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Chevrolet Malibu: Problems & Solutions

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Comments

  • kurtamaxxguykurtamaxxguy Member Posts: 677
    gla4601, I symphasize as I had similar situations with Saturn and Honda (10 useless Saturn services = CA Lemon Law lawyer who cut nonsense and got Ion taken back. Honda stonwalled to the end). In the end you may have to resort to legalities to get resolution.

    Intermittent problems are a pain for everyone. I used to be a service tech and remember trying to satisfy the customer while often not being able to find the problem __or__ getting help from the manufacturer.

    Also keep in mind that the Malibu is a __first year car__, and given the complexities of a car, is going to have teething problems.

    Other car owners have trouble too (the Honda forum here has tales of "bad" Accords).
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    kurtamaxxguy. I hear ya that all cars have problems. Putting it in perspective though I just checked the Honda accord forum. Seems most of the problems there are minor problems like rattles and radio problems and such. The more serious problems pertain to 3 to 10 year old Accords.

    Now with the Malibu this forum is on fire with problems, many of which seem to have no solution. For instance I also have the intermittent no-start problem as a few others here do. So far I have heard of no one getting it resolved other than to get in an out of the car a few times, play with the door locks, do some kind of ancient ritual dance around the car, cursing it or in my case I'll soon take a hammer to it. That will be a hell of thing to have to live with for the duration that I own the car.

    On top of some of the serious intermittent problems I am having the whole integrity of the car is going down hill fast. Rattles, creaks and bangs coming from everywhere.

    3K mi and it sounds like its got 300K. Hate to see whats its like at 10k.
  • kurtamaxxguykurtamaxxguy Member Posts: 677
    gla4601, you might want to check when yours was built. Mine was late Jan, 04.

    The biggest issues I've seen for Maxx are steering columm (mine got fixed, I hope) and wierd no start problems (have not been bitten by that __yet__ but I have not attempted to change any settings whatever for the vehicle electric parameters - they are factory stock).

    I sincerely hope the GM folks are monitoring this forum. GM can redesign cars to death, but if they can't build in or have __long term__ focus on quality (as the Japanese and now Koreans seem to have), GM will have fewer long term customers.
     
    I took a ___real___ chance on the Maxx (my local Honda and Toyota dealers were itching to sell me their wares; I've been burned by Honda and indifferently treated by Toyota), and am getting worried that something major is going to go wrong before very long.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    kurtamaxxguy. As I said in my origial post the build date on the door is 4/04. I see that e2helper looks up build dates based on VIN and I dont know if that differs from whats on the door. Knowing GM it probably is. I have the lowly 4cyl base sedan - not the max. I certainly could have offorded more of a car but my choice was based on the fact that the last 3 cars I bought (more upscale at the time so to speak than the malibu) were all nightmares. Each one was progressivly worse and now it seem the malibu is poised to take the lead. I paid cash, a little over 13.5K after rebates for the malibu so at that price I figured if it ended up a lemon I would not lose tooooo much sleep over it. So at 3k miles I have a lemon - that works out to about $4.50 a mile or had it 6 months so $2100 per month. Luckily my 2000 s-10 pickup has been pretty good so far. I guess its just not meant for me to ever have a good car.
  • maxxlt2004maxxlt2004 Member Posts: 71
    i took mine in 5 times total in 7,000 miles, but 3 of times was for the steering problems in general. now my dealer will NOT take back the car to try and fix it, they stated that "It's fixed" and won't accept it. so i tried calling a different dealer and they told me they wouldn't accept either because Chevy corporate already paid my dealer to fix the problem so they cannot and will not attempt to fix it. the service leader at the different dealership asked me "What if I can't fix it?"

    so i wonder if a lemon law attorney will take the case, ill be in touch with them this week.

    alo chevy corporate received my BBB claim so we'll see what happens there too.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    Ok someone brings the car in three times for the same problem and its a lemon.

    Does it count if you bring the car in and they have no clue whats wrong and dont do anything at all to the car? For instance every week or two my malibu decides its not going to start. If I bring it to the dealer, surely they will have no clue what to try and wont do anything. Or will I be called a liar and it be considered that there is not a problem with the car because it starts fine while there?
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    maxxlt2004: I guess we posted at the same time. Your post kind of answers my question. If the dealer thinks the problem is fixed or does not see that it exists then your on your own. The more I learn here the more I see we are all ****ed.

