Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||||
| 060842004 | 09/01/2007 | 060842004C | 10019834 | Front park/turn/drl or rear stop/turn/tail lamp inoperative. (replace bulb and inspect socket) *tt updated. *kb updated 11/02/07 *nj | 05/05/2006 |
| 3393 | 10017222 | Backlighting is inoperative during daylight conditions (headlight switch turned on manually). *tt | 10/28/2005 | ||
| 3393A | 10017006 | Backlighting is inop during daylight conditions (headlight switch turned on manually) *sc | 10/20/2005 | ||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | |||||
| SB-08-05-22-009A | 06/01/2009 | 10032206 | Chevrolet/pontiac/saturn: intermittently brake lights (stop lamps) do not function correctly, extended travel to shift out of park, cruise control inoperative, dtcs c0161/c0277 set (perform repair as outlined). *pe | 02/17/2010 | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||||
| 3170E | 10019186 | Ipc, interior lights and/or headlamps flicker. *ak fb2 | 02/16/2006 | ||
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | ||||||
| EA09004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 03/20/2009 | 08/12/2010 | Turn Signal Lamps | ||
| Gm designed the my 2004 and 2005 chevrolet malibu and malibu maxx vehicles with a daytime running lamp (drl) system that uses the same filament (the high power filament of a dual filament bulb) as the front turn signals.the high power filament operates at full battery voltage when functioning as a drl.the drl is illuminated whenever the headlamps are off, increasing the duty cycle of the front turn signal bulb.the my 2003 and earlier malibu vehicles (malibu maxx was not manufactured for sale in the u.s. prior to my 2004) used a headlamp based design, operated at a reduced voltage, for the drl function; gm reverted back to this design on the my 2006 and later malibu and malibu maxx vehicles. filament based bulbs have a finite life (hours of illumination) for any given operating voltage.as a result, increasing the duty cycle of a bulb typically decreases the life span of the bulb.gm identified and addressed two front turn signal/drl and rear turn signal bulb quality issues early in my 2004 production, however vehicle warranty claims for failed bulbs continued to occur.to address the high warranty levels of bulb failures (90% of the warranty claims submitted to odi by gm were bulb failures and 10% were socket failures), gm issued a technical service bulletin in march 2006 advising dealers to use a new specification of bulb when addressing service failures, and to also inspect the electrical sockets for thermal damage and replace if necessary.in june 2006 (after subject vehicle production ended) gm changed the turn signal bulb specification to that of the tsb bulb in vehicle production also.to date, odi has not identified any allegations of crash, injury, or fire related to the alleged defect even though the subject vehicles have experienced 5 - 6 years of field exposure.odi's analysis of consumer complaints, both voq and manufacturer, shows a declining trend.the warranty rate for turn signal bulb replacement is high however statistical analysis of the warranty data suggests that the majority of the original equipment bulbs have already been replaced.gm conducted a safety recall (06v-263) for my 2004-2005 cadillac xlr to replace the front turn signal/drl bulbs and the electrical sockets.however gm advised that the turn signal/drl bulbs/sockets on the subject vehicles differ from those on the recalled xlrs in several respects, including using bulb sockets with four electrical terminals as opposed to three, which improves the electrical connection, allows the bulb to operate at a lower temperature, and adds stability to the bulb in the socket; operating at a lower voltage, which increases vehicle bulb life; using vented headlamps, which allows bulbs to run cooler than those installed in a non-vented xlr headlamp; and using a clear bulb, which runs cooler than the amber bulbs installed on the xlr.additionally, the warranty claim level related to subject vehicle sockets is unremarkable compared to other defect investigations into defective socket assemblies.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached report for further information. | ||||||
| EA09004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 03/20/2009 | PARK/TURN/STOP/DRL LAMPS | |||
