1999 Chevrolet Malibu Exterior Lighting
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
THE TURN SIGNALS WORK ONLY ONCE IN A WHILE, MORE OFTEN THEY DO NOT WORK. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN 12/2009, THE PROBLEM BEGAN LATER IN 12/2009. WITH OUR EXTENDED WARRANTY WE TOOK IT BACK TO WHERE WE PURCHASED IT, AFTER 8 HOURS, THEY SAID THEY THINK THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM AND CORRECTED IT. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE SAME PROBLEM BEGAN AGAIN AND IS STILL A PROBLEM. IT IS ILLEGAL TO DRIVE WITHOUT TURN SIGNALS AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. WE WERE NOT TOLD OF THE PART PUT ONTO THE CAR, BUT WE DID SEE THEM TAKE A PART OFF OF ANOTHER CAR TO PUT INTO OURS. *TR
SOMETIMES THE BRAKE AND TAIL LIGHTS WONT WORK. *TR
1999 MALIBU LS- (R) BRAKE LIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT- HAVE HAD TO REPLACE BULBS EVERY OTHER MONTH FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS. HAVE HAD WORK DONE IN 2005,2006 REPLACE HOUSING AND 2008 REPLACE SOCKET PLATE. *TR
NO PRIOR CRASHES OR PROBLEMS BRAKE LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING UNABLE TO FIND SHORT IN SYSTEM TO THE POINT THAT THE HOSING ON THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS ARE MELTING AROUND BULBS RUNNING LIGHTS WORK STILL YET NO REAR BRAKE LIGHTS ON DRIVERS SIDE OUTER AND PASSENGER SIDE INNER. *TR
THIS IS THE 2ND CHEVY THAT I'VE OWNED WHOSE BRAKE LIGHTS FAIL (CENTER BRAKE LIGHT CONTINUES TO WORK) TO ILLUMINATE DUE TO A FAULTY TURN SIGNAL SWITCH. ALTHOUGH THE TURN SIGNAL, CRUISE CONTROL, WIPER CONTROL, ETC. WORK FINE, THERE IS SOMETHING INTERNAL TO THIS TURN SIGNAL/MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH THAT SUDDENLY CAUSES THE LEFT AND RIGHT BRAKE LIGHTS TO NOT ILLUMINATE. THE DRIVER IS UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM UNTIL ANOTHER DRIVER ON THE ROAD BRINGS IT TO THEIR ATTENTION. THERE ARE NUMEROUS GM CAR OWNERS WHO COMPLAIN OF THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET, YET GM HAS NOT OFFERED TO REPLACE THIS SWITCH FOR THE OWNER. THE DEALER WANTS $170 FOR THE PART AND CHARGE 2 HOURS LABOR AT $90/HOUR FOR A WHOPPING COST OF $350 + TAX AND ONLY OFFER A 12-MONTH WARRANTY FOR THEIR PARTS/LABOR. TO ME, THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION THAT GM FAILS TO RECOGNIZE BY RECALLING OR SIMPLY REPAIRING FREE OF CHARGE. APPARENTLY, GM SAYS THE LEFT/RIGHT BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH IS WIRED THROUGH THE MULTI-FUNCTION/TURN SIGNAL SWITCH SO THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL CANCEL ONCE THE BRAKE PEDAL IS PRESSED, BUT THAT FEATURE STILL WORKS EVEN THOUGH THE BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T ILLUMINATE! OTHER CAR MANUFACTURERS' CRUISE CONTROL SWITCHES OFF WHEN THE BRAKE IS PRESSED, YET THEY DON'T HAVE THE ISSUE OF THE MULTI-FUNCTION/TURN SIGNAL SWITCH FAILING INTERNALLY CAUSING THE LEFT/RIGHT BRAKE LIGHT TO NOT ILLUMINATE. PLEASE DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO GET GM TO REPLACE THIS POORLY DESIGNED SWITCH, FREE OF CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT BOTH THIS 99 MALIBU AND 96 MONTE CARLO WERE BOTH VERY WELL CARED FOR BY US AND STILL, THESE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED WITH LESS THAN 100K MILES. THANK YOU. RESPECTFULLY, SCOTT STEFFES *TR
TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS WORK WHEN THEY WANT TO, WHICH BEGAN LAST YEAR 07/07. I REPLACED FUSES TO SEE IF THIS WAS THE PROBLEM. IT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. AFTER ALMOST BEING REAR-ENDED WITH MY INFANT SON IN A CARSEAT THE BACK SEAT AS MY TURN SIGNALS FLASHED TWICE AND FAILED I FOUND OUT LATER THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON THE HAZARD/TURN SWITCH ON THE 2000 MODELS OF MALIBU AND NOT THE 99'S. *TR
TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 CHEVEROLET MALIBU WITH FAILURE MILEAGE 110,000. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH SHE NOTICED THAT THE HAZARD LIGHTS AND SIGNAL LIGHTS WORKED ON OCCASION OR NOT AT ALL. ALSO, THE CONTACT STATED THAT SOMETIMES THEY WILL STOP WORKING AT ANY GIVEN TIME FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. SHE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY DID NOT DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN TELL THE CONTACT THAT THE ABOVE MENTIONED PARTS THAT WERE AFFECTED DID NOT COME FROM THE SAME PLACE AS THOSE PARTS OF THE 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT MENTIONED NHTSA NOTIFICATION RQ040005 AS A REFERENCE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 117,000.*AK UPDATE 4/30/07*TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS HAVE WORKED SPORADICALLY SINCE OCTOBER OF 2006. BEGINNING IN MAY OF 2007, THE LIGHTS DO NOT ILLUMINATE AT ALL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 100,100 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000.
