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Very Annoying Headlight bulb problem.

207K views 85 replies 43 participants last post by  DrivenDaily 
#1 ·
I have a 2009 2LT V6 Malibu. About a month and a half ago i noticed that my passenger side low beam headlamp was not working. After finding out that my local Chevy dealer wanted $104 to do the job, i decided not to get it fixed.

All of a sudden about two days after i noticed it not working, it came back to life. Then a day after that, it went out again. This pattern continued until about three weeks ago when I found a body shop that replaced the bulb for $67. The light worked perfectly for three weeks and now it just went out again.

What could this be?? I just replaced the bulb three weeks ago and i cant afford to do it again. A fuse maybe? A short in a wire? I want this problem solved because I do not need to get pulled over for having one headlight because I do travel a lot at night. Thanks for any help.
 
#2 ·
sounds like it's more of a wiring harness within the headlight itself. My high beam was doing something similar and it ended up being the wiring harness and unfortunately meant i had to replace the entire light itself :\ however i could be wrong so i would take it to a dealer to have it checked, they will probably check it for pretty cheap and if you can find a nice mechanic that works there he may be able to tell you the problem if you ask him off to the side
 
#3 ·
Pop the hood, open the fuse box, then swap the Left and Right relays for the Low Beams. If the issue moves to the other side then it's the relay.

If not, swap the fuses Left to Right. If the issue moves it's the fuse.

If not, or if the issue is resolved, the connection at the relay and/or fuse may have been dirty.

If the issue is still at the same bulb, the wiring from the relay to the headlight is suspect. If you're willing to take apart part of your car you can get the headlight housing out without pulling the entire bumper off, but you'll certainly loosen a lot of it. Remove radiator cover then remove the single bolt inside the front wheel well. There's a hole in the fender liner to remove the bolt that holds the edge of the bumper cover securely. With that out remove the 3 "christmas tree" plastic trim fasteners. Next, up top, lift corner of bumper cover where it meets the fender to un-snap it, then do the same to the edge where it meets the wheel opening. Pull forward gently to reveal the 2 bolts holding the headlight housing (one on radiator support, one on side). Next, push down gently but firmly to "unlock" the housing from the car, then pull forward to remove. Make sure the 2 little "wings" on the bumper cover are no longer engaged with the bottom of the housing.

When reinstalling housing, I just put the front bolt in after getting it installed to the car. I also reinstalled the fender liner bolt to keep the bumper cover secured.

With the housing separated from the car there's a main harness plug clipped to the front inside of the housing. Unplugging it will be the final step to remove the housing from the car. Inspect the terminals and wires on the car harness as well as the housing wiring. Also check to be sure the light is fully plugged in.

To test, plug in the main harness and ensure all bulbs are plugged in, then turn on the low beams. Twist and remove the low beam from the housing (CAUTION! Don't touch the glass!!!) While holding it with one hand use the other to flick the base to introduce a "bump" to the bulb. If the light goes out or flickers the bulb is bad.

Reinsert the bulb into the housing. Now do the wiggle test. (No, don't wiggle your butt! ;)) Wiggle all the wiring, tap or flick the relays and the fuses.
 
#4 ·
@91SHOPlus, since this seems to be more than just the bulb itself which is a maintenance item, I would take the Malibu into the dealership for further diagnostic testing. Under normal circumstances, this would be something covered under the Bumper to Bumper limited warranty.

Michelle, Chevrolet Customer Service
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the info, however I no longer have the bumper to bumper warranty :(

Pop the hood, open the fuse box, then swap the Left and Right relays for the Low Beams. If the issue moves to the other side then it's the relay.

If not, swap the fuses Left to Right. If the issue moves it's the fuse.

If not, or if the issue is resolved, the connection at the relay and/or fuse may have been dirty.

If the issue is still at the same bulb, the wiring from the relay to the headlight is suspect. If you're willing to take apart part of your car you can get the headlight housing out without pulling the entire bumper off, but you'll certainly loosen a lot of it. Remove radiator cover then remove the single bolt inside the front wheel well. There's a hole in the fender liner to remove the bolt that holds the edge of the bumper cover securely. With that out remove the 3 "christmas tree" plastic trim fasteners. Next, up top, lift corner of bumper cover where it meets the fender to un-snap it, then do the same to the edge where it meets the wheel opening. Pull forward gently to reveal the 2 bolts holding the headlight housing (one on radiator support, one on side). Next, push down gently but firmly to "unlock" the housing from the car, then pull forward to remove. Make sure the 2 little "wings" on the bumper cover are no longer engaged with the bottom of the housing.

When reinstalling housing, I just put the front bolt in after getting it installed to the car. I also reinstalled the fender liner bolt to keep the bumper cover secured.

With the housing separated from the car there's a main harness plug clipped to the front inside of the housing. Unplugging it will be the final step to remove the housing from the car. Inspect the terminals and wires on the car harness as well as the housing wiring. Also check to be sure the light is fully plugged in.

