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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 | |||
| 03/01/2013 | |||
| I purchased my chevy malibu maxxx january of just last year and i had to replace my front left head light thinking nothing of just normal maintenance and this was right around august of last year and it is now march of 2013 and i just had to do it again but this go round it seemed more like a short because it stopped working one night driving home from work which i drive a very busy highway at night and that next morning it was working just fine so me being the normal american person i think nothing of it but the following day it goes out fully and when i went to go change the light this time i noticed it had actually burned through the amber color cover of the bulb and also burned the socket up in the vehical. but now get this about the same time last year my aux fuse began to blow over and over not thinking anything about it but now after reading all of these different situations i kinda wonder if the two situations could have anything to do with one another. | |||
| 03/01/2012 | 65000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that while parked, he noticed that a hole was melted into the amber turn signal headlight lens, exposing the housing unit. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 65,000. | |||
| 03/01/2013 | |||
| I purchased my chevy malibu maxxx january of just last year and i had to replace my front left head light thinking nothing of just normal maintenance and this was right around august of last year and it is now march of 2013 and i just had to do it again but this go round it seemed more like a short because it stopped working one night driving home from work which i drive a very busy highway at night and that next morning it was working just fine so me being the normal american person i think nothing of it but the following day it goes out fully and when i went to go change the light this time i noticed it had actually burned through the amber color cover of the bulb and also burned the socket up in the vehical. but now get this about the same time last year my aux fuse began to blow over and over not thinking anything about it but now after reading all of these different situations i kinda wonder if the two situations could have anything to do with one another. | |||
| 03/01/2012 | 65000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that while parked, he noticed that a hole was melted into the amber turn signal headlight lens, exposing the housing unit. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 65,000. | |||
| 03/01/2013 | |||
| I purchased my chevy malibu maxxx january of just last year and i had to replace my front left head light thinking nothing of just normal maintenance and this was right around august of last year and it is now march of 2013 and i just had to do it again but this go round it seemed more like a short because it stopped working one night driving home from work which i drive a very busy highway at night and that next morning it was working just fine so me being the normal american person i think nothing of it but the following day it goes out fully and when i went to go change the light this time i noticed it had actually burned through the amber color cover of the bulb and also burned the socket up in the vehical. but now get this about the same time last year my aux fuse began to blow over and over not thinking anything about it but now after reading all of these different situations i kinda wonder if the two situations could have anything to do with one another. | |||
| 01/22/2013 | 162000 | ||
| Turn signals burning so hot they explode, and melt not only housing for bulb, but also the socket in order to replace bulb is melted too. there needs to be a recall on this as i have found over 200 other complaints of people having the same issue! | |||
| 12/17/2012 | 125000 | 1 | |
| Both the front turn signal amber bulb housing keeps melting to the bulb and also the light sockets , oem and after market ones. *tr | |||
| 12/17/2012 | 125000 | ||
| Both the front turn signal amber bulb housing keeps melting to the bulb and also the light sockets , oem and after market ones. | |||
| 11/23/2012 | 87000 | 1 | |
| My 2005 malibu maxx indicated that a turn signal bulb was out and when i went to replace the bulb i noticed, not only that the bulb itself was significantly burned at the socket, but also that the blinker plastic was substantially melted. i checked the other side of the car and even though that bulb is still functioning, the plastic blinker housing is starting to melt on that side as well. clearly the bulbs are burning way to hot to be melting the plastic housing and i would assume since the bulb itself was burned that this is a larger issue of both potential fire risk and now water damage since the blinker housing is compromised. *tr | |||
| 11/23/2012 | 87000 | ||
