2001 Chevrolet Malibu LS from North America - Comments

I have a 2002 Malibu. When I brake on a bumpy road the brakes seem to slip and an indicator light comes on. Also, there is a loud whining noise from the windshield when I hit 75 mph. (I had the same problem with a '95 Geo Prizm.) The dealer recently had the windshield removed and resealed, but it didn't help. (Anyone have any idea what the whining might be?)

Patrick

I own a 98 Malibu and I also have had many problems with mine. I've changed my front brakes so many times I havelost count. Right now my car doesn't even start half the time and I have alreay bought a new alternator and computer module and it still won't start sometimes. I would never purchase a Malibu again or recommend anyone to buy it. You're better off getting a different car.

I bought my 2000 Malibu @ 32,000 miles. At 36,500 miles I realized my spare tire wheel well had filled with rain water and had overflowed into the back seat and flooded the floor of the back passenger side. Since I work primarily out of my car you can only imagine the nightmare I've experienced. Never again. Before this I owned 2 Mazda Protege's. One went for 180,000 miles before any major repairs were necessary, and the other was still going strong when I traded her for this lovely piece of automobile. Ask me how I feel about that decision. GM should be ashamed.

I own a 2001 Malibu. I bought it new with the long haul warranty. I drive it 200 miles a day. I have 46,xxx miles on it and have never had a problem. I changed front brake pads (rotors were fine) a couple miles ago for the first time. I am an auto mechanic and that was the easiest brake pad change I have ever done (not to mention only 45 bucks). In short, I feel that this is a reliable car.

-Matt.

Dec 27,2002

I own a 2001 Chevy Malibu. This is my first new car and I choose Chevy. My second new car will be something else. I have had my car back to the dealer on several occasions. The rotors had to be turned, not replaced, just turned because they were bad. This happened at 34,000. I also had the blower switch replaced at 25,000.Yesterday the wipers stopped working at 38,000. The owner manual said it could be the relay switch, the fuse or possible a switch. It is out of warranty and I had to take it some place else for repair. How much more is this car going to cost me? It does have the cold engine tick too. What's next?

I purchased a 2000 LS new and have had a wonderful time with her. I drive 70-90 K a year and still haven't seen a mechanic. I purchased a "program" 2001 with 19000 miles for my girlfriend, She has had to have front brakes replaced and her passenger front window is "sticky" nothing major and I love the handling of the cars on the open road.

I have a 2003 Chevy Malibu, it has only 4,000 miles on it and barely purchased it on Nov. 2002. I have taken it into the dealership last week because while driving on the freeway, at five o'clock traffic in construction zone it died on me. I found out the next day that it was the fuel pump that was not giving out enough pressure. Same day almost the same time, but the following week, it died on me again while traveling in heavy traffic. I will find out tomorrow whats wrong with it. I have a feeling its the fuel pump again because of the same symptoms. Has anyone else have this problem and has anyone heard of the Lemon Law in Texas?

I too own a 1999 Chevy Malibu. Bought it used with several thousand miles on it. I have replaced the brake pads three times within 50,000 miles. Fan switch #1 & #2 are inoperable. I have a coolant leak coming from the engine. I inspected the leak and think it may be coming from a sensor on the top side of the motor on the drivers side. Does anybody notice the leak coming from this area? GM should be ashamed of the quality their cars represent. By the way I just bought a 2003 Ford F-150. Love it.

I own a 2001 Malibu LS and I recently had to have the intake gaskets replaced because the antifreeze was leaking. When I picked the car up the service man told me that they had to replace the oil filter because the antifreeze had gotten into it. The same night the check engine light came on and the engine was running rough. I'm wondering if this is the start of a major problem.

February 17, 2003.

I have purchased a 2002 Malibu, the problems I have had is with my brakes (front & rear), rotors, and the engine runs loud. I drove a 1992 Nissan Stanza and after 10 years you can barely hear this car run, I don't like the steering of the Malibu and I am not pleased with this car. The 2002 Malibu is a beautiful car, but it's not a dependable vehicle. I would advise you to buy a Nissan.

