1998 Chevrolet Malibu from North America - Comments

I am the inherited owner of a 98 Malibu, 4 cylinder. It has 104,556 miles. As for the brakes, get name brand top line rotors and ceramic pads. The check engine light is a common companion to me. The dealer can't fix it and every time the computer is checked it gives a different code each time. Can't afford to fix it. I will never buy a GM product again!

I just got one fairly cheap with 167,000 miles as a second car. I have a 3100 v6 engine in my olds cierra - nearly the same engine - and it's gone 315,000. Only the olds cierra does not suffer ABS probs. Maybe I'm comfortable with the self service issues and my wife likes driving it her six miles to work. Maybe I'll be entering it in the demolition derby soon, but for now I'm going to try to enjoy it. Thanks for the post! At least something in America (spirit) still works.

I own a 1998 Chev Malibu 3.1L V6 with about 165K miles.

Here's what I've replaced on this absolute pile of garbage within the last month.

A. Alternator

b. Front brakes (for the 2nd time)

c. Lower intake manifold gasket *I did this myself, but chances are there's a mechanic who has seen so many of them that he can do it in under 3 hours. *

d. Blower Motor Resistor

e. Battery

f. Now the transmission seems to be shot. It shifts extremely hard into first gear and you can literally see the entire engine move about 4 inches as it shifts. Hopefully this is just a broken motor mount.

This is a terrible product. Anyone who has had a lower intake manifold problem, there is a class action suit against GM for their Dex Cool coolant, which is known to become acidic and eat away your manifold gaskets at around 30k miles.

I own a 1998 Chevy Malibu 83,000 miles second owner, before my uncle who wrote everything down to the core everytime something was filled changed, serviced anything it was hit a year ago had to replace entire front end.

Runs like a pro, I have indeed have had to replace the brakes and rotors 3 times these past 11 months, new struts, cam rebuilt, ABS light YES, until I replaced the left hub assembly, no more worn brakes and no more ABS light, had the exhaust redid.

At 19 I drive like a nut, I purposely go off road and get it dirty, still no major problems knock on wood.. LOL.. but all in all it's a great running car, have taken numerous road trips, ran like never before, still does.

My plan to put in a cold air intake, twin exhaust, some other mods, but sounds like some people just got lemons, or they just don't service their cars when they need to be.

Well I see I'm alone. I have a 98 Chevy Malibu and most of the problems you have, I have them too. I bought the car in 2000 and for the first 2 years no problems, it ran great. Now comes the bad part. Since then I've gone through the ABS problem, a GM mechanic said the best thing to do is pull the fuse and the light goes out, not a fixable thing. I've gone through the front end problems with brakes and rotors, the AC problems, the shifter problem where a relay had to be replace. Now an alternator problem has surfaced. Garage said I needed a new, so I had it replaced. Now the transmission shift really hard, AC does not work, airbag light keeps flashing. Garage said I need the computer re-flashed. (something new). I believed I poured more money into the repair of the car than what it is worth..10X. To buy another Chevy... NO WAY... and they wonder why Toyota has passed them by and become the #1 car dealer.

All right people listen up! I have read each and every comment posted before mine, and for the most part, we all have the same problems! ABS Light (only flashed once in my car and that was because of a pothole), Theft System Light (flashes in my car about once or twice a month and while theft system light is flashing, your car will NOT start until the very second it stops flashing, about 15 minutes later!), Engine Light and last but not least, the "Service Vehicle Soon Light"! The weird thing about that one is the light only comes on during the day. Never at night! Previous owner got that checked out twice and mechanic said its just a "Glitch"!

I am also having problems with the gas gauge! For some reason it is never accurate! When I travel up-hill or even push on the accelerator, the needle will drop to "E". This happens if my tank is 1/2 full or 1/4 full. The only time it moves back up is when I travel down hill or when I am braking to come to a stop! Common problem or just me? Let me know...

Every now and then I'll experience the shaking and whistling noise while on the interstate. It is now time for new brakes and rotors, but we all know after so many thousands of miles, eventually it's gotta be replaced.

For the most of us, I think we are mostly dealing with bad luck, although I will say my Malibu has not broken down on me. Not yet anyway! This one is my second Malibu and so far so good! No major problems. Just the usual annoying flashing lights. I should also mention my Malibu was in a very bad front end wreck, and is now at 119,000 miles, and all I've got is faulty wiring.

Tips for us all, Don't panic just because you got some lights flashing! Most times it is due to faulty wiring like I said or poor maintenance! Like a few people have commented here, "It all has to due with luck and the maintenance of previous owners" because we all got second hand Malibus!

SORRY FOR SUCH A LONG COMMENT!!!

Having found this site by accident while searching for a solution for my driver side power window not working. I understand the frustration of all these problems. We bought our brand new 1998 Chevy Malibu for $17,200. The brakes seemed to go more often than usual, mechanic said that was a problem with these cars. Changed the gaskets the dex cool ate, went back to the green coolant as recommended by mechanic. Have over $7.000 in repair work, just in the receipts that could be found. The Malibu has 260,095 miles on it and still runs very well. Original motor and trans. Rate it a 9.5 out of 10.

