# 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU — EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:SWITCH
> NHTSA complaint `524247` · 2005-03-02 · General Motors, LLC
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 0
- **Fire:** No
- **Crash:** Yes
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** CHEVROLET
- **Model:** MALIBU
- **Year:** 2002
- **Manufacturer:** General Motors, LLC
- **Component:** EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:SWITCH
- **Miles at failure:** 45,000
- **Speed:** 20 mph
## Narrative
2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU TURN SIGNAL WORKS INTERMITTENTLY.  MY DAUGHTER DRIVES THIS CAR AND WAS INVOLVED IN A MINOR ACCIDENT IN DECEMBER 2004.  SHE WAS TRYING TO MERGE LEFT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHEN A CAR JUST BEHIND HER ,AND TWO LANES TO THE LEFT, WENT FOR THE SAME SPOT.  BECAUSE THE TURN SIGNAL FAILED, THE DRIVER IN THE OTHER LANE DID NOT KNOW SHE WAS TRYING TO MERGE AND PROCEEDED INTO THE SPOT.  MY DAUGHTER HAD TO SWERVE BACK INTO HER LANE TO AVOID THE OTHER CAR , AND COULD NOT AVOID REAR-ENDING THE VEHICLE AHEAD WHERE TRAFFIC HAD SUDDENLY STOPPED.  I RECENTLY TOOK THIS CAR TO THE DEALER, WHO COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG.  A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH REVEALS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, AND IN FACT THE PREVIOUS TWO MODEL YEARS WERE RECALLED FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM, WHICH IS RELATED TO A BAD HAZARD SWITCH.  I FIDDLED WITH THE SWITCH AND FOUND THAT TAPPING THE SWITCH CAUSES THE SIGNALS TO MALFUNCTION.    ALTHOUGH WE DIDN'T GET THIS CHECKED OUT UNTIL AFTER THE ACCIDENT, I BELIEVE THE ACCICENT WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE SIGNALS HAD BEEN WORKING, AND I AM REALLY ANNOYED THAT THE DEALERSHIP SEEMED SO IGNORANT OF THIS WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM.  FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS INJURED, BUT THEY EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN. *AK
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*