To test, plug in the main harness and ensure all bulbs are plugged in, then turn on the low beams. Twist and remove the low beam from the housing (CAUTION! Don't touch the glass!!!) While holding it with one hand use the other to flick the base to introduce a"bump" to the bulb. If the light goes out or flickers the bulb is bad.

Reinsert the bulb into the housing. Now do the wiggle test. (No, don't wiggle your butt! ;)) Wiggle all the wiring, tap or flick the relays and the fuses.
Thanks for the info. I just swapped the fuses and it still doesnt work so i guess it may be the wiring. However, I did have to remove two relays in order to reach the fuse for the headlight, and now when i got in the car my engine light is on. I know for sure that I put the relays back in. Any idea why the engine light came on?

sounds like it's more of a wiring harness within the headlight itself. My high beam was doing something similar and it ended up being the wiring harness and unfortunately meant i had to replace the entire light itself :\ however i could be wrong so i would take it to a dealer to have it checked, they will probably check it for pretty cheap and if you can find a nice mechanic that works there he may be able to tell you the problem if you ask him off to the side
How much did it cost for the headlamp? Im sure its covered under bumper to bumper but unfortunately Im out of warranty now.
 
#6 ·
Whoever you took it to is just posing as a mechanic. The headlamp circuit is very simple to troubleshoot & the most common point of failure by far is at the harness connector & it's due to corrosion of the metal terminals. It doesn't take much corrosion in a high amperage circuit to create a lot of localized heating & melting of the connector which creates an intermittent lamp before it fails open. A decent mechanic does not just throw a new lamp at it without checking the connections. This almost always requires splicing in a new connector.

And ALWAYS use dielectric silicone on all the connections to prevent corrosion from developing.
 
#11 ·
Assuming you went back to the same mechanic the first red flag was that he relamped it without checking the connectors (the usual suspects) & the second was that he diagnosed a short circuit after you verified that fuse was ok. The most common repair on the headlight circuit is splicing in a new connector due to corrosion & subsequent overheating/melting.
 
#12 ·
Okay the first time i brought it in was at a body shop. I gave them the bulb and he put it in. The second time it went out i went to a mechanic. Ill just end up going to an actual auto electric shop and see what they say.
 
#14 ·
I took it to the Chevy dealership and they put some type of test on the light and said theres nothing wrong with my wiring or anything. They're saying its the bulb again. This is really strange.
 
#22 ·
@ElderNurse, at this time I don’t have recall information about this within my system. I don’t get information about recalls until they’re in place. I apologize for this inconvenience.

Please, don’t hesitate to contact the service manager at your local Chevrolet dealership to see if they can offer cost assistance since you’re out of the Bumper to Bumper warranty by approximately eight (8) months.

Michelle, Chevrolet Customer Service
 
#23 ·
I realize this thread is about a year old and im new here, but I cant seem to find any answers to this issue. The passenger side low beam keeps shorting out at the fuse block (fuse #9 10A) So far ive replaced the bulb and the harness with no change. My questions are as follows, 1) is each headlight grounded separately, and if so, where are the ground locations and 2) does anyone know where I can find a wiring schematic from the fuse block outward. I'd really like to try and tackle this myself without shelling out a mortgage payment to the stealership. Car is just about 3k over BTB warranty,fwiw.
 
#25 ·
I am having the same issue. At first my headlight went out, bought the bulb for replacement. When driving home from purchasing the bulb my light came back on. A few days later it went out. What solutions did you guys find? The more and more I read in this car, I'm thinking I'm better off getting rid of it. Please help!
 
#26 ·
09 Malibu ltz. Ive never been so frustrated with a vehicle. Same issue my passenger side low beam has been intermittent for the last 3 weeks. I changed the bulb took me 2 hours outside in -10 degrees up here in Canada. Now O'Day I wake up for work and its out again. I'm gonna change the splice socket next and see what happens. I switched the left and right fuses and there was no change.

Also my stereo is on appears to be working but there is no sound. Door chimes, key in ignition, or stereo no sound at all. I brought it to the dealership they told me I need a new stereo but its not covered under warranty. I checked the amp fuse in the trunk and the one on the passenger side. Any suggestions.

#ColdinCanada#
 
#27 ·
Left door speaker provides the sounds for your turn signal clicker and chimes. Common issue.

Headlights: sounds like you're on the right path. Check the socket before splicing in a new one. If it's discolored then it may have gotten too hot. They're supposed to be designed to handle the high heat from a headlight so any extra heat would likely be from a change in the voltage/amperage at the socket. That suggests a damaged wire somewhere. You may need to look further beyond the headlight housing to find out if you have any issues. Did any rodents get in a do some chewing? Was car in an accident and poorly repaired?

Also, when changing the bulb, if you touched the glass with your fingers then that could cause it to fail all by itself.
 
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