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Susan of Henryville PA (08/25/08)
2002 Chevy Malibu with only 72,000-engine overheated and cracked heads.
Had to replace heads in car, $1,300.00 expense.
Jack of Granada Hills CA (08/16/08)
I purchased a 1999 Chevrolet Malibu with 19,000 miles on it in 2004. It frequently ran warm so I had the thermostat replaced. It continued to run warm but never hot. Also frequently I had to add DexCool antifreeze as the reservoir showed low. On the second or third oil change I also noticed sludge around the inside of the oil filler hole. It also made a tapping noise akin to a lifter tapping upon start up. I again changed the oil and after 1000 miles changed it again.
Then I began looking up the symptoms online and discovered the class action lawsuit. I suspect intake manifold gasket problems. The car has only 38,000 miles on it now. Because I am the second owner and because I have not had the repairs made before the end of May I am concerned that I may not be eligible for repair reimbursement.
Stephanie of Augusta NJ (06/11/08)
In November 2004 I leased, with the intention of purchasing through a Smartbuy program, a 2005 Chevy Malibu from a Chevrolet dealer in Chestnut Ridge, New York. (Dealer 1) On January 5, 2006, I returned to this same dealer because the car was not driving properly. After driving the car for only a year, the traction control light came on and stayed on. The car would inexplicable jump from 5 miles an hour to 40 miles an hour, then the engine would rev when I pushed down the accelerator but the car would not speed up. The diagnosis from the mechanic was that there was almost no transmission fluid in the car and the gears burnt out. He also told me that there was no way this could be from a problem with the car and I had to pay for the new transmission; which I later learned was entirely untrue. The mechanic stated that the transmission would slowly burn out (over months) with little or no fluid in it. My car was in the dealers shop for a month. I paid over $3,000 out of pocket for a completely new transmission. The Chevrolet dealer told me that my purchase was covered by a LIFETIME warranty covering all parts and labor for the transmission, as well as towing if necessary. All I needed to do was provide the original receipt, a copy of which is attached. From my date of purchase I complained many times to the dealer that the steering column would click when the steering wheel was turned and that the brakes did not feel right. The many times I brought my car in for service I would make these complaints and be told that everything was fine. Although I purchased a new transmission, the problem continued. On April 12, 2008 while I was driving on the highway, the engine again started revving when I stepped on the accelerator, but the car had no power and started loosing speed. The car would shift into gear, but would not drive. At my expense, the car was towed to the nearest dealer. (Dealer 2) The mechanic told me that when they took the transmission out of the car and started to open it up it was so badly damaged that they could not repair it. He could not explain why this occurred. He had already ordered yet another transmission by the time they called me on April 16th. The transmission was coming from Detroit, as it was the only one available and would take a minimum of a week to arrive. During one of my phone conversations with this second dealer representative, he stated that GM questioned why I paid for the first transmission to be replaced. He also told me there were no records of this from the original dealer. That lead to a conversation about the reason the mechanic from the first dealer charged me for the repair and transmission. Dealer 2 told me the exact opposite of what the mechanic dealer 1 had said. Dealer 2 and other mechanics I have talked to since, told me that without fluid the transmission would not shift, and with low fluid it would not be months before the transmission burnt out, it would be days or depending on the fluid level, even mere hours. Obviously, the initial problem with the transmission had nothing to do with low fluid levels or I would not have been able to drive the car for as long as I did. The transmission was replaced again by Dealer 2 and I picked the car up 2 weeks later, April 25th. Dealer 2 told me, however, that the warranty covering the transmission work WAS NOT lifetime coverage, it was only 5 years or 100,000 miles, which ever came first. Dealer 2 also informed me that the transmission they just installed was covered under the warranty that started in 2006 and that it was not a new warranty, even though it was a new transmission. I picked the car up and had driven it exactly 12 miles when the car bucked forward a few times, the odometer and power steering failed and ultimately the transmission would once again, NOT shift out of first gear. GM roadside assistance would not tow the car back to Dealer 2. On April 28th Billy from Dealer 2 called to tell me that the speed sensor on the new transmission was bad and had to be replaced. I picked up the car; once again I drove 5 miles and heard a banging and dragging noise from the front right side of the car. I pulled over and found that the cover under the car had not been bolted back to the bumper and a corner had caught the road and cracked. I again brought the car back to Dealer 2. They DID NOT replace the cracked cover or the bolts that were missing, instead they zip tied the cracked cover to the bumper. GM customer service called me in anwer to the letter of complaint I mailed and informed me that they are not responsible for individual dealers or their workmanship, when I turn the car in I will be responsible for any charges related to the damages caused by the sloppy repairs and numerous mechanical problems!