| The subject vehicles may experience loss of function of one or more of the park, turn, stop or drl lamps.failure of the bulb may also include discoloration (heat damage) to the bulb socket.general motors (gm) technical service bulletin (tsb) number 06-08-42-004c instructs technicians to examine the lamp housing for signs of discoloration and to replace the bulbs and or sockets depending on the severity of the discoloration and the condition of the bulbs and sockets.the scope of investigation in the preliminary evaluation (pe08-062) was the 2004 malibu/maxx.however, the agency evaluated gm's warranty data which indicates that the 2005 model year (my) malibu and malibu maxx vehicles are also affected by this condition.this ea covers both model years.gm reports design and production improvement changes for model year 2006 malibu and malibu maxx vehicles. | ||||||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | ||||||
| EA09004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 03/20/2009 | 08/12/2010 | Turn Signal Lamps | ||
| Gm designed the my 2004 and 2005 chevrolet malibu and malibu maxx vehicles with a daytime running lamp (drl) system that uses the same filament (the high power filament of a dual filament bulb) as the front turn signals.the high power filament operates at full battery voltage when functioning as a drl.the drl is illuminated whenever the headlamps are off, increasing the duty cycle of the front turn signal bulb.the my 2003 and earlier malibu vehicles (malibu maxx was not manufactured for sale in the u.s. prior to my 2004) used a headlamp based design, operated at a reduced voltage, for the drl function; gm reverted back to this design on the my 2006 and later malibu and malibu maxx vehicles. filament based bulbs have a finite life (hours of illumination) for any given operating voltage.as a result, increasing the duty cycle of a bulb typically decreases the life span of the bulb.gm identified and addressed two front turn signal/drl and rear turn signal bulb quality issues early in my 2004 production, however vehicle warranty claims for failed bulbs continued to occur.to address the high warranty levels of bulb failures (90% of the warranty claims submitted to odi by gm were bulb failures and 10% were socket failures), gm issued a technical service bulletin in march 2006 advising dealers to use a new specification of bulb when addressing service failures, and to also inspect the electrical sockets for thermal damage and replace if necessary.in june 2006 (after subject vehicle production ended) gm changed the turn signal bulb specification to that of the tsb bulb in vehicle production also.to date, odi has not identified any allegations of crash, injury, or fire related to the alleged defect even though the subject vehicles have experienced 5 - 6 years of field exposure.odi's analysis of consumer complaints, both voq and manufacturer, shows a declining trend.the warranty rate for turn signal bulb replacement is high however statistical analysis of the warranty data suggests that the majority of the original equipment bulbs have already been replaced.gm conducted a safety recall (06v-263) for my 2004-2005 cadillac xlr to replace the front turn signal/drl bulbs and the electrical sockets.however gm advised that the turn signal/drl bulbs/sockets on the subject vehicles differ from those on the recalled xlrs in several respects, including using bulb sockets with four electrical terminals as opposed to three, which improves the electrical connection, allows the bulb to operate at a lower temperature, and adds stability to the bulb in the socket; operating at a lower voltage, which increases vehicle bulb life; using vented headlamps, which allows bulbs to run cooler than those installed in a non-vented xlr headlamp; and using a clear bulb, which runs cooler than the amber bulbs installed on the xlr.additionally, the warranty claim level related to subject vehicle sockets is unremarkable compared to other defect investigations into defective socket assemblies.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached report for further information. | ||||||
| EA09004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 03/20/2009 | PARK/TURN/STOP/DRL LAMPS | |||
| The subject vehicles may experience loss of function of one or more of the park, turn, stop or drl lamps.failure of the bulb may also include discoloration (heat damage) to the bulb socket.general motors (gm) technical service bulletin (tsb) number 06-08-42-004c instructs technicians to examine the lamp housing for signs of discoloration and to replace the bulbs and or sockets depending on the severity of the discoloration and the condition of the bulbs and sockets.the scope of investigation in the preliminary evaluation (pe08-062) was the 2004 malibu/maxx.however, the agency evaluated gm's warranty data which indicates that the 2005 model year (my) malibu and malibu maxx vehicles are also affected by this condition.this ea covers both model years.gm reports design and production improvement changes for model year 2006 malibu and malibu maxx vehicles. | ||||||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS | ||||||
