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Turn signal blinks rapidly- '09 Malibu LS

44K views 25 replies 17 participants last post by  zaxmozen 
#1 ·
The front left turn signal blinks twice as fast as it should be and the left rear signal is not blinking at all. The right side turn signals are both good.

I clicked the emergency switch, it seems that both sides work fine. Is it a problem with the turn signal switch? Is there a recall for this?

How much will it cost to fix it?

Any comments will be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much!
 
#7 ·
#6 ·
Re: turn signal blinks rapidly- 09' Malibu LS

I had the same issue with dead bulb.

Don't remember 100% but I from inside the trunk you should see a couple bigger plastic nuts, if you don't see them you need to peel the carpet back to access them. Unscrew these and the light housing should pull out from the outside. Then you can just turn the bulb socket and pull it out and replace. I did this outside of advanceauto last year before we headed out for a ski trip so it wasn't that bad at all.
 
#8 ·
Re: turn signal blinks rapidly- 09' Malibu LS

I just had to do this myself the other day. I pulled back the carpet and pulled off the 3 plastic nuts then pulled the whole light out. Then you can take out just the socket for the bulb. Then you can pull the light bulb out and put the new one in. It was easy once I found the directions.
 
#16 ·
#10 · (Edited)
Re: turn signal blinks rapidly- 09' Malibu LS

my 2009 malibu was doing the fast blinking on the right side, went outside and sure enough it wasn't blinking in the rear, only in the front. I was a little freaked out thinking it was something bigger but as this thread has shown, it must be the bulb, thanks!

Edit: Can anyone confirm that the replacement bulb is in deed the 3157 not the 3156?? I have a 2009 Malibu LS
 
#11 ·
Re: turn signal blinks rapidly- 09' Malibu LS

my 2009 malibu was doing the fast blinking on the right side, went outside and sure enough it wasn't blinking in the rear, only in the front. I was a little freaked out thinking it was something bigger but as this thread has shown, it must be the bulb, thanks!

Edit: Can anyone confirm that the replacement bulb is in deed the 3157 not the 3156?? I have a 2009 Malibu LS
3157 is the correct bulb
 
#12 ·
Re: turn signal blinks rapidly- 09' Malibu LS

If you're at the store and find 3157NA or 4157 or 4157NA, those can be used as direct replacements as well.
 
#17 ·
I had the same issue. First my rear left signal was'nt blinking after fixing it the next day my rear right signal is facing the same issue. Workshop technician informed me that the rear left wiring was 'stucked' to the body thus causing the said left signal not working. But after checking the possibility of the same to the rear right it does not solve the problem. Bulbs are OK. Can anyone assist.
 
#18 ·
But after checking the possibility of the same to the rear right it does not solve the problem. Bulbs are OK. Can anyone assist.
You need to back up a step or two and treat this as a new problem.......because it IS.

Check the bulb itself and the socket. Those two things probably account for about 95% of the failures. A multi-meter probably would help.

What leads you to believe that the bulb is OK ??
 
#20 ·
A little more info, please. Do you have a Gen7 (2008-2012) ? (Maybe you could modify your sig or avatar to include this info with your posts.)

Have you turned on the emergency flashers and checked all 4 lights? Using the emergencies will cause them to flash at a normal rate, forcing them to light up long enough (if working) to see each one clearly and determine if it's flashing the turn or park filament.

When the hyperflashing occurs have you checked the front lights as well?

Do you know if there have been any modifications to the car previously? If so, there could have been a crossed wire or an overload, resulting in a short to power, short to load, short to ground, or severed connection.

Since they're easy to get to, have you swapped the bulbs left to right and watched to see if the problem follows a bulb?

Have you inspected the bulb sockets? Sometimes they will get dark brown or worse and cause the bulb to lose contact, resulting in the issue you describe. The proper fix for that is replacing the socket and then using dielectric grease to help dissipate the heat over a larger area to keep the contact area a little cooler.
 
#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
To answer your question: Yes I owned a 2010 Malibu
Have you turned on the emergency flashers and checked all 4 lights? Using the emergencies will cause them to flash at a normal rate, forcing them to light up long enough (if working) to see each one clearly and determine if it's flashing the turn or park filament.
- Done that only 3 signals are working

When the hyperflashing occurs have you checked the front lights as well?
YES

Do you know if there have been any modifications to the car previously? If so, there could have been a crossed wire or an overload, resulting in a short to power, short to load, short to ground, or severed connection.
- Recently I sent my vehicle to Chevy Authorised dealer to get my rear bumper fixed but only after a day, the rear left signal went dead - got it fixed and the next day the rear right went dead.

Since they're easy to get to, have you swapped the bulbs left to right and watched to see if the problem follows a bulb?
Done that but still the rear right signal is not flashing

Have you inspected the bulb sockets? Sometimes they will get dark brown or worse and cause the bulb to lose contact, resulting in the issue you describe. The proper fix for that is replacing the socket and then using dielectric grease to help dissipate the heat over a larger area to keep the contact area a little cooler.
The colour is the same as the rear left.
 
#23 ·
I added quote tags to help clarify your post.

Since only 3 lights are working, and since you swapped left and right bulbs and the right is still inop, I'd suspect the wiring to the right rear is damaged.

Rear bumper was "fixed" but what was the cause of the repair? Was there some kind of collision that could have damaged the wiring? If so, they apparently didn't find or fix everything that was needed. If they caused it while doing a careless repair (not saying they did) then they need to put it back. If it was already damaged before the bumper needed repair then it's coincidental. Either way, the wiring is the first thing I'd check. That means it could still be the socket.
 
#25 ·
The rapid signalling rate is generated by the BCM in response to detection of infinite resistance (an open circuit) in the circuit. The break could be anywhere in that circuit including the lamp filament itself. Sounds like the body shop caused your problem if I interpret your posts correctly.
 
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