13th Oct 2001, 16:40

NO WAY!!! I made the big mistake of buying a Chevy Malibu in the UK and I'll never buy a GM car again! I bought my car in 1999, and when I bought it, it had done 500 miles. No sooner had I driven it down the road, the following problems were encountered:

1) A/C turned on and off by itself.

2) Brakes failed.

3) Electrics failed.

4) There was a strong smell of burning in the car which was never fully explainable.

5) The clutch started playing up.

I was told that the repair bill alone would add up to more than 3 weeks pay!!! No way would I buy another Chevy!

1st Mar 2002, 09:28

I purchased a 99 Malibu, the primary problem encountered has been the front brakes. The front brakes have been worked on 4 times for uneven braking (pulsation while braking). The pads have been wearing unevenly as well, leading me to believe that the calipers have a defect that the dealership has ignored. If one pad is pressing on the rotor, the rotor will heat up. On a long drive the rotor could heat up significantly, this is what I think is happening.

Early on we also experienced the environmental controls failing to change the path of the air flow, stuck on heater (warranty repair). I am going in today for the brakes and the blower motor. (winter in Minnesota and the heater dies!)

7th May 2002, 08:31

I own a 1998 Malibu. I have experienced the same problems with its front brake system. It's in the shop now for the second time to replace the rotors after feeling the same pulsation when the brakes were applied. It has 76,000 miles on it and the coolant has now leaked into the engine, causing significant damage to the lifters and pistons. The repair costs are high and the reliability of the car has been very low. The A/C has also turned on and off whenever the unit was activated in the past. I've driven and owned about 5 cars by GM, mostly Chevy or Pontiac (my dad was a GM fan - why I don't know) and they've only generated more time spent in the repair shop than the two Toyota cars and one Honda I've driven. Oh well, I guess it's time to make a decision - fix this Malibu or sell it and stop wasting my money on these repairs.

8th May 2002, 20:09

I've had my 99 Malibu for four months. So far I've noticed a rattle when I use the brakes, and it doesn't steer as well as my 89 Tempest. I bought it without studying it's history. It had 43,000 kilometers on it. Most of these comments scare me. At least I know what to expect...maybe.

31st Jul 2002, 16:28

The Malibu (1997 and 98) was built with a front-end like that in the grand am and grand prix, the rotors where a new style and where not quite big enough to deal with the heat the "performance" brakes made. My dealer replace the rotors under warranty and I switched to high performance brake pads (not as expensive as they sound) and have had no problems since. The first and second year of any new car will always have a few glitches that either a knowledgeable consumer or honest mechanic (yes there are some) can easily fix. Anyway, a Malibu can blow the doors and huge exhaust pipe off of any similar import.

12th Sep 2002, 18:00

I have a 98 chevy malibu I did experience problems starting with the front brakes. Also, with the ABS. There are other problems that involve the motor mounts on the car and I only had the car for a year.

29th Sep 2002, 18:17

1998 Chevy Malibu air conditioning question: The blower fan works on only speeds 3 through 5. Why won't it work on 1 or 2?

1st Oct 2002, 15:13

Regarding previous post about the fan speed selector: there is a resistor in the dash that will need to be replaced. It goes for about $23.00, plus an hour of shop time, so figure about $80-$100 to fix. The resistor controls the actual speed settings, not the switch.

You probably will get the a/c cycling whenever it wants too, if not already. And of course, brake pads wearing out every 3-5 months. Insane. Never again. Do yourself a favor and go buy an pre-97 Saab.

Chris.

23rd Oct 2002, 17:13

I bought a 99 malibu about 3 months ago with about 25,000 miles. The only problem I had is fan blower not working on speeds 1 and 2. I've put about 3000 miles on it so far and no other problems. Actually the car runs very well, excellent acceleration, great interior. So far I'm very satisfied with the car. (the dealer did replace the brakes before I bought car - If they wear out I will replace with aftermarket pads with life warranty)

6th Nov 2002, 20:52

I have a 98 Chevy Malibu, 71,000 miles and one problem I have now for several months is, that the accelerator seems to get stuck or whatever it is. You push the gas pedal, but nothing seems to happen anymore, and the engine doesn't accelerate for 1-2 minutes. It happens once, twice a week and the Chevy dealer tells me, that they can't replicate the problem.

Has anybody else experienced this or knows what it may be?

Thanks.

Cornee van der Linden.

13th Nov 2002, 22:47

I have a 98' Malibu that I've had for almost two years. I've had all of the same problems including A/C shutting off and on, front brake problems, electrical problems and most recently my motor mounts need to be replaced. I've kept my car in a regular maintenance schedule and still have recurring issues. My water pump and cooling system seems to be of concern now as well. Keep an eye out!! I was pretty happy with this car until I saw this bulletin, I I realize now, I may have wasted my money.

Ft.Lauderdale, FL.

23rd Nov 2002, 22:15

Here are the problems with my 2000 Malibu.

Front Brakes replaced at 43000 miles.

Front both wheel bearings replaced at 44000 miles.

Now the Blower fan only works on setting 3, 4 and 5. It does not work on 1 and 2.

CD Player is a problem.

Save your money and avoid buying this car.

21st Dec 2002, 19:10

It was interesting to read all these comments. My wife has a 1998 Malibu LS and has had nothing but problems with it. Our LEMON has been in the shop too many times to remember. Just recently we had to replace the rotors after a routine brake job (after 30,000 miles... right!!!). What a mistake we made buying this car. We bought it the year after it won Motor Trend's "Car of the Year" award in 1997 - someone should be held accountable. We have contacted the head guys at GM numerous times... written letters... I am certain that they are just laughing at us. This is the last GM we will ever buy. I owned a 1994 Hyundai Excel which I gave to my daughter. It now has 130,000 miles on it and is still going strong. I personally own a 1993 Acura Vigor. It is still going strong as well. What does GM care - they got our money. Jim.