NHTSA Complaint #10819090 — 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU

BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD BE ON WHEN NOT APPLYING BRAKES AND BRAKES LIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON WHEN APPLYING BRAKES - ESC AND SERVICE TRACTION INDICATORS REMAINED ON. ON THE WAY TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM REPAIR FOR THE 3RD TIME, THE ENGINE LOSS POWER WHILE I WAS DRIVING APPROX 75MPH ON AN EXTREMELY BUSY INTERSTATE. ONE OF THE SCARIEST MOMENTS OF MY ENTIRE LIFE. PULLED OVER, PUT THE CAR IN PARK & THEN IS SHUTOFF. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME AS THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER WARNING. AFTER WAITING AWHILE, I RESTARTED THE CAR AND WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE DEALERSHIP. SERVICE TECH SAID THE BRAKE LIGHTS WORKED FIND - HE HAD NO EVIDENCE THAT THEY WERE STAYING ON. HE SAID THE ESC & TRACTION WAS RELATED TO THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER & I NEEDED TO HAVE THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED - $550. HAD THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED AND DRIVING HOME-APPROX 30 MINS LATER-THE CAR STARTS DOING WEIRD IDLE THINGS. IN PARK THE RPM HAND FLUCUATED BETWEEN 1.5-2 AND THEN OUT OF NOWHERE 3.0-IN PARK, NOT APPLYING GAS OR BRAKES. I HAD TO APPLY BRAKES AND PUT THE CAR IN GEAR TO MAKE IT STOP. WHEN I RELEASED THE BRAKES AT THE STOPLIGHT-NOT APPLYING GAS-CAR ACCELERATED TO 20 MPH ON IT'S OWN. CALLED DEALERSHIP BACK-THEY IMPLIED IT WAS MY FAULT FOR LEAVING THE LOT IF SOMETHING WAS WRONG. THE ONLY THING THAT THE CAR DID BEFORE LEAVING DEALERSHIP WAS FOR APPROX 5 SECS IT WAS A TAD BE LOUDER THAN NORMAL WHEN I STARTED THE ENGINE. THE OTHER PROBLEMS DID NOT PRESENT UNTIL AFTER I WAS SEVERAL MILES AWAY (INTERSTATE) AND MORE SO WHEN I WAS OFF THE INTERSTATE WHERE THERE WAS MORE SLOWING, STOPPING, ETC. I PARKED AFTER MY CONCERN INCREASED. TURNED THE CAR AND THEN RESTARTED AFTER A PERIOD-THAT IS WHEN IT IDLED UP TO 3.0 RPMS IN PARK-PEOPLE WALKING BY LOOKED AT ME STRANGE AS IF I WAS SITTING IN THE PARKED CAR JUST PRESSING THE GAS-NOT. I AM JUST AS TERRIFIED TO DRIVE THE CAR TONIGHT AS I WAS BEFORE IT WAS REPAIRED EARLIER TODAY.