    I should talk to my uncle. Some 30 or so years ago, long before there was a lemon law he bought an Oldsmobile and soon after it developed a major failure in the rear differential. The dealer found that there were big chunks of ice mixed in with the gear oil. The car was repaired but he told them he did not want the car anymore as it was obvious that the car had been submerged in water before he took delivery. They told him to go to hell so he took the car home and never drove it again. He sued GM and won. Took ten years to resolve and I'm sure far more money than the car was worth but he did win. He was on the cover of Time magazine standing next to the car with an ax. I believe he was the first to force a buy back before there was a lemon law.
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    e2helper: for the past week, I have felt some "twitchiness" to my steering while I drive at slow speeds in parking lots. I have not noticed any problems otherwise. Is this cause for concern, even though my build date is the beginning of May?
  • townhometownhome Member Posts: 104
    Just to counter the negativity of a few......

    I love my Maxx! It has 2100 miles and the only thing that has broken is one radio speaker. It rides quietly, gets good mileage, handles fine for a family car. has tons of room, and has the quickest seat heaters I've ever experienced. So far I am 100% happy and I would buy another one.

    Not to trivialize other people's problems, as I've had cars that broke repeatedly, but I always kept in mind that I was dealing with a machine and things go wrong with machines. And, to be fair, I went back to the dealer with a positive attitude and gave them a chance to fix the car. Only when they didn't fix it after 6 times did I get angry. (I've worked retail for years and appreciate customers who are realistic.)

    I've also compared the postings on Honda and Toyota boards and really the only thing I see is that the Malibu board is more active, with less than half a dozen people on the board unhappy with their Malibu. This compares favorably to the other boards. We all know that usually the boards are filled with people that are dissatisfied, as happy car owners don't usually seek these things out, and with thousands of 'Bu's sold, a few unhappy owners on the board is not a bad ratio.
  • maxxlt2004maxxlt2004 Member Posts: 71
    i won a lemon law in 20 days on a mercedes ml350 i used to own actually. worst piece of junk ever. here in WI all you need is that it affects the value and safety of the car. you also either have to have the dealer try and fix the problem 4 times without success or your car needed to be in the shop at least 30 days. my dealer couldn't find my hesitation problem period. they replaced parts which made my lawyer say they admit there's a problem, but they cannot find it to fix it. the earlier you bring your car in for the repair the better because there's a calculaion they take the 1st time you brought your car in and the mileage times 100,000 or something like that and that will show how much you lose if you win the lemon law case for mileage offset. in my case i lost only $2,100, but got a check back for the full amount of the vehicle. mind you i drove the vehicle less than a year and had 14,000 miles on it
  • pourlemeritepourlemerite Member Posts: 7
    Thanks for helping make this forum so informative.

    The last six digits of my Maxx LT vin are 224114, and the build date is 5/4/04. Although I heard the tranny howl during the summer months, I don't seem to hear it as often now that the cold weather is here. I am hoping that you can tell from my VIN.

    I have never received a "gas cap warning" even though my fuel gauge needle never quite reaches "Full" after re fueling. It still sounds as though I may have a faulty gas tank if I am reading some of the previous posts correctly.

    My 6-CD changer suddenly stopped working today in between 2 stops around town. In spite of all these issues, I am pretty satisfied with my Maxx. I just hope that the dealer addresses these issues satisfactorily. -PourLeMerite
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    Sorry, I can't tell specifically from the VIN but TSB #04-07-30-021A does mention that trans Julian Date codes 4016->4126 could have this complaint which would seem to include your vehicle. There is an ID tag on the transmission to be sure but dealer might have to decode it.

    Fuel gage complaint sounds like dealer should try TSB #04-08-49-025. This does require dropping fuel tank so you might want to call dealer to see if they want you to bring vehicle in without a lot of gas (rather than filling it up just before you bring it to them) so they don't have to siphon too much.

    I think I have seen 2 other posters having complaints with 6 disc CD operation. Did this problem clear up by itself after an ignition cycle or is it still occurring? Also has it happened more than once. Those are all things dealer will likely ask you There is not an TSB on this though.
  • bwolterbwolter Member Posts: 51
    My 04 Maxx is popping up with all kinds of strange noises. But, here's something really different. I was trying to impress a colleague with the remote starting. When I held the button, the car started.......and drove away. Well, 2 feet and it hit the curb. We were both in shock. Of course, the dealership "cannot duplicate." The car was in Park. I used to get "excited" about a new car, but now....I'm trying to figure out how's the best way to get rid of it and not lose a bunch of money.
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    ahhhh, yes, I was offered the automatic pilot option, but declined
  • davismaxxdavismaxx Member Posts: 33
    We just came back from our first long trip in the Maxx. It did great! We had 5 people, a ton of luggage, AND a Yakima space box on the roof. I was very impressed with the way the suspension handled the weight (no bottoming out, great control), the power of the engine and the comfort and roominess for the passengers even with all that stuff in it.

