NHTSA Complaint #10632972 — 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU

WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH DOWN THE HIGHWAY IN MY 2008 CHEVY MALIBU (106,800 MILES) THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON AND INFORMATION CENTER READ "ENGINE POWER DEDUCED" AND MY CAR SLOWED TO 20 MPH ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WITH NO WARNING TO ME OR THE VEHICLES BEHIND ME. LUCKILY THERE WAS A WIDE SHOULDER AND I VEERED OFF TO AVOID BEING REAR ENDED AS I HAD MY 3 CHILD ALL IN CAR SEATS IN BACK. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP BUT AS THEY WEREN'T OPEN YET, I DID WHAT I HAD TO AS ONE OF MY CHILDREN IS A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD AND WAS ALMOST TIME FOR HIS SEIZURE MEDICATION AND DROVE THE CAR ON TO MY MOTHER IN LAWS 4 MILES AWAY. I DROVE DOWN THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE TO MAKE IT TO MY MOTHER IN LAWS TURN THEN THE NEXT 3 MILES TO HER HOUSE WAS LESS CONGESTED WITH TRAFFIC LUCKILY. THE CAR HAD A SLIGHT SHAKE TO IT ALMOST AND SOMETHING SEEMED LIKE IT WAS RATTLING ALMOST UNDER THE HOOD BUT A SLOW RATTLE NOT LIKE A KNOCKING SOUND THO. AFTER THE DEALERSHIP OPENED I TOOK THE CAR TO THEM AFTER SHUTTING OFF AND RESTARTING CAR RAN NORMAL AGAIN. THEY SAID THEY COULD FIND THE ISSUE IN THE HISTORY. CHEVY TOLD US THE CAM SHAFT SOLENOID HAD INTERNAL FAILURE AND NEEDED REPLACED. WE GOT IT FIXED AND CHANGED SPARK PLUGS AND DID A SMALL TUNE UP TO MAKE SURE THAT WAS THE WHOLE ISSUE SOLVED. LAST NIGHT JUST A DAY LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED AS MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE CAR. THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH MANY NEWER CHEVY CARS SOME STILL WITH JUST 50,000 MILES ON THEM. IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH GM IN A RECALL I AM AFRAID BEFORE MORE LIVES ARE TAKEN DUE TO FAULTY ENGINEERING AND PARTS! PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS FURTHER! CHEVY ALSO FOUND A CRACK IN THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD THAT THEY ARE REPLACING FOR FREE ALREADY AS WELL AS MULTIPLE OTHER RECALLS WE ARE AWAITING PARTS FOR. *TR