13th Jul 2001, 04:03

My 98 Chevy Malibu sucks... You name it, it went wrong, no more warranty.. uugghh.. Guess I gotta think about getting an Accord... Never thought I'd buy anything other than American... Upset with Chevy!!!

Never again...

1st Aug 2001, 21:30

Definitely stay away.

I have a 1998 Malibu LS. It now has 67000 miles and nothing but problems. I had the rotors replaced after 8,000 miles. Since then I had them replaced once and cut once (I had to pay for it).

I have had AC problems (paid for repairs).

Water pump and cam shaft sensor replaced.

I had a 1970 and 1979 Malibu's, now those were cars.

I have called GM on numerous occasions and they are no help.

20th Aug 2001, 19:28

I too have had problems with the ABS in my 98 Malibu, the ABS light came on and I was left without brakes when trying to park my car. Needless to say I hit the curb. That could have been an intersection or the interstate.

I had the car towed to a shop where they charged me 72 dollars (not covered by the warranty) and told me they couldn't find anything wrong.

This same thing has happened about three times (no brakes). Finally yesterday my car was totaled and I am looking forward to never buying a Chevy again (I owned four Chevys prior to this).

22nd Sep 2001, 19:58

1998 Malibu LS

Often dies out when going over bumps, so it had to be restarted immediately on the fly to avoid being hit by the vehicle behind. This was happening on a weekly basis (average occurrence), sometimes several times in one day. GM dealership couldn't diagnose or rectify the problem.

Rotors as well as well as the bearings seem to have been be made of cheese. They go so fast (one of the bearings went after 67,000 km - just out of warranty!). The bearing, just the part itself costs $450 Canadian plus 15% tax, plus labour, came to 700 CAD. I am going to check, but I don't think that even Mercedes parts are so expensive. GM should have a recall on these parts, because there are so many people with same problems.

Head gasket had to be replaced after 70,000 km (just out of warranty again).

Just from this and similar sites I found that this occurred more than what could be considered normal.

The A/C fans often miss one of the speeds, because during the assembly some of the contact pins get bent and either never have a contact (which GM quality control regularly misses) or lose the contact later.

Conclusion: The Malibu is a nice looking car, but is definitely not worth the money.

GM is ripping off their customers through the sale of the car and probably even more through sale of the parts and servicing.

They must have achieved a very high level of sophistication to be able to design and manufacture the cars to start breaking down just after the warranty expires.

2nd Mar 2002, 10:08

My 98 Chevy Malibu SUCKS!!

I bought it in March 98. During my test drive it vibrated when I braked from a speed of about 55mph, and the dealer told me it was natural and that meant the ABS was working. HA! I never had ABS before and I don't know anything about cars so I bought the car with all of it's bells and whistles. After about 2,000 miles the vibrating became worse even at 25mph. They said my rotors were warped. Since then, I've had the rotors replaced or turned 2 more times. The last one was yesterday, now today my ABS light came on after a road trip and now I am stranded out of town. I called 800-Chev-USA and they said they cannot help me before my return trip tomorrow.

I've also had work done on the glove box, center console, and the cable in the trunk that became "un-welded" all by itself. In addition, the electronic drivers side mirror motor stopped working. That was all at less than 10,000 miles. At about 36,000 miles, my engine light came on and my electronics in the dash went hay-wire. I was told that the car was out of warranty, but they needed to drop the gas tank to replace a gasket. Again, I don't know anything about cars, but that was my experience. Today, after the ABS light came on, my internal heater vent started making a funny noise on the passenger side of the car. I'm sure it is not related, but I have 11 more payments on this piece of crap and I can't wait to dump it. Arghhh!

31st Jul 2002, 19:20

Has anyone else had a problem with the dash emitting a squealing sound at speeds over 60 m.p.h? I was amazed when I found out that another (previous) owner of a 98 Malibu had this same problem. The dealership says it's a windshield defect (not covered by warranty) The body shop I took it to says that's not likely. Help!

12th Sep 2002, 18:25

I have a 1998 Malibu and I am having some of the same problems. I purchase my vehicle in 2001 and have already changed the alternator. In addition my ABS light comes on when I'm not braking. The only time it will go off is when I turn the car off. Also the theft system light comes on when I am driving. If I start the vehicle up and the theft system light is on, my vehicle will not start and I have to wait at least 10 minutes before it to shut off.

Now my vehicle is making a ticking noise. The faster I drive the louder it gets. When I took my vehicle to get the AC service they stated that I need to have the serpentine belts changed. What are those???

I am a huge Chevy fan and have always driven Chevy vehicles. But from all these complaints matching up with mines, I think it's time to trade this vehicle in.

27th Sep 2002, 17:01

I have a 1998 Malibu and had humming noise coming through dash when driving on freeway. After over a year complaining to the dealership they finally found out there was a leak in the windshield and they refused to cover under warranty. After call to GM, the dealership replaced the windshield and the problem is gone. Now the ABS light comes on when driving, if you turn engine off and restart it does not come back on. Took to dealership and they find nothing wrong after charging me $95.

5th Oct 2002, 21:39

I am extremely happy to have found this web site. Me and my husband were thinking of buying a 1998 Malibu from an individual. Now I have seriously rethought our decision. The individual said the only problem with the car was the bearings. Not mentioning that they were problematic. The car looks great and has every option imaginable, but that's not what counts especially since I have a 14 month old son.

Just wanted to say thanks for the information!!

9th Oct 2002, 21:01

I have the same problems as all of you. Had to replace gaskets due to slow leak in the intake. The bolts on the intake were not tightened to spec by original manufacturer.

ABS is coming on and off and will occasionally lose my brakes. I have to replace my brake pads almost every 10,000 miles. This car has cost me a lot of cash. This car needs to be recalled.