Electrical problem
2004 Chevy Malibu 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 62348 miles
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Sometimes when I try to start my car there is a ticking sound from under the hood and the engine won't start. When this happens all the gauges on my dash stand at attention. All of the needles (including the speedometer and the tachometer) go to a vertical position and the return to zero and then the fuel gauge and the temperature gauge return to their apporiate position. Also, the digital trip meter, clock, cd player and preset radio stations all reset. Sometimes turning the key to off and trying to restart once will work. After the car starts all seems to be working properly. Just recently I had to try for 5 minutes or more before the car started. Any idea what the problem may be?

maybe check for a loose battery connection or a possible bad battery