Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ||||||
| EA00013 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 05/02/2000 | 06/28/2002 | BATTERY LEAKS ACID | ||
| Allege that their batteries leak, causing damage to the right front brake line, the abs wire harness, and the positive battery cable. | ||||||
| PE96056 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 09/17/1996 | 03/17/1997 | UNDERSEAT VEHICLE FIRES | ||
| Alleged shorting of wire for power seat causes underseat fire. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 06/06/2012 | 200000 | ||
| I just recently began having trouble with my 2000 chevy malibu and it prompted me to being researching common issues with chevrolet vehicles. in my research i came upon an interesting fact that several makes and models seem to have intermittant turn signal functionality and hazard light issues. in my case my 1995 chevrolet suburban (which i love mind you) was being checked for a trailer to be hooked up. when the person performing the inspection attempted to turn on the hazard lights it caused a malfunction with all of my turn signals, breaks, hazards(no equipment was attached to the truck so no it wasn't a faulty connection to the trailer, that had not been attached yet.) after several minutes of messing with signals and pushing buttons it finally reset to normal. this funny wiring problem occurs every time i try to turn on my hazard lights. up to this point i have not had a need to use them but i am aware that they will not work if i attempt to. my advise to anyone reading this is if you are having trouble with your turn signals mess with the hazard light button before you go replacing flashers and bulbs. it took several times of pushing the hazard button and turning the signals on and off before they started to work again. i am very disappointed with chevy that this issue has not be address now that i am finding it to seem so common a problem. i was even more disapointed to learn that my malibu has issues that are similar to others with that make and model and those issues are ignored as well. a side note if you read my other complaint. the 1996 chevy s10 my spouse and i were going to trade the malibu for also has fuel issues. what a bummer i used to really like chevy. channel 9 news anyone. nhtsa it shouldn't take someone dying before you make them fix it. if it is a known problem that can be proven is not normal ware they should have to fix it. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 08/03/1998 | 1 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Battery leaked acid, and failed. altenator failed at same time. replaced both altenator and battery but continued to have electrical problems. found that acid leakage had corroded two battery connection cables inside their rubber housings. *ak | |||
| 07/01/1995 | |||
| Efective battery does not give enough power to the vehicle while pulling horses which may cause a crash. dealer cannot determine the problem, but have replace the alternator and other parts. battery been replace 4 times. problem is still occurring. please provide further information.*ak | |||
| 12/21/1995 | 1 | ||
| Alternator whines, also when either lights, a/c, or rear defroster are turned on, the dash lights go dim and the guage shows discharge. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 12/04/1996 | 6 | 12/10/1995 | |
| While parked battery acid was leaking inside of the vehicle from the positive post. the driver had the vehicle towed to the dealer for analysis, and the mechanic replaced the battery, but the problem still exists. *ak this problem caused damages to other battery components, fenderwell and frame. the consumer requested reimbursement. *sc | |||
| 01/01/2000 | |||
| While traveling approximately 30 mph all brake operation had failed. dealership examined vehicle, and determined that battery fluid had leaked on brake lines, causing brake failure. there was no crash or injury to report. please provide any additional information / attachments.*ak | |||
| 12/02/1998 | 1 | 03/01/1996 | |
| Battery leakage; had to cut out cables, corroded through airconditioning line. see ea00-013. | |||
| 08/05/2000 | 5 | 05/01/2000 | |
| We are experiencing the vehecle acting as though it wants to turn off, even while it is in motion. and this is very scary. we have 6 children, all under the age of 7. and this brings us to a concern. we heard that there was a recall on the battery. but we have no info., on who to contact. please, let us know of your findings? thank you! robert jenkins | |||
| 12/15/1997 | |||
| Ea oo 013; battery leaks acid: vehicle battery was experiecing problem with acid leakages from the battery positive post. battery was available for inspection if needed.*ak | |||
| 07/01/1995 | |||
| Efective battery does not give enough power to the vehicle while pulling horses which may cause a crash. dealer cannot determine the problem, but have replace the alternator and other parts. battery been replace 4 times. problem is still occurring. please provide further information.*ak | |||
| 06/04/2000 | 12/01/1995 | ||
| Ea oo 013/battery: vehicle experienced problems with acid leakages from the battery posts. two replacements were made, and problem was still occurring. a third replacement was made at consumer's cost, but was later reimbursed by dealer. *ak *ml | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 0 | ||
| Battery acid is leaking into the wires, and there is no connection. *ak | |||
| 01/23/2000 | 1 | 04/21/1995 | |
| Pe 99 073: vehicle experiencing battery acid leaking onto the brake line. dealer/ mfr. contacted, but not aware of the problem. *ak *ml | |||