| My 2005 malibu maxx indicated that a turn signal bulb was out and when i went to replace the bulb i noticed, not only that the bulb itself was significantly burned at the socket, but also that the blinker plastic was substantially melted. i checked the other side of the car and even though that bulb is still functioning, the plastic blinker housing is starting to melt on that side as well. clearly the bulbs are burning way to hot to be melting the plastic housing and i would assume since the bulb itself was burned that this is a larger issue of both potential fire risk and now water damage since the blinker housing is compromised. | |||
| 11/02/2012 | 80038 | 1 | |
| My cars headlights are dim at night and take a while to get brighter even though i have had the bulb replaced and the lighting components checked out. the windows won't roll down from any side of the car, a recurrence from two years ago. also my doors won't unlock from the auto-unlock button that sits on the drivers side, this has been an issue for the past 2 years of my chevrolet car ownership. *tr | |||
| 11/02/2012 | 80038 | ||
| My cars headlights are dim at night and take a while to get brighter even though i have had the bulb replaced and the lighting components checked out. the windows won't roll down from any side of the car, a reoccurrence from two years ago. also my doors won't unlock from the auto-unlock button that sits on the drivers side, this has been an issue for the past 2 years of my chevrolet car ownership. | |||
| 08/28/2012 | 1 | ||
| 2005 chevy malibu maxx front headlight turn signal bulb melted the housing surrounding the bulb with correct bulb replacement. bulb keeps burning out and am concerned that this melting will result in safety issues or further damages to the headlight housing. *tr | |||
| 11/08/2011 | 84000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that the front driver and passenger side turn signals failed. the contact stated that the lenses were melted on both sides. the contact replaced the lenses three times in the last nine months. the contact stated that the connection for the light bulbs were burned out but the light itself continued working. the fuse for the light bulb had not failed. the failure mileage was 84,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. | |||
| 11/08/2011 | 84000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that the front driver and passenger side turn signals failed. the contact stated that the lenses were melted on both sides. the contact replaced the lenses three times in the last nine months. the contact stated that the connection for the light bulbs were burned out but the light itself continued working. the fuse for the light bulb had not failed. the failure mileage was 84,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. kmj | |||
| 11/08/2011 | 84000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated the front left and right side turn signals burned out. the contact stated that the lenses melted on both sides. the contact has replaced the lenses three times in the last nine months. the contact stated the lenses is burned out and the connection for the light bulb is burned out, but the light bulb itself kept working. the fuse for the light bulb had not failed either. the failure was 84,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.rl | |||
| 09/17/2011 | 95000 | ||
| I have owned my 2005 malibu maxx for just over a year and have had to replace the front turn signal sockets, both driver and passenger sides, three times now due to melted sockets and amber covers melting down to the bulbs. even though they are vented they do not stay cool enough to prevent severe electrical damage to the components. in replacing these components i have to wait a week until the parts are shipped out and am forced to drive with faulty equipment. i am unable to just replace the bulbs and have to constantly change the bulbs out before they melt to the sockets. this is a huge hazard as they can go out on me in the middle of driving in rush hour traffic putting me at a greater risk of injury. please force gm to issue an actual recall on this issue and not just skate free on the service bulletin that has been issued. thank you, | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 108000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that the turn signals failed intermittently. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the contact replaced the bulbs however, the failure continued to recur. the current mileage was 138,000 and the failure mileage was 108,000. | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 108000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that the turn signals failed intermittently. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the contact replaced the bulbs however, the failure continued to recur. the current mileage was 138,000 and the failure mileage was 108,000. kmj | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 108000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that the turn signals worked intermittently. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. the contact replaced the bulbs, however the failure continued to occur. the current mileage was 138,000 and the failure mileage was 108,000. bw | |||
