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Chevrolet Malibu: Problems & Solutions

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Comments

  • fourseasfourseas Member Posts: 15
    e2helper:I brought my '04 Malibu to the dealer for my initial oil change and also mentioned to him that I had a couple of "rough starts" in the past two weeks. I asked him about the PCM re flash to see if I had the latest update. He told me I did not and updated PCM to calibration ID# 12593042. I picked the car up late in the afternoon and while driving home, I noticed that I had no HVAC controls. None of the buttons worked. I have the auto climate control by the way. The dealer has the car now and they are stumped as to what happened. Does the re program ask for specifics that maybe they did'nt "turn on"?. Any help would be appreciated.
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    e2helper, I'll take this one. Sorry fourseas: your dealer should know what they are doing....it states in their printout that when you do the reflash for the rough idle (I had mine done a few weeks ago) that it MAY throw your HVAC out. My dealer knew this and told me this. He also stated that all you need to do is pull the fuse for the HVAC and put it back in, and all will be well.
  • nwmaxxnwmaxx Member Posts: 4
    I'm having the same problem with road noise and even air leakage sound from the area of the rear passenger door. Even more annoying is the fact that it seems to come and go. I wouldn't even know what to tell the dealer to go check, because firstly it is sporadic, and secondly I haven't pinpointed the source. Anyone have any ideas.

    Additionally, today I encountered a situation where I turned off the car while it was tuned to XM, when I started it 30 minutes later it was tuned to AM and had a CHECK DAB message that shortly cleared. HELP!
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    Darn I didn't read Maxx4Me's reply before typying all this. Well I aint' going to delete it now. It is a thing of beauty (LOL)

    In summary Maxx4Me is 100% correct. But it takes me about 4 times as long to explain. Here goes........
    ========================
    Dealer missed reading another document that would have told him what to do to fix this (PI01535A)

    You can do it yourself it you want to give it a shot. It will only take a minute. Then you can charge him (LOL).

    You will need a flashlight

    Open passenger front door

    Kneel down and remove the front console cover. It has a big symbol for a fuse on it. It is designed to be accessed by customer so don't worry.

    Pull on forward edge of the cover and pull it off. There is some velcro type stuff on the front and on the back it dovetails into the console itself.

    Remove the panel but keep it handy. Turn it over and look at the back side. You will see fuse usage information in the electrical module underneath this cover.

    You will want to orient the panel so it matches the position fuses and you can tell which is which - good thing you have a flashlight!

    Now make sure your ignition is turned off

    Look closely at the fuse panel information and find the name "HVAC CTRL (BATT)". It is on bottom row 2nd from end. Now find the corresponding fuse in the electronic module that was under the panel. It is a red 10 Amp fuse.

    Now with the fuse puller available in the fuse center, pull out this "HVAC CTRL (BATT)" fuse. Wait approximately 10 seconds and plug it back in.

    Turn on ignition and see if your HVAC control head is now working. If it still doesn't you might want to pull out the fuse again and go eat dinner or something and come back in 15-20 minutes and reinstall.

    If all is good then put your fuse puller back where it belongs and reinstall the fuse panel cover. It is a little tricky, just align the dove-tail in the back and slide it in as you seat the panel in front.

    Or just print this out and give to your dealer.

    Post back on your results :)
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    bwolter - your CHECK DAB is something you should mention to dealer next time you take vehicle in for service. However I think there is nothing he will be able to do AT THIS TIME for issue. Likely in the future there will a revised radio with new software to correct this. You might mention #PIC3193A to him as something he could look up to confirm what I just told you.
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    Sorry I missed this one. A little tricky to figure out easily but I think I got it. Gives you an idea how many they are building each day (LOL)

    2004 Malibu VIN and build dates

    18xxxx: Feb 25, 2004 --> March 12, 2004

    19xxxx: March 12, 2004 --> March 27, 2004

    22xxxx: April 29, 2004 --> May 13, 2004
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Thanks much. Actually, I wasn't expecting to get such SPECIFIC information. Can you also tell us when 2004 MY production started and when it finished up?
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    The beginning of the 2004 model year is too hard to give an exact date on since it was the first year for this vehicle and there is a ramp up acceleration that takes a while. At a certain point vehicles are deemed "saleable". Not sure that date is too important anyways, however it is sometime in 2003.

    VIN digit of "4" in 10th position indicates a vehicle is from 2004 model year. If it is a "5" that means 2005 model year.