| 09/07/1999 | 1 | 12/01/1997 | |
| Vehicle would not start one morning. noticed unusual fluid under vehicle beneath battery. upon removing battery, evidence of major leak which caused visible damage to battery cradle including peeling of paint and corrosion damage to engine compartment. *ak | |||
| The battery is leaking acid onto the brake line cable, causing a loss of brake fluid. the dealer has been contacted. *ak | |||
| Design flaw caused the failure of battery cables and batteries, the cables are not heavy enough for the current demand. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Battery case was defective causing battery acid to leak onto the airbag sensor below disabling it. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Battery case leaked acid onto the sensor. | |||
| Battery electrolyte leak acid buring and corroding the air bag sensor and wiring, and air condition freon lines and brake hose eng climp. | |||
| 10/21/1996 | |||
| Problem has occurred two times. first time the side mounted battery post leaked battery acid, spraying it on the engine/frame and wiring. the vehicle was not under warranty. the dealer remedied the problem by cleaning, replacing the battery and painting the vehicle. gmc knew of the problem, and because of a second occurrence of the same problem consumer must pay to have the same work done. here is no recall on the battery as of yet. *ak | |||
| 03/15/1996 | 10 | 06/23/1995 | |
| When traveling at any speed the vehicle will cut off without warning, consumer also stated the vehicle accelerates without depressing the gas pedal. consumer has contacted the dealer. *ak dealer realigned exhaust because it was causing a rattling noise. power mirrow switch inoperable. driver door handle (inside) inoperable, driver door inoperable. battery was leaking acid, dealer replaced. rear door lights inoperable. fuel leak, dealer replaced fuel pump. vehicle pulls to the right, dealer performed alignments, however has not improved pulling. dealer has replaced injector pump twice, map sensor, and fuel solenoid due to vehicle stalliing. engine light illuminated. consumer stated dealer has agreed to buy back vehicle. *slc | |||
| 08/26/1995 | 6 | ||
| Battery failure. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES | |||
| 08/03/1998 | 1 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Battery leaked acid, and failed. altenator failed at same time. replaced both altenator and battery but continued to have electrical problems. found that acid leakage had corroded two battery connection cables inside their rubber housings. *ak | |||
| 1 | 11/01/1994 | ||
| The battery acid leaked, destroyed the main battery cable. yh | |||
| Design flaw caused the failure of battery cables and batteries, the cables are not heavy enough for the current demand. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 07/23/1999 | |||
| While driving with the cruise control activated, vehicle suddenly accelerated, going up to 100 mph. consumer pressed the brake pedal in order to stop vehicle which would not slow down. consumer had to place vehicle in park position which ruined the engine. previously, the vehicle was stalling, and dealer replaced the spark plugs and the distributor cap. then this incident occurred. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| The ignition design on the chevrolet suburban is flawed. something causes the battery to leak to the point of totally corroding away the cables. there are no warnings, the vehicle just stops. the battery acid leaks into the internal part of the positive cable and destroy the connection. because the negative cable is design to run under the positive terminal, it is also effected by the leak. | |||
| 08/19/1995 | 9 | ||
| Ignition system failure. *ak | |||
| 07/25/1995 | 15 | ||
| Diesel engine stalling, almost resulting in accident. tt | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 07/23/1999 | |||
| While driving with the cruise control activated, vehicle suddenly accelerated, going up to 100 mph. consumer pressed the brake pedal in order to stop vehicle which would not slow down. consumer had to place vehicle in park position which ruined the engine. previously, the vehicle was stalling, and dealer replaced the spark plugs and the distributor cap. then this incident occurred. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 05/26/1996 | 3 | 03/29/1995 | |
| Was driving vehicle about 55 mph, left front wheel fell completely off, 3 studs were broken, was driving on axle/brake assembly/ignition lock sticks/ replaced master cylinder and leaking oil pan, headlamp was also replaced. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY | |||
| 11/03/1995 | 3 | ||
| Starter failed. *tt | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 06/18/2001 | |||
| A clunking noise came from vehicle while in operation. consumer could smell smoke before entering store. when exiting store, vehicle was smoking visibly. consumer contacted fire department. fire burned through firewall, and burned a large hole in dashboard. consumer has not contacted dealership to determine if vehicle was included in recall 95v026000. please provide any additonal information/attachments. *ak | |||
| 05/02/1995 | |||
| Due to faulty wiring underneath the driver side seat, the electrical door lock was inoperable and the circuit breaker was extremely hot. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 12/11/2000 | 15 | ||
| The vehicle had an electrical fire today, prior to today, it had been blowing/burning several eletrical fuses (15 so far) for the courtesy lights and burglar alarm. the fire was under the front dashboard, on the driver's side. | |||