    HOWEVER, I became aware of a noise in the front end I don't like. At low speeds, when going over sharp bumps like Botts dots, driveway edges or railroad track, I hear clunking sounds and I can feel the steering wheel kick. Could it be a problem with the intemediate shaft (if it has one)?

    We used a bit of oil on the trip. It went down about 4 oz. in 2000 miles. That's about normal, isn't it? That would be a consumption rate of 1 quart in 16,000 miles!

    Davismaxx
    vin 237245
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    >>>When I held the button, the car started.......and drove away.

    I just almost fell on the floor laughing. Sorry. I would have loved to have seen that.

    I stopped getting exited over new cars 20 years ago. A car is just transportation to me. Something I need but dont want. Expensive buckets of trouble.

    With all these glitches in the Malibu I'm wondering if anyone ever found their Malibu running in the morning and had been running half the night.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    >>We all know that usually the boards are filled with people that are dissatisfied, as happy car owners don't usually seek these things out

    Then why are you here? Just to rub it in? Careful what you say. It may be that at 2100mi "you aint seen nothing yet" as the song says.

    You may be right though. Paticipating in these boards probably makes everything seem worse. Strip away the Malibus EPS problems and it would probably fare better than average for a first model year.
  • joe3891joe3891 Member Posts: 759
    To repair most problems with the radio pull the radio fuse for a few seconds, it will fix many radio glitches including inop CD unit.
  • kmaurerkmaurer Member Posts: 48
    I have had my Malibu for 5 months and 6,000 miles. No problems to date, other than I do have the transmission howl (I have decided NOT to get it fixed). My mileage has been averaging around 30 MPG according to the DIC (almost all freeway).

    I traded in a Mazda6 for this car. Absolutely everything went wrong with that car - Check Engine light that would not shut off (computer kept giving "phantom" codes), fuel tank/pump issues (left me stranded in the middle of the freeway), rust on the doors, erratic shifting transmission (classified as "normal"), "clunking" noise due to the subframe not being bolted to spec at the factory, and a radio that had to be replaced two times. I got to know the service manager and dealership management very well.

    I agree that all makes/models can have "lemons," but what I like about Chevrolet is that there are a lot of dealers to choose from. With my Mazda, I had two dealers within a 30 mile radius, and both dealers had a "who cares?" attitude. At least with Chevrolet, if I don't like one dealer, there are others within a reasonable distance.

    Hopefully, my car can go another 100,000 miles without any major problems--it seems to be very well built.
  • mr_botsmr_bots Member Posts: 236
    I believe I encountered this same rattle that sounds like a loose strut and you can feel it in the steering wheel, I had the dealership check it out last Friday, the 26th of November and they said it was the steering column. Can't tell you if this was actually the cause because it hasn't been fixed, they're still waiting on parts to come in.
  • kurtamaxxguykurtamaxxguy Member Posts: 677
    Any first year car has problems. We are fortunate that some GM folks like e2helper are participating, listening and offering some suggestions. Is that happening on other forums here? Will Honda have some people monitoring the Accord forum helping folks with their new first year Hybrid?

    Wrt car driving during remote starting.. how can that happen? I find it impossible to leave the Malibu in anything but PARK to get the ignition key out, at which point the transmission prawl engages and keeps the car from moving. To be safe I set the parking brake as well.

    wrt dealer selection, yes that makes a huge difference. Keeps things competitive and often more honest.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    Realistically if you look at the posts here on this first year Malibu most of them pertain to annoyances rather than real problems - ie sun shades. Unfortunatly losing power steering and cars not starting are serious problems. Many who have had their steering "fixed" continue to have problems. The no-start situation it seems cannot be fixed as nobody who posts here has stated that they had it resolved. Maybe the issue with the Malibu is getting GM to recognize these problems and getting the dealers up to date on repairing these thing properly.

    We all do appreciate e2helper but Im not sure what his (her) situation is, his affiliation with GM, or GM's condoning of his participation here (or even knowing of it??). While it seems he has offered good info and advice on lots of things he seems to avoid some of the issues or maybe his hands are tied. I do wish he would bring up the no-start situation to those who could possibly narrow it down.

