2008 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
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The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the brake lights illuminated without the brake pedal being depressed. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the brake lamps failed to illuminate intermittently. The contact stated that the brightness of the brake lamps was reduced. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who repaired the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
TAIL LIGHTS NOT WORKING AND HAVE A PROBLEM RECALL FOR TAIL LIGHTS PROBLEMS
HEADLIGHTS BURN OUT WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF REPLACEMENT. HAVE HAD TO REPLACE TWO TO THREE TIMES A YEAR. POOR DESIGN MEANS THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE CAR MUST BE REMOVED TO ACCESS AND CHANGE HEADLIGHT BULBS. BULBS HAVE GONE OUT WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, MAKING A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION.
HEADLIGHTS CONTINUOUSLY GO OUT. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR FOR 5 YEARS AND HAVE REPLACED THE LIGHTS ABOUT 4 TIMES BUT THE BULB HAS NEVER BURNED OUT ON ME THE LIGHT JUST QUITS WORKING. USED TO BE THE PASSENGER SIDE ONLY AND EVERY NOW AND THEN IF I HIT A BUMP OR HIT THE LIGHT MYSELF IT WOULD FLICKER BACK ON. NOW THE DRIVER SIDE LIGHT HAS REFUSED TO WORK FOR A YEAR NOW. I HAVE REPLACED IT WITH A NEW LIGHT AND NEW WIRING HARNESS AND STILL WILL NOT WORK WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING. THE LIGHT WILL COME ON WHEN I UNLOCK THE DOORS THOUGH.
MY PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM STOPPED WORKING. I CHANGED THE BULB AND IT STILL WASN'T WORKING. WHEN I TOOK A CLOSER LOOK, I NOTICED THE CONNECTOR WAS MELTED.
I HAVE BEEN HAVING A LOT O PROBLEMS WITH MY LOW BEAMS I'VE CHANGED THEM 3 TIMES CHECKED OUT ALL FUSES AND WIRING SOMETIMES THEY WILL WORK MOSTLY NOT SEEN ALIT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE JUST SAYING THANK YOU
I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY LOW BEAMS SEVERAL TIMES. A COUPLE OF TIMES A MECHANIC REPLACED THE (MELTED AND SCORCHED) HOUSING THAT HOLDS THE BULB AND IT WORKS FOR A LITTLE WHILE BUT EVENTUALLY ONE OF THE LIGHTS GOES OUT AGAIN. I HAVE WASTED MUCH TIME AND MONEY ON THIS ISSUE AND REALIZE I AM NOT ALONE!!!
FRONT PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT KEEPS SHORTING OUT AFTER BEING FIXED MULTIPLE TIMES.
LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OFF. REPLACING THE BULB DOES NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. BOTH DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS SIDE LIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM, OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 12 MONTHS.
RIGHT LOW BEAM KEEPS GOING OUT. EVEN AFTER REPLACING THE BULB WITH A NEW BULB IT WILL WORK FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME THEN GO OFF BUT NOT BURNT OUT.
PASSENGER HEADLIGHT KEEPS BLOWING OUT
MY LOW BEAM ON MY 08 CHEVY MALIBU CONTINUOUSLY BURNS OUT AT THE CONNECTOR. HAVE HAD TO TAKE IT IN SEVERAL TIMES TO HAVE IT FIXED WHICH IS COSTLY AND SO INCONVENIENT/TIME CONSUMING. THIS STARTED TO HAPPEN TO MY VEHICLE IN MARCH 2018 IT IS NOW JANUARY 26 2019 AND I AM STILL DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE.
THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT. REPLACED THE BULBS A FEW TIMES BUT STILL KEEP GOING OUT EVERY FEW WEEKS. IT IS HARD TO KNOW HOW AND WHEN IT GOES OUT. IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE WITH THIS PROBLEM THAT CAN HAPPEN AT NIGHT MIDDLE OF ROAD. IT IS ALSO EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND COSTLY TO REPLACE BULB EACH TIME.
HIGHBEAM HEADLIGHTS DID NOT COME RATHER CAR IS STARTED OR NOT.
PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT. CHANGED BULBS, WIRE ASSEMBLIES. PROBLEM STILL OCCURS.
