2001 Chevrolet Malibu LS from North America - Comments

I own a 2001 Malibu and have about 65,000 miles (mostly road miles) on the odometer.

I have had a problem with a slight hesitation when driving at highway speeds ever since it was new. The service people kept telling me that there was no problem. I have problems with water getting into my trunk well. And have also had to replace front rotors and calipers. I now have a problem with my turn signals not working and then working and then not working again.

I also, on occasion, smell antifreeze, but do not see any puddles on the ground or in the engine.

I too have a 2001 Malibu, with 62,000 miles. I have done the brake replacements, lower end gasket at $800, check engine light was on. ABS light is now on and it is in the shop again for clunking noise from underneath!! I tried to trade it in a few months ago and would have eaten $5000 in trade... The saga continues.

I too have had 98 Malibu Problems. Owned two of them and it is amazing the similarity of problems. The two even squeaked in the same place. My daughter was involved in head on collision in the first one. I must compliment the safety of the car. The car was totaled, but she came out without a scratch. Both had the intake leak problem. Being somewhat mechanically inclined, I took on the task of replacing the gaskets myself. I found out there was a "improved design" that is supposed to prevent this from happening again. The job was not that bad, certainly not worth the 600 dollars plus parts the dealer wanted. Took me all day Saturday, and had to buy a good torque wrench, but it came out well. We will see if it happens again. As for the brakes, they will go about 20000, but what the hey, I got the Autozone lifetime pads and they can be replaced in 30 minutes. If you are somewhat handy, they are a good value because they are easy to work on and as cars go they are rather inexpensive to buy used. My first one was a base model, but the insurance replaced it with an "LS" with all the goodies including sun-roof and CD and still had some money to boot. I do agree there are some design flaws that need to be addressed. But I don't look for it to happen.

I own a 2000 Malibu. I have had nothing but problem after problem. I first experienced what they diagnosed "piston slap" at 5,000 miles. I was told that the cause was due to the piston not being coated. However they did replace the portion of my motor because I was persistent. Now I am experiencing driving and my car just dies. No warnings what so ever! It is currently in the shop and they think it may be the fuel pump module and can't be 100% certain. I hate to put $700 into this car if its not the fuel pump module. Has anyone experienced the similar problem? Please advise. I am totally devoted to Chevy, but I don't think that I will ever own another Malibu. To add salt to injury, I too, will lose $5000 if I trade it in. It's never a win-win situation.

Malibu's are junk. Get the Impala or the Cavalier. Good cars. Just regular maintenance. AND check out the reviews on the Impala and Cavalier.

I bought a 2000 Malibu LS back in May 2001 with about 32000 miles on it. I have had to fix the #1 and #2 settings for my fan, but that's about it. The car runs great, but after reading all these comments, I'm a little hesitant to buy another one after this one because I might not get as lucky.

I too have had problems with my 2001 Malibu. I have had it for just about a year now. After having it for a couple of weeks, I had to have the rotors turned, then have them replaced in November, and they continue to shake when I stop. I've noticed several noises coming from the front end and under the car, especially when going over the smallest of bumps-struts? Last week on the highway going between 55-70, the RPM jumps up a little then goes back to where it was. It does this several times with a few seconds in between then stops, then does it again. My turn signals too have stopped working at one point or other. I had a rental last fall and the turn signals never worked on it! My air bag light has come on before along with the door light. I have had several problems with keeping the setting for my door locks. I am really disappointed that this car has had so many problems and that they are not being addressed by the company. Apparently, our safety is not their #1 concern.

We purchased a 1999 Malibu LS in July of last year. We also had problems with the blower switch not working @ 45k miles.

We're @ 55k miles now and it sounds like the wheel bearings will need to be replaced.

Otherwise a nice ride.

Constant problems, squake in struts. battery acid leaks may be from cable being to short? and same as the others.

2000 Malibu. Wife loves the car - except - we are now preparing to repair the brakes for the 4th time in 77,000 mile. Rotors replaced twice (first time under warranty). Previous three cars (Bonnevile's) gave us 65,000 to 75,000 miles per set of "linings". Same drivers, same conditions. Will not consider another Malibu nor would I recommend one. After having owned something like 30 GM cars, will look around more next time.

I bought my 2000 Malibu in October of 2002. I loved the features and the look of the car and could pass up "what I thought was" an excellent deal. It had 36000 miles on it when I bought and did great for the first 2 months. after it hit 38000 miles I started having a lot of brake problems as it seems so has everyone else. It makes a lot of grinding noise and shakes when I stop. I am embarrassed to even drive it sometimes. I have took it to 3 places that all said my brakes are fine. The 3rd place finally recommended replacing the rotors. I never dreamed it would be such a headache and so costy. I have had no other problems with anything else except for the brakes, so I guess I am lucky there, so far! But I think I'll be going back to Nissan for my next purchase.

I purchased 2000 Malibu in October of 2000 with about 5000 miles on it. In the beginning the car ran just fine. Here is the list of problems I had:

1. Moaning noise from the front wheels when I turned at a very low speed.

2. Knocking noise from the engine, all six pistons were replaced. The noise was still there, actually the engine was damaged from inside. Finally the dealer replaced almost half of the engine.

3. Started to problems with the turning signals. Now, the hazards need to be turned on and then the signals would work.

4. The car started to shake when the brakes are applied. I found out it was the rotors. I had them turned. They are working fine for now.

Please realize that these comments are to help people in their decision to buy a Malibu. It was my decision to buy a Malibu; Nevertheless, in the future I hope to do a thorough job of finding out consumer experiences with a car I'm looking to purchase.

I really hate to add any bad comments on the Malibu, but this car really sucks... I own a 1995 Chevy Lumina and she has over 210,000 miles on it and still rides like a champ. My Husband has a Chevy Tahoe, really nice. Chevy Lovers, but I never would have thought Chevy could make such a mess, my 2001 Malibu I've only had for a month, twice it's been towed for not starting, when it's towed to dealer they say that found nothing and starting fine for them. It's really loud when you turn it on and it ticks, had wheel alignment because of shaking in front end, but already bad again, there's even many more problems with this car and I've only just began. Last night it had me and my children stranded at a Blazer game... towed again.Good thing I still have my faithful Lumina and didn't sell it yet. Chevy needs to be ashamed of this peice of plastic, and saved it for something else. very displeased!

I have a 2001 Malibu with 65k miles. Like several other entries, I have the cold engine tick, no blower on 1 and 2, shaking at high speeds, and brake changes. All in all it runs better and has had less repairs than my 1998 S10. The check engine light will come on at around 60k. This indicates a new software update. This is hinted at in the vehicle handbook in the maintainance schedule. I have had false lights come on like low coolant and airbag.

I own a 2001 Malibu that has 45,000 miles and I haven't experienced any of the problems mentioned here. I'm very happy with the car and the way it drives.