3rd Mar 2009, 16:07

There COULD be. But read his comments and you'll find that his story and attitude kept morphing. Since there is no "truth monitor" on here, the changes to his story, the unlikely nature of the car's problems (the front end falling off, for example), the things he didn't know about the purchase process, and the things he didn't know about the car he claimed to own lead a skeptic like me to say that this sounds like someone with a grudge, not an owner relating their problems. One other clarification: I'm not referring to the original review, just some subsequent commentary.

11th Aug 2009, 16:10

I agree. I will never buy a Chevrolet again. I have had 5 new Chevrolets and each one got a little worse in terms of quality and performance. My wife bought a Honda and there is just no comparison. It is a great trouble-free car. I will be a Honda man from now on. So long Chevrolet.

6th Nov 2009, 15:14

To all who think the torque converter being replaced is a lie: My Malibu has 12,000 miles on it, was leaking transmission fluid. they went to put a seal on it. Now they tell me the torque converter is bad and that is what caused the leak. They had to order the torque converter. I took it in Tues. It is now Fri. They told me it may be done by mon. They said this motor (V6) is new to the car, so they are learning. This is my first new car purchase, I am sick to think of such a problem. I never had a used car to have something that bad happen. I am thankful it is under warranty, but will not trust the car now, so will be trading it in, if I can get decent trade in. You just can't make this stuff up. The car has been very gently used, as it is my first new car.

18th Aug 2010, 22:39

It appears that there is a lot of inconsistency with the reviews on this car. Some high praise, and others have nightmares, which leads me to something...

If everyone is being honest, dig into researching which day your car was made. If you have a "lemon" and it was built on a Monday or a Friday, that makes more sense. If the cars that were built in the middle of the week were "good" cars, that makes more sense. I am interested to hear responses, and it might help those who are looking for a Malibu to pay attention to when it was built...

We also have to remember, if and when GM employees were on strike in late 2007, early 2008, I am sure that played a role with the quality of some vehicles...

19th Aug 2010, 11:01

I guess every Chevrolet my family has ever bought was built on a Friday or a Monday, because they were all junk. Including my son's 2008 Chevrolet Malibu which was just scrapped at 35,000 miles due to a blown engine.

19th Aug 2010, 12:09

I rented a 2010 Malibu for a week this summer on a road trip. I've sort of been pulling for GM and have been curious about the new Malibu. I had rented a 2006 on another trip an the quality was lousy. It was basically like riding around in a tin can with a huge amount of cheap plastic inside.

My experience was that new new model is about 90% better than the last generation. The fit and finish were a lot better as well. The interior was much improved and the level of comfort was a lot better as well.

But... The car we rented got 19MPG the entire trip. That's right... 19 Miles Per Gallon, and almost all the driving was on a flat freeway. Secondly, while the interior and fit and finish were better than the previous model, the car still had a cheap, plasticy feel to it. The interior was still not up to par with even some of the older Toyotas we've owned. The whole dash was made out of this weird basketball textured rubber and it was used everywhere on the car.

The back window was almost impossible to see out of. I had to open the window and look out to actually see anything. The seats sat way below the rear window. Sort of reminded me of looking out of a bunker window.

After all was said and done, it was not a pleasant car to drive. The fit and finish is good for GM, but in my opinion still a way off other brands, even some that cost a lot less like Hyundai. The fuel economy was simply unacceptable and that alone would prevent me from ever considering one.

19th Aug 2010, 14:54

I see so many people complain about "cheap plastic" on cars. What is the difference between cheap plastic and expensive plastic? ALL cars, and I mean ALL, have 80% plastic interiors these days.

Also, how can you claim the fit and finish is good when the plastic is cheap? That would be a finish wouldn't it?

19th Aug 2010, 15:40

"The fit and finish is good for GM"

GM vehicles have terrible fit and finish. My neighbor has a Chevy Malibu (which I have driven and ridden in numerous times), and the interior quality is pathetic. The dashboard panels don't line up correctly, and the entire center console literally shakes from side to side while you're driving. The door panels are coming loose, and no matter where you're driving, whether it be on a smoothly paved highway or a bumpy back road, IT RATTLES. It rattles like crazy. I honestly don't think there's a single interior piece in there that doesn't rattle!

It's really rather odd that this 4 year old car's (it's a 2006) interior is falling apart and rattling, when the 14 year old interior in my Toyota Corolla (a 1996) has absolutely no rattles or trim pieces just falling off completely. The fit and finish is great; so far I haven't found any misaligned panels in 14 years of driving it!

19th Aug 2010, 18:55

Since this in reference to a 2010 Malibu rental, how many miles did the car have? Gas mileage is usually poor for most cars during the first few thousand miles. I know my Ford Fusion six cylinder was getting about 17 mpg around the 4000 mile mark, but with 10000 miles on it now, I get 22 mpg, and I am pretty happy with that, since I do a lot of city driving.

19th Aug 2010, 21:51

I own a 2004 Malibu, fit and finish is a bit bland colour wise, but holding up well. No rattles at all, nothing's falling apart.

As a previous poster said, all cars are 80% plastic/vinyl. People nit pick over the smallest things; reliability is more important to me over fit and finish...