NHTSA Complaint #10654895 — 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU

UPDATE - FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH/LOCK CYLINDER FAILURE: IGNITION KEY COULD NOT BE REMOVED AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE. GEAR WAS IN PARK AND BRAKE WAS DEPRESSED (WOULD NOT MOVE EITHER). COULD NOT TURN THE KEY OR START THE VEHICLE. TRIED EVERYTHING. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO STS IN EWING NJ. THEY WORKED ON THE VEHICLE AND WERE ABLE TO FREE UP THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION, HOWEVER WHEN THEY REINSERTED THE KEY THEY COULD NOT TURN THE IGNITION/ START THE CAR. THE BRAKE STAYED DEPRESSED AND THEY COULD NOT GET THE GEAR OUT OF PARK. THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE IGNITION UNIT, INCLUDING THE IGNITION SWITCH, AS THE LOCK CYLINDER WASN'T WORKING. THEY ORDERED THE PARTS AND RECEIVED THE CODE FROM A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER. TOTAL COST TO REPLACE PARTS AND REPAIR WAS $689.75. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE, AND OTHER GM VEHICLES WERE RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM (14113C PART OF 14092). THERE WAS ALSO A RECENT RECALL (14350) AS THE DEALER HAD TO INSTALL A KEY INSERT AND KEY RINGS TO PREVENT AN UNINTENDED IGNITION KEY ROTATION. I BELIEVE MY CURRENT IGNITION PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THESE RECALLS. *TR