| EA09004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 03/20/2009 | 08/12/2010 | Turn Signal Lamps | ||
| Gm designed the my 2004 and 2005 chevrolet malibu and malibu maxx vehicles with a daytime running lamp (drl) system that uses the same filament (the high power filament of a dual filament bulb) as the front turn signals.the high power filament operates at full battery voltage when functioning as a drl.the drl is illuminated whenever the headlamps are off, increasing the duty cycle of the front turn signal bulb.the my 2003 and earlier malibu vehicles (malibu maxx was not manufactured for sale in the u.s. prior to my 2004) used a headlamp based design, operated at a reduced voltage, for the drl function; gm reverted back to this design on the my 2006 and later malibu and malibu maxx vehicles. filament based bulbs have a finite life (hours of illumination) for any given operating voltage.as a result, increasing the duty cycle of a bulb typically decreases the life span of the bulb.gm identified and addressed two front turn signal/drl and rear turn signal bulb quality issues early in my 2004 production, however vehicle warranty claims for failed bulbs continued to occur.to address the high warranty levels of bulb failures (90% of the warranty claims submitted to odi by gm were bulb failures and 10% were socket failures), gm issued a technical service bulletin in march 2006 advising dealers to use a new specification of bulb when addressing service failures, and to also inspect the electrical sockets for thermal damage and replace if necessary.in june 2006 (after subject vehicle production ended) gm changed the turn signal bulb specification to that of the tsb bulb in vehicle production also.to date, odi has not identified any allegations of crash, injury, or fire related to the alleged defect even though the subject vehicles have experienced 5 - 6 years of field exposure.odi's analysis of consumer complaints, both voq and manufacturer, shows a declining trend.the warranty rate for turn signal bulb replacement is high however statistical analysis of the warranty data suggests that the majority of the original equipment bulbs have already been replaced.gm conducted a safety recall (06v-263) for my 2004-2005 cadillac xlr to replace the front turn signal/drl bulbs and the electrical sockets.however gm advised that the turn signal/drl bulbs/sockets on the subject vehicles differ from those on the recalled xlrs in several respects, including using bulb sockets with four electrical terminals as opposed to three, which improves the electrical connection, allows the bulb to operate at a lower temperature, and adds stability to the bulb in the socket; operating at a lower voltage, which increases vehicle bulb life; using vented headlamps, which allows bulbs to run cooler than those installed in a non-vented xlr headlamp; and using a clear bulb, which runs cooler than the amber bulbs installed on the xlr.additionally, the warranty claim level related to subject vehicle sockets is unremarkable compared to other defect investigations into defective socket assemblies.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached report for further information. | ||||||
| PE08062 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 10/21/2008 | 03/20/2009 | TURN SIGNAL LAMPS | ||
| The subject vehicles may experience loss of function of one or more of the park, turn, stop or daytime running lamps (drl).failure of the bulb may also include discoloration (heat damage) to the bulb socket.general motors (gm) technical service bulletin (tsb) number 06-08-42-004c instructs technicians to examine the lamp housing for signs of discoloration and to replace the bulbs and or sockets depending on the severity of the discoloration and the condition of the bulbs and sockets.the scope of investigation in the preliminary evaluation (pe08-062) was the 2004 malibu/maxx.however, the agency evaluated gm's warranty data which indicates that the 2005 model year (my) malibu and malibu maxx vehicles are also affected by this condition.this investigation is upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-004). | ||||||
| EA09004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 03/20/2009 | PARK/TURN/STOP/DRL LAMPS | |||