Angelia.

We bought our son a new 2001 Chevy Malibu in June 2001. He has been making payments on it since that time. The price was only a little more than a used one, and we figured we wouldn't have to worry about our son with a new car, especially under warranty. It has broken down 3 times in the last 6 months, the last time being yesterday. He was driving with some friends to Orlando to visit his cousins at college when the steering locked and it just quit running. Thank God they were on the right side of the road and were able to push it over to the side of the road. What if it did that with a truck behind them, or when passing another car? I am terrified at him driving it home. I am looking into FL's lemon law. Any advice would be appreciated.

I have a 1999 Malibu I bought brand new Feb 99. The only real problem with the car was brakes, but was covered under warranty. Now is a different story, the car creaks, moans and about all other noises, except scream for help. Lucky I got that 5 yr/50,000 warranty, but if you are in the military like myself and stationed in Germany, there are not any GM mechanics that do warranty service. I just paid about $800 to have the intake gasket replaced, if your 97-2000 Malibu is leaking coolant on the top right side of motor, it is not the senor, it is the entire lower intake gasket which leads to a new head gasket also. Nothing like two leaks at once. Good car as long as it is someone else owns it.

I own a 2001 Malibu. I did not buy one with all the bells and whistles, because I did not want problems. I have had problems, as it seems many others do, with the engine knock. This is Very loud when cold and only slightly less when warm. I had it looked at by the District Service Manager (who has since retired) and he revved the engine up for a prolonged period. The noise lessened. I was told a report of the problem would go into my file. The noise has only gotten worse. With a oil change coming, I contacted the dealership re both. I was then told the D.S.M. discarded my claim and request for repair.

Next was a blower problem with my heater. It was a computer chip which was cheerfully replaced.

I have also informed them about the loud screech coming from the brakes when ABS kicks in. I have had to replace the pads after less than 31,000KM or 19,300 miles. Half of my driving is highway. I was told this is a problem with this model.

This was the third Chevy I have had. It will be the last unless all repairs are made quickly.

I bought a used 1999 Chevy Malibu last year and have had nothing but problems with it. It had 30,000 miles on it when I bought it. I have had to replace brake pads, rotors, and a wheel bearing. Now it is in the shop b/c the check engine light is on and it is idling rough. I also have a slow coolant leak. I have never had this many problems with a car and am really regretting my decision to buy this car.

I own a 2000 Malibu LS. I bought it used as a GM certified vehicle back in July of 2002. Everything seemed to operate just fine. I bought it with 29.000 miles and now have about 42,000 miles on the odometer.

Within 3 months the front rotors gradually started to pulsate so I tried switching the pads since they were only $16 for new ones - that didn't help - the rotors are warped (I should have known). Now my driver's side rear brake is making a terrible screeching noise. I removed the drum and inspected it without finding anything unusual (no stones or broken parts and good shoe wear). Since then my brother pointed out that Consumer's Report rated the brakes for the Malibu's with a solid black dot - their worst rating.

My fuel gauge is now staying on full until I get about 140 miles on the tank of gas. I have run out of gas twice while my gas gauge says I still have a quarter tank left. I'm going schedule it in for this item.

All this winter I have noticed that my mileage dropped from an average 29-31 mpg to about 22-24 mpg. My temperature gauge has been reading 3/8 instead of 1/2 on the gauge since it got cold. I bought a new thermostat which I'll install this weekend. My guess is that the engine isn't running optimally since it takes about 15 miles of driving to get the heat to really come out of the vents.

All this being said, I'm happy with my Malibu. It's a much better vehicle than my last one (1992 Cougar - 143,000 miles). I think for the money I spent that I got more features than I would have with other cars I looked at. My biggest problem is the brakes right now since I ignore my fuel gauge and fill up according to my mileage on my trip odometer. I think GM should do something about the brakes because I've heard of other people having to replace the rotors every 20k miles or so.