2001 Chevrolet Malibu LS from North America - Comments

My wife has owned a chevy malibu LS 98 from the day it came off the lot/truck/dealer..basically zero miles. Been a great car. 3 yrs after purchase, brakes went out, ever since then it has been a yearly ordeal. Last year, I replaced the alternator, water pump, flushed the radiator and this car has served us until 115,000 miles hit. I got fed up with the brake changes that I changed the calipers about 4 months ago, because I was told they must be sticking. Took me forever to bleed those brakes, now the newest odeal, a squeaking sound. The squeaking noise appears when reversing and turning to the right. So far, I believe it's time for a replacement. Definitely not a chevy.

2001 chevy malibu = heartache

I plan to get together with some lawyers to get this class action rolling. I will be creating a blog in which all parties with valid complaints in the common defective areas will be able to submit names and phone numbers so they may join such lawsuit. Also any person may contact me directly at.

Jsheward@woh.rr.com.

Thank you for all of your support,

James.

I've read a number of the reviews on this website, and those which stood out to me were the ones discussing:

1) Problems with the brakes.

2) Those people who have decided the best course of action is a lawsuit.

First off, I own a 1997 Chevy Malibu LS V6 which has around 120,000 miles on it. I have no problems with the brakes. This may be because I take care of my car...? There have been no major problems with any systems which don't require normal maintenance on any other car. The brakes are fine. I just rotated my tires because they needed to be rotated. Whoever needed to rotate their tires every or every other oil change either is driving insanely to wear their tires that quickly or needs to realize that oil changes should be done every 2000 miles and not when you rotate the tires. Also, unlike some people, I don't believe the hardest part of finding a solution to a problem is figuring out who to sue. This is a sign of the times. Next thing you know somebody will sue McDonald's for making people fat. Oh wait...

I just inherited a 2000 Malibu, after reading all the comments I am scared. This car has 32,000 miles and had the brakes,fuel pump, anti-lock system etc repaired. Now the A/C is acting up.

I too own a 2001 Chevy Malibu and it's junk. What a lemon! I have also changed the brakes & rotor's, too many times to keep count. Now I have a clunking noise under the front end when I turn & have had a mechanic look at it & he can't figure it out. Anyone else have this problem? I'm ready to get rid of this car, hopefully next year, if I can. Good riddance if you ask me!

Un-happy Gm owner in W. Washington.

I own a 2001 malibu. I've got 60k on it. I've replaced the brakes and the intake gaskets. These cars aren't lemons, but they do have there faults. If you put on cheaper rotors and semi metalic pads you'll stop having problems with the brakes going out every 15k. The intake gaskets can be a do it yourself job if you have some experience at it AND a torque wrench.

These are cheaper cars that have a good ride and a little power.

I have a 2001 Malibu LS I bought it With 28,000 it now has 124,000 on it. I drive 80 miles a day with it. Never had any of these problems the car runs great so maybe the comments on this page are from people who think a car should be perfect. I love the car it is a poor mans dream...

Before buying this car, read this first. Since I own both a 01 and 05 model, I somewhat made some comparisons.

I bought this car without doing too much research, so when I looked up some of the problems that have occured with this make and model, I became afraid. Fortunately, I've never had any signficant problems with the 01 base model, and it has quickly become one of my favorite cars.

The brakes aren't the best, but I knew about that before I bought the car. The stop distance is mediocre, and sluggish, but that seems to be typical of this make.

The number one draw back with this car is that it is TERRIBLE for city driving. If you do a lot of stop and go, then DO NOT get this car! It will really hurt your wallet. You could fill your tank up on Sunday, and be praying to God you make it to the gas station by Thursday. It is crucial to make sure you keep a tune up with this car, or fuel mileage becomes deplorable. When it comes to fuel efficiency, Chevy has a lot to learn from the Japenese counter parts. Highway driving is decent, though not impressive.

Also the temperature sensor went out, but that was a $30 fix. It went out three times, however after the third, I was able to rectify the problem. As far as the intake issues that other people had, I've yet to have this problem, though I've saved money just in case. When quoted on a price to fix it, it would only take $300, and face it any car worth keeping will involve money in the long run. I will say this: I've been advised by someone who has had the intake manifold problem, and they said that the dealership tend to run very high as far as cost repairs. Your best bet is to find a local reliable and cheap mechanic.

Also something worth noting with this car is the steering. It is very firm, but not harsh or light (like the 2004 and up models). It handles decent, but responsiveness needed improvement. Transmission should also be noted. This car is notorious for waiting till the very LAST minute to shift into 5th gear when highway driving (my friend who owns the same make and year says the same), so until it does the ride tends to seem a little strained. Unfortunately this is something I must deal with.

