Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - PEDALS AND LINKAGES | |||||
| PIC--4330B | 12/01/2008 | 10028285 | Chevrolet: unable to relearn the brake pedal position (bpp) sensor. *pe | 03/20/2009 | |
| PIC-4883A | 06/01/2008 | 10026685 | Gmc: brake pedal clunk possible brake drag c0131. with steering wheel adjusted in full down position, there may be a clunk when the brake pedal is released. *pe | 12/01/2008 | |
| PIC-4330A | 07/01/2008 | 10026163 | Gmc: unable to relearn the brake pedal position (bpp) sensor. have difficulty performing the brake pedal position (bpp) relearn. models chevrolets, pontiacs and saturns. *pe | 10/03/2008 | |
| 4658 | 12/01/2008 | PIC-4658A | 10023415 | Adjustable pedals will not adjust inoperative. *nj updated 3/13/09. *pe | 12/10/2007 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | |||
| 10/01/2012 | 73000 | ||
| Whilst driving home one night i noticed that my brake lights were on, however i was not applying the brakes. i then pressed the brake pedal and the brake lights turned off. once i let go of the brake they came back on after a few seconds. at the same time, i received an error that read along the lines of: esc service traction. my husband and i found a forum where other malibu owners seemed to be having the same issue, so we removed the panel on the passenger side floor to check for any corrosion, then replaced the panel. the problem stopped, however this issue is re-occurring, and has occurred several other times since then. i always receive the same esc service traction error each time this happens and i am not able to use cruise control as the brake lights are being engaged without the pedal being pressed. | |||
| 09/19/2012 | 67000 | 1 | |
| On several occasion i have notice that my brake lights come on without me even pressing the brakes. it also lights up and when i press the brakes it goes off. i have spoken with other malibu owner and they complain of this same brake failure. it is very frustrating and not safe. *tr | |||
| 10/05/2012 | 66890 | 1 | |
| The brake lights, including the third brake light, were observed on during normal operation, when the brakes were not being applied. this gives a false indication of intended operation. *tr | |||
| 10/05/2012 | 66890 | ||
| The brake lights, including the third brake light, were observed on during normal operation, when the brakes were not being applied. this gives a false indication of intended operation. | |||
| 10/24/2011 | 1 | ||
| While pressing the brake to slow to turn to the right the esc servicing comes across the dash. i call the service department the next day (cause the incident happened after hours) they tech says next time the light comes on bring it in without turning the car off. for the next several times it happens of course was after hours. i took it in for a oil change, and when leaving the light came on again. i automatically turned around and went back. upon diagnostic testing it shows nothing is wrong and the tech says my car doesn't have anything that would set off this code. can anyone tell me what esc stands for on this model car????? *tr | |||
| 10/24/2011 | |||
| While pressing the break to slow to turn to the right the esc servicing comes across the dash. i call the service department the next day (cause the incident happened after hours) they tech says next time the light comes on bring it in without turning the car off. for the next several times it happens of course was after hours. i took it in for a oil change, and when leaving the light came on again. i automatically turned around and went back. upon diagnostic testing it shows nothing is wrong and the tech says my car doesn't have anything that would set off this code. can anyone tell me what esc stands for on this model car????? | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | |||
| 04/12/2009 | 38000 | ||
| 2008 chevy malibu 4 cylinder has electronric power steering. this morning driving to work it ripped the steering wheel out of my wifes hands if she had been going more than 35mph she would have ran into a ditch. i went and met her and drove it home it violently jerked backed and forth on me as well. good think we were not on the interstate going 70mph someone would have probably died | |||
| 07/28/2008 | 210 | 1 | |
| 2008 chevrolet malibu 260 miles purchased on 7-21-08 on 7-22-08 received warning light service traction and service sce pulled to the side and look in manual description of problem. manual said service as soon possible. car was running very sluggish and abs brakes were chattering when applied. car seemed like it would not shift gears. took to dealer asap. dealer said the problem was from a low charge on the battery. dealer had car for 2 days. did not drive car again until 7-28-08. drove 4-5 miles and service traction and service sce warning lights came on. drove to dealer approx 2 miles. when i got to the dealer, the left front abs brake was smoking was very hot, almost seemed like it would burst into flames. hubcap had wilted on wheel. left car a dealer, received call from dealer saying the problem was probably due to steering wheel being adjusted to the lower position, causing the steering assembly to press against the brakes. if this is the case it sound as like a design flaw. since people always lower the steering column to a lower position. dealer was ordering parts and would car for 4-5 days. parts to be ordered was a pad for the steering column (band aid) new hub cap. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 10/03/2011 | 91985 | ||
