2001 Chevrolet Malibu LS from North America - Comments

I have a 1998 Chevy Malibu which has numerous problems. I have changed the brake pads at least 5 times within a time period of 6 months. My radiator fan does not come on half of the time when the temperature in my car is the warmest. The only time it comes on is when the air conditioner is on. I would not purchase another Malibu because of the costly repairs which are constant each month.

I have a 1999 Malibu LS and like many of the posters here am sorely disappointed with the constant brake wear problems, fan motor not functioning on 1&2, and piston slap. My question is, why don't we Malibu owners FORCE GM to recall these cars, or to pay up for past brake problems that owners have paid for out of their own pockets. I'm not a lawyer, but can anyone tell me what would prevent Malibu owners from banding together in filing a class-action lawsuit against GM to get them to remedy these problems once and for all, and to reimburse people for their expenses in getting them fixed heretofore? This is really ridiculous. How can GM ignore the extent of these problems? Maybe someone will have to get hurt when their brakes don't stop their car because the rotors are so warped.

I purchased my '99 Malibu in October of 2002 with 32,000 miles. The dealer agreed to turn the rotors & replace the pads after I complained about rough braking during my test drive. Now 8 months later I'm having front brake pulsations. After doing some research (www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov) I found a service bulletin (00-05-23-002B) on correcting the front disc brake pulsations using a "Brake Align Correction Plate" kit. The bottom line is this kit brings the rotor lateral run-out to within the specification. This is something that should have been done when the car was built and should not have to be done now at my expense. I drive 300 miles a week and don't have time or money to spend at the Chevy garage so based on all the other problems that I have ahead of me I will probably accept the loss and trade this car before it gets any worse.

I bought my 99 LS malibu new. Shortly afterward the driver side window control shorted out with the window down- fun. They replaced it free of charge. The tires require rotation about every other oil change, and if you let it slide you can get wheel problems like some listed above. By design the ventilation does not use the fan for setting 1 or 2. These just open vents to outside air, but the air intake is weak, you can barely feel it. At 69k it just developed a minor oil leak, but it only shows up during chassis lube. I suspect the recalled piston problem and expect some of the repairs will be covered.

Everything else worked to spec. Little inconveniences come up now and then- I bent the soft aluminum rim brushing a curb, the four-way flasher button icon popped loose, after normal replacement the brakes squealed a little, the plastic shell over the seatbelt buckle broke off, and I had to replace the battery in the key fob. My coolant system was maintenance-free and the brakes lasted as long as advertised. All in all I'm happy with it and, if the oil leak doesn't precede the pattern of decay of every other gm car I've owned, I hope to make it last a long time. Once you're in a Malibu, you're in it for the long haul because your trade is worth jack.

I also own a Chevy Malibu 2001- I have had to turn rotors several times, brakes are a constant issue - my husband said it was my driving - aha, it isn't. My turn signals work on and off, the hazards are gone. The door locks are going. No blower on 1 & 2, I have a leak in my passenger window seal, check engine light is on and I have replaced the starter already. This morning it won't start... the vehicle has 60k miles -

I also have a 1999 Malibu LS. So far these are my problems:

1. Passenger window works intermittently.

2. Rear passenger door won't close correctly.

3. AC drains my battery, so if I use it and shut the car off

I need a jump start. So now I use the recirculate air instead of the ac and 1 and 2 positions don't work.

4. I can't find the fuse for my cigarette lighter

GM NEEDS TO RECALL THIS CAR RIGHT AWAY OR GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK TO BUY ANOTHER BRAND OF CAR!!!

I have a 1998 Malibu with 58,000 miles on it. Many problems also:

The windsheild washer fluid doesn't work,

The air conditioning doesn't work,

Noise when braking,

And a coolant leak.

I've also had to fill the power steering fluid...

Everyone who owns a Malibu V6 should be aware that the intake gasket tends to go between 40,000 and 60,000 miles, and you'll very likely get coolant leaking into the oil. Look for it...

Also, I've heard about lawsuits involving dex-cool, so it may be wise to have the coolant checked periodically.

Good luck, your car is a piece of crap...

Have a 1999 chevy malibu and have the same problems.

It has 72000 miles. air conditioner shuts on and off. altinator and battery replaced at same time. no problems with brakes accept for the ABS light comes on every now and them. luckly I bought the 2.4 engine and have no gasket leaks. vibrating noise coming from belt area of engine, has anyone had this problem?

I own a 1999 Chevy Malibu LS and have experienced a few problems as many have indicated in their comments. I have had brake problems including excessive wear of the front brake pads and lousy rotors. I eliminated the rotor problem by purchasing and installing Powerstop rotors which came in cross drilled form. The brake pad wear is still a problem, but I went to my local Auto Zone and purchased lifetime warranty carbon metallic brake pads for about $40.00 and can replace them every 6 months at no cost.

The levels 1 & 2 on the vents/AC don't work. The alternator was changed at about 55,000 miles. I had to replace the head gaskets at about the 70,000 mile mark.

The last project regarding repairs has been the water pump going on me at about 92,000 miles.

Several hassles one might think, but not really. Judging the car has a shy over 95,000 miles on the odometer and has gone through a torment of driving conditions on my part. It has been raced the last 3 years at the local street legal car racing events and has several upgrades that should've put the factory drive train components in the garbage by now, but remarkably hasn't.