    I was aware of the Malibus EPS problems before I bought mine so if it does in fact fail on mine I cant really complain about it. Figured I'd take a chance that most everything else about the car would be good. The no-start thing just scares the hell out of me every time it happens. Hopefully its just a computer glitch that it will recover from each time it happens and not leave me on the back of a tow truck.
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    gla4601, I missed if you described the issue you are experiencing but I do remember you saying you have a 4 cylinder. Is it a no crank? or crank but no start?

    If the former...

    I don't know what the dealer might have tried to do to correct issue so far on your vehicle but there is a new calibration available for 4 cylinder PCM which should be tried.

    I know we had another owner on forum that had an intermittent no crank complaint a while back but that particular case ended up being an extra ignition key provided by the dealership that had not been "learned" by the vehicle theft system (owner's manual has procedure).
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    I wish I viewed automobiles more as mere transportation, but alas I am an automotive enthusiast. I realize you bought the base Malibu, which is consistent with your 'vehicles are appliances to get from point A to point B' approach. However, why didn't you buy a used vehicle instead? Surely you could have found a late-model used vehicle with an excellent reliability track record and lower costs of ownership than a new Malibu, no?

    Regarding e2helper's participation on these forums, I also wish he would give his 2 cents on certain topics. But I can understand and appreciate why he chooses not to discuss certain items. Sure, it would be great to hear him say, for example, 'yep, I agree with you guys that we cheaped out on the exterior side mirrors. They are too small and should be body-colored.' But that's really not an appropriate discussion for him to engage in.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    again depends on your state...usually its three or more times for the same problem..but in most cases I beleive it has to be documented by the dealer...if they cant replicate the problem...then it isnt documented.....hate to see these problems with your Maxx's..I love mine....almost a year old...13K miles...and not one problem..abeit the rear shades.....good luck on the lemon law...and the BBB...
  • 37453745 Member Posts: 152
    Could you perhaps tell me more about the new calibration for the 4cyl.Malibu? Does it address the intermittent no-start situation? I've told you about my problems regarding this. As far as I know the problem is still lurking inside my wretched car. Another slight problem I have is a hesitation when I take my foot off the accelerator and then put it down again. This mostly happens when I slack off to take a turn and then take off again. I hope the new calibration also addresses this problem

    I'm afraid the motor manufactures - all of them - must take a step backward and look at their creations. Are they making computers on wheels or reliable transportation? Gone are the days when a simple starter circuit consisted of the ignition switch, solenoid, and, the starter motor. Just about anybody could figure out what the problem would be in a no-start situation.

    Today we are confronted with bizarre symptoms that not even the manufacturer or dealer can figure out. Which leaves the customer high and dry.

    There should be a law passed that states that all vehicles must have the most basic functions such as starting, running, brakes, all controlled by the simplest of circuits. And, they must not be at the mercy of some wretched computer. Only then, can the issue of emission control and any other fancy gadgets the manufacturer wants to add be driven by the computer.

    A motor vehicle is a hostile environment for a computer but manufactures have child-like faith in them.
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    From calibration site (available on Internet). The only description is

    "New calibration to reduce the potential for setting P0335 and P0650."

    P0335 is a code that would cause a no crank condition.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    e2helper. Mine is the 4 cyl and it is "a crank but no start". What happens every time it does it is: I get in the car, turn the key, the starter gives one brief "rrr" (that right say it - "rrr" just like its spelled)and then stops. I release the key and try again, then it will just crank for as long as I hold the key - If I release the key, cranking stops immedietely, unlike a normal start where if I release the key before the engine is running, cranking continues on its own. From there I just keep trying, or get out of the car, lock and unlock the doors, try again. Eventually it always starts so far - sometimes with in a minute or so but sometimes after several minutes. If this is something like a temporary computer glitch and can be positivly confirmed then I can consider this a minor inconvenience and I will start to love my malibu again. If I start seeing the back of a tow truck then I cant live with it.

    I have not had the car back to the dealer at all since I got it (3k mi now). At this point I guess I will just wait another 500 to 1000 mi and then send it in for an oil change and mention the problems but my gut feeling is they will be cluless on the no start problem.

    You mention someone that had a no crank problem on the forum. There were a few others that if I remember correctly had the exact sitution as mine.

