NHTSA Complaint #11180471 — 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU

THE VEHICLE STARTED TO HAVE PROBLEMS IN 2016 AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND OFF RANDOMLY AND WOULD NOT COMPLETELY STAY ON TO DIAGNOSE THE VEHICLE CORRECTLY AND WHEN IT WOULD COME ON IT KEPT SAYING IT WAS DIFFERENT SENSORS. AFTER REPLACING SEVERAL SENSORS THAT WERE DIAGNOSED TO BE INCORRECT AND CHANGING SPARK PLUGS AND ALL FILTERS AND FLUSHING SEVERAL PARTS OUT THE VEHICLE WAS STILL NOT RUNNING CORRECTLY. THE VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE AS MUCH POWER AS IT DID IN THE PAST AND SEEMED TO BE SHIFTING DIFFERENTLY. THE CAR PROGRESSIVELY KEPT GETTING WORSE AND LOOSING POWER AND NOT SHIFTING CORRECTLY. I HAD TAKEN IT TO 3 MECHANICS IN THE NASHVILLE AREA AND EACH OF THEM COULD NOT FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM ALSO BUT ALL HAD EXPERIENCE WITH THE ISSUE AND HAD RELAYED THAT THEY BELIEVED IT WAS THE TIMING CHAIN FROM PREVIOUS CLIENTS WITH SIMILAR ISSUES. I THEN TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALER BECAUSE IT HAD GOTTEN TO THE POINT THAT THE VEHICLE SEEMED UNSAFE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY AND I WOULD BE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT AND WHEN I WENT TO TAKE OFF THE VEHICLE WOULD IDLE UNTIL CATCHING AND IT WOULD SIT THERE IDLING AND ALMOST STALL OUT AND THEN AFTER 60-160 SECONDS THE VEHICLE WOULD FINALLY CATCH AND TAKE OFF. THIS ALSO HAPPENED WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN TRYING TO GET UP TO SPEED WITH THE REST OF THE TRAFFIC. ANYTIME THE VEHICLE REALLY NEEDED TO SHIFT IT TENDED TO JUST SIT AND IDLE UNTIL THE CHAIN CAUGHT EXACTLY WHERE IT NEEDED TO WHICH IS WHAT CAUSED THE SAFETY ISSUE. THE CHAIN WAS MISSING IN CERTAIN SPOTS SO ONCE IT FINALLY CAUGHT THE CORRECT SPOT IT WOULD TAKE OFF BUT MADE IT DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AS YOU NEVER KNEW HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE TO CATCH ON AND TAKE OFF OR IF IT WAS GOING TO COMPLETELY BREAK AT SOME POINT AND JUST NOT MOVE AT ALL. THE VEHICLE ALSO DID NOT WANT TO START KEPT ROLLING OVER MULTIPLE TIMES BY THE TIME I WAS ABLE TO GET INTO CHEVY TO FIX IT.