Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 12/10/2012 | 130000 | 1 | |
| My 2004 chevy classic will not start. suspecting the theft system. i've dealt with the theft system light before, but this time it has been on solid or not on at all. i've tried the 10 minute restart twice with no luck. i tried a variation of the 10 minute reset that had me do it 3 times back to back without starting in between and no luck. i tried waiting 1 minute and 3 minutes after performing the 10 minute reset before attempting to start it. i replaced the battery with no luck. diag was done with no answers. from what i've read online, this is a frequent problem with my make and model, and i just don't understand why they don't do a recall. *tr | |||
| 12/10/2012 | 130000 | ||
| My 2004 chevy classic will not start. suspecting the theft system.i've dealt with the theft system light before, but this time it has been on solid or not on at all. i've tried the 10 minute restart twice with no luck. i tried a variation of the 10 minute reset that had me do it 3 times back to back without starting in between and no luck. i tried waiting 1 minute and 3 minutes after performing the 10 minute resest before attempting to start it. i replaced the battery with no luck. diag was done with no answers. from what i've read online, this is a frequent problem with my make and model, and i just don't understand why they don't do a recall. | |||
| 09/06/2012 | 63385 | 1 | |
| The theft system light will come on randomly and my car will not start. the only cure is to turn the key to the on position for 10 minutes until the anti-theft light on the dash goes out. then turn the key to off and the will then start. *tr | |||
| 09/06/2012 | 63385 | ||
| The theft system light will come on randomly and my car will not start. the only cure is to turn the key to the on position for 10 minutes until the anti-theft light on the dash goes out. then turn the key to off and the will then start. | |||
| 06/05/2011 | 89000 | ||
| Security feature on a 2004 chevy classic malfunctions disabling the ability to start the vehicle. the theft protection device fails to read the key properly which then does not allow the car to start. this is a known issue with many chevy malibu and classics with no support from the manufacturer. | |||
| 03/29/2011 | 132000 | ||
| 2004 chevrolet classic has an issue with the anti-theft feature. the car will enter 'anti-theft' mode and won't start for unknown reasons. this has left my daughter stranded multiple times, and her only recourse is to sit with the key turned on for 10 minutes until the system resets. | |||
| 04/30/2010 | 98000 | ||
| 2004 chevy classic - sometimes the theft deterrent according to chevrolet, the fix is supposed to be leaving the key turned. turn the key to the on position, right before it cranks when the lights and radio turn on. leave it there for ten minutes until the anti theft light turns off. then turn the key to the off position and then try starting the car. . | |||
| 02/02/2009 | 70000 | ||
| 2005 general motors chevy classic anti theft system. system will arbitrarily not allow car to start. have been to repair shop (not dealer) to find this is a common problem. anti theft light will come on during drive at which time i immediately pull over so as not risk car shutting down. turn key to on for ten minutes or so until anti theft light goes out so i may continue driving. several times this has drained battery so i have to wait for good samaritan to give me a jump. | |||
| 03/20/2010 | 90000 | ||
| I own a 2004 chevy malibu classic, the unknown car. unknown for anything worthwhile that is. anyways this cars theft system from what i can tell is totally faulty and randomly makes you have to wait 10 minutes so your car will start. resetting the theft system is the only thing that seems to fix the problem of not starting. maybe replacing the lock cylinder would help but not from what some people say... i haven't tried it yet because it is expensive. so far this has only happened to me 3 times in the last 2 years, i just hope it doesnt get worse. | |||
| 10/18/2005 | 40000 | ||
| My husband was taking our four youngest children to school oct. 18, 2005, traveling south on i-45 in the houston area in our 2004 malibu classic which had approximately 40,000 miles on it. witnesses said he swerved around several cars and was going 80+ mph. he pulled onto the shoulder, passed and clipped a car; and then pulled off the freeway into the grassy median. he swerved around a post, a large electric box and a large sign pillar. his left front tire hit a culvert and was flattened. according to an expert, this pulled his car to the left, leaving the car hard to steer. the car hit a sign support structure. all five were killed; the car was demolished and caught fire. according to the police report, this all took place in less than 15 seconds. according to the expert report, the throttle body was found stuck at the near full throttle position; the brake pedal had significant deformation in the forward direction (bent from the rear to the front) indicating the driver | |||
| 09/26/2009 | 103000 | 1 | |
| 2004 chevy classic anti-theft system engages every time the engine fails to start on the first spark. it has left me stranded once (till i figured out the problem) and since has occurred about 8 times a week. engine cold or hot does not matter. the ten minutes is certainly inconvenient and at times a safety hazard. the problem began at work about 2 months ago. i have tried better fuel, fuel additives, different starting procedures. nothing works. *tr | |||
