2001 Chevrolet Malibu Reviews - Page 4 of 25

I have had braking problems with this car from day 1. I have to replace the brake pads every year like clockwork. I have had to replace the rotors 3 times. I have to put tires on it every year also like clockwork. I have had to replace a transmission sensor to the tune of $900.00. I also have a buzzing when I use the turn signal. The heater quit working on the low setting, then quit working on the next setting and so on until now it only works on the 2 highest settings. The rear window defroster quit working yesterday. I have to always leave a good distance between myself and the car in front of me because if I have to hit the brakes hard or suddenly, they seem to go into some kind of anti lock mode that doesn't stop the car, just a grinding noise and very little stopping power. The only good thing I can say about this car is (knock on wood) it has always started and not left me stranded, but the brake problems are pretty scary. I can't help but wonder what will be next.

I sometimes (though rarely) have electrical quirks such as the lights dimming, though this is never a huge problem.

I have to replace brakes more often than I should, but buying ceramic breaks fixes this problem.

The car shake from about 40+ mph, but it is a light problem, but annoying. I thought the wheel was out of alignment, but I've yet to determine what is causing it. Once I find out, this car is pretty much perfect!

This is definitely no luxury car, though you get a lot for little. The cabin while extremely boring, is very efficient. The dashboard is very dull to look at, and I wish it had a little more style, but that's superficial. The controls are very easy to maneuver while driving and is easy to remember placement. The seats are relatively comfortable on long trips, though the back seat feels flimsy, and I'm dissapointed that I can't fold it down. I like the fact that both outside mirrors are power operated, as it makes my life easier! And speaking of the trunk; MY WORD! It is very very large. Thanks to this more than generous trunk, I was able to bring everything I needed to college (more than 5 hours away) on one trip! I can personally fit into the trunk and and spread out that's how big it is, and I'm not a small person by any means. One thing that always peeks my curiosity is why the gas tank is on the passenger side. This to me is an odd position, and it took awhile to get used to. While on the subject of gas, I'm very pleased with the highway mileage I obtain which is usually around 30 mpg, but city driving is deplorable with around 16 to 17 mpg. Stop and go traffic is clearly not the strength of this car from a mpg standpoint.

I've look at the other reviews on this make and model and I'm quite surprised at the overwhelmingly dissapointed people who owned this car. I've not had the major engine failures or AC problems that other people have experienced. I have noticed as I stated before these breaks seem to be made of cheese, and Chevy needs to work on them! I've also noticed the slight engine surge from time to time and though it is annoying, my mechanic has determined that this is no threat to the integrity of the engine. As far as the piston slap people refer too, this only happens in the winter and face it, every car needs at least a couple of minutes to warm up from the freezing cold, and after that the ticking goes away.