    Thanks for any advice you can offer.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    good luck on the lemon law...and the BBB...

    pao. I really don't plan on taking any lemon law actions or anything unless I start seeing the back of a tow truck on a regular basis. I do like the car. Since I have spare vehicles, minor problems are not much of a concern to me and the guy I bought it from lives across the street. If theres a problem he simply takes my car to work instead of his own. I just asked the question because I was wondering what happens if the car gets towed to the dealer but works fine once there.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    bluedevils. Something about buying a used vehicle really bothers me. Just wont do it. My costs of ownership are very high anyway as I have two vehicles, one of which is alway sitting and paying insurance, taxes and maintainence on two gets pricey.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    Is the steering wheel supposed to lock when the key is removed on the 2004 Malibu. Just noticed mine does not. Gear shift does though.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    we have a spectrum of satisified and unsatisfied owners here on the maxx forum, which appears to be one of the more active forums on the board...and all good....the theme I keep seeing here is the lack of trained or knowledgeable service departments at the dealerships...examples, not knowing about TSBs on the vehicle, not aware of updated flash codes, not doing a complete repair IAW TSBs (zeroing the steering column), and a general "who cares" attitude in some cases. I would be pounding on a general managers desk at the dealership over these issues.....and writing GM/Chevy Corporate about the service failures. It appears corporate is working fixes in most cases but the service departments who deal wtih the problems on a day to day basis are simply ignorant of their own data information system...when a customer has to print a TSB and take it to the service department...wow....just my 2 cents work....

    comments anyone?
  • michiganmaxxmichiganmaxx Member Posts: 72
    Pao, I couldn't have said it better! It seems that the vast majority of TSB activity is because the customer is bringing it to the attention of the dealer. I think we would all agree that's not the way we expect it to work. I would suspect this concern is not restricted to the Malibu, but may be common with other GM divisions as well, IMHO.

    E2helper, we as a group turn to you with a lot of requests... is this something you can help make known internally at GM?
  • mr_botsmr_bots Member Posts: 236
    My Malibu LS Sedan developed a hum type noise Friday or Saturday that gets higher pitched the faster I go, I will have them check this out when I take it in as soon as they get my other parts in (steering column and retainer clips for seatbelt anchor)

    Also, not all GM dealerships have awful service departments, the Chevrolet dealership I take my Malibu to isn't very good, but I think most of it is just the woman working the front desk. But my GMC, Pontiac, Cadillac dealership where I take my Yukon has a very good service department that is friendly and good at finding problems. So I guess its just most of them and not all.
  • 37453745 Member Posts: 152
    You describe my symptoms exactly. The half-hearted attempt by the starter to crank makes it seem as if a relay or solenoid is not switching on properly and is making a bad contact. I've even swapped out similar relays on the under hood relay board. There is a diagram in the handbook that tells you what each relay does. Since we are dealing with logic circuits which are either on or off, the relay should be either energized or off. It should not be half on.

    But then we are dealing with modern car electronics so be prepared for bizarre symptoms. If I could just get past this issue I would love my Malibu.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    3745. Just want to confirm with you. The "half hearted" starter turn happens only on the initial first attempt. After that the starter cranks normally with "full hearted" enthusiasm. From there its just a question of when it decides to "recover" from this glitch and the computer takes control of starter for a normal start.

    Also some other things I have noted. Many electronic/computer problems can be temperature related. Not so in this case. It has happened on 90 deg days and on 20 deg days and has happened both with the car cold and fully warmed up.

    I work as an electronic engineer dealing with embedded computers. I could be wrong but personally I think this is a computer glitch of some sort or possibly related to security/Pass Key system and not some type bad connection/ground or a relay. We may never know. Maybe I'll have to break down and spend the $150 for the service manuals for this car. Years ago when they only cost $30 I used to buy them for all my vehicles.
  • kurtamaxxguykurtamaxxguy Member Posts: 677
    I used to be a GM-DELCO electronics engineer (6 years) and it's absolutely correct that an automotive environment is one of the worst possible for computer electronics. There are temperature extremes, high electrical noise (in Maxx there are 6 spark plugs firing high voltage pulses at high frequency rates), dust, dirt, vibration...you name it. In fact, some components are rated for military service and beyond. Frankly, it's amazing it all works as well as it does.
    Thank emission controls, customer desires for more features, power and fuel economy, and cost (wiring is expensive - less wiring and small microcontrollers save money) for the upsurge in automotive computer use.

    Also, these days I have no contact with GM whatsoever. I just buy 'em, not help build 'em.
  • 37453745 Member Posts: 152
    3745. Just want to confirm with you. The "half hearted" starter turn happens only on the initial first attempt. After that the starter cranks normally with "full hearted" enthusiasm.