    Switch from 2004 to 2005 model year was on June 11, 2004.
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    bluedevil: pull your left front tire off and a sticker will be looking you in the face with your build date on it.

    e2helper: did I say all that???
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Thanks. Actually, we have not bought a Malibu Maxx yet. I'm trying to get a feel for the various problems during different points in the model year, to determine if there's any advantage in buying an '04 Maxx made in, say, April 2004 vs. one made in Jan 2004.
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    Well with your particular example there would be considering updated steering columns started to be used in early February.
  • beedublubeedublu Member Posts: 236
    Wow, you think the Maxx is noisy? Mine seems dead silent compared to my old T-Bird. And compared to other cars, too. In fact, one of the 04 Accords I test drove seemed to have more noise than the Maxx on coarse pavement. I guess you must have something that's stuck open or not sealing properly, but I can't even guess what that would be.

    I can give you a little advice on what tires *not* to buy: I had Goodyear Aquatred 3 on my old car and while they weren't too bad for the first 10K miles or so, the noise level became excruciating after that point. The OEM Firestone FR680s weren't much better in that regard, and they were a horrible tire in every other respect.

    Actually, I kind of like the Bridgestones.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    as an earlier buyer...Mar 04 of the Maxx have been watching the board here for some time..and finally matched my vin to e2helpers chart here..mine is even an earlier build...173615 so would assume that I fall in that early Feb build and transition to the new steering columns.....except for the recalls for the ABS computer recalibration and the seat belt fastner....not one problem with my Maxx....11K on it...and going strong...would assume mine falls 10 Feb and 25 Feb for the build date.....another maxx owner in the NOVA area rode in my vehicle to confirm or deny some small issues (his car vs mine for comparison) ....but I havent had any of the PCM flash updates done and am very happy with the car....so just my 2 cents from a satisfied owner.

    would also agree that the Maxx is a very quite car as compared to others that I have owned and driven....it seals tight..I didnt notice air coming thru the door panel around the window switches..however I had the sunroof open windows up...doing 75 on the interstate..close the sunroof and the draft went away...overall I believe the car seals tight when all the windows and sunroof are closed.
  • fourseasfourseas Member Posts: 15
    Thank's for the fast response, I also read Maxx4me's post. Well, I picked the car up and they had fixed it. All they told me was that the re-program put the car in "sleep" mode and they had to "awaken" it. That's what my wife says about me all the time!. They kept the car for 8 hours and put 16 additional miles on it. It makes me think they might have brought it to another Chevy dealer in the next town to have it fixed. But just a fuse in and out, you would think they could have handled that. Oh well, the car is running great now, transmission shifting is more "crisp". Thanks again e2helper and maxx4me.
  • 37453745 Member Posts: 152
    I give up! I must be getting stupid. I can't figure out my VIN number.

    I bought the car in Feb.04. The VIN is
    1G1ZS54F157547. You say a VIN digit of "4" in 10th position means a 2004 model year. It seems I have a "5". Does that mean a 2005 model year?

    The door sticker says manufactured 01/04.
  • prdmprdm Member Posts: 145
    The 4 in front of the F indicates an '04 MY but your missing some numbers in that VIN. Mine has 17.
  • 37453745 Member Posts: 152
    Indeed! I am stupid! I shall go and drown myself in the nearest sewer!

    It's 1G1ZS54F54F157547
  • michiganmaxxmichiganmaxx Member Posts: 72
    3745, I agree that you are missing some digits in your VIN as listed. You should, in fact, have 17.
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    3745 You didn't have to post your whole VIN though - LOL. I can figure it out with only last 6 digits. I am sure that most people might know of websites explaining what all the digits means for all vehicles but specifically for you Malibu Sedan/Maxx Owners here is the scoop:

    First a sample VIN;

    1G1ZT64884F217972 (hope this isn't anyone's - LOL)

    Now what each digit means:
    1= U.S.A. - country of origin:
    G= GM - Manufacturer
    1= Chevrolet - Make of vehicle
    Z= Malibu is "Z" carline
    T= LS model (BTW S=base, U=LT and W=SS new for 2006)
    6= Maxx body (5=sedan)
    4= Front/Side airbags (2=Front airbags only)
    8= 3.5L V6 engine (F=2.2L L4)
    8= check digit (calculated based on a formula)
    4= 2004 model year (5=2005)
    F= Fairfax, Kansas (Assembly Plant)
    217972 = sequence number

    If anyone found that interesting please post back to let me know :)
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    I know you didn't ask pao but your build date was 2/17/04 which most likely was AFTER change to column (I would never be definite on a subject like this if you get my drift).
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    3745, your build date was 1/21/04
  • michiganmaxxmichiganmaxx Member Posts: 72
    Thanks for sharing the VIN breakdown info, e2helper. I was pretty familiar with the elements of what makes up a VIN as I am a General Motors retiree. However, I was not familiar with the coding for the current Malibus. I'm sure others will find the information enlightening.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    e2helper.....I do..and like others here..appreciate your contribution to this forum and all your assistance....
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Excellent information.