| 11/10/2011 | 89000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. while parked, the contact noticed that the front passenger side headlight was burned out. the contact replaced the bulb but the headlight burned out a second time. the contact later noticed that the turn signal light wires were melted into the bulb socket. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing where the mechanic advised the contact that the head lamp assembly would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 89,000. kmj | |||
| 11/10/2011 | 89000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. while parked the contact noticed the front passenger side headlight had burned out. the contact replaced the bulb but the headlight went out a second time. the contact noticed the turn signal light wires had melted into the bulb socket. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic. the mechanic stated the head lamp assembly would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 89,000. ds | |||
| 08/04/2008 | 82000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated the front light assembly turn signal the yellow plastic was burnt on both left and right sides. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated there are no recalls or recourse for this failure. the relacement of the front light assembly would cost him $200 for the repairs. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 82,000. mw | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 86000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu max. the contact stated the headlight wiring harness melted causing the light bulb plastic covering to melt and the light bulb to fail. the local garaged replaced the passenger head light assembly, but the driver headlight failed. the driver headlight assembly was not replaced. the failure mileage was 86,000 and the current mileage was 92,000. li | |||
| 07/07/2011 | |||
| Driver side day time running light/turn signal bulb socket causes bulb base to melt and cause a shortage. in one year bulb has had to be replaced 4 times. bulb manufacturer sent me heavy duty replacement bulbs to help solve the problem they suggest that gm is aware of. two heavy duty bulbs have also gone bad with most recent melting the base within two days. problem is no day time running light or turn signal. passenger side bulb was replaced once, likely under normal wear. | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 86000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu max. the contact stated the headlight wiring harness melted causing the light bulb plastic covering to melt and the light bulb to fail. the local garaged replaced the passenger head light assembly, but the driver headlight failed. the driver headlight assembly was not replaced. the failure mileage was 86,000 and the current mileage was 92,000. li | |||
| 07/07/2011 | |||
| Driver side day time running light/turn signal bulb socket causes bulb base to melt and cause a shortage. in one year bulb has had to be replaced 4 times. bulb manufacturer sent me heavy duty replacement bulbs to help solve the problem they suggest that gm is aware of. two heavy duty bulbs have also gone bad with most recent melting the base within two days. problem is no day time running light or turn signal. passenger side bulb was replaced once, likely under normal wear. | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 86000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu max. the contact stated the headlight wiring harness melted causing the light bulb plastic covering to melt and the light bulb to fail. the local garaged replaced the passenger head light assembly, but the driver headlight failed. the driver headlight assembly was not replaced. the failure mileage was 86,000 and the current mileage was 92,000. li | |||
| 07/07/2011 | |||
| Driver side day time running light/turn signal bulb socket causes bulb base to melt and cause a shortage. in one year bulb has had to be replaced 4 times. bulb manufacturer sent me heavy duty replacement bulbs to help solve the problem they suggest that gm is aware of. two heavy duty bulbs have also gone bad with most recent melting the base within two days. problem is no day time running light or turn signal. passenger side bulb was replaced once, likely under normal wear. | |||
| 06/02/2011 | 142225 | ||
| Complete and total lock up of power setaring; battery light flicks on and then everything locks up until you relace the gas peddle for about 3 seconds. my lights randomly flash and rear bulbs on the driver side blow every 3 days. my turn signals will spraticaly blink and the wiper blades go off with out warning or being prompted.even with no keys near or in the car it will not turn over to start the car until you floor the gas peddle and hold it there for 3-5 seconds. my raido reads at -19* all the time and the cd player has never worked correctly. when going from 0 to 50 getting on the parkway (highway) the whole car locks up and loses power including the stearing radio and lights unless you completely relese the gas then start to go again. im so highly frustraited and chevy refuses to fix it even though these are all recalled problems but my vin doesnt fall in there bracket | |||