| 05/07/2009 | 54000 | 1 | |
| I simply tried to turn on my car after a long day at work and the security system wont allow the car to turn on. *tr | |||
| 04/15/2009 | 94112 | 1 | |
| Chevy classic 2004 would not start. first time this has happened. out of warranty. noticed anti-theft light on a few times, for a few minutes, 3 or 4 times in last month. electrical system, batt, starter, alternator fine. lots of fuel. starts in neutral for 2-3 seconds then dies. passlock assembly, part of the anti-theft system was diagnosed as failed. it is a computer component built-in to the ignition system. mechanic claims new passlock assembly and new key are required. this vehicle was never in an accident. this vehicle has no after-market parts installed i.e. radio, alarm, etc. this vehicle is kept in 2 car garage and is only car in the garage. *tr | |||
| 05/05/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2004 chevrolet malibu classic. for the past year or more i've been having problems starting my car and the only resolution is to wait 10min. with the ignition in the on position until the theft system light goes off. i figured this out by reading the owners manual but i feel sorry for the many folks who spent hundreds of dollars before doing so. it was only happening every couple of months and has progressed to happening 1-2 times a day. the theft light will now even come on at times while driving. i'm just afraid the car might shut off while driving and cause an accident. the gm dealer says it's probably the ignition cylinder or the body control module that need replaced. from what i've read on the internet forums that has not fixed the problem. the problem resides in the passlock security system and the only way to remedy it is to have it disabled or bypassed, but not by gm of course because they won't admit to the problem. since gm won't fix the problem, there should be a recall that will force them to. i challenge you to read the forums for yourself on this issue. i feel the evidence is compelling as i expect you will also. someone needs to step in and take control on this one and i'm afraid that you are the only one who can. americans are struggling to afford driving with fuel at $4.00/gal let alone being deceived by gm into spending hundreds of dollars for unjustly repairs. thank you for listening. *tr | |||
| 05/28/2007 | 4 | 02/04/2005 | |
| Car would not start. replaced the fuel pump. not the problem. found out that the theft system light was the problem after my brother in law called a friend of his that worked at gm. theft system light comes on while driving and there are times that the car will not start and i have to leave keys in ignition for 10-15 minutes and then come back, turn off and then turn on again, and it starts. this is a common problem with the chevy malibu's. i am fortunate that i have not been driving and my car cut off on me like other malibu owners who are experiencing the whole theft system light coming on. i am taking it to the shop tonight to have the ignition cylinder replaced but have read forums where that didn't help either. gm /chevy knows that have a problem and aren't during anything about it. why not investigate before you have fatalities on the road and it comes back to faulty equipment on chevy. *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 11/02/2005 | 38000 | 1 | 08/05/2005 |
| I purchased my car less than a year ago as a certified used car, and the brakes are becoming a very big problem. i have researched recalls that have been made to the make and model of my vehicle and notice that there has been a recall concerning the brakes. i would like to know why, if my car was in fact a certified used car, how it is possible for my brakes to be working so poorly. this problem is one that is potentially life threatening due to the increasing time that it takes to stop the vehicle. this car was purchased less than a year ago and therefore i feel strongly that i was deceived into buying a car that is a death trap!!! *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - ANTI-THEFT CONTROLLER | |||
| 05/05/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2004 chevrolet malibu classic. for the past year or more i've been having problems starting my car and the only resolution is to wait 10min. with the ignition in the on position until the theft system light goes off. i figured this out by reading the owners manual but i feel sorry for the many folks who spent hundreds of dollars before doing so. it was only happening every couple of months and has progressed to happening 1-2 times a day. the theft light will now even come on at times while driving. i'm just afraid the car might shut off while driving and cause an accident. the gm dealer says it's probably the ignition cylinder or the body control module that need replaced. from what i've read on the internet forums that has not fixed the problem. the problem resides in the passlock security system and the only way to remedy it is to have it disabled or bypassed, but not by gm of course because they won't admit to the problem. since gm won't fix the problem, there should be a recall that will force them to. i challenge you to read the forums for yourself on this issue. i feel the evidence is compelling as i expect you will also. someone needs to step in and take control on this one and i'm afraid that you are the only one who can. americans are struggling to afford driving with fuel at $4.00/gal let alone being deceived by gm into spending hundreds of dollars for unjustly repairs. thank you for listening. *tr | |||