chevrolet malibu hybrid Problems

chevrolet malibu hybrid 2009 Complaints

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

there is a recall of my vehicles battery hybrid pack. i brought in the car 2 weeks ago b/c the engine ceases and restarts by itself and jerks forward at every stop sign and red light. the dealer said today that the parts wont be in for another 2 weeks. the car is hazardous to drive and they wont give me a loaner.

Reported in: MIAMI BEACH FL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57539F

EQUIPMENT

2009 malibu with 8000 miles has developed meldew in the air vents. the odor that comes through the vents not only smells bad but is causing myself and family members to become sick with asthma and allergy conditions. this can not be healthy. the odor is so strong at times, it embeds into your clothing and makes your eyes burn and water. i took to the dealership and they are very familiar of the problem, which tells me it is a common complaint. they deodorized the vents with spray and said they drilled a drainage hole for the airconditioning condenser condensation to drain in the future. since they did not remove this meldew/mold i'm not sure they have fully corrected the problem. one day after the odor is still hanging in there. not sure who i should file my complaint with besides gm and the ood. this car has been problems from day one.

Reported in: TRACY CA || Crash: N || VIN #:

STRUCTURE

Reported in: TRACY CA || Crash: N || VIN #:

POWER TRAIN

on 4/29/10, i took my car to the dealer because of not accelerating over 45. on 6/18/10, i was trying merge onto a interstate at rush hour, but the car had no power. i almost was hit because of this. immediately the service hybrid light came on so took to the dealership where they found a leaking battery and bad sensor. car repaired and began to drive home. after stopped at a light, i tried to accelerate. the car started to go but then started to chug like it was going to stall. it would not accelerate any more than around 5 mph. kept chugging for about 100 feet while i tried to pull off road. right before i did that, the car started operating normally. i immediately returned to dealer. i had never experienced issues with sluggishness or chugging prior to the 45 mph issue or the hybrid light coming on. ever since the car will randomly and dangerously have no power for acceleration. the dealer has worked with gm on the issue, but told it is normal operation. i owned this car for almost one year prior to the battery replacement and no issues like this, so not normal operation. it is scary to drive the car on busy roads when merging or accelerating because there is no way to know if the car will move. in august my wife had to drive my car where it was trying to accelerate up a hill for her. i say trying because the car did not want to go up the hill. since the battery issue i have randomly experienced this also. on 10/11/10 i was driving near my office in a downtown area. after being stopped at a light i tried to accelerate and the car started chugging and not accelerating like it had done when i got the car back from the service hybrid problem. very dangerous and scary. i immediately called the service manager at the dealership to advise him. on 10/13/10 i tried to take a left turn at a busy intersection while heading to work, tried to accelerate, and the car bogged down severely. i was almost hit by oncoming traffic during rush hour. updated 10/21/10. *lj updated 10/16/10

Reported in: WINSTON SALEM NC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57519F

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

car refused to go above 30 mph when accelerating from light on river road even when applying full throttle. went about half mile until i smelled friction material. pulled car over to side of road. walked from wheel to wheel to see how hot they were. left front wheel was exceedingly hot as was right rear wheel. left rear wheel & right front wheel were cool enough to touch. car had been driven about 5 minutes in urban traffic when this happened. when car was restarted, the brakes released & no further trouble encountered. two days early, car had intermittent mild, low-frequency jerking while driving which went away after a couple of minutes. again, this happened in urban driving about 5 minutes after starting. both days clear weather. no dash trouble messages displayed. car had been in for reprogramming of esc module about a month earlier after three different esc trouble messages appeared on dash - traction control, esc and hill start.

Reported in: WASHINGTON DC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57539F

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL

Reported in: WASHINGTON DC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57539F

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL

vehicle would not go more than 20 mph after startup from intersection. left front & right rear brakes applied themselves. vehicle would not go above 20 mph even at 4100 rpm. pulled off to side of road. turned engine off. went from wheel to wheel - left front and right rear too hot to touch. right front & left rear cool to touch. applied moisture to left front and right rear brake rotors; boiled off immediately. turned engine back on & vehicle resumed normal operation. same failure happened in may 2011 at 8,601 miles. not tdc's either time. in march 2011 at 6,849 miles, esc malfunctioned with 3 tdc's.

Reported in: WASHINGTON DC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57539F

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Reported in: WASHINGTON DC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57539F

POWER TRAIN

tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu hybrid. the contact stated that while driving, the shift cable for the automatic transmission became detached. as a result, the vehicle was stuck in gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the shift cable needed to be replaced. the dealer was contacted who stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 09v073000 ( power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift). the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 53,000.

Reported in: FREEHOLD NJ || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57579F

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu hybrid. the contact stated the headlights developed condensation. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated they would contact her at a later date. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 66,772. the current mileage was 69,002.