| 06/01/2011 | 95000 | ||
| Shortage in turn signals. | |||
| 06/02/2011 | 142225 | ||
| Complete and total lock up of power setaring; battery light flicks on and then everything locks up until you relace the gas peddle for about 3 seconds. my lights randomly flash and rear bulbs on the driver side blow every 3 days. my turn signals will spraticaly blink and the wiper blades go off with out warning or being prompted.even with no keys near or in the car it will not turn over to start the car until you floor the gas peddle and hold it there for 3-5 seconds. my raido reads at -19* all the time and the cd player has never worked correctly. when going from 0 to 50 getting on the parkway (highway) the whole car locks up and loses power including the stearing radio and lights unless you completely relese the gas then start to go again. im so highly frustraited and chevy refuses to fix it even though these are all recalled problems but my vin doesnt fall in there bracket | |||
| 06/01/2011 | 95000 | ||
| Shortage in turn signals. | |||
| 06/02/2011 | 142225 | ||
| Complete and total lock up of power setaring; battery light flicks on and then everything locks up until you relace the gas peddle for about 3 seconds. my lights randomly flash and rear bulbs on the driver side blow every 3 days. my turn signals will spraticaly blink and the wiper blades go off with out warning or being prompted.even with no keys near or in the car it will not turn over to start the car until you floor the gas peddle and hold it there for 3-5 seconds. my raido reads at -19* all the time and the cd player has never worked correctly. when going from 0 to 50 getting on the parkway (highway) the whole car locks up and loses power including the stearing radio and lights unless you completely relese the gas then start to go again. im so highly frustraited and chevy refuses to fix it even though these are all recalled problems but my vin doesnt fall in there bracket | |||
| 06/01/2011 | 95000 | ||
| Shortage in turn signals. | |||
| 05/12/2008 | 24547 | ||
| The steering has a heavy clunk sound when turning left in reverse, no sound when going to the right. then at just over 50k miles, the steering on the vehicle started having issues with power while turning to the right under power, to the left was just fine. the head lamps also have gotten severely cloudy which limits visibility during night time driving. front turn indicator lights also had a problem with loose sockets, causing the lights to short out and eventually fail because of sparking residue on the contacts. also, for some reason the rear window wiper randomly turns on for no apparent reason. the vehicle also has a starting problem where at times, the vehicle will crank and not start. looking around, quite a few folks have that problem as well, where some people have had to short out the hood safety switch to make the car work... now that is crazy to have to short out something to start your car. apparently though, the electrical system is severely sensitive to voltage issues in general, more so then most vehicles on the road. | |||
| 10/14/2010 | |||
| The drivers side turn signal (inside the harness in the headlight) keeps melting the plastic snap in base of the turn signal light bulb and causes it to become inoperative. almost causing other vehicles to crash in to me at 4 way stop signs. the harness assembly gets very hot. may one day cause a fire. i have replaced light bulbs 4 times in the last month. will have to get serviced. this is becoming a real safety issue in the midwest becasue i have to stick my hand out when it -30 to use as a signal. the dealer charges $267 for replacement. 3 time so far and i am not sure waht is next. i belive gm should own to this problem and fix as a recall. | |||
| 11/20/2010 | 70000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact said the running lights on the front of the vehicle are getting very hot and melting the plastic covers. the contact first was replacing the lights bulbs on the passenger side, but they are now replacing the driver side as well. the contact had not had the vehicle inspected at the time of the complaint. the contact stated the amber cover on the driver side is melting and it looks like it is starting to melt the passenger side. the failure mileage was 70000 and the current mileage was 73000.rl | |||
| 10/02/2010 | 43447 | ||
| The drivers side turn signal (inside the harness in the headlight) keeps melting the plastic snap in base of the turn signal light bulb and causes it to become inoperative. almost causing other vehicles to crash in to me at 4 way stop signs. the harness assembly gets very hot. may one day cause a fire. i have replaced light bulbs 4 times in the last month. will have to get serviced. | |||
| 04/05/2008 | 34000 | ||
