1999 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1 EFI V6

Summary:

An all around good car

Faults:

The compressor clutch started rubbing and making a squealing noise.

Battery died from a bad cell after 82000.

General Comments:

I love the car. Very snappy and gets 30 miles per gallon on the highway. I haven't had any serious problems with it.

I drive it over 120 miles a day to school and back. The comfortable seats are also a very welcomed feature when your stuck on the road for long periods of time.

I keep hearing lots of complaints about them, but so far I have had nothing, but good luck with it. I will definitely buy another GM product in the future.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th November, 2004

1999 Chevrolet Malibu LS 3.1L

Summary:

Stay away from it, like the plague

Faults:

Lower intake gasket blew engine. Had to replace the engine with a refurbished one. 4 months later, ENGINE Coolant Light went ON again. This time, I didn't take any chances, and had the lower intake gasket replaced. So far, no problems. BUT GM knows this is a problem, and will not give a recall, or take any responsibility.

- Windshield wiper mechanism broke. I had to have it replaced.

- Lots & lots of Brake jobs on this car.

General Comments:

Clearly, GM has gone the 'cheap' route. Cheap parts means lots of maintenance. Unless you are a mechanic, don't even touch this one!

Why hasn't anybody got together for a CLASS Action Lawsuit against GM? This is embarrassing, and very costly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 18th November, 2004

1999 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1 litre

Summary:

This car provided a good balance of cost, comfort and reliability

Faults:

Nothing on this car failed.

General Comments:

We bought this car new. Beyond normal maintenance items, it needed nothing for the 71,000 miles that we kept it to 1993. The front brake pads lasted 65,000 miles and it needed new tires around that time. It was the most reliable car of approximately 17, mostly new cars, that we owned to that point although it was nice to know that Chevrolet dealers are everywhere in the US.

It should be noted that the tire rotation schedule per the owner's manual must be adhered to or else the low aspect ratio tires (215/60R15) will flat-spot and become noisy. Rotating the tires will not correct the flat-spotting with consequent noise even after several thousand miles as is more likely to happen with higher aspect ratio tires.

We liked the car so well that we traded it for a new, almost identical 2003 Malibu.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th November, 2004

4th Feb 2005, 08:42

It's a 1999 model.. How did you keep it to "1993"?

8th Jul 2005, 13:25

So if this car was so great, why did you trade it for a newer model. You should have just kept the old one and continued driving it. Now all the problems you didn't have are going to start on the new car.

1999 Chevrolet Malibu 3.1L

Summary:

Would Never Buy Again!

Faults:

Brakes-calipers, rotors warped, pads worn down two times, basically the whole brake assembly at 55k.

Blower Motor Resistor at 84k, so it only blows at speeds 3 and up.

Bearings making loud noise at 70k.

General Comments:

The extended warranty has saved us from probably 6,000 dollars in service cost. we got the 4 year warranty bumper to bumper. Otherwise the engine is solid and it is a very comfortable drive. Handles great!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th October, 2004

15th Apr 2006, 21:39

If you "would never buy again", then why is there a big yellow smiley face next to your review?

1999 Chevrolet Malibu

Summary:

The worst car that I have ever owned!

Faults:

I would never recommend buying a Malibu.

Since we have had the car, we have had two brake jobs and the car is in need of a third.

The A/C turns off when ever it feels like turning off.

The glove compartment box lets cold air into the car. During the winter on long drives, I have to place towels in the Glove box to keep the air out.

The coolant light comes on and goes off at random times.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th October, 2004

1999 Chevrolet Malibu

Summary:

The worst decision I ever made!

Faults:

The fuel pump has been replaced four times.

The fuel tank was given an "acid bath" after we questioned why our fuel pump kept failing and had to be replaced. The Chevy dealership told us there was "gonk" in the fuel tank causing the problem and that this would fix the problem. Not even a month after this "acid bath" guess what... the fuel pump failed again and shut off on me on and my Wife in the middle of traffic.

The A/C turns on and off when it wants to. I think it has a mind of it's own.

The motor/fan makes a humming noise constantly. The noise would get really loud right before the car would shut off due to the fuel pump failers. When we questioned the Chevy dealership where we took it for service they told us it was perfectly "normal" and that all Malibu's make this noise. Well this must be the only model in the entire world to make this noise because no other vehicle that I can think of or any friend's vehicle hums when you are driving. I mean my Ford Taurus has over 170,000 miles on it and you can't even hear it running. I mean come on.

The trunk button no longer works to pop it open from inside the car.

The car began rattling at 58,000 miles. Took to dealership and had to have the bearing joints replaced.

The brakes squeak, but guess what. We were told that is "normal" also with the new Malibu's under 60,000 miles.

General Comments:

I will never buy a "Chevy" again! My friends and family always told me "you need to get a Chevy man they last forever". That is a bunch of bull and I would tell everyone of them that. I would take my Ford Taurus with over 170,000 miles anyday over the Malibu.

I have had nothing, but disappointments, wasted time off, wasted money out my pocket, and headaches with this piece of crap.

As soon as I get rid of this car I'm getting me a Honda or Toyota. At least Honda and Toyota put pride into building their cars and care about their customers and the people who drive them. I'm done with American cars!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th October, 2004

18th Oct 2004, 05:45

I wouldn't go so far as to saying that "Hondas and Toyotas are pridefully built and care about there customers..." I've owned a couple of each (especially Honda) and had plenty more problems with the Hondas than my current Lumina has ever thought of giving me... just take a look at the reviews for the Luminas, or a lot of other American cars on this site if you don't believe me... They aren't too bad at all.

6th Jan 2008, 00:40

American Car, guess again. The US can't take too much credit for this one. Brazilian engine, Delphi electrical (not Delco),Body common with SAAB and God knows what else. And I thought I was buying a US vehicle. Unfortunately I can't afford a Hummer so my next vehicle will be a Mazda3 or Ford Fusion. After owning GMs for over 30 years, a 1999 Malibu for the last 7, it's time for a change.