Six years and 82,000 miles later, the car still drives as new as when I first got it, and no major repairs. Though the mileage is low considering the year, I drove this car EXTREMELY hard, often having cruise control set at around 80 to 95 mph, extensive mountain driving, and various terrain travels. I personally think that it was a really great car and had no major problems with it (except gas), however a mechanic that knows the car best will tell you that the potential is there (especially the intake manifold gasket). I cannot stress enough that if you really like this car, get it thoroughly checked before buying it, but don't let all the negative reviews deter you. It can be a very good car, and will last you if you keep up with the maintenence. All in all, it was one of the better cars I've bought, however based on the complaints of others, it is imparative to have this car thoroughly checked before buying one!

2001 Malibu.

1. Struts...bad.

2. Brakes... nuff said...garbage.

3. ABS light on.

4. Service Engine soon light on... daytime running lights not working.

5. As of today, Red Brake warning light on.

6. Purchased the car used and after 1 day, dealer replaced Transmission... now it "studders" every once in a while.

General Motors did not put much workmanship into this vehicle. Reliability is nil as far as I'm concerned. Most issues above were discussed with Dealer who said... we checked it and found nothing after I purchased it from them 6 months ago. So, I return tomorrow. I will pay for repairs and sue in Small Claims court in Ontario. Only way to punish these dealers for false everything when it comes to this car. It's too bad though... car looks nice... but that's about it for the 2001 Malibu.

I have a 1997 Malibu LS I bought it With 94,000 miles on it, now has 144,000 on it. I drive 40 to 70 miles a day with it. Never had any of these problems. The car runs great! So maybe the comments on this page are from people who think a car should be perfect. Maybe they need to take better care of there car! I love the car, and I'm looking for another one, it is a poor mans dream...

I have a 2001 Malibu LS. I bought it as a one year old used car with 29,000 miles on it (program car). I always skip the first year's depreciation. It now has over 242,000 miles on it and I'm finally ready to get a new car. The number of times I've taken it to mechanic: One! It turned out to be something I could have done myself (fuel filter).

Yes, perhaps the brakes needed to be replaced slightly more often than average, but that's cheap if you do it yourself, and it's quite easy with disc brakes.

So, that's 213,000 miles (that I drove) for $12,000...I'd call that a bargain.

This is an update to 17th Feb 2007, 07:14.

Gas mileage has actually gotten slightly better. I average around 19 mpgs all city driving, 24 mpg mixed, and about 30 mpg all highway. I now have about 125,000 and still no major engine problems. I do have a piston slap when the car first cranks, but it's harmless and will go away after the car warms up. I asked my mechanic about the intake gasket, and mine are fine. He also went on to say that while it is common, it isn't as widespread as people will have you believe. There are a few electrical glitches (like the dash flickering randomly), but they're so minor it isn't worth fixing. I have no problems with the interior except it's bland and boring (just the way I like it).

One major thing. The brakes? Yep, they suck, and that is an understatement! They do not last very long, and you do have to get rotor work done. I'm looking at alternatives to get them fixed. The car looks fine, the paint is still good looking and I look foward to keeping this car for a very long time. In fact when the engine becomes ancient, I'll have it restored I like this car that much!

The Malibu is basically a piece of junk. Save the money that you would have put into repairs and use it on a more expensive used Japanese car. My family has owned Ford and Chevy most of my childhood. As an adult, I made the switch to Nissan and Honda. The difference is astonishing. Sure, you pay a little more upfront. But I have yet to be stranded by a Japanese car, nor am I taking the car into the shop every two months. I hate to seem anti-American, because I definitely am not, but when I comes to automobiles my experience has shown to steer clear of Ford and Chevy.

Well hello all I have a 2001 chevy malibu with the 3.1 it has been a decent car. I purchased it brand new in 2001 and have put 112000 miles on in the time I have drove the car I have done brakes two times and I put a intake gasket on it at 100000 miles out side of that I have just kept up on the maitnace.

I own a 2001 Malibu 3.1, Brakes are a huge problem with this car, My husband is a Mechanic THANK GOD! He has had to change the rotors/pads almost yearly, He said he has NEVER seen a problem like this. Another BIG problem with this car is the anti-theft system. I never know if my car will start. I have had it to the dealer and they replaced the ignition switch and that worked for about a month, then problem resurfaced. I have read on the internet this is a HUGE defect in the anti-theft system, but GM refuses to fix the problem. The only thing you can do is turn the ignition to ON for 10min or until the anti-theft light goes out, turn ignition to OFF for 5 sec then the car will start. This is not only a pain, but it could be LIFE THREATENING in an emergency situation. I read in a previous post about people rushing to sue, When GM refuses to fix an obvious problem sometimes that is the ONLY solution to get things right.