| Tl. the contact owns 2005 chevrolet malibu max. the contact stated the amber lights get very hot and burn the plastic housing on the vehicle causing the lights to blow out. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer stated the light bulb and socket needs to be replaced. the contact has not replaced the light bulb or the light socket. the contact stated there are numerous complaints regarding the lights bulbs burning the housing and a recalls should be issue. the failure mileage was 34,000. jo | |||
| 07/10/2009 | 105000 | ||
| Turn signal on my 2005 chevy malibu maxx. just like several other complaint on this site i have had to replace bulbs monthly if not weekly. i have discoleration on the right fron light housing from heat and sometimes smell the smell of something electric burning always coming from the recently burned out bulb. dealer will do nothing because car is no longer covered under the warrenty. | |||
| 06/29/2010 | |||
| The light bulbs number 3057 in 2 of my cars have melted the base and damaged the light sockets. as a result the light will not illuminate properly. one vehicle is a 2006 dodge ram 3500. the bulb is used in the brake light. when it fails you get the running lights but not the brake light. there is no way to tell inside the vehicle that the brake light is not lighting. this has a serious risk of being hit from behind. the second vehicle is a 2005 chevrolet malibu max. bulb 3057 is used in the front turn signals which double as the daytime running lights. on this vehicle not only does the base of the bulb melt breaking the electrical contact the plastic lens of the light is melting. once failure occurs you may or may not get the extra fast turn signal indicator. on the driver side of the vehicle the bulb had to be replaced 4 times in six months. both the factory bulbs melted and the sylvania replacement long life bulbs failed. | |||
| 04/09/2010 | 164400 | ||
| Turn signals stopped working for several weeks than began working again. i'm replacing turn signal bulbs every year. the bulb works infrequently. | |||
| 12/25/2006 | 1 | ||
| 2005 malibu maxx ls- ticking noise shaft went rod tire electrical problems engine on but nothing is registering car seem to lock up, same brake light goes out, car hesitates,replaced brakes after only 2yr, new tire. i filed a complain with attorney general bill mccollum. i have invoices of how many time my car has gone in to the shop for major problems and ever since it lock up and hesitate i don't feel safe driving it. i did found other consumer with the same complains that i have. they have had to repair tire rods, shaft and most dangerous is the steering column is locking up. i don't feel safe driving long distance or on the highway. please help me. i wrote to gmac vp timothy lee with out no respond. mr. lee passed my complaint to a customer service rep that repeats himself and wont let you speak. please if you want contact attorney office they have my complaint on file. i don't want to hurt myself or someone else should my car lock up. *tr | |||
| 07/06/2008 | 10000 | 1 | |
| Had to replace tail lamps after car was 1 year old and 10,000 miles on it. *tr | |||
| 09/28/2005 | 6500 | 1 | |
| 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx (1) front park/turn/drl lamp inoperative and overheating problems. (2) rear stop/turn/tail lamp inoperative problems. this car currently has 41,000 miles. the lamps for the left front (driver side)has been replaced 5 times and right front 3 times. the rear lamps has been replaced 3 times each side. my major concern and cause for this complaint is the overheating of the front lamps (item #1 above). the upper side amber plastic housing for the lamps on both right and left has melted through at this time. when the problem was first detected, the amber housing showed some discoloration, bubbled plastic. this suggested the overheating problem either has intensified and/or the plastic has degradated over time. visual inspection showed the charred/burnt through areas are adjacent to the lamp socket. this indicates extreme socket temperature and also the rising hot air affect the ceiling of the amber housing. all the burnt out light bulbs showed various degrees of charring/melting/deformation on the plastic base. this could have been caused by the extreme high temperature and electrical arcing. the rear is not as severe as the front but nevertheless, slight arcing can still be observed on the base of the burnt out bulbs. the left front lamp was serviced by a local chevrolet dealer once on dec. 16 2009 under technical service bulletin 06-08-42-004. dealer deemed only the bulb needs to be replaced but not the socket. prior to this, the problem already existed and both front and back bulbs replaced. the frequency of the bulb replacement and signs of arcing triggered this visit to the dealer. this repair by the dealer has not fixed the problem. signs of overheating as evidenced by the melting plastic showed the problem has worsened. fearing the extreme high temp can cause fire, i visited the dealer yesterday for repair under good will repair was denied. they simply said the car was out of warranty and this is not a fire hazard. *tr | |||
| 08/28/2009 | 46911 | 1 | |
