1998 Chevrolet Malibu LS 3.1 V6

Summary:

The Malibu is a very fun car, its just not built very well

Faults:

First of all when I bought the car, there were already things wrong with it.

The brakes were bad when I bought it and the ABS light on the dashboard would come on and sound a chime.

Right from the start for some reason the ventilation fan won't function on a speed below 3.

From the beginning and even now occasionally a metallic grinding noise can be heard in the engine. This noise stops however when the A/C is activated.

At 69,000 miles the passenger side wheel bearings needed to be replaced.

My 17" 9 spoke alloy wheels are somehow completely destroyed by etching and corrosion.

The rubber seals on the Taillights are falling off.

The remote key-less entry system only works from a distance of no greater than 15 feet.

This is not a problem, but a mistake in design. The automatic headlight feature has no override, so the headlights come on weather you like it or not!

The labels on the window buttons rub off onto your fingers as if they were made of dry erase marker.

At night the back-light on the dash and radio displays get so hot that they can actually burn you.

The stopper covers on the seat-belt buckles snap off if you bend over the wrong way.

Brakes are loud and very noisy.

Back doors squeak loudly and are difficult to open fully.

Car sometimes has a difficult time starting.

The driver side power mirror no longer moves.

And the Drivers side window is beginning to die.

General Comments:

Other than the quarks of the vehicle, it's a very attractive car and handles quite nicely.

The body work is very sleek and unoffensive.

The car lacks the pickup it should have from a V6.

Seats are very comfortable and the whole interior is designed to give the front and rear seat occupants maximum room.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th December, 2005

1998 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1

Summary:

Good car, but expensive to maintain brakes

Faults:

Front brake discs wrap and vibrate every 10000 km, Probably because of poor ventilation causing overheating. Installing high quality, expensive, discs did not solve the problem. This might be a basic design fault.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th November, 2005

29th Jan 2007, 12:45

Or it could be how hard the driver is on the brakes all the time and doesn't know how to drive.

29th Jan 2007, 15:31

Or the fine parts that make the Malibu a world class automobile...

1998 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1L

Summary:

Malibu's are not worth the materials the are made of

Faults:

I have a 1998 Malibu and have had nothing, but problems since I bought it in 2001. The heat/ac doesn't work on 1&2 the brakes and rotors have been changed and/or fixed more than three times. I just recently noticed that I have lost coolant, I refill it once a week and my car overheats very quickly. The check engine light stays on and I was told by the dealer that it was a censor, but was not covered in the warranty. I want to get rid of it, but can't because of the problems. Please count me in on the Class Action Suit ms10nicole@yahoo.com with further info. For anyone thinking about getting a Chevy Malibu let me save you the trouble read the other reviews and think about your decision long and hard.

General Comments:

This car stalls and moves very sluggish. The cosmetic problems really add up. such as censors, window and lock motors, leakage and non working lights.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th October, 2005

2nd Feb 2006, 22:09

Class Action Suit ms10nicole@yahoo.com with further info. This sounds like a great idea..

I have owned my 98 since 2000 and I have NEVER installed so many front brakes in a car. The wheel brg. noise I've learned to live with. The one problem I detested was the cutting out when you hit a bump really hard. Everything shuts off, engine, radio, lights. The first time it happened I was on a curve on a snow covered road. Hit a pothole and everything went dead. No power steering, it was a bit unnerving. Found out a few years later that it is associated with the key ignition. Had to replace that twice also.

I feel that GM should stand behind there products and reimburse for their shoddy workmanship, quality of parts and materials choices they put into what in the days of real cars WAS a great and reliable car.

MBRUBAKER.

2nd Feb 2006, 23:18

I am going to be talking with you at the email you provided.

If this is a true event I want to let everyone know how to get involved.

Check back..

13th Sep 2006, 18:01

Om my 97 Malibu the heater/AC fan stopped functioning on speeds 1 and 2. So I did some research and found out ht at the resistor was bad. I replaced it myself it cost $25:00 for the part and can found behind glove box looking up from floor.

I have to replace front wheel bearings every year.

My front brakes wear out very quickly, I think because the rear brakes go out of adjustment quite often.