| While driving or not driving the steering wheel shakes vigorously and the power steering warning light comes on. then the brake lights come on when i'm not touching them.when i do apply the brakes the lights go out. then have to apply a generous amount of pressure to get them to come on. i constantly keep getting the light service esc then it says it is off. i turn off car and it resets but after 2 or 3 minutes it comes back on. i also keep getting a seatbelt light as to buckle up and i'm already wearing seatbelt. the steering gets hung while driving pulling to either side of the road. | |||
| 10/07/2010 | 50000 | ||
| The e-brake stripped out to a unuable state after 50,000 miles. now if the brakes fail i have no alternative to stop the car. the steering pops when turning from left to right and from start off after a stop this started at the same time. | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 60000 | ||
| This vehicle is having issues with the brake lights illuminating without pressing on the brake pedals. when the brake lights come on by themselves, trying to use the brakes when needed (ie slowing down, stopping) shuts the brake lights off, which could cause a major safety issue for the persons in the vehicle as well as persons in other vehicles around my vehicle. it also takes what seems to be some force to make the brake lights come back on. sometimes shutting down the vehicle and restarting it solves the issue for a short period of time. the vehicle is also having a cruise control issue, which i am assuming is directly related to the above problem. the cruise control does not want to stay engaged when turned on. it seems this only happens when the brake lights illuminate by themselves. this is also another safety issue for the persons within the vehicle. this vehicle is also having an error that comes on advising that the traction control is off and to service the esc soon. this light comes on for no reason that i can determine. the error code that comes on is c0131. i have searched the internet and have multiple people (more than 50 at this time) that i have found that are having the same exact issues. this is a very high safety concern, that i am unsure on why this hasn't been recalled as of yet. i can imagine there are way more people out there who have just had this issue fixed on their own instead of taking their time out to report to the nhtsa for their review. i would appreciate some sort of contact to be made by this department to myself. thank you for your assistance in these safety issues. | |||
| 10/07/2010 | 50000 | ||
| The e-brake stripped out to a unuable state after 50,000 miles. now if the brakes fail i have no alternative to stop the car. the steering pops when turning from left to right and from start off after a stop this started at the same time. | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 60000 | ||
| This vehicle is having issues with the brake lights illuminating without pressing on the brake pedals. when the brake lights come on by themselves, trying to use the brakes when needed (ie slowing down, stopping) shuts the brake lights off, which could cause a major safety issue for the persons in the vehicle as well as persons in other vehicles around my vehicle. it also takes what seems to be some force to make the brake lights come back on. sometimes shutting down the vehicle and restarting it solves the issue for a short period of time. the vehicle is also having a cruise control issue, which i am assuming is directly related to the above problem. the cruise control does not want to stay engaged when turned on. it seems this only happens when the brake lights illuminate by themselves. this is also another safety issue for the persons within the vehicle. this vehicle is also having an error that comes on advising that the traction control is off and to service the esc soon. this light comes on for no reason that i can determine. the error code that comes on is c0131. i have searched the internet and have multiple people (more than 50 at this time) that i have found that are having the same exact issues. this is a very high safety concern, that i am unsure on why this hasn't been recalled as of yet. i can imagine there are way more people out there who have just had this issue fixed on their own instead of taking their time out to report to the nhtsa for their review. i would appreciate some sort of contact to be made by this department to myself. thank you for your assistance in these safety issues. | |||
| 10/07/2010 | 50000 | ||
