NHTSA Complaint #10107681 — 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU

AT APPROX 5 MPH, AND OUR BACK SEAT PASSENGER RESTED HIS ARM AGAINST THE REAR DRIVERS SIDE DOOR, THE DOOR SWUNG OPEN (LATCH FAILURE). THE DOOR WOULD NOT RE-LATCH DESPITE APPROXIMATELY 50 ATTEMPTS TO CLOSE THE DOOR. WE ROTATED THE LATCH ASSEMBLY TRYING TO SEE WHAT WAS WRONG AND IT WOULD STILL NOT LATCH. IF THIS WAS A CHILD OR IF I WAS TRAVELING AT A HIGHER SPEED THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN INJURY OR DEATH. FINALLY WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE DOOR TO STICK CLOSED HALFWAY, THE WHOLE DRIVE HOME IT RATTLED AND DOOR AJAR WAS LISTED. IT WAS 9 DEGREES F ACCORDING TO THE ONBOARD COMPUTER AT THE TIME. THE NEXT MORNING, AT 22 DEGREES,WE OPENED IT AND IT LATCHED PROPERLY ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT. ON JAN 21, ALSO AT 9 DEGREES, I OPENED THE REAR DOOR AND ATTEMPTED TO CLOSE IT. THIS WOULD NOT LATCH AT ALL, AND AFTER 30 MINUTES OF TRYING, I DROVE 5 MILES TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH MY HAND EXTENDED TO THE BACK SEAT, HOLDING THE DOOR CLOSED MANUALLY SO THAT IT WOULD NOT SWING OUT AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. THE SERVICE MANAGER LOOKED AT THIS, AND DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM FOR APPROX 5 MINUTES, AT WHICH TIME THE CAR WAS WARMED UP SLIGHTLY DUE TO IT BEING INDOORS, AND IT CLOSED PROPERLY. THE DEALER ASKED IF I HAD ANY CHILDREN AND WHEN I SAID NO, THEY RELEASED THE VEHICLE TO ME AND SAID THEY'D BE IN CONTACT WITH GM ABOUT THIS AND MY SUSPENSION ISSUE AND CALL ME MONDAY. *NM