2000 Chevrolet Malibu LS review from North America
"Maybe 2004 will be Malibu's year"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Ever since buying car used at 36000, radio face has always been hot to the touch.
Brake rotors and pads replaced at 45000.
CD player broke at 60000.
Brake pads replaced at 65000.
Car began "lurching" at 70000.
Plastic track on power driver seat broke at 75000.
Turn signals at 80000: sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.
Car shakes at speeds over 70mph.
General comments?
So far my '00 Malibu has been good. I fear when big things start breaking, however, the shizznit will hit the fan.
Plastic track for power driver seat broke; big deal, seat still works so I am happy.
Car shakes at speeds over 70mph;again, no big deal. I'm sure it has to do with the brakes throwing the wheels out of alignment.
I agree the brakes have issues. When I bought the car used the rotors were fubar; the prev owner probably ignored the inherent brake problems. Replaced with cheap rotors/pads and the pads were a problem immediately. Bit of advice - by more expensive pads. I bought better quality pads and have not had a problem since.
The audio system blows; ever since I got the car, the radio face has been hot to the touch.I'm expecting it to burst into flames any day now. CD player kept shutting down due to over-heating and then broke all together.
What brought me here was the lurching and the turn signals. Car recently started lurching and missing @70K so I figure the transmission is due to fall out if I don't get it fixed. The turn signals are the most recent problem; they messed up around 80K. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. A few quick cycles (on/off) of the hazards helps get them working sometimes, so I figure there is a bad switch that shouldn't be too costly to replace.
Recommended reviews
![]() ![]() | A great looking mechanical nightmare |
![]() ![]() | A Piece of Junk, Don't buy this car |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.1 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7/10 |
| Reliability marks | 9/10 |
| Comfort marks | 8/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 36000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 88000 miles |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Cavalier |
| Date of Entry | 27th December, 2003 |

