NHTSA Complaint #10177393 — 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU

2002 CHEVY MALIBU (85,000 MILES) = APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AGO ENGINE OVERHEATED AND "NEED COOLANT" LIGHT CAME ON. OWNER REFILLED COOLANT. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER "COOLANT" LIGHT AGAIN CAME ON AND OWNER REFILLED COOLANT. NO VISIBLE LEAK OF COOLANT WAS NOTICED UNDER VEHICLE. AT NEXT OIL CHANGE OWNER ASKED TECHNICIAN TO CHECK COOLANT AND TECHNICIAN NOTED THAT EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE, NO DISCERNIBLE LEAK. JULY 2006 ENGINE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON, OWNER REFILLED, THIS OCCURRED AGAIN IN LATE AUGUST AND AGAIN IN OCTOBER. DECEMBER 22, 2006, OWNER HAD OIL CHANGE AND ASKED TECHNICIAN ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THE TECHNICIAN SUGGESTED THAT CHEVROLETS REGULARLY GET AIR BUBBLES IN THE COOLANT SYSTEM AND OFTEN HAVE PROBLEMS WITH COOLANT BECAUSE OF IT. HE CHECKED THE COOLANT PRESSURE, HE SAID IT WAS NORMAL AND SUGGESTED TO DO A FLUSH AND FILL, THE OWNER AGREED. ON DEC. 26, 2006, THE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE OWNER ADDED ADDITIONAL COOLANT. ON DEC. 29, 2006, OWNER TOOK VEHICLE TO A CHEVROLET DEALER SERVICE CENTER. THE TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THE VEHICLE TO HAVE A DAMAGED INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. THE CHEVROLET SERVICE CENTER PERFORMED THE SERVICE AND REPLACED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET ON DEC. 30, 2006. *NM