    You are correct. At first I thought it was a flat battery. Sounded like it. But then I frig around with the key fob and lock and unlock the doors and the car starts. It can happen at any time and is not temperature or event related.

    I have been in electronics my whole life and have also come to the conclusion that this is a computer glitch. But why on earth would the starter only turn half heartedly on the initial start attempt? It makes no sense.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    automotive environment is one of the worst possible for computer electronics

    kurtamaxxguy: Well Said. I will add the second most common problem with electonics is due to faulty solder joints on printed circuit boards. This may just be due to poor workmanship during manufacture or caused by most of the aspects of the automotive environment you mention. The worst enemy though is probably the repeated daily heat/cool cycling they must endure. I had a 91 Gran Prix. About every year the instument cluster would go bonkers. After exchanging it for a replacement several times I just started removing it and looking for the cracked solder joints and resoldering them.

    This is also common in many aspects of consumer electronics especially televisions.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    But why on earth would the starter only turn half heartedly on the initial start attempt? It makes no sense.

    3745: If this is a computer problem/glitch then anything can make sense. Probably at the instant you turn the key the computer is sensing something is wrong on one of its inputs (which could be erroneous), at which point it is either A) doing exactly what is supposed to do and disabling starting, B)going into some type of programmed safe mode or C) Shutting down or locking up (ie crashing) because the conditions it sees dont make sense and dont follow the progammed logic.
  • tra2883tra2883 Member Posts: 79
    As I promised, here's the deal with my howling/whistling/singing transmission. I had the car in on Friday, and they drove it, heard the noise, and scanned the car with all sorts of machines checking for codes. They didn't pull up any codes, so, in the words of my advisor, they "cannot verify that there is a concern with the transmission at this time." This makes no sense to me at all. Codes or not, the way I see it, if you hear the noise in the tranny, you have the TSB in front of you, how is there not a concern? Regardless, I took the car back, and they want to have a look at it again when I have it in for my next oil change. At that point, I think I'm going to do whatever I have to to get it repaired. It's the little things like this that can really impact a customer's satisfaction with their vehicle. It's a brand new car, and I'm not just going to let this noise slide, especially since it's a warranty repair.

    Does anybody know anything about these codes? Would a loose and vibrating piece in the tranny trigger a code?
  • 37453745 Member Posts: 152
    One aspect of the whole scenario has always puzzled me. That is, the starter cranks over slowly as if the battery is flat. It would seem therefore that the current to the starter is being limited. But where? Some component be it a contact or whatever must be heating up. We are dealing with over a 100 cranking amps.

    What if the starter itself is indeed seeing a heavier than normal load? Why should that be? Maybe if the ignition timing at that moment is too far advanced? The ignition fires way too soon and pushes the piston down causing a heavy load on the starter.

    Maybe it's not the starter circuit after all but the ECM freaking out now and then and advancing the timing too far.

    My thoughts of wisdom for the day. What do you think e2helper?
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    Nope. Like the last Malibu 1997--> and other vehicles the steering column does not lock. There is an interlock between shifter and ignition switch as you have noticed.

    The Instrument Panel mounted ignition switch (rather than steering column) has a lot to do with why it works like that.
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    Thank you for very good details :)

    One silly return question. When you give that first "rrr". How long approximately would you estimates it lasts? About as long as it says to say it? Like I think you implied in your message?

    I am sharing your description with others (hope you don't mind).
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    Please don't use my name in anything. I am just an unofficial helper
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    Thanks for confirming same issue 3745. Give me a few days to get some responses.
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    If this issue were related to the Passkey 3 Plus vehicle theft deterrent system you would notice that the "car with lock" telltale in instrument cluster would stay illuminated longer than for the initial bulb test. That is if you left key in RUN position after you release key from cranking.
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    Yes. The "rrr" is very brief. No more than a second probably less. The "rrr" ends abruptly as though I released the key - not as if it were a weak battery that gave a slowing grunt.

    Share my description with whom ever you please. Thanks
  • gla4601gla4601 Member Posts: 40
    e2helper. Each time this happens I tell myself that I am going to note the "car with lock" telltale next time it happens but I guess I just lose my mind each time it happens and forget. Next time I will remember for sure.
  • kurtamaxxguykurtamaxxguy Member Posts: 677
    Some folks here have asked why "gm helpers" cannot provide more info.
    Keep in mind GM engineers sign NonDisclosures which restrict what kind of information they can divulge.
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