2003 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.