HEAD LIGHT LOW BEAM KEEP GOING OUT AFTER CHANGING LIGHT BULBS WIRE HARNESSES
MY PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT KEEP GOING OUT. MY MECHANIC HAS CHECKED EVERYTHING BULB, WIRE HARNESS WIRES EVERYTHING POSSIBLE. I HAVE USED AFTERMARKET AND GM BRAND PARTS AND HAVE THE SAME ISSUES. THE LIGHT WOULD SOMETIMES COME ON WHEN HITTING A BUMP BUT NOW NOTHING. I CAN NO LONGER DEPEND ON MY VEHICLE FOR NIGHT DRIVING. THE LIGHT WOULD ALSO COME ON AFTER A FEW SECONDS AFTER STARTING.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EXTERIOR HEADLAMPS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED ON FOUR OCCASIONS WITHIN APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE HEADLAMPS WHERE DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED EACH TIME BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 90,000.
I WAS PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE ONE DAY AND WAS TOLD THAT I HAD A HEADLIGHT OUT. MAY 1ST, 2016 MY HUSBAND WENT TO CHANGE THE BULB (PASSENGER SIDE) AND DISCOVERED THAT THE ORIGINAL HEADLIGHT SOCKET ITSELF HAD COMPLETELY MELTED (IMAGES ATTACHED). I ORDERED A NEW SOCKET FOR IT, AND IT WORKED FOR A LITTLE WHILE BEFORE GOING OUT AGAIN ABOUT A MONTH LATER. THEN, THE DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AND WE DISCOVERED ONCE AGAIN THAT BOTH HEADLIGHT SOCKETS HAD MELTED (IMAGES ATTACHED). SO WE REPLACED BOTH HEADLIGHT SOCKETS AGAIN, AND THIS TIME THEY LASTED ABOUT TWO WEEKS AND THEY ARE BOTH OUT AGAIN AND I AM LEFT WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO DRIVE AT NIGHT BECAUSE MY HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING.
THIRD BRAKE LIGHT WORKS WHEN IT WANTS TO WHEN APPLYING BRAKES, BUT MAJORITY OF TIME IT DOES NOT WORK. DEALER SAYS THERE IS A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL FOR IT AND WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION WITHOUT IT BEING FIXED. SO HAVE TO PAY AT LEAST $500 FOR THEM TO PULL OUT BACK SEAT ETC IN ORDER TO REPLACE. THOUGHT THIS WAS COVERED IN A 2014 RECALL.
THE CYCLOPS BRAKE LIGHT DOES NOT ACTIVATE WITH THE OTHER BRAKE LIGHTS. THIS MAY BE A DANGEROUS CONDITION GIVEN ALL THE DISTRACTED DRIVERS. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE ENGINE IS ON AND CAR STATIONARY. NO RECALL CAN BE FOUND.
MY RIGHT HI-BEAM HEADLIGHT HAS FAILED TWICE SINCE FEB 2017. I READ A RECALL OF CERTAIN MODELS AND YEARS IN THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH..IS MINE INCLUDED?
THIS MODEL CHEVY KEEPS BLOWING LOW AND HIGH BEAM HEADLAMPS REPEATEDLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. A SEARCH ONLINE REVEALS NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS PHENOMENON. CAREFULLY REPLACED OEM BULBS BLOW WITHIN AND EVERY 3-4 MONTHS. THERE ARE NO BULBS AVAILABLE WHICH PERFORM. VOLTAGE AT BULB LISTED AT 12VDC CAN'T HANDLE THE ACTUAL VOLTAGE FROM THE RUNNING VEHICLE. NEEDS RECALL SOLUTION.
PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT CONTINUALLY GOING OUT AFTER CHANGING LIGHTBULB AND PIGTAIL. ENDED HAVING TO CHANGE ITEM THAT WAS ALREADY KNOWN BY CHEVROLET TO FAIL BUT REFUSES TO PUT IN RECALL.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WITHOUT THE BRAKE PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. IN 2014, THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V252000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL); HOWEVER, THE REMEDY WAS INSUFFICIENT AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED FOR THE MOST RECENT FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.
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Quick Summary
The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu has 40 Exterior Lighting complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.