    What is the general reputation of the Fairfax assembly plant? It seems some plants are known for turning out top-notch quality and others aren't.
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    OK - thanks for responses. I will continue to check forum and in cases where I come up some related tangents to a thread that might be of interest to you all (like the VIN decoder info) I will post it.
  • bwolterbwolter Member Posts: 51
    I believe I found the culprit of the noise. Normally, a person using the power switch would hold the switch until the window stops (up). I had a 95 Monte Carlo and a 98 GMC Sierra that when doing this and holding the switch up, the window actually "flexed" the outer door panel slightly which allowed outside noise in. I would have to close the window and tap down quickly to "release" this pressure which killed the noise. I tried this on the Maxx, but did not see any "flexing". However, I did let it close all the way and then tap the down switch, yet the window is closed. Now, I hear no noise while driving. Hmmmmm, my Ford Contour never had this problem. I could hold the switch up until the window stopped and never had a problem. Guess I won't mess with the windows much.
  • beedublubeedublu Member Posts: 236
    I found it verrrry interesting! ;-)

    As I've said before, this is great being able to find out all this info on my vehicle. How'd we live without this great web-based resource?

    Thanks again for this and all previous info.
  • bwolterbwolter Member Posts: 51
    my VIN says 167914 and the sticker on the door says the car was built in Feb 04. Is this sticker reliable?
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    It seems to be based on other posters. I can hone in on a little more precise date for you and will post back on that
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    Yes, bwolter - 02/06/04 is the date
  • bdubseebdubsee Member Posts: 15
    I just wanted to introduce myself as a new Maxx owner. I've had my car less than a day so I hope that I don't have any problems soon. I've read the info here and I find the problems with real owners to be more telling any magazine review.

    My car: '05 Maxx LT 1SB Black/Gray VIN 5F156538

    e2helper, I also appreciate your posts - it helped give me more confidence in my purchase. Can you tell me my build date? I am a sucker for the back story on my car.
  • michiganmaxxmichiganmaxx Member Posts: 72
    bdubsee, welcome to the world of Maxx owners! If you haven't done so already be sure to also check out the forum, "Chevy Malibu Maxx". And while you're at it, if you haven't done so already, you're encouraged to enter your info on the poll sites set up by "pao". You can find them here: Buyers color poll....for the color of your maxx
    http://oswaldp.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/001

    Buyers Age Poll...How old are you if you bought a Maxx
    http://chevymaxx.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/001
  • jmax4jmax4 Member Posts: 22
    I like this explanation.

    I wonder why CARFAX has my MAXX LS as 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX BASE? Is there any MAXX base?
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    Gee, I think yours is first 2005 I looked up.

    09/16/04

    Looks like you got the rear seat audio system which should have included wireless headphones. Could you confirm that? We were just talking about this earlier.
  • michiganmaxxmichiganmaxx Member Posts: 72
    Oops! The URLs I mentioned in my previous #601 post
    were not exactly correct. Try these to actually paticipate:
    Buyers color poll....for the color of your maxx
    http://oswaldp.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/polls/001/poll_center.htm

    Buyers Poll...How old are you if you bought a Maxx
    http://chevymaxx.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/polls/001/poll_center.htm
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    OK, I changed my oil and used Mobil 1 yesterday; today, when I checked the dip stick, it looks like it is a quart low. Does the 3.5 liter engine take 5 or 4 quarts? Is the owner's manual right afterall? When I did the oil at 1000 miles, I could not see how 5 quarts could go into the engine since my dipstick read at the top after 4. Now it is low. I'm soooooo confused.
  • prdmprdm Member Posts: 145
    I also have an '05 LS with 1SB Maxx with the standard rear audio (no DVD) that did not come with headphones. VIN: 159183
    I picked it up on Oct. 18. Should I check with the dealer?
  • tricky73tricky73 Member Posts: 132
    Johnnyecks

