Malibu LTZ V6 3.5L

• Automatic transmission
• 39,000 miles

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At about 39000 miles, my Malibu's Fuel Level Gauge started acting up. It would bounce up and down or stick at the empty mark. This is really annoying and even dangerous since you can run out of gas who knows where, and at only 39k this is just not acceptable!
The culprit is the little device that is situated inside your gas tank that measures how much gas is in the tank. It is simply a potentiometer or a variable resistor that is varied by a float. The problem is that the potentiometer's contacts/wipers got worn out, so as the car bounced so did the contacts. These contacts are so thin I'm surprised they didn't fail any sooner. Good ol' GM trying to save every penny. On the Equinox for example, the contacts are totally different and much rugged/durable. Why not use same on Malibu????
Anyways, to replace the "sensor", the gas tank needs to be removed. Yes, its not easy and can be dangerous for do it yourselfer! But to do that, first the half of the exhaust pipe needs to be lowered. There is no other way. The sensor is attached to the fuel pump assembly inside the tank, and then it is removed from the top of the tank. There is no other access, like some cars have from the inside of the car under the passenger seat. The sensor runs for about $120 at the dealer, but you can buy one online for about $40.