Chevrolet 2003 Malibu - the car was leased in March 2003. The brakes were failing and the car was taken back to the dealer. They could not detect any problems since no lights came on in the car. The problem occurrence is unpredictable. Brakes become very hard and car doesn't stop, steering wheel vibrates, car does not accelerate, consumes a lot of gas. Problem detected was brake pedal remained down even when it wasn't being used. The car was brought back to the dealer three times before the defect was detected by the service manager. The car was reportedly repaired (readjusted switch for proper release of brake, replaced ft pads and rotors due to excess heat on ft brakes), but after a week, the problem represented itself. The car is now (8/21/03) at the dealer for repair (4th time it goes in). The manufacturer customer service is giving me a difficult time admitting that the car has a serious defect. They are trying to convince me that the symptoms the car presents may not signify that the problem is the same. I totally disagree because, it is the same problem. My husband and I were almost killed on the NJ turnpike due to this problem. I have asked them to take back the car but I have had little success. I am hoping that this complaint will spark an investigation. The dealer mentioned that this exact problem was found on the Avalanche models.

- Edison, NJ, USA