| The e-brake stripped out to a unuable state after 50,000 miles. now if the brakes fail i have no alternative to stop the car. the steering pops when turning from left to right and from start off after a stop this started at the same time. | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 60000 | ||
| This vehicle is having issues with the brake lights illuminating without pressing on the brake pedals. when the brake lights come on by themselves, trying to use the brakes when needed (ie slowing down, stopping) shuts the brake lights off, which could cause a major safety issue for the persons in the vehicle as well as persons in other vehicles around my vehicle. it also takes what seems to be some force to make the brake lights come back on. sometimes shutting down the vehicle and restarting it solves the issue for a short period of time. the vehicle is also having a cruise control issue, which i am assuming is directly related to the above problem. the cruise control does not want to stay engaged when turned on. it seems this only happens when the brake lights illuminate by themselves. this is also another safety issue for the persons within the vehicle. this vehicle is also having an error that comes on advising that the traction control is off and to service the esc soon. this light comes on for no reason that i can determine. the error code that comes on is c0131. i have searched the internet and have multiple people (more than 50 at this time) that i have found that are having the same exact issues. this is a very high safety concern, that i am unsure on why this hasn't been recalled as of yet. i can imagine there are way more people out there who have just had this issue fixed on their own instead of taking their time out to report to the nhtsa for their review. i would appreciate some sort of contact to be made by this department to myself. thank you for your assistance in these safety issues. | |||
| 04/02/2011 | 37000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated the driver was traveling at various speeds when the vehicle would shake. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the failure continued; therefore, the vehicle was taken to another authorized dealer where the contact was told the brakes were partially engaging and causing the vehicle to shake. the contact was also told the brakes were overheated while they were partially engaged. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure only occurred when the steering wheel was adjusted to tilt downwards at the lowest setting. the failure and current mileages were 37,000. the vin was unavailable. | |||
| 04/02/2011 | 37000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated the driver was driving at various speeds when the vehicle would shake. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the failure continued so the vehicle was taken to another authorized dealer where the contact was told the brakes were partially engaging and causing the vehicle to shake. the contact was also told the brakes were overheating while they were partially engaged. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact also stated the failure only occurred when the steering wheel was adjusted to tilt downwards at the lowest setting. the failure and current mileages were 37,000. the vin was unavailable. sm. | |||
| 02/01/2011 | 31000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while driving at low speeds and trying to brake his vehicle he noticed that they would lock up. the vehicle was inspected by a independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure and advised him to take it to a certified dealer. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and advised the contact that the rotors needed to be turned and that they would test drive the vehicle to see if they could reenact the failure. after driving for a while they were able to reenact the failure and advised the contact to call the corporate and work something out.the vehicle was repaired for the rotors, but the brakes locking up have not been repaired due to not getting a response from corporate. the failure mileage was approximately 31,000. the vin was unavailable. tb | |||
| 03/15/2010 | 27423 | 1 | |
| 2008 chevrolet malibu steering free wheels at times jerks side to side at times at any speed. brakes fade at times rumble .this week i contacted general motors waiting to hear what i should do. did search on internet and i seen hundreds of people that have same problem .and they say dealer cannot repair .has anyone investigated malibu steering problems it scares me when it stops working .all at once the steering jerks side to side .hard to turn at low speed .car has 27000 miles and has had intermittent problems with steering and brakes since i bought it afraid to take it to dealer they say nothing is wrong with it but i say there wrong . *tr | |||
| 06/01/2008 | 100000 | 1 | |
