1998 Chevrolet Malibu review from North America

The air conditioner keeps cycling off and on. I have noticed that if I set it on fan speed 2 and the air conditioner on recirculate, it will stay on.

There is a problem with the Malibu stalling. When I am at traffic lights, if I idle it too long and I accelerate, the car will act like it wants to shut off. We have changed the fuel filter, spark plugs, and cleaned the fuel injectors. It drives great when it doesn't do that.

The Malibu seems to overheat when I idle too long in traffic. So far, we replaced the belt, the radiator cap, the thermostat, the hoses, and had the system flushed and refilled with new coolant. Our most trusted mechanic told us that it could be the water pump since the pump is driven by the timing chain. We trust him, he has been truthful to us for almost 20 years now.

As mentioned earlier, there is a problem with the timing chain. When the engine runs, there is like a rattling sound that seems to come out from the timing chain area. We will look into this further as this may be why our car overheats while it idles.

We have not had any brake and rotor problems with our Malibu. My older brother and I change our brakes on all our vehicles, and we only use high quality brakes and rotors.

We have also not had any problems with our intake gasket. No coolant leaks whatsoever. I have a friend who has the V6 Malibu, and he had to have had his engine replaced due to the coolant leaking into his engine seizing it in the process. I think that the intake gasket problems are more common with the 3.1 and 3.4 V6 engines than with the four cylinder one.

Although we have problems with our Malibu, we do not take it to the dealership. We either try to solve these problems ourselves or take it to our mechanic who is very nice, honest, and trustworthy.

This car has great acceleration and very good fuel economy for a 4 cylinder engine.

The stock sound system is very nice! The tape player and radio are in good, proper working condition. I do recommend that Malibu owners with the tape player use a cassette that will clean the tape heads as they get dirty within time and hinder sound performance.

The seats are very comfortable. My best friend and I went to the movies one time, and she commented on how comfortable the seats in the Malibu are. Being a college student, I go to school in the Malibu, and I don't feel any back discomfort at all.

A lot of people comment on how beautiful my Malibu looks on the inside and outside. I wash it once a month and wax it, and the paint still looks good as the day I got it. The interior still looks brand new, nothing has fallen out of place.

The cup holders are a big plus from GM!

The trunk is very spacious! We can put a lot in it whenever we shop!