| The subject vehicles may experience loss of function of one or more of the park, turn, stop or drl lamps.failure of the bulb may also include discoloration (heat damage) to the bulb socket.general motors (gm) technical service bulletin (tsb) number 06-08-42-004c instructs technicians to examine the lamp housing for signs of discoloration and to replace the bulbs and or sockets depending on the severity of the discoloration and the condition of the bulbs and sockets.the scope of investigation in the preliminary evaluation (pe08-062) was the 2004 malibu/maxx.however, the agency evaluated gm's warranty data which indicates that the 2005 model year (my) malibu and malibu maxx vehicles are also affected by this condition.this ea covers both model years.gm reports design and production improvement changes for model year 2006 malibu and malibu maxx vehicles. | ||||||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL | ||||||
| EA09004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 03/20/2009 | 08/12/2010 | Turn Signal Lamps | ||
| Gm designed the my 2004 and 2005 chevrolet malibu and malibu maxx vehicles with a daytime running lamp (drl) system that uses the same filament (the high power filament of a dual filament bulb) as the front turn signals.the high power filament operates at full battery voltage when functioning as a drl.the drl is illuminated whenever the headlamps are off, increasing the duty cycle of the front turn signal bulb.the my 2003 and earlier malibu vehicles (malibu maxx was not manufactured for sale in the u.s. prior to my 2004) used a headlamp based design, operated at a reduced voltage, for the drl function; gm reverted back to this design on the my 2006 and later malibu and malibu maxx vehicles. filament based bulbs have a finite life (hours of illumination) for any given operating voltage.as a result, increasing the duty cycle of a bulb typically decreases the life span of the bulb.gm identified and addressed two front turn signal/drl and rear turn signal bulb quality issues early in my 2004 production, however vehicle warranty claims for failed bulbs continued to occur.to address the high warranty levels of bulb failures (90% of the warranty claims submitted to odi by gm were bulb failures and 10% were socket failures), gm issued a technical service bulletin in march 2006 advising dealers to use a new specification of bulb when addressing service failures, and to also inspect the electrical sockets for thermal damage and replace if necessary.in june 2006 (after subject vehicle production ended) gm changed the turn signal bulb specification to that of the tsb bulb in vehicle production also.to date, odi has not identified any allegations of crash, injury, or fire related to the alleged defect even though the subject vehicles have experienced 5 - 6 years of field exposure.odi's analysis of consumer complaints, both voq and manufacturer, shows a declining trend.the warranty rate for turn signal bulb replacement is high however statistical analysis of the warranty data suggests that the majority of the original equipment bulbs have already been replaced.gm conducted a safety recall (06v-263) for my 2004-2005 cadillac xlr to replace the front turn signal/drl bulbs and the electrical sockets.however gm advised that the turn signal/drl bulbs/sockets on the subject vehicles differ from those on the recalled xlrs in several respects, including using bulb sockets with four electrical terminals as opposed to three, which improves the electrical connection, allows the bulb to operate at a lower temperature, and adds stability to the bulb in the socket; operating at a lower voltage, which increases vehicle bulb life; using vented headlamps, which allows bulbs to run cooler than those installed in a non-vented xlr headlamp; and using a clear bulb, which runs cooler than the amber bulbs installed on the xlr.additionally, the warranty claim level related to subject vehicle sockets is unremarkable compared to other defect investigations into defective socket assemblies.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached report for further information. | ||||||
| PE08062 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 10/21/2008 | 03/20/2009 | TURN SIGNAL LAMPS | ||
| The subject vehicles may experience loss of function of one or more of the park, turn, stop or daytime running lamps (drl).failure of the bulb may also include discoloration (heat damage) to the bulb socket.general motors (gm) technical service bulletin (tsb) number 06-08-42-004c instructs technicians to examine the lamp housing for signs of discoloration and to replace the bulbs and or sockets depending on the severity of the discoloration and the condition of the bulbs and sockets.the scope of investigation in the preliminary evaluation (pe08-062) was the 2004 malibu/maxx.however, the agency evaluated gm's warranty data which indicates that the 2005 model year (my) malibu and malibu maxx vehicles are also affected by this condition.this investigation is upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-004). | ||||||
