Traction Control issues
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Sounds like 3 different things. It sounds like the OP is saying he thinks the traction control allows to much wheel spin. The second poster sounds like he is saying the traction control triggers to easily in the situations he describes and the third is stating the traction control is activating when there is no reason for it to do so.
The third one is probably a real problem. It sounds like there is an issue with a wheel speed sensor that needs to be corrected. Not a Malibu but my 03 Tahoe has traction and stability control and every so often I have to take it in to get the sensor connections cleaned (Tahoes have a different sensor design) as they cause the TC to activate when slowly starting on a dry street on a sunny summer day.
The second issue is probably a normal operation of the system and occurs because of the special circumstances the antilock brake system is seeing. As the poster turns right onto the incline the left front and right front wheels hit the boundary where the road goes from one plane to another at different times. This causes a change in instantaneous wheel speed which is sensed by the Electronic Brake Control Module as wheel slippage. Also front wheel drive cars will try to spin the inside front wheel on turns so there is a natural predeliction for that wheel to spin as it encounters the incline. Either situation will probably trigger traction control. Stability control is probably triggered if the steering, lateral G and yaw sensor data indicates the front end of the car is pushing to the left as the incline is encountered. All this depends on the speed and the angle of the turn. I see something similar on left turns as I turn from one up hill street onto another going to my house. If I brake and turn so I can get on the throttle before the apex of the turn the car will push wide and both tc and stability will cut in. I just keep the throttle down and it comes right through the situation.
The OPs situation sounds like normal operation as well. TC will allow a certain amount of wheel spin. The EBCM will request a torque reduction to limit the wheel spin and probably can apply a brake to the wheels if the torque reduction isn't enough. However, it can't clamp down so hard as to reduce torque to zero or you wouldn't be able to climb a slippery hill. As for getting a tc active message when you don't sense the wheels spinning it can happen if there you are accelerating and one wheel hits a bump differently than the other wheel.
In the case of traction control it is all about wheel speeds at each driven wheel and in the case of stability control the equation includes wheel speeds at all wheels plus all the other sensors.
Bill
The third one is probably a real problem. It sounds like there is an issue with a wheel speed sensor that needs to be corrected. Not a Malibu but my 03 Tahoe has traction and stability control and every so often I have to take it in to get the sensor connections cleaned (Tahoes have a different sensor design) as they cause the TC to activate when slowly starting on a dry street on a sunny summer day.
The second issue is probably a normal operation of the system and occurs because of the special circumstances the antilock brake system is seeing. As the poster turns right onto the incline the left front and right front wheels hit the boundary where the road goes from one plane to another at different times. This causes a change in instantaneous wheel speed which is sensed by the Electronic Brake Control Module as wheel slippage. Also front wheel drive cars will try to spin the inside front wheel on turns so there is a natural predeliction for that wheel to spin as it encounters the incline. Either situation will probably trigger traction control. Stability control is probably triggered if the steering, lateral G and yaw sensor data indicates the front end of the car is pushing to the left as the incline is encountered. All this depends on the speed and the angle of the turn. I see something similar on left turns as I turn from one up hill street onto another going to my house. If I brake and turn so I can get on the throttle before the apex of the turn the car will push wide and both tc and stability will cut in. I just keep the throttle down and it comes right through the situation.
The OPs situation sounds like normal operation as well. TC will allow a certain amount of wheel spin. The EBCM will request a torque reduction to limit the wheel spin and probably can apply a brake to the wheels if the torque reduction isn't enough. However, it can't clamp down so hard as to reduce torque to zero or you wouldn't be able to climb a slippery hill. As for getting a tc active message when you don't sense the wheels spinning it can happen if there you are accelerating and one wheel hits a bump differently than the other wheel.
In the case of traction control it is all about wheel speeds at each driven wheel and in the case of stability control the equation includes wheel speeds at all wheels plus all the other sensors.
Bill
Use less throttle
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I find the Malibu nearly undriveable on back dirt roads in anything more than 1/2 an inch of snow without turning off the traction control. With it off, not so bad. The one thing that is a bit crazy is how hard my car goes right with wheelspin. If I pull away from a stop sign with the traction control off on ice, it goes straight right until I let off and coast to bring it back left and as soon as i touch the gas, back to the right we go. I'm also nowhere near impressed with the electric steering in the 4 cylinder equipped Malibus. No road feel at all, and just very inconsistent.
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