NHTSA Complaint #10577239 — 2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU

WE OWN A 2003 CHEV MALIBU, SOLD AND SERVICED IN CANADA, BUT MANUFACTURED AT GM'S LANSING, MICHIGAN ASSEMBLY PLANT. CHEV MALIBUS ARE NOT YET INCLUDED ON THE GM IGNITION SWITCH RECALL LIST, BUT IN OCT/11 WE HAD EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEMS REPORTED BY THOSE VEHICLES CURRENTLY ON THE RECALL LIST: FOR PERHAPS 5 SECONDS, A TOTAL LOSS OF ALL POWER (ENGINE, LIGHTS, POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, ETC.,) WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH, AT NIGHT. AFTER THAT 5 SECOND DELAY, ALL POWER RESUMED, (LIGHTS, ENGINE, ETC) AND THE CAR OPERATED PERFECTLY FOR THE REST OF THE DRIVE HOME. A DAY LATER, WE AGAIN HAD A TOTAL LOSS OF ALL POWER, THIS TIME WHILE TURNING A CORNER AT SLOW SPEED. THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKING MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT THEN. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER, ON 25 OCT/11, I HAD MY IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED AT MY LOCAL GM CHEV DEALERSHIP, AT A COST OF $416.51. AT NO TIME DID THE DEALER MENTION ANY KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH THESE IGNITION SWITCHES. IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT RECALL, I CONTACTED MY GM DEALERSHIP, WHO STATED THEY COULD NOT COMMENT ON WHETHER THE REPLACEMENT SWITCH IS POTENTIALLY FAULTY OR NOT - AND HOW WOULD DEALERS KNOW, IF GM REPLACED THE ORIGINAL SWITCHES WITHOUT CHANGING THE PART NUMBER? WERE DEALERS TOLD TO GET RID OF THE "OLD STOCK", OR TO RETURN IT TO GM? THE DEALER STATED THAT, IF AND WHEN MY VEHICLE IS ADDED TO THE CURRENT RECALL LIST, THEY WOULD "REPLACE THE REPLACEMENT". IN OTHER WORDS, I COULD BE DRIVING WITH A FAULTY SWITCH - A POTENTIAL DANGER TO MYSELF AND TO OTHERS....AND, TO DATE, GM APPARENTLY DOESN'T PLAN TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I'M OUT $416 AND MAY STILL HAVE A DEFECTIVE IGNITION SWITCH. I RECOGNIZE THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT'S AUTHORITY DOESN'T EXTEND TO CANADA. HOWEVER, ALTHOUGH MY VEHICLE WAS SOLD AND SERVICED IN CANADA, IT WAS MANUFACTURED IN LANSING, MICHIGAN - LIKE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF OTHER CHEV MALIBUS. *TR