I have a
1998 Chevy Malibu that I bought used in December 2007 (a month ago) and it just started having this problem, which is how I found this site.
My poor husband was spending hours outside jumping my car with his and trying over and over again to get my car working. He kept adjusting the jumper cables on the battery terminals thinking that might work, but nothing was getting my car to start.
The first time it happened, I was able to unlock my car (in a grocery store parking lot), open the trunk, load up the groceries, but then I tried to start it and nothing happened.
No lights, no radio, no AC, no start. My husband met me there, jumped the car and it was fine. I was so mad because I just bought a new battery when I got the car a month before.
Now, the next time I tried to start it was a few days later. This time, the lights in the car, the radio and AC came on when the key got to the ACC line, but then everything went dead when I tried to start it up. We tried jumping it, but it didn't work. It was at time that I noticed the flashing lights below the steering wheel that apparently have something to do with the security system. I'd looked up an owner's manual online and had read about it prevously (from what I remember, unless it recognizes the right key, it prevents gas from getting to the engine, making your car a doorstop), but I didn't know it had anything to do with that funny black key-looking-thing under the steering wheel. Now that it was blinking, it got my attention. It did slow red blinking, fast red blinking, slow green blinking, but nothing really consistent that I noticed. In any case, I figured now that it probably had something to do with the security system rather than the battery. Still, just in case, my husband tried for about half and hour and then we sadly canceled our for-the-first-time-in-a-month dinner plans since it was now too late at night.
The next time I tried to start the car, which was the next day, my husband tried starting it again. He managed to get it started once and left the car running (doors locked) for about an hour hoping to recharge the alternator. We went to start it later and the same thing--the car went dead when I tried to start it. So, I went to the computer and he went back to the jumper cables.
I saw a thread about cutting wires, but that scared me, so I kept reading. I saw another idea of permanently disabling the security system, but that would cost money, too, and I can't work, so I kept reading. Finally, I saw the answer to my prayers in the post that said to put in the key, put the car in neutral, and then start it and that has been working like a dream!!
SUMMARY: If your car's dome/dash lights come on when you stick the key in, but then everything dies when you try to start the car, check under the steering wheel. If lights are blinking, it might be the security system. So, before you spend a zillion dollars on this, try putting the key in (don't start, but you can stick it in ACC), then put the car in neutral, then start. For about the next 6 times I've started my car, it has worked without a problem!!