    The same thing happened to my Malibu manufactured in October 2003. I had it repaired (steering column replaced) at my local dealer...no hassle; the fault code was stored...the mechanic who did the work said this was the third instance he has seen in this (medium-sized) agency. This was done about 600 miles ago, and no problems since the replacement. You SHOULD be concerned...I am 76 years old, and had my wife been driving when it failed, I am convinced she could not have turned the front wheels to exit the highway. Friction is increased to the point elderly people can't handle it! In earlier posts I reported conversations with GM customer relations who left me with the impression their only concern is that it had been fixed properly...safety possibilities were not open for discussion. This individual denied there was anyting in their data base on this defect. I reported my experience to the NHTSB and have had 2 replies from them...they are conducting an investigation on the Malibu. It is interesting to see the Edmunds long-term test car also failed (ref August 2004 report.) Finally, last week another GM rep called to see how its' going, and after an extended conversation he agreed to give me a GMCustomerCare policy for 3 years (free oil changes, tire rotations, and other scheduled maintaince items.) Better then nothing I suppose, because if the steering continues to perform ok, I like the car and will keep it. If it fails again, I will dump it at any cost...I don't have that many years remaining to take the chance
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    I am checking on this. Will post back in a day or 2 with what I find out
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    I don't know what to say on this maxx4me :(

    I thought it was 4 quarts from what I was told but I guess you have to let the dipstick be your guide

    I am stirring things up on this ;)
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    I confirmed you should have received a wireless Headphones Only Package Kit P/N 10396845 which comes with 2 Wireless Headphones (P/N 15762534) and 4 AAA Batteries (P/N 15073730).

    These are the same headphones used on DVD player, it is just that system also comes with a remote control.

    Not sure if this is was a misbuild by assembly plant or dealer was confused because the 2004 model had a different system used wired headphones only (which aren't supplied with vehicle).

    I would suggest you check again with dealer given this information. This is being checked into further.
  • prdmprdm Member Posts: 145
    Many thanks for the information.
  • startlesstartles Member Posts: 2
    My Malibu Maxx on occasion cintinues to start even after I have started it. You know how you can sometimes forget that you have already turn on the car but turn the ignition again anyway..that grating sound..well sometimes after I start it it makes that noise like I am doing a continuing start..anyone else have anything similar?
  • maxx4memaxx4me Member Posts: 1,340
    yep; as e2helper has pointed out, the Maxx has a starter which does not require you to keep the key turned; you may simply turn it and let go, adn the starter will take it from there. There is a PCM reflash for "hard starts". I had it done but still get an occational "long" cranking after I turn the key.
  • kurtamaxxguykurtamaxxguy Member Posts: 677
    Thanks for previous info. I had my Maxx in for its 12K checkup. Dealer (which had done good job with steering column replacement) claimed all the PCM flashes were current, then provided bill well over estimate ($120 total - this was to change oil, rotate tires and a few inspections). Not a good sign for future maintanence needs.

    I did not argue, but noted the cruise control remains useless on all but nearly level roads(still cycles between 4th and third) - will write it off at this point and hope someday GM figures out how to make it work with a 4 speed (cruise controls in the Ion auto and Trail Blazer worked quite well).
  • bdubseebdubsee Member Posts: 15
    Thank you for the heads up on the headphones. I should assume that it was an honest mistake, not any sort of treachery (residual bad feelings from the purchasing experience, I suppose). I'll contact my dealer tomorrow and let you know what the results are.
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    Yes, there is a potential that the vehicle was received with the headphone kit and it wasn't their fault.

    If dealer still indicates they don't think that the vehicle is supposed to have headphones you might want to suggest they contact the Technical Assistance Center help line for confirmation.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    wow seems a bit high for a 12k check for a few inspections, oil change, and tire rotation....my dealer here in northern VA is offering the 12K service for 59.95...would have guessed why the bill was "well over estimate" for a standard service......

    interesting comment on the cruise control...I dont seem to have that problem but admit not driving hills and mountains....but rolling hills in NOVA and thru NC/SC dont seem to bother the cruise......when you say cycles thru..does it do it several times...or just downshift once to maintain the speed..then return to fourth?
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    All I can say is that the latest PCM calibration had a change which looked to address this concern.

    Since it was only released for production in May 2004 your vehicle would have had to been reflashed by dealer after that in order to have it. Dealer told you the PCM flash is current but it can't be the case unless they updated it at some point

    CAL ID:12592927
    P/N: 12592928
    New calibration with diagnostic enhancements for DTC P0340. Also improvements for starting, idle quality, and shift stabilization affecting 3-4 upshift.

    Another thought.........
    Was your vehicle reflashed at that clinic you attended in April? That might have been a way your PCM was updated by someone other than the dealer.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    wow seems a bit high for a 12k check for a few inspections, oil change, and tire rotation....my dealer here in northern VA is offering the 12K service for 59.95...would have guessed why the bill was "well over estimate" for a standard service......

    interesting comment on the cruise control...I dont seem to have that problem but admit not driving hills and mountains....but rolling hills in NOVA and thru NC/SC dont seem to bother the cruise......when you say cycles thru..does it do it several times...or just downshift once to maintain the speed..then return to fourth?
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