engage (longest time 1-hour or so on a trip). Dealer replaced BCM (Body Control Module). It has been fine since (6-months and 10k miles ago).

minn_maxx

My 2004 Maxx does the same thing (hard start, repeated attempts to start - approx. one out of 50 starts). There are other people on the forum that have mentioned hard starting as well. It does seem to be "normal" for the Malibu.

E2helper will probably mention there was one software update in early 2004. You may want to ask your dealer if you have the latest PCM update? Does not totally fix the problem but it is supposed to help...

pao

as an 04 Maxx LT owner....isnt the steering not rack and pinion.but rather electronis assist?...according to all th reading I have done..apparently the sensors on the column get dirty or grease covered..causing them to fail....thus....not locking the wheel..as some have indicated but rather simply making it hard to turn with without the power assist....almost 56K on my Maxx and havent experienced this issue at all....dont know how many they have built...but seems we have a the same bad cars with the problems repeatedly showing up on the board.....the NTSA looked at the engineering issue of the steering column per their website.....but determined the number of failures didnt required any further action..and that GM was taking the proper replacement action on those with problems...

hate to hear of these issues...and feel sympathetic for those with the hassles......but I do like this car.....and so far..knock on wood....as with any other car.....it is holding up well approaching its completion of second year of ownership with me....just my two cents worth

kurtamaxxxguy

The steering rack and pinon are below the columm/sensor unit and directly connect to the wheels via tie rods. So even if the columm/sensor unit was replaced this would not affect the rack.

I've noted dramatic reduction in noise and clunking now that the rack/pinon has been replaced. Car drives almost as well as when brand new (before all those problems showed up). The new Goodyear TripleTreads do add a little harshness to the ride but make up for it with much better traction and braking.

gonogo

Have the dealer check to see if software p/n 12593042 Cal ID # 12593044 improved starting has been installed.

04bu

you wrote:
"...but I do like this car..."
I like my car too. However, I'm losing confidence in it. I still haven't sold my '94 Sundance because I think I may NEED it yet.

If there is a real problem with the rack and pinion, then GM should just put out the lights and send everyone home because that is not new technology. I can tell you my first hybrid (or flying) car surely won't be from GM. Hopefully that next car won't be needed for eight more years.

Only about fourteen payments to go!

pao

I guess I have been one of the lucky ones....I havent had any problems with my Maxx at all...just rolled over 56K in it yesterday..and will be two years old next month....

hhmax

Had the dealer looked at the vibration issue and after a test drive, it was found that all 4 of the tires were out of balance, LR and RF tires have excessive road force. They did a "hunter vibration repair" (what was that?)

It's now within spec but due to a snow storm, road test could not be performed. Hopefully it was fixed. The dealer seemed to know what they are doing.

hhmax

imidazol97

The Hunter 9700 balancer applies pressure to the tire while it is rolling to see how much the tire crushes under the weight of the car as it rolls. If different parts of the tire compress a different amount while rolling that is the same as having a tire that's out of balance. Then the machine adds weight to compensate for that unequal crush due to flaws in the tire construction as well as weight to compensate for the usual difference in weight around a tire and rim.

The machine also can check the rim without the tire for runout--unevenness in roundness and the machine tells the technician where to put the tire on the rim to have the higher part of the tire fit to the lower part of the rim so that they can (partially) balance each other out.
Keith

hhmax

Thanks for the explanation.

The vibration definitely feels better especially the gas pedal to the point that I can live with. But the steering wheel vibration is still there. Now it can be felt at lower speed as well.

How do your malibus feel like at highway speed? Any vibration at all?

pao

no vibration here..you might try rotating your tires....dont think the tires are uni-directional so try switching the fronts out....crossing them over....

imidazol97

Did your dealer rotate tires back and front? That would move a tire with a bad belt from the front (you're feeling it in the steering wheel at speeds below 50).

I didn't check if you're still low mileage, did the dealer check and trim the alignment?

hhmax

I suppose they rotated the tires and matched the "good" ones in the front. But I don't think they checked the alignment. I did notice that it has a slight pull to the left on high way. Is that a indication that the alignment is out of spec?

Thanks!

sgr5516

A lot of new Malibu's have problem with left lead/pull at highway speeds. I have this problem (04 Maxx LS). Have been trying to get this problem resolved from day 1 (May 04). I paid for alignment after at 9k miles, but it did not help. Then at 10k mi I had fix for trans howl done. They had to redo alignment again because steering wheel was way off center when I got it back. Then at 18k service, I gave adviser TSB 05-08-110-005 which GM issued Sept 2005 to help the dealers with the left lead problem. They checked alignment again, all angles within spec (I have print out), and they recalibrated the position and torque sensors in the steering column. No charge, but I still have left lead/pull at 25k miles. Tires have been rotated 3 times over life of car and that never helped.

I reread TSB. It says cross camber should be set to -0.50 to -0.75 degress to resolve left lead. My cross camber is +0.2 degrees. Cross camber is left camber reading minus right camber reading. Will have dealer check this again on next visit.

lugo_189

Hi.

Recently I'm having issues with my 2004 New Style Malibu, the automatic start is going off by it self when I turn off the engine, can some one help with this issue?

e2helper

Do you have a cell phone charger in vehicle when this happens?

Do you have remote starter option on your vehicle?

Is your vehicle a sedan body style and a very, very early build of 2004 model? Build month prior to Dec 2003? If you do you have the earliest 2004 Malibu I think I have come across on forum so far.

In any case take your vehicle to the dealer - they will likely replace the Remote Keyless Receiver (which most probably is the issue) and also fobs with revised parts. Remind them they can access module from trunk through a hole in rear shelf panel and don't have to remove rear seat and trim to get at module - service procedure was recently changed to reflect this and don't know how many dealers already figured this out on their own BTW your old fobs would still work with new module maybe you could get them to program them as well so you have a few spares although the newer ones have some improvements in them.

If they have a problem diagnosing tell them to look up document #1708401 in their Service Information system for troubleshooting assistance.