| EA09004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 03/20/2009 | PARK/TURN/STOP/DRL LAMPS | |||
| The subject vehicles may experience loss of function of one or more of the park, turn, stop or drl lamps.failure of the bulb may also include discoloration (heat damage) to the bulb socket.general motors (gm) technical service bulletin (tsb) number 06-08-42-004c instructs technicians to examine the lamp housing for signs of discoloration and to replace the bulbs and or sockets depending on the severity of the discoloration and the condition of the bulbs and sockets.the scope of investigation in the preliminary evaluation (pe08-062) was the 2004 malibu/maxx.however, the agency evaluated gm's warranty data which indicates that the 2005 model year (my) malibu and malibu maxx vehicles are also affected by this condition.this ea covers both model years.gm reports design and production improvement changes for model year 2006 malibu and malibu maxx vehicles. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 10/08/2011 | 95000 | ||
| Right front signal bulb socket and bulb over heating (melting) and resulting in inoperative front turn signal. repeatedly occurring - having to remove melted plastic and replace bulb. 4 times since first occurance. | |||
| 04/01/2004 | |||
| Bought 2004 malibu maxx brand new. switch in ac first to go at just under 10000 miles. 18000 miles brakes and rotors had to replace cost almost $800.00. headlights burned up replace wiring harness on both another $1000.00. replaced both head lights could not see through either of them another $385.00 check engine light kept coming on and and come to find out there was not a fuse in the emission spot. replaced that another $400.00 when they found the problem. leaks in the hatch when it rains or car is being washed. check engine light on will not reset. driver seat supports are broken and everyone that i know that has this car has the same problem and no recall has been issued on this, guess when there is an accident and someone really gets hurt then something will be don. it is ashamed that you pay so much for a vehicle and this is what you go through. i am a firm believer in oil changes and general maintenance and no one from the company seems to care about problems that is fault of the manufactoring of this car and it seems that no one wants to replace what is wrong. | |||
| 02/20/2010 | 63000 | ||
| Experiencing loss of function of front and rear, turn, stop or daytime running lamps (drl). have replaced or repositioned bulbs on numerous occasions over the years. recent examination revealed that front turn signal lens is melting on both sides. | |||
| 10/17/2009 | 85000 | 1 | |
| Power steering failure. when i start car and making sharp turns, in addition to just driving down the road. here clicking in the front right end when going up hill. told by mechanic that it is a prob with the electric power steering system and rack and pinion. oddly enough there was and 2006 mailbu in at the same time with the same problem mechanic felt it should be a recall issue. also have issue with the turn signals failing i have replaced many times. i also have a hole that melted on the front right side in the plastic housing. *tr | |||
| 09/04/2009 | 93000 | 1 | |
| Exterior lamp socket overheated, melted, resulting in loss of turn signal indicators. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2009 | 100000 | 1 | |
| The day time running lights/turn signal lights on my 2004 malibu maxx are melting through the amber colored housing and starting to melt the clear housing that covers the entire headlight. i think at some time this might lead to a fire. the problem was just noticed at a routine oil change and may have been melting for a long time before it was realized. *tr | |||
| 08/02/2009 | 1 | ||
| The front drivers side turn signal / park lamp was not working. i removed the headlight assembly to access the turn signal bulb. before removing the bulb i noticed; a) the old bulb glass was white. b) theouter clear plastic and chrome reflective surface of the head light assembly are discolored, directly above the turn signal bulb, from heat. c) the round amber lens directly around the turn signal bulb was melted at the top and a melted piece of this plastic extended down and was melted to the top of the turn signal bulb. currently all i have done was to replace the bulb. note: both front head lamp housings have the same heat discoloration and melting. *tr | |||
| 03/15/2009 | 95000 | 1 | |