| Approx. 10k on the vehicle when the brake pedal would get hard upon braking regardless of rain, snow or shine, it eventually got worse. after taking the car into the dealership 3x's the tech realized that the brake fluid was low. the tech found that the master cylinder was leaking break fluid into the brake booster. the brake booster was more than half full with fluid by the time the problem was noticed. the master cylinder was replaced on the vehicle due to mechanical failure. the brake system is still having various issues that cannot seem to be resolved with the vehicle having only 36,555 miles. the rotors have been turned so much that they already need replacement. the malibu's brake system is faulty and needs to be investigated. i've talked to other malibu owners that have had similar issues. *tr | |||
| 09/17/2009 | 15000 | 1 | |
| Upon starting the vehicle, all 3 brake lights turn on and remain on. the lights remain on until the brake pedal is depressed. at that point the lights turn off. if you press the pedal again, they will come back on, but only if you slam your foot on the brake. the lights cycle on every 5 seconds, providing you depress the brake to turn them off. primary concern is that no one knows when you are going to stop and when you do stop, the brake lights turn off (with a hard push on the pedal). it appears this problem only occurs at night. i have brought my car to a chevrolet dealership 3 times regarding the issue. every time it just 'stops'. no remedy. the problem remains unsolved. *tr | |||
| 03/24/2009 | 26500 | 1 | |
| I have a chevrolet malibu lt 2008 since may 2008, unfortunately it seems that the brake system is still a headache based on several online reviews. after 15,000 miles, the steering wheel started shaking every time that i pressed the brakes, therefore i took the vehicle to the dealership, robins chevrolet in humble (great service by the way), and they resurface the front rotors, that was just 2 months ago, and now with 5 k miles more i have the same issue again. braking distance has increased maybe by 20%, my question is? why gm has not improve the brake system on these vehicles, i google it and found several complains with the braking system for vehicles 2000 and up, year by year. | |||
| 02/21/2008 | 700 | 1 | 02/07/2008 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. while driving between 55-60 mph on normal road conditions, the contact heard a noise when the brake pedal was depressed. there was a decrease in the brake line pressure and the stopping distance increased. in addition, the steering wheel exhibited excessive wobbling, which made steering difficult. the failures occurred without warning. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the computerized system failed. the technician reprogrammed the computerized system, but the failure recurred on eight separate occasions. the vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer six times without any resolutions. the failure mileage was 700 and current mileage was 16,000. updated 03/18/09. *lj the consumer stated if felt as though the brakes were locking up. the traction control light illuminated. updated 03/20/09. *jb | |||
| 03/20/2008 | 1500 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. while driving the vehicle at various speeds, the contact heard strange noises when the brake pedal was depressed. he stated that there appeared to be an issue with the electric power steering/steering assembly. the steering wheel was smooth in the beginning and then suddenly jerked to the left and right. the wheel became very loose as if he had no control of the steering. the dealer repaired the failure approximately five times, but could never determine the exact cause of the failures. the failure mileage was 1,500 and current mileage was 13,000. | |||
| 06/11/2008 | 6000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. upon purchasing the vehicle, the contact noticed oil all over the front rims and tires. the dealer reassured her that the oil came from the brakes and there was nothing to worry about. she also stated that she would not get ample gas mileage as stated at the time of purchase. while driving less than 70 mph, the accelerator pedal would not depress and the vehicle would not gain speed. on-star performed a diagnostic and found that the traction system malfunctioned. the gears would not change, there was a loud, persistent screeching noise, and smoke was coming from the front driver's side of the vehicle. the contact was able to maneuver the vehicle off the highway and take it back to the dealer for repairs. however, the failure still persists. the failure mileage was 6,000 and current mileage was less than 8,000. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - PEDALS AND LINKAGES | |||
| 06/10/2008 | 7900 | 1 | 12/08/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. while driving between 20-40 mph, the contact depressed the brake pedal and then the accelerator pedal. the vehicle jerked violently and was taken to the dealer twice; however, the failure persists. the current mileage was 8,432 and failure mileage was 7,900. updated 10/14/08 *bf updated 10/23/08.*jb | |||