NHTSA Complaint #10611322 — 2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU

I STARTED THE CAR AND VIEWED THE MESSAGE "SERVICE POWER STEERING" IN THE MESSAGE CENTER BETWEEN THE ODOMETER AND TACHOMETER. THERE DID NOT SEEM TO BE ANY ISSUE WITH THE STEERING, BUT WANTED TO GET IT CHECKED OUT BY MY LOCAL DEALER SINCE IT WAS LESS THAN A HALF MILE UP THE ROAD. AS I PUT THE CAR INTO THE GEAR, THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. THE INDICATOR LIGHTS THAT NORMALLY SHOW ME WHAT GEAR I AM IN (PRND) WERE BLANK. THEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN, THE CAR SURGED FORWARD VIOLENTLY, AS IF THE MALIBU WAS JUST REAR-ENDED. I THEN TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED IT. THE ?SERVICE POWER STEERING? MESSAGE APPEARED AGAIN. HOWEVER, THE ?CHECK ENGINE? LIGHT HAD LIT UP, AND THE ?SERVICE PARKING BRAKE? MESSAGE APPEARED AS WELL. THE CAR THEN SURGE VIOLENTLY AGAIN FORWARD WITHOUT SHIFTING INTO ANY GEARS. I THEN SHUT THE CAR OFF AND CALLED SPENCER CHEVROLET TO TELL THEM I WAS GOING TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THEIR SHOP. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, I TRIED ONCE MORE TO START THE CAR AND WAS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO GEAR AND DRIVE IT TO THE SHOP IN LIMP MODE WITH HALF THE WARNING LIGHTS LIT UP ON THE DASH. AFTER FURTHER DIAGNOSTICS, THE MAINTENANCE MANAGER AT SPENCER CHEVROLET INFORMED ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION COMPUTER MODULE (TCM) HAD FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT UNDER WARRANTY. THIS WAS THE THIRD ELECTRICAL ISSUE I HAD WITH THIS VEHICLE (THE TRUNK WAS OPENING ON ITS OWN WHILE DRIVING, PARKED, OR DURING THE NIGHT, AND THE RADIO WAS LOCKING UP WITH NO CONTROL). I WAS WORRIED THAT THE TRANSMISSION ISSUE COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING, AND DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE ANY RISKS. *TR