NHTSA Complaint #10569088 — 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU

EARLY IN 2011 I STARTED HAVING DIFFICULTIES WITH MY 2000 MALIBU. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD APPEAR RANDOMLY ON THE DASHBOARD. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS IT WOULD DISAPPEAR. IT BEGAN STAYING ON LONGER AND LONGER SO I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER. THEY CHECKED IT OUT, COULDN??T FIND ANYTHING SPECIFIC, AND TOLD ME I SHOULD HAVE THEM PUT IN A NEW COMPUTER. THIS COST APPROXIMATELY $550.00 AFTER THE REPAIR A NEW SYMPTOM BEGAN TO APPEAR: SPONTANEOUS ENGINE STALLING COUPLED WITH LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE CAR RESULTED IN NO ENGINE CRANKING. I FOUND THAT AFTER WAITING FOR A WHILE THE CAR WOULD START AGAIN AND BE FINE. AT ONE POINT WE WERE TRAVELING AT FREEWAYS SPEEDS ON THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE. MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AND MY TWO YOUNG GRANDDAUGHTERS WERE IN THE BACK SEAT. SUDDENLY THE ENGINE STALLED AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. IT WAS FRIGHTENING, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. WE SAT FOR A FEW MOMENTS ON THE SHOULDER OF THE FREEWAY, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF WE WERE GOING TO BE STRANDED. AFTER A FEW TRIES, THE CAR STARTED UP OKAY AND WE CONTINUED TO OUR DESTINATION. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL PARKING LOT, IT REPEATED THIS BEHAVIOR. WE COMPLETED OUR JOURNEY AND GOT HOME SAFELY. A FEW DAYS LATER I TRIED TO START THE CAR BUT IT WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. I CONTACTED THE SAME CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP WHO SENT A TOW TRUCK TO FETCH US AND THE VEHICLE. ONCE AT THE DEALERSHIP, ONE OF THE MECHANICS QUICKLY SUGGESTED THAT IT MIGHT BE THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH AND CHARGED ME OVER $400. I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN AND THE REPAIR BILLS WERE A LOT FOR ME TO HANDLE. *TR