Air conditioning does not work on settings 1 and 2.
Bad vibration from front end.
Sub-par dealer brake pads wear quickly.
This car gets good fuel economy (about 21 miles city).
Drivers seat is comfortable.
This car has been pretty reliable for me. I have owned this car for 4 years (average 5,000 miles annually) and have had no serious problems. The AC Delco brake pads were terrible, however I went to a private mechanic and had him put after market pads on. Since then, I have had no brake problems. The air conditioning is weak, and only works on settings 3 through 5. Not good for a Massachusetts winter and summer. These two problems is what kept it from getting a 10 rating for reliability in my review. Other than that, the car has been very reliable and has not left me stranded yet. However based upon the other reviews I've heard on this site about this car, I've been fortunate to own a "reliable" one.
Just wait until you hit 65,000 miles; then you will have some serious problems. This car is a great example why Chevrolet is on the edge of bankruptcy. Also, cars such as the Venture, Blazer, Impala and Cavalier have had serious mechanical problems over the last five or six years. Head gaskets blowing at 50,000 miles, constant brake replacement, transmission problems, etc. I would recommend that if you would to buy a Chevrolet product, buy one from the 70's or 80's. I would gladly take a Chevette (which was not a very good car) from the 1980's, than any Chevrolet built today.
The a/c working only on 1 and 2 is caused by a burnt out blower motor resistor this is a very common problem replace the blower motor resistor and your problem will be fixed. also the only way to get good gas mileage out of a malibu is not to drive it.
BEST CAR I have ever owned. I purchased my 4dr 1999 4cyl Malibu off the lot in September 1999 with 20 miles on it. I now have 158K miles. Yes 158 thousand 700 miles.
Problems, brakes yes. Recently wheel bearings and the blower motor. FM drops out if I hit a bump (ground wire) and comes back on if I run the AC.
Now, it seems to sputter slightly may be sign of injector problem.
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