NHTSA Complaint #712681 — 1997 CHEVROLET MALIBU

UPON INITIAL START UP WITH COLD ENGINE, ENGINE RUNS FINE UNTIL DRIVER ATTEMPTS TO ACCELERATE. UPON ACCELERATION ENGINE RUNS EXTREMELY ROUGH, HAS NO POWER, AND WILL STALL AS SOON AS PRESSURE IS RELEASED FROM ACCELERATOR PEDAL. ENGINE IS DIFFICULT TO RESTART. ONCE RESTARTED ENGINE CONTINUES TO RUN ROUGH, ETC UNTIL NEAR NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURES ARE REACHED. VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE UNTIL NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURES ARE ATTAINED DUE TO STALLING AND LACK OF POWER. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN INTO THE DEALER'S SHOP AT LEAST TWICE. ON THE LAST SERVICING ON SEPTEMBER 10, 1999, DEALER REP LACED THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR AND REPROGRAMMED IGNITION COMPUTER WITH NEWER VERSION OF MANUFACTURER'S SOFTWARE. DEALER CHARGED $64 FOR NEW SOFTWARE WHICH I STRONGLY BELIEVE SHOULD BE COVERED BY MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY OR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I PURCHASED WITH THIS VEHICLE.