2004 Chevrolet Malibu LS from North America - Comments

Here is my review of the "Clown Car":

1. Trunk wouldn't open. Had to crawl through the back seat to open trunk. Dealer could not fix.

2. Trunk continues to leak water severely - 2-3 inches in trunk every time it rains. Dealer cannot fix.

3. Alarm periodically goes off on its own. Dealer cannot fix.

4. Trunk opens on its own (even if you can't open it). Dealer has no idea.

5. Various "warnings" on the computer - gas cap open (it is securely on).

6. Gas cap wore out eventually and caused computer to fail. Even with the new gas cap still getting gas cap error!!

7. Suspension needed repair at 45000 miles.

8. Brakes replaced twice in the past year. Total six times since owning car.

9. The radio sets the bass to HIGH for all stations every time you turn the radio on.

10. Emissons check - because of the replacement gas cap, the car has to go through FORTY drive cycles (turn on, warm up) before the computer will reset which poses a problem in NH for your yearly car inspection.

This is why American cars are considered junk. Not only are they faulty when you get them, but they cannot be repaired by the dealer.

Last American car we will own. We have had Chevy's along with Nissan's in the past. The Chevy's have been falling apart.

I am sure that the dealership could fix those things, if you paid them enough money via labor time. Brakes are pretty normal to be replaced twice a year on normal pads. I replaced both calipers this year and pads maybe once a year once I got some things fixed. Once the malibu's have all the problems fixed, they are nice cars.

To the last poster: No. Good cars don't have those problems and you don't have to pay to get them fixed. Period. The kinds of problems our original poster describes are not acceptable. If you get what this guy got you go around telling anyone who will listen that GM sucks. You don't give them more money and time to bring their sad product up to standard.

It sounds like the problem is the dealer, not the car.

I feel bad for those that don't know what it's like to own a well made car. My Toyota has 137k and I'm still on the same set of brakes! I've not used a tool on her yet, NO REPAIRS. Oh what a feeling! TOYOTA.

p.s. My friends 03 Malibu has 82k and is experiencing piston slap. That's why I'm looking up Malibu experiences.

Last I checked, piston slap is common on the 3.1L GM engine. I had an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with that engine and a piston slap. It doesn't necessarily impact the engine's reliability -- that engine lasted until about 180k miles after having the piston slap for over 60k.

The alarm on my Malibu goes off randomly too. I hate it. I will say however, that I do like the car, it's very smooth and comfy, I've just had too much trouble with it.

Now, at 62,000 miles, I am experiencing the infamous GM piston slap, and it is annoying. I'm thinking that it's time for this car to go.

I'm finding that GM dealers are the worst. My wife drives a Dodge Grand Caravan, we've never had any problems with it, and the dealer is great.

I still refuse to by an import, after terrible experiences with a 1999 Camry and a 2002 Nissan Altima, but I need a vehicle that can fit 2 carseats in and all those goodies.

I drove a Ford Fusion and was really impressed. I also really liked the Dodge Avenger, but there is less room. We'll see. To sum it up, don't buy this car, unfortunately, they're not that good :(

"I still refuse to by an import, after terrible experiences with a 1999 Camry and a 2002 Nissan Altima, but I need a vehicle that can fit 2 carseats in and all those goodies."

Good for you for keeping your car-buying dollars in the U.S.

As far as our experience with GM, it has been perfect. We currently own 2 GM and 2 Ford vehicles. None have ever had a single problem.

My wife drives a GMC Envoy and a 2006 Ford Fusion. The Fusion is a direct competitor to the Malibu and is a VERY good car. It is rated higher in reliability than Camry or Accord. If you are turned off to GM, I'd recommend a Fusion, though as I say, we have never had one second of trouble with either our 2001 Pontiac or our 2003 GMC.

Our dealer experience is just the opposite of yours. The best service in our area is GM and our local Ford and Dodge dealers are not noted for good customer service at all. Since I do all my own servicing (I'm a mechanic) I never take either of our Fords to the dealership for servicing. I've never required any warranty work on either.

I love the styling of the new Malibu, and they seem to get good reviews (though not as good as the Fusion). I'd check out the Fusion. My wife bought hers used with 18,000 miles and it appears to be flawless.

Our past experience with imports has been all bad too, so we won't even consider another one. The biggest nightmare we ever had was a Honda Civic.