I own a 1999 Malibu and I've had problems but most were age related and due to wear out. I bought it used in '01 with 28k on it. I've had the problem with the brake shudder and ABS. A piece of advice to all of you with the same problem: The ABS light is because the wheel bearings are fragile. If you corner your car hard a lot or a little, it doesn't matter. The inside of the bearing wears against the sensor, also located inside the bearing, and then the ABS light comes on. The car will still brake for you but not let you steer out of a skid on lock up. Outside of the wheel bearing is where the speed sensor hooks up via wire harness. In my case of the driver side wheel bearing, the wiring had the rubber insulator worn away exposing bare wires and moisture did the rest. I could also hear while driving, the bearing making a loud noise.

As for the wheel shudder, good luck. I do all my own repair work. When I replaced both wheel bearings I also replaced the rotors, pads, and calipers on both sides up front. I replaced the half shaft on the passenger side. My car brakes fantastically and my ABS even works (with no annoying dash light-when off immediately after connecting the wiring harness to the wheel sensor) but the car continues to shudder at speeds over 55mph when I'm slowing down. I don't know what will fix the shudder but I suspect the problem lies in the control arm design or poor rack and pinion design--better or thicker bushings on the arms might fix the problem. I love my Malibu and I've driven the dang thing everywhere. Put a new motor in on a weekend two years ago because the ex drove it and never checked the oil level. I hope this explains anything about the ABS and wheel shudder and helps people to know what they're talking about when dealing with a shop. Remember: don't corner the car harder than needed to make a turn.

My mom gave us her 98 Malibu for my 16 year old this summer. After getting the car the check engine light came on. Took it to the dealer, replaced the O2 sensor and the fuel filter. Now the car stalls at random while driving at 30 or 40 mph. Has anybody else had this problem?

I also have a Malibu!! I've had it for about 4 yrs, bought it used. It has almost 189,000 miles on it. I've replaced the brakes, rotors, calibers many times. I've put a new starter and alternator in it. Now my transmission is slipping, it has been nothing but trouble. And my ABS light has not ever gone off since I've owned it. Time for a new car!!

I can't wait to get rid of my 98 Malibu! It has cost me tons of $$.

I've had almost all of the above listed issues, including my theft system light triggering and not allowing me to start my car for exactly 10 minutes, it will go awhile without doing this, but out of nowhere it will happen again in spurts.

My A/C and heater only work on level 3 or higher (so much for a happy medium).

I've had my brake pads and rotors changed out way too often.

I've had numerous coolant leaks from various places, had my power steering pump changed, had to put in a new engine, you name it, it's happened.

I would never recommend a Malibu even to my worst enemy.

I'm actually in the market now for a new car and cannot be happier. Foreign car here I come :)

Wow, the same exact problems here.

The gas gauge will not work, jumps up and down all the time.

Brakes wear out all the time, ABS light is always on.

Power steering pump went out.

Water pump replaced. 2 times.

Lower intake manifold gasket replaced.

Theft lock acting up and won't let you start it.

Now the battery cable is in a position that it has been rubbed through the wires.

It has been an absolute money pit every time something goes wrong. Glad it isn't only me!

I've had all the same issues as you guys. I own a 98 Malibu (purchased in 2002) with 125,000 miles currently on it. The brakes need to be replaced constantly, and after dealing with this since the purchase date, I've come to realize that no matter how I drive the car it will ALWAYS need new brake pads every 6-8 months.

The first issue happened while driving home one day, and it really wasn't a big deal. The parking brake light wouldn't turn off. Took it into a shop and had them reset the dash light.

Everything else has been one big hit after another. I've had:

-The intake manifold gasket replaced at 80,000 miles ($700)

-A new ignition switch when the pins in mine just suddenly "collapsed" out of nowhere ($175)

-New struts for the front ($300)

-New rotors 3 TIMES ($200 each time, plus the cost of brake pads for the new rotors)

-New alternator just last week when all the gauge lights mysteriously came on at once and my car died. Luckily, I knew someone who replaced the alternator I got from the local pick-a-part and it wound up costing about $70 total to get me back on the road.

-A/C blower has been broken since I bought the darn thing. It started as just the first and second positions, but now it doesn't heat or cool the air at all, it just blows lukewarm air into my face at high speeds.

-Anti-theft system comes on every now and then. My shop taught me a trick, which is just to take the key out, wait a minute, then use the power door lock to constantly lock/unlock the doors. This (somehow) resets the system. Ridiculous? Yep. But hey, it works!

-Coolant leaks galore. I'm not even sure how this got resolved, because honestly, I'd rather not relive that year long period where I couldn't leave the house without my triple A card handy for the next time my car barfed out Dex-Cool all over the engine/underside of the hood. It's a nightmare knowing that it's not a matter of IF your car is going to break down on you, it's a matter of WHEN. That's what GM has taught me: If you buy Domestic, be prepared to shell out a bunch of money in the coming years for replacement parts. Again, not a matter of IF, a matter of WHEN.

As far as I'm concerned, if I'm not taking this to the shop 2-3 times a year, there is something seriously wrong. How's that for a twisted take on car ownership?