Reported in: MAYS LANDING NJ || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57569F

AIR BAGS

tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu hybrid. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, another vehicle crashed into the rear passenger door of the contact's vehicle. the air bags did not deploy. the contact sustained injuries as a result. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for diagnosis. the manufacturer was contacted and stated that they would further assess the failure. the failure and the current mileage was 23,000. updated 08/30/2012 *js

Reported in: COLCHESTER CT || Crash: Y || VIN #: 1G1ZF57529F

POWER TRAIN

my car feels like it is almost going to stall out whenever i accelerate from a stop. this has become very dangerous for me when crossing and intersection from a stop. i have almost been hit several times. i am not sure, but i think it has to do with the hybrid system. this usually only happens when the air conditioner is on, but i have experienced it with it off too. now, whenever i come to a stop and try to accelerate, i have to push the gas pedal all the way to the floor because if i do that, it doesn't feel like its going to stall out near as bad. i am very concerned over this issue, but i cant afford to pay for fixing the issue if the dealer tries to say its not drive train or hybrid (which i still have warranty for).

Reported in: DAVENPORT IA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57599F

ENGINE

Reported in: DAVENPORT IA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57599F

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

defroster didn't work causing visibility problems. nhtsa campaign number: 08v634000 component(s): visibility manufacturer: general motors corp. summary: gm is recalling (77) 2009 chevrolet malibu hybrid vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 103, "windshield defrosting and defogging system." the heating, ventilation, and airconditioning (hvac) system may become inoperative. if this were to occur, the blower would not function properly and the mode selector would remain in the last known setting. consequence: if the windshield began to fog or frost, there may not be enough airflow to clear the windshield, resulting in reduced driver visibility and a possible crash without prior warning. my chevrolet dealer service advisor told me that my vin is outside the vin range of this recall notice and therefore was not covered for repair.

Reported in: PALMDALE CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57569F

VISIBILITY

Reported in: PALMDALE CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57569F

POWER TRAIN

please review nhtsa id numbers 10360384, and 10464366. my original case is 10360384, and both are the same problem. i worked with gm a few years ago, when i submitted my case. they noted the hesitation and said that it was normal. my car was "better" for a while and has gotten worse lately. i am wanting to know now if this is a similar issue in reality to the owners that complain of the brakes being locked on. now i am also noticing that when at a cruise and having to accelerate some, there is a chugging feeling. my fuel economy for city driving has also dropped down to 18 mpg or below, which is unusual. i have not taken back in for service because i have already had no luck dealing with them on this issue, which is why reported to nhtsa. this is an extreme safety issue and is very dangerous to drive because there is no warning. if the vehicle isn't chugging, it is just extremely bogged down, especially when accelerating into traffic and turning. this could indicate something wrong with the steering system since it is integrated with the hybrid system. i 100% agree with having to push the peddle all of the way down to make it not feel that it will stall when i notice the chugging is happening. unfortunately, the chugging is extremely random, so how to reproduce for a dealer. the sluggishness is frequent. in relation to this being similar to the brakes being locked issue, i am wondering if it is similar but our vehicles correct themselves quickly. the vehicle does act as if the hybrid auto stop feature is trying to turn the car off while accelerating. there has to be more people with this same problem and concern with the malibu hybrid, but not that many were built or sold, so you may not notice enough cases to warrant investigation or a recall. this problem is obviously with the hybrid system because i have driven the standard 2009 4 cylinder malibu.

Reported in: HOLLY SPRINGS NC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G1ZF57519F

STEERING

on the morning of july 17, 2014 i experience my power steering notification illuminate as well as service traction notification as i was preparing to make a left turn, my steering wheel locked up and made it very difficult to turn. luckily enough i was able to move the car out of the way before my vehicle was almost hit by a 18 wheeler. this is the second time as i was driving my power steering notification came on and almost cause me to have an accident, the first time happen in may of this year both times my son was in the car. in february of 2013 i was making my way across a very busy intersection and the car cut completely off in the middle of the intersection, i had to get the car towed to the dealership. the "service traction" and "service esc" illuminated then as well. the car acceleration is slow when the air condition is on. i am at a point i no longer want to drive this vehicle. i fear the next time may result in injury or a fatality. i honestly care not to opt for the repair because it was sent to the dealership for repairs one time and now it must go again, the third time may be the last and before i get to that point i would like to get out of this vehicle. for the safety of not only me but my son who is only 10 years old. i called gm and inquired if they can offer some sort of a rebate that i may use towards another vehicle, but i was told no and only offered an apology and informed that gm is currently not offering a rebate, yet i still have to wait to be informed as to when i can take the car in for service because they are out of parts, if that does not ring a bell i don't know what will. i fear this car will be the death of me. i am reaching out for help.

Reported in: MIAMI FL || Crash: N || VIN #:

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL

Reported in: MIAMI FL || Crash: N || VIN #:

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