| Left front signal light keeps burning out. has been replaced 5 times in 6 months. bulbs last only 2 weeks at most. had signal light socket replaced and problems still happened within two weeks. light bulbs turn black. took car back again today. still waiting to hear what they say this time. last repair 8/28/09 - 92.89 for the light socket, $1.50 bulb, $70.00 labor. no longer have parts. afraid i will get in accident - since left signal light and running light do not work. keep having to go back for new bulbs, and in for repairs again today 9/23/09. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2009 | 60000 | 1 | 12/30/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact noticed that the parking light had blown out. she also found that the front parking lights were melted due to the light bulbs. the bulb was replaced with a sylvania bulb. the front passenger side light had a large hole in the orange area of the fixture. the entire front lighting assembly needed to be replaced at the cost of over $100. the failure and current mileages were less than 60,000. the original bulb melted the orange cover inside the headlight assembly for the parking lights. hot plastic dripped on the bulb and burned a hole in the bulb. updated 06/22/09.*jb | |||
| 02/16/2009 | 49766 | 1 | |
| Amber lens on turn signals and daytime running lights has melted and burned down onto bulb. this has happened to both right and left turn signals. *tr | |||
| 06/05/2008 | 56340 | 1 | |
| We own a 2005 malibumax, recently the right front turn signal bulb died so i replaced it in accordance with the owners manual. when i opened the lighting unit to remove the bulb i found the bulb had melted the amber plastic enclosure that surrounds the bulb. i thought this was odd however i thought maybe the bulb has shorted out and burned since the glass was shattered. i than checked the right front turn signal which was functioning, i found that the bulb had melted the amber enclosure as well. this seems like a defective design that could cause a fire. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2007 | 1 | ||
| 2005 chevy malibu headlight over heating. consumer states that the front cover of the daytime running lights and turn signals melt. when the cover drips onto the light bulb it puts a hole in the bulb. *kb the consumer stated the plastic coverings were discolored above the bulb due to extreme heat which was an obvious defective design and /or improper bulb. not only did the headlights fail, but the right front park and signal light had to be replaced as well. *jb | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | |||
| 01/01/2011 | 2 | ||
| 2005 mailbu maxx. consumer states intermittent problems with brake lights *tgw the consumer stated the brake lights would illuminate when the brake wasn't applied and would not illuminate when the brake was applied. the dealer replaced the brake lamp, but the problem continued. *jb | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 01/03/2008 | 1 | 11/29/2005 | |
| Replace a c/s l/f parking lamp burned and melted l/f headlamp assembly b c/s r/f parking lamp burned and melted r/f headlamp assembly. *tr | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL | |||
| 07/24/2009 | 78000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the front passenger side turn signal bulb failed. one week later, the front driver's side turn signal bulb also failed. he took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the failure caused the light housing assembly to melt. the estimated cost for repair was $1,000. the current and failure mileages were 78,000. | |||
| 05/30/2009 | 1 | ||
| I have a 05 malibu maxx my turn signal have melted i see many complaints is this a recall? *tr | |||
| 09/25/2006 | 10 | ||
| My vehicle is a 2005 chevy malibu maxx. the vehicle doesn't always turn over. i have had my vehicle in the shop a couple of times to determine the problem and the chevy dealer can't figure it out. i will try to start my vehicle but it doesn't always crank over. it will chug a lot and then stall out. other times it will chug and act like it will stall and then turn over. sometimes it takes 2-3 times for me to try and get the vehicle to start. i called my service department at the chevy dealer every time it happened and the only common factor was that it was happening every 800-1000 miles approximately. it didn't matter how cold or hot it was, wet or dry. it has been awful! nothing has been replaced on the vehicle to try and fix the problem with it starting. my can has just over 32500 miles and is still under warranty. the most recent time was late september 2006. i am not sure on the exact date that i called my car dealer. i also took my vehicle in on 9-12-06 for a popping sound in the steering when turning. we found out that the center steering shaft was broke. it was replaced. there was a problem with the interior front blinker not working but the exterior did. then shortly after the left front blinker blew. *jb | |||
| 10/01/2006 | 29999 | 10 | 04/29/2006 |
| The turn signals keep burning out. i took it back to the dealers but was told that my warranty had run out. so i am stuck buying lights almost every week. *nm | |||