Upgrades included a custom fabricated cold air intake, custom 2.5 inch exhaust pipe that leads to a flowmaster dual outlet muffler. The computer was upgraded with a Venom 400 module which is currently being replaced by Jet Industries, who is customizing a chip to my specifications. Eibach springs provided a 2 inch drop in the front and a 2.5 inch inch drop in the rear.

People are not surprised to see that the car wears a Malibu SS badge on the trunk, especially when I pass the while on the strip. I could complain about the vents/AC not working properly and that the braking system should be on the GM upgrade list for the upcoming models, but after 95,000 miles I am extremely satisfied with the car and all it's had to put up with while I'm behind the wheel.

Daniel H.

Just like everybody else, I bought the Malibu. I really didn't have a choice. (My '93 Grand Am was BEYOND repair & needed another car.) It was one of the only car that I can fit in(due to the fact that I am tall & most new cars are made for the vertically-challenge.) I bought mine on 3/14/03 & really hate the car shaking when braking and also making this grinding noise when you brake in the rain.#1 & #2 on the climate control system don't work. My back seat,i think, could use some fixing up. The gas mileage is REALLY CRAPPY!But he worst was on 6/27/03 my power steering went out on the highway at the wrong time. If I knew back then what I know now, the Malibu would probably be not in my parking space, but I got 5 years to pay for the so-called vehicle. :- (

Hmmm.

Just got my 2000 Malibu out of the GM shop. I have a 160,000 bumper to bumper warranty, car has 89,000km. They just billed the warranty company $4,800CDN. Replaced the power steering pump & replaced the engine with an official GM rebuilt, yea they fixed the issues with piston slap, just go 20 over and make it all fit right. It took a lot of fighting with the extended warr company, I did my homework. My car was in the shop for a week before authorizing. Had I not had oil & filter receipts I would have been screwed. Brake issues, too many with premature wearing & brake noises. Fan switch was replaced much earlier. All known issues. Except for a few known issues the engine being major I like the car. Brake pads I just change myself every spring no need to turn the rotors if you catch the wear at half way, avoids overheating them.

Regards.

Jim.

I was all set to buy a 2000 Malibu LS after checking it out on the Internet and at a few dealers, but since reading these comments, I can't be sure. It seems buying a car, whether used or new, is SHEER LUCK - like winning a lottery.

Purchased new in 1999,the first two years were fine then the car demons reared their ugly head. A/C switch had a short in it that made the compressor cycle off and on usually when the temperataure was above 90 degrees, felt like I was going through menopause with the hotflashes...banging

on the side of the console made the little a/c light come on and it worked till you hit a bump... replaced the switch

and 6 months later the blower switch stops working on #1 and #2 positions... mysterious crack appeared on gauge cluster and raced across its width, looks like a broken mirror... the car is horrible on brake pads (can't blame it on driver abuse everyone is having this problem... tired of

replacing pads every six months, even after replacing the stopability of the car in an emergency situation is questionable... weird clanking sounds from right front

wheel...there have been many problems with the DEX-COOL

coolant (GM you know what I'm talking about) that you insist we put in our cars equipped with the stuff... problem is my

car now has developed an appetite for the stuff, there is a

strong odor of antifreeze, but none leaks out... have gone from topping off the coolant system from once a month to once every couple of weeks to every 3 or four days (can you say HEAD GASKET GM?)...alternator failed and it took me a couple of hours on the side of the road to figure that out because I refused to believe it went out after 3 years...

Well I should have been a little more open minded because the battery ended its short life 4 months later leaving me stranded again... the turn signals work at the oddest times (like in the garage, at the dealership when I tell them they aren't working) but I can usually depend on them not to work on the highway when I'm trying to exit or in the city when I'm waiting for opposing traffic to pass and they don't know what my next move is... i get a random service engine soon light, but I'm so busy servicing the rest of the car I don't have the heart to look up another problem...

I decided to cut my losses and trade it in (heck why not get out from under it its 3 years old and it sure isn't going to start running better) at the dealership on a spank

brand new Impala... lo and behold my $15,000 investment 3

years ago was only worth $4900 as a trade! Hmmm...dealers

aren't known for giving a lot on trades so I tried to sell

outright for $7000 (depreciation of half was not acceptable

but it was better than nothing, right?) but this was hard to

do as 2000's and 2001's were being offered up by other Malibu owners for $6500!...All this and 61,xxx miles? How

can GM sleep at night knowing they are robbing their customers and giving them a shoddy product whose value

drops faster than a piece of space junk? I don't hear corvette owners complaining let alone Cavalier people. The blower switches that failed did so over a 4 year span and counting... If Gm was committed to customer service they would've fixed that problem long ago instead of saying

"Hmmm...these switches are defective what should we do? Why

buy more of them and stick them in every car, they all can't fail..right?" No one is listening because no one cares...

Hondas and Toyota's look pretty appealing now.

I have a 1999 chevy malibu, at 91000 miles it still runs

like a champ. the only thing I have had replaced is the ac

control head, but that's about it.

I also have a 2000 Malibu. I replaced the brakes twice

already once under warranty and once I paid. Had to fix

the fan blower at settings 1 & 2. Now my emergency brake

light stays on when the break is not on. Can't believe GM builds cars this way. RECALL these cars before someone

gets killed driving these junks. I'm looking for a new car

now so I can get this junk out of my drive way!!