31st Jul 2007, 07:27
Brakes, that is actually good for this car.
Tires I have no idea. I been on two of the tires I got with the car since I gotten it in 04, I would have been on the original other two had it not been for a flat with a nail.
LIM, this is a very common problem. The newer gasket fixed the problem.
Your other problems, besides plugs, wires, and tranny flush, is probably just bad luck.
I have replaced my plugs and wires, not because I had to, but because I wanted to at 100k for preventive maintenance. I need to the tranny flush and fill. GM says you can leave it for 150k miles or longer, but if I had the money, I would do it every 50k.
I have said it again and again, besides the very common problems (brakes and LIM) Malibus are generally nice cars if you are nice to them.
13th Aug 2007, 03:00
I have a 2000 Chevy Malibu with 134K on it. Since my dad bought it brand new in march 2000 it has been an excellent car. Except for a couple of repairs here and there and the usual brake work it has performed very well. I noticed about 4,000 miles ago it started to make a very strange noise. It is like a metal on metal squeaking noise from the under the hood that I only here sometimes it comes and gos. A mechanic said it was a probably a pulley under the car which generates the noise and its not worth doing anything yet and its not serious. Does anyone know what it may be though and if its something to worry about?
27th Aug 2007, 23:37
For those of you with The a/c blower not working on 1 and 2 (but working on 3,4,5) I replaced the A/C Resistor $20 at oreily auto parts... It is located up under the Passenger side
Next to the blower..
That fixed my problem with the 1 and 2 fan speeds, but my a/c still cuts in and out when it is very hot..
25th Oct 2007, 13:59
2000 Chevy Malibu bought used in 2004 with 65,000 miles. It now has 131,000.
I have experienced problems with the following:
-Right tail light fills up with water and burns out.
-Front wheel bearings had to be replaced on one side
-Tie rods wore out
-Squeaking sound under hood related to belts or pulleys - not fixed yet.
-Brakes have to be fixed all the time
-drivers side window came off track
-headlights burned out
-Transmission would not shift out of low gear (starting today)
-Some dashboard lights not working.
Suprisingly I have had no problems with surging, overheating, or gaskets. I am thinking I will cut my losses on this car and buy a Honda or Toyota. I currently have a 1997 Honda Accord with almost the exact same mileage. It costs about a third as much to maintain as the Chevy Malibu.
26th Jan 2008, 08:05
I have a 1998 Malibu. It has many electrical problems, including dash lights flashing on their own. Also, the car will not start from time to time without disconnecting the battery.
Does anyone have a good fix on this problem?
22nd Feb 2008, 17:05
I have read many of the problems and have experienced some of them. I have the fan problems, not working on 1 and 2, the turn signal problems (covered by recall) and that is about it. I bought a 2000 Malibu in September 2007, worked fine then, but six months now and there seem to be some big problems. One, my cruise control does not work at all, and possibly related is that the tachometer does not work either. I had it at a dealer for diagnostics, their best guess now is the body control module, but they need a specialist to check it out first. Also, my windshield wipers only work on high and do not reset when I shut them off (return to the lowered position). This may be unique to me, and it could easily be cause by a blown wiper motor. Any suggestions for the cruise and tach?
26th Feb 2008, 23:36
2000 Chevy Malibu. Don't buy one! To date I've had to do the following:
-2 Fuel pumps (and after the first one I religiously check and replace the fuel filter which doesn't seem to help)
-Intake manifold gasket replacement
-02 sensor
-MAP sensor
-Idle control sensor
-plugs and wires
-electric window switch
-electric window motor
-serpentine belt
-struts
-complete brake assemblies (that's to be expected with my wife driving it though)
-fuel cap
-about 20 other things I've blocked out of memory.
And now I'm getting 10 mpg and it cuts out at 3500 rpm's. I don't think I even need to talk about the interior. What a joke. Besides a couple of comments by folks on here. I've yet to meet anyone who has 1 good thing to say about these cars. Kill me if I ever buy another GM car.
28th Mar 2008, 18:55
I stupidly purchased an 03 malibu back in dec. of 03. To date, I have replaced...
Lower intake manifold gasket.
Brakes 6 times.
Rotors twice.
A/C switch turns off and on, and in Arizona in the summer time with three kids in the back seat, isn't good.
Water pump.
Belts.
Thermostats.
Paid for lots of bottles of coolant before we realized the gasket was out.
I will never buy another GM again, I have contacted them twice with no resolve.
The sad thing is that I traded in a perfectly fantastic 99 eclipse with no problems because I needed more room for a new addition to our family.
8th Apr 2008, 12:22
WOW, I should of read this site before buying my son a 2000 Malibu. I owned the car for 7 days, and it's been in the shop for 3 of them. It keeps telling me it's out of gas, then the gauge is reading wrong. It's not either of those things, so now they're changing the fuel pump; one big headache. The car just stops when my son is driving it. I have a feeling my headache just started.
24th Apr 2008, 19:21
2000 Malibu owner.
1-2 resistor out on switch yes.
Manifold gasket replaced yup. $900?
Brakes 3 times $$$$ (rotors warp after every time, warped now)
Surging problem is annoying cannot find problem (Vacuum? fuel pump?)
Countless front suspension parts (struts are CRAP!)
Cannot make alignment perfect
Chevy dealer selling me stuff I don't need like my
2nd lower control arm and fuel pressure regulator.
I keep saying OK, fix this last thing and we will be like new NOT! Shame on you Chevy!!!
26th Jun 2008, 14:49
I would just like to add that I have a 2000 Chevrolet Malibu and after reading all of the comments, I think I have experienced all of the problems listed. It has been one problem after another. Now my car is flashing the dash lights for problems that the auto shop says is not wrong with the car. I thought I had a lemon, but I see it goes far beyond just my car.
30th Jul 2007, 22:39
I owned the last good Malibu (and the last half decent Chevy car ever made). It was made in 1979. Come to think of it; it wasn't that good either. Looked nice though; problem was it burned more oil than it did gasoline. GM: generic motors.