NHTSA Complaint #10872461 — 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU

PURCHASED VEHICLE USED FROM A DEALERSHIP. OVER HEATING ISSUES BEGAN WITHIN 3 MONTHS. HAD THERMOSTAT REPLACED. ALWAYS SEEMED TO HAVE TO BE ADDING WATER AS THE RESERVOIR WAS LOW OR THE INDICATOR LIGHT WOULD COME ON. 18 MONTHS LATER OVER HEATING ISSUES RETURNED WHILE DRIVING HOME ON HIGHWAY. WHEN VEHICLE COULD NO LONGER RUN, WE HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED HOME. HAVE NOW REPLACED THERMOSTAT AND WATER PUMP. ISSUE REMAINS, BUT WORSE. LOW WATER AND NOW CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ARE ON. ALL INDICATIONS SUGGEST HEAD GASKET ISSUES WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY RESULT IN COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. AS SUCH, THE VEHICLE CANNOT BE SAFELY DRIVEN AND REMAINS PARKED. NO SUCH ISSUES WERE DISCLOSED AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. ONLY LEARNED EXTENT OF PROBLEM AFTER RESEARCHING ISSUE ONLINE TO FIND MANY, MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE TYPE EXPERIENCING SAME PROBLEMS. CHEVROLET SHOWED LITTLE CONCERN WHEN CONTACTED. REPRESENTATIVE APOLOGIZED, BUT AS THERE IS NO RECALL WOULD ONLY SUGGEST TAKING THE VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. OWNER IS A DISABLED VETERAN ON A FIXED INCOME. CHEVROLET'S SUGGESTION IS SIMPLY NOT FINANCIALLY FEASIBLE AND LEAVES THE OWNER WITHOUT RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM APPOINTMENTS. HE CANNOT USE THIS VEHICLE FOR THE PURPOSES FOR WHICH IT WAS INTENDED. FURTHERMORE, ONLINE REPORTS ALSO SUGGEST THE PROBLEM REMAINS OR RETURNS EVEN AFTER LENGTHY AND EXPENSIVE REPAIRS ARE MADE. ONCE AGAIN, CREATING CONSIDERABLE HARDSHIP TO THIS OWNER WHO NOW FEELS AS THOUGH HE WAS ROBBED FIRST BY THE DEALERSHIP WHERE HE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FOR THEIR NONDISCLOSURE AND NOW BY CHEVROLET FOR THEIR NEGLIGENT DESIGN, QUALITY AND WORKMANSHIP AS WELL AS THEIR COMPLETE LACK OF DESIRE TO REMEDY THIS YEARS OLD DEFECT. INSTEAD SHIFTING THE FINANCIAL BURDEN FROM ONE UNSUSPECTING OWNER TO THE NEXT AND THE NEXT AFTER THAT.