Faults:
Honestly speaking, I didn't have any problem when I drove this car for the first 18 months (I bought this car at 3 years old with 82k miles on it).
But recently, I have had lots of problems. Like most others, the blower motor quit work at 1-3, ignition switch sometimes doesn't work and results in a stall, even when you drive.
Hazard switch sometimes goes off all time and puts you in trouble in traffic.
Now one of my engine coils may have problems because the insulator of one of the spark plugs was broken when I changed spark plugs. Good thing is that just the outside part was broken, not the tip, which may drop inside the cylinder and damage the engine.
I tried to repair these problems by myself. It's easy to fix the blower motor problem: replace the so called resistor nearby the blower motor (it's a painful job due to little space there); it looks like a name card once you get it out. It costs about 19 dollars at autozone.com.
About the ignition switch, I took it out, and remove the plastic cover, I found the contact parts are covered by black deposits, so if you scratch off those things, then it works as new. (I asked dealer, they said this work costs around $450 because the ignition switch costs $150, and the lock cylinder costs $200 + labour).
There is a hazard flash recall on many GM cars, so I got it repaired for free today (use Google to search for Malibu recall). However, for me, I am afraid there are more and more new problems coming out, so I think keeping this Malibu is not a good idea. There were also problems with my old Accord, but not like this one. It seems everything could go wrong.
7th Oct 2007, 12:27
Mine lasted til 76000. You got a deal. This is the news I got from my mechanic and a second oponion after I had spent $1700 on a new EGR valve, water pump, thermostat, and computer... The horn fails, ac 1&2 do not work, and the power windows stick. No trouble until it hit 65000. From there on it has been a money pit.