It is most likely to be found behind the glove compartment, and can be easily replaced with the right caution and equipment. See the manual if unsure, or ask a mechanic.
The Chevrolet Malibu was first produced in 1964 and is currently in its seventh generation. Famously in 1981, GM in Canada produced a special order of 25,500 four door Malibu sedans for Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi government. The deal was reportedly worth well over $100 million. These special order Malibus carried the unusual combination of GM's lowest-power carbureted V6, the 110 horsepower, 3.8 litre engine mated to three-speed transmission with a unique on-the-floor stick shifter. All of the cars were equipped with air conditioning, heavy duty cooling systems, AM/FM cassette decks, front bench seats, 200 kph speedometers, tough tweed and vinyl upholstery and 14 inch (360 mm) stamped steel wheels with ‘baby moon’ hubcaps. However only 13,000 units ever made it to Iraq, with the majority of the cars becoming taxis in Baghdad.
In 1982 with the balance of about 12,500 additional Malibus remaining in Canada, where they were built, the Iraqis suddenly cancelled the order. Excuses reportedly included various ‘quality concerns’ including the inability of the local drivers to shift the finicky manual transmission. This issue was eventually identified as being due to an apparent clutch release issue that eventually required on-site retrofitting by a crew of Canadian technicians sent to Iraq to support the infamous ‘Recall in the Desert’.
Later speculation was that the Iraqis were actually forced to back out for financial reasons, due to their escalating hostilities with Iran requiring the immediate diversion of funds to support the Iraqi war effort. Then GM of Canada President Donald Hackworth was initially quoted as stating GMCL intended still try to sell the Malibus overseas in other Middle East markets; however in the end, the orphaned ‘Iraqi Taxi’ Malibus were all sold to the Canadian public at the greatly reduced price of approximately CN$6,800.
Over the years they have acquired a low-key 'celebrity' status, sometimes being colloquially referred to as ‘Iraqibu’. The new Chevrolet Malibu is available now priced at $22,000.
The Chevrolet Malibu was first produced in 1964 and is currently in its seventh generation. Famously in 1981, GM in Canada produced a special order of 25,500 four door Malibu sedans for Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi government. The deal was reportedly worth well over $100 million. These special order Malibus carried the unusual combination of GM's lowest-power carbureted V6, the 110 horsepower, 3.8 litre engine mated to three-speed transmission with a unique on-the-floor stick shifter. All of the cars were equipped with air conditioning, heavy duty cooling systems, AM/FM cassette decks, front bench seats, 200 kph speedometers, tough tweed and vinyl upholstery and 14 inch (360 mm) stamped steel wheels with ‘baby moon’ hubcaps. However only 13,000 units ever made it to Iraq, with the majority of the cars becoming taxis in Baghdad.
In 1982 with the balance of about 12,500 additional Malibus remaining in Canada, where they were built, the Iraqis suddenly cancelled the order. Excuses reportedly included various ‘quality concerns’ including the inability of the local drivers to shift the finicky manual transmission. This issue was eventually identified as being due to an apparent clutch release issue that eventually required on-site retrofitting by a crew of Canadian technicians sent to Iraq to support the infamous ‘Recall in the Desert’.
Later speculation was that the Iraqis were actually forced to back out for financial reasons, due to their escalating hostilities with Iran requiring the immediate diversion of funds to support the Iraqi war effort. Then GM of Canada President Donald Hackworth was initially quoted as stating GMCL intended still try to sell the Malibus overseas in other Middle East markets; however in the end, the orphaned ‘Iraqi Taxi’ Malibus were all sold to the Canadian public at the greatly reduced price of approximately CN$6,800.
Over the years they have acquired a low-key 'celebrity' status, sometimes being colloquially referred to as ‘Iraqibu’. The new Chevrolet Malibu is available now priced at $22,000.
