1998 Chevrolet Malibu Standard from North America - Comments

I have the same problems with my Malibu as others.

Fan will not work on settings 1 and 2.

AC has a mind of it's own.

Brakes, Brakes, Brakes and more brakes (rotors calipers) Changed just about every 6000 miles.

Intake manifold gasket leak (GM says it's OK it's only a cold leak. When the engine heats up it won't leak) LOL.

Cold lifter tap (GM days it's OK. This is normal for this car) another LOL.

ABS light on all the time. Guess what? My front left wheel bearing went. Had it replaced (wheel bearings are dealer part only at the tune of $395.00. They have an ABS sensor in them. Now my ABS light is off, but my check engine light is now on and all my mechanic did to the engine is change the oil. All you people out there with the ABS light that won't go out I bet have bad wheel bearings.

I now have a license plate on the front of my car that says "The Money Pit"

It's too bad. The car has lots of room, has a great turning radius and a great stereo.

Motor Trend car of the year? What, did they drive it when it was brand new for 10 miles? What were they thinking?

I'll never buy another GM car again.

This car should have been recalled for many many things, instead GM will wait until people are killed to say there is a problem.

Every time I see another Malibu on the road I wonder it it's going to stop or the wheels are going to fall off of it. It's scary.

I wish someone would steal it, but all the theives know that this car isn't worth the chance.

I owe more on it than it's worth so I'm stuck.

I just wanted to make a comment on this article and maybe all others related to problems and dealings with the Chevrolet Malibu. I too have had nothing but problems with my car as well, it seems the more I look the more I find I'm not the only one with similar issues. With so many things going wrong with one car you would think a dealer / repair shop would be able to find, diagnose and fix what problems there are. To my dismay and all others too I suppose when taken to a repair shop multiple times the vehicles seem to leave in the same state of disrepair as when they went in. I will quickly mention some of the things I've had problems with or repaired on my 99 Malibu:

Brakes- don't buy stock $120 CAN. rotors, cheap ones work and last longer.

Brake pads- this case don't buy cheap

Spark plugs- foul up with any use of fuel additives

Spark plug wires- just a given

Fuel Pump- three so far

Fuel Injectors- need to be replaced, they all seem to leak

Wheel Bearings- try to find a auto parts store that sells only the bearing not the hub and save some money

Tires- cheap wheels or something, keep wearing the tires beyond repair within months

Suspension- strut mounts start to loosen up and squeak and eventually wear out

End links- if you feel suspension thumps through the gas pedal or in the floor tighten or replace the sway bar end links

This is to name, but a few... the car also runs terrible and from what I understand the ECU goes on these cars all the time.

So as far as I'm concerned I too will not buy another new GM product. I am also trying to get things acknowledged by the powers that be in my area in Canada so if anyone could forward reports, repair info, general problems, your location (state, province) and such to the following email address as well as here it would help myself and others who would like to resolve any problems.

Thanks.

Mike.

PS if this email gets too full to quickly, please re-send any returned mail.

Mikeukrainetz@mail.com.

We also have a '99 Malibu. At 1,000 miles we went to Florida- a 3,500 trip. Surprise! The brakes had to be replaced! Again at 11,000 miles brakes again. At 18,000 miles brakes, rotors and calipers. Battery at 13,000 miles. AC fixed 3 times (switch bad). Now we have the lovely pink antifreeze oozing from many spots. Did I mention that there are only 30,450 miles on my car- and of course the warranty was over last May. Now I need new Goodyear tires- like I'd be caught dead using Firestone- pun intended. Good luck to all you GM owners out there!

John and Ann of PA.

Funny comment you got there! AC has a mind of its own! And everytime you see a Malibu on the road makes you wonder what's going to happen.

Anyway, I have a friend who has a 1999 Malibu. He has gone some problems as well. Climate control on 1 and 2 doesn't work. I don't think his intake manifold leaks yet. He has like 85,000 miles now. When it barely hit 50,000, he needed new alternator. Strong antifreeze smell sometimes for no reason. Won't start because the cables were bad. He had to call Auto Nations to have it towed to the dealership to get it fixed. Brake works. Starter as well.

My 2nd mother (She's like a mother to me) has a 1998 Malibu. Her climate control doesn't work too well. Make some funny vibration when it's on 5 but surprisingly the 1 and 2 still work. I don't know as of today. She made several trips to California from Arkansas with no problem. To Ohio with no problem. Quite impressive. But I remember she had intake manifold leaking. Alternator. Overheats for no reason and took it to the dealer, found nothing and it remains normal. Air conditioner failed at 45,000 miles. Today, I'd believe it has around 85,000 - 90,000. After reading all that, I wouldn't buy a Malibu and I almost helped my mother to buy one too. Thanks to this site!!!