THE TAIL LIGHTS FAILED TO WORK PROPERLY WHEN APPLIED. THE LIGHT BULBS WERE CHANGED BY THE DRIVER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. HOWEVER, PROBLEM RECURRED AND HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED. DRIVER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
THE REAR TAIL LIGHTS ON MY CHEVROLET MALIBU ARE ABOUT TO BURN I CAN SMELL A BAKALITE SMELL WHEN I OPEN THE TRUNK. I HAVE BEEN GOING TO MAROONE CHEVY IN PEMBROKE PINES SAW THE SERVICE REP ( MANDY RAMOS ) COMPLAINNG TO HIM SINCE 2000 AND HE SAID THAT THERE WAS NO RECALLS ON THE LIGHTS. IFOUND OUT THAT GENERAL MOTORS FILED A CONFIDENTIALITY REPORT AND THAT WAY GM DID NOT REPAIR THE LIGHTS. I DISABLED PERSON AND WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR I KNEW THAT IT HAD TO LAST A LONG TIME. NOW I AM FEARFUL OF IT CATCHING ON FIRE. IT COST ME $ 25,000.00 TO BUY AND GM HAS THE NERVE TO KEEP ONTELLING ME FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BACK IN 2000 WHEN THEY REQUESTED THE CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT BEING APPROVED, THEY KNEW THAT THEY HAD THIS PROBLEM. THE REPORT IS EA00010 I FOUND THIS OUT TODAY ONLINE. THE COST OF THE PAIR OF LIGHTS IS $ 500.00. TELL ME WHERE I CAN GET THIS KIND OF MONEY ON DISABILITY. THE GOVERNMENT IS GOOD AT HIDING THINGS. MAYBE THEY CAN FIND OUT HOW I CAN COME UP WITH THE MONEY BEFORE I GET BURNED ALIVE AS I AM DISABLED.
TAIL LIGHTS WORK INTERMITTENTLY. CONSUMER STATES THAT SHE CAME VERY CLOSE TO SEVERAL ACCIDENTS BECAUSE SHE DID NOT KNOW THE LIGHTS WERE OUT UNTIL SOMEONE BLEW THE HORN. SHE HAD THE TAIL LIGHTS REPLACED THREE TIMES. *AK
TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS DO NOT OPERATE. THE PROBLEM STARTED INTERMITTENTLY.*AK
TURN SIGNALS WORK INTERMITANTLY. THEY WORK FINE ONE MOMENT AND THEN THEY STOP WORKING, MANY TIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. THEN A LITTLE LATER THEY WORK FINE AGAIN.
STOP/BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE NUMEROUS TIMES. *JB
BRAKES LIGHTS FAILED. *AK
TAIL LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNAL FAILED. DEALER STATED THAT WIRE CONNECTOR MELTED. CONSUMER REPLACED LIGHT BULBS. *AK
WATER WAS LEAKING INSIDE OF THE TAIL LIGHTS, CAUSING THE BULB TO SHORT OUT. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL. *AK *MR
GENERAL MOTORS HAS JUST ANNOUNCED A RECALL OF 2000 AND 2001 CHEVROLET MALIBUS FOR A FAULTY HAZARD LIGHT SWITCH WHICH COULD RESULT IN THE FAILURE OF HAZARD LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS. I OWN A 1999 MALIBU NOT SUBJECT TO THE RECALL. MY TURN SIGNALS DO NOT WORK CONSISTENTLY, AND MY MECHANIC HAS INDICATED IT MAY BE THE RESULT OF A FAULTY SWITCH. I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM IS THE SAME AND THAT THE 1999 MODEL YEAR SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE RECALL AS WELL. IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF UNDER THE RECALL?*AK
THE TAIL AND BRAKE LIGHTS WERE INOPERATIVE, THE DEALER STATED SOME TYPE OF LUBRICANT WAS TO BE USED TO PREVENT OVER HEATING, HOWEVER CONSUMER NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICE IN THE MAIL REGARDING THE ISSUE. *JB......*AK
INTERMITTENT TURN SIGNAL FAILURE. *JB
NO SUMMARY. DT
I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN LATE JUNE OF 2002. HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH IT EX CEPT THE TURN SIGNALS (ALL OF THEM) AND THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS. THEY WILL WORK FINE FOR A FEW DAYS AND THEN STOP WORKING WITH NO WARNING. SOMETIMES THE TURN SIGNALS WILL START OPERATING IN A FEW MOMENTS OR IT COULD BE DAYS. AS FOR THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS. THE ONE TIME I HAD AN OCCASION TO USE THEM, THEY FLASHED ONCE. AFTER THAT THE TURN SIGNALS AND THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS DID NOT WORK FOR DAYS. I MENTIONED THIS TO THE DEALER THAT I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM WHEN I HAD THE CAR IN FOR A OIL CHANGE. NO MENTION WAS MADE OF IT ON THE WORK ORDER AND THE SERVICE TECH SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. DT
CONSUMER STATES THAT TAIL LIGHT MELTED INTO THE ASSEMBLY, UNABLE TO CHANGE BULB, RESULTING IN NO TAIL LIGHT. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM.
RIGHT BRAKE LIGHT WENT OUT. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER THEY REPLACED EXTERIOR LIGHTING. ABOUT SIX MONTHS LATER LEFT SIDE WENT OUT. LIGHT BULB HAS MELTED AS IT DID ON THE RIGHT SIDE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
LIGHT HAS FAILED TWICE. RIGHT SIDE BRAKE LIGHT DOES NOT FUNCTION. NO OTHER LAMPS HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM. *AK
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Quick Summary
The 1999 Chevrolet Malibu has 32 Exterior Lighting complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.