| 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx lt both front parking light / turn signal light housings are melting, both lamps have failed, both lamp sockets are scorched. *tr | |||
| 01/05/2009 | 57000 | 1 | |
| First my horn fuse continued to blow. i replaced the fuse multiple times. then my turn signal light went out. i looked at it and noticed that both sides had holes burnt through the amber globe. i was out of town and didn't want to receive a ticket for non working light so i had it replaced, however within a day the bulb blew again and the horn fuse blew again. i took it to the dealer and they said they had no clue what was causing it however i had to pay over $500 to have the headlight parts replaced on both sides. i have an extended warranty and they denied the claim b/c they don't replace lights, however the fact that the car is burning up i don't think i just wanted new lights. i do not feel i should be out money for a problem that has obviously occurred on other vehicles and now mine. i feel that a car that is actually melting/burning is a major safety concern....but i guess until a few people blow up in there vehicles people will be out money to pay for a faulty automobile. i wish i still had my ford..it never gave me the problems this car has. i started with steering going out, then back hatch never opened, car remote systems doesn't work (and i won't pay to replace that), now the car is blowing fuses, lights, and burning up melting the plastic. i think they should just start replacing the 2004 with something a little more safe....like a ford. *tr | |||
| 08/07/2008 | 68600 | 1 | |
| When using the turn signals the dash blinkers operated very fast. upon checking the turn signal bulbs, both front bulbs were burned out and the amber lens on each had hole in the top of the lens where they had melted. there appears to be flash burns on the outer lens cover. this is a first occurrence at about 68000 miles. the bulbs have been replaced and now operate ok. *tr | |||
| 07/01/2007 | 40000 | 1 | |
| For approximately one year, the right front turn light continues to go out. we have replaced the bulb many times. sometimes it will last a few weeks and sometimes only a few days. *tr | |||
| 09/12/2006 | 20000 | 1 | |
| Front blinker lights have melted nickel sized holes in the tops of the amber plastic globes the light bulbs go into. melted plastic dripped on the light bulbs causing bulbs to fail. strong melted/burnt plastic odor in the car. smoke from the melted plastic has discolored headlight assemblies. have to replace front and back blinker lights at least monthly. front casings are the only one that caught fire, burned through the orange globish cover through to the outside cover. the lights burning out started within the first year but the fire did not start until 2006. i see more malibu's on the road with only one day time running light working at a time. it has to be a know problem but the dealership denies it every time i've called over the years. *tr | |||
| 06/11/2008 | 91956 | 1 | |
| Front blinker lights have melted nickel sized holes in the tops of the amber plastic globes the light bulbs go into. melted plastic dripped on the light bulbs causing bulbs to fail. strong melted/burnt plastic odor in the car. smoke from the melted plastic has discolored headlight assemblies. *tr | |||
| 07/03/2006 | 3 | ||
| I have replaced the left front turn signal bulb three times in three months. the filaments are ok but the connecting wire on the bulb is burnt through. it appears that the bulb do not seat properly into the socket and vibration causes the connection to arc. i expect this problem to continue until the socket is replaced by the dealer (assuming i can convince the dealer to do so under warranty). *jb | |||
| 12/15/2004 | 15 | 12/12/2004 | |
| I own a 2004 chevy malibu maxx, which has automatic headlights. when the headlights work in automatic mode, everything works fine. unfortunately the solar sensor that activates them thinks the sky is bright when it is very overcast. for the most part not a problem, as you can turn the lights on manually. un-fortunately, the dash-board lights do not come on when you do this, unless the sensor thinks it's dark. to rememdy this, i put something over the sensor, but should not have to, and if i don't, even though i can see in front of my car, i can't see how fast i'm going, tachometer, battery meter readings, etc. when i took the vehicle for service, they replaced the body control module 3 times, told me it was fixed, i went to pick it up, same thing happened. we got into another malibu, and it happened with that car as well. in other words the system is working the way it was designed. unfortunately, that does not mean it is