Jennifer of Canal Winchester OH (06/05/08)
when we first purchased our 02 chevy malibu it was in great condition and only had around 30,000 miles, within the first month we started having to replace the rotors, and the brake pads, and continued to have to replace them about once a month. Then one day out of the blue the car would not start, we replaced several costly parts only to find that after a week of work on it there was some sort of anti-theft device that causes the car to shut down. The fix for the anti-theft protection requires that you put the key in the ignition and allow it to sit in on position for 10 minutes, and then turn it off and try to start it. about 2 weeks later i started hearing a funny noise in the front end, which turned out to be a rod knocking, and now i have to replace the engine in the car. I dont understand why there have been so many issues with this car, and GM refuses to do anything about it!
Amanda of Santa Rosa CA (06/04/08)
I was on the highway taking my 6 year old son to school, going about 55mph early morning May 13th, 2008. As I am on this busy highway my check engine light flash three times and goes back off. Less then two minutes later the engine cuts out on my car and I am trying to get off the road and to the shoulder safely. After sitting on the side of the road for nearly 2 hours I manage to get my car towed to a service station a few miles away. I am really not familiar with the area and they turned out to be not the people that could help me with such extensive damage. A few days later I got my car towed ($75) to a place that several people recommended. I received a call the next day and the man at this repair show told me that my valve had gotten loose, broken off falling into my cylinder where it crushed my piston TRANSLATION: My car isn't getting compression in two of my cylinders and I need a new motor ($$$). Unfortunately, my mistake was not getting the extended warranty and I have 48k miles on my 2005 Chevy Malibu. The repair shop can either do a temporary fix were they replace the cylinders ($1800-1900 not including labor)and they don't know how long my car will actually continue to work. Or, they can replace the whole motor for the tune of $4k before labor. Regardless, I am a single mom who can not afford either. Both my grandfather (car mechanic for over 50 years) and the mechanic at the shop said that this was not anything I did. I could not have prevented it and sometimes these things happen, although they have never seen it happen to a car as new as mine.
Michael of Hindsboro IL (05/31/08)
My 2001 Chevy Malibu had engine cooling problems. The engine coolant light came on and I took it to be repaired at Midas in Charleston, IL on 04/21/2007. I recently saw in the MAY 30-June 1, 2008 edition of USA WEEKEND (on page 8) that there is litagation for this.
Wendy of Bowling Green KY (05/26/08)
I have a 2000 Chevy Malibu which has been nothing but trouble since I bought it. I have had to put two intake manifold gaskets on it already (which aren't cheap) and so many relays it isn't even funny. The air conditioning has to be recharged every year. And now it isn't working again!
Leah of Port St. Lucie FL (05/14/08)
my corvette 2001 steering wheels locks by itself which in the first place is a companys fault not mine, but why im i paying for the repairs , im not the only one with this problem
Robert of Manahawkin NJ (05/13/08)
I have a 2001 chevy malibu that I just replaced and engine on due to a faulty in take manifold and an intake manifold gasket.
Mary of Harrisburg PA (05/13/08)
I have a 99 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with peeling paint. It peels down to the primer. This car has never been in a dealership to be bought or sold. I am the 3rd owner of this vehicle. I want to know if GM has taken responsibility for what I believe is bad primer/bad paint job. My sister-in-law had a similar problem with her Buick but she had a dealer to go to. The dealer re-painted her car.
Randy of Chicago IL (05/07/08)
One Tuesday, April 29th 2008 while driving my 2000 Chevy Malibu, I had notice the battery indicator had come on, on the dash. Shortly after that the indicator went off. This happened while I was driving three times. My total distance of driving was approximately about 1 mile. The next day on Wednesday, April 30th 2008 I had experienced the same problem while driving with the battery indicator. Now this time shortly after the indicator went off the all of my warning indicators came on at once and flashed a couple of times. Then I lost power (radio, clock, air conditioner, gauges).
The weird thing is that the car never stopped running. Fortunately I was a couple hundred of feet from where I was going. When I got to the parking lot I shut off the car then I tried starting the car and it turned on and had no problems. Being concerned, later in the day I had taken the car to a local mechanic that my family and I had been going to for over 15 years. Thinking maybe it was the alternator. I explained to the mechanic everything that I had experienced. He had checked the charging system and everything was fine. T
he mechanic suggested that it was the BCM (Body Control Module) and that I had to go to the dealer to get the car repaired. I took the car to the local Chevrolet dealer to have my car checked out. Again, I explained the problem that I was experiencing with my car and what my mechanic said the source of the problem might be. A technician from the dealer consultant talk with me and explained that I should have the car tested with a diagnostic test because the problem could be another from the BCM, a short somewhere or it could something else.
After the diagnostic was done, I was notified that the problem was a bad ignition switch. It would be required of me to replace the ignition switch, cylinder, new ignition key and from the ignition and theft system to be reprogrammed to fix the problem. I was