working correctly. i believe this to be a safety issue as i can not see dash indicators when i need to turn the lights on manually. i also own a 2002 chevrolet avalanche with automatic headlights, and this problem does not exist. i've also owned a 1998 chevrolet malibu with automatic headlights, and this problem did not exist. my friend owns a 2004 gmc yukon with automatic headlights, and it does not exist on that either. it appers to be only with the the 2004 (and possibly above) malibu, and possibly only the malibu maxx. i would appreciate any help that you may be able to provide. thank you in advance. | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 11/16/2006 | 14965 | 1 | 09/27/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 70 mph, the headlights and interior lights went out. the contact had to hold the headlight switch up all the way to keep the lights illuminated. later, when the vehicle was parked, the tail lights stayed illuminated once the vehicle was shut off, and the battery had to be disconnected to shut the tail lights off. the vehicle was not seen by a dealer. | |||
| 09/25/2006 | 43600 | 2 | 11/02/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the driver's side headlight assembly melted from the original equipment bulbs. the lamp fogged up and caused poor visibility while driving. the dealership was notified. updated 10/18/2006 - *nm | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - SWITCH | |||
| 12/15/2004 | 15 | 12/12/2004 | |
| I own a 2004 chevy malibu maxx, which has automatic headlights. when the headlights work in automatic mode, everything works fine. unfortunately the solar sensor that activates them thinks the sky is bright when it is very overcast. for the most part not a problem, as you can turn the lights on manually. un-fortunately, the dash-board lights do not come on when you do this, unless the sensor thinks it's dark. to rememdy this, i put something over the sensor, but should not have to, and if i don't, even though i can see in front of my car, i can't see how fast i'm going, tachometer, battery meter readings, etc. when i took the vehicle for service, they replaced the body control module 3 times, told me it was fixed, i went to pick it up, same thing happened. we got into another malibu, and it happened with that car as well. in other words the system is working the way it was designed. unfortunately, that does not mean it is working correctly. i believe this to be a safety issue as i can not see dash indicators when i need to turn the lights on manually. i also own a 2002 chevrolet avalanche with automatic headlights, and this problem does not exist. i've also owned a 1998 chevrolet malibu with automatic headlights, and this problem did not exist. my friend owns a 2004 gmc yukon with automatic headlights, and it does not exist on that either. it appers to be only with the the 2004 (and possibly above) malibu, and possibly only the malibu maxx. i would appreciate any help that you may be able to provide. thank you in advance. | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS | |||
| 11/16/2006 | 14965 | 1 | 09/27/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 70 mph, the headlights and interior lights went out. the contact had to hold the headlight switch up all the way to keep the lights illuminated. later, when the vehicle was parked, the tail lights stayed illuminated once the vehicle was shut off, and the battery had to be disconnected to shut the tail lights off. the vehicle was not seen by a dealer. | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL | |||
| 09/27/2009 | 41140 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the left turn signal was inoperative. upon further inspection, he noticed that the left turn signal amber cover was burned with a hole in it. the dealer and the manufacturer were notified; however, he has not received a response. the failure mileage was 41, 140 and the current mileage was 41,167. | |||
| 08/30/2006 | 42500 | 3 | 02/07/2005 |
| Driving to work normally, turn signals worked normally, then tried to signal a turning after 5 more minutes of driving, turn signal system was completely dead (could not signal turn). system stayed dead for 5 minutes. applied brakes several times to park. when parked, turn signal systems worked ok. other posters on the www.edmunds.com chevrolet malibu forum have reported same problem. *nm | |||
| 05/20/2006 | 32500 | 3 | 03/01/2006 |
| Left front turn signal/light assembly. i replaced the amber bulb three times in the space of 3 months. the filaments were fine, but the part where the bulb meets the assembly was burned. on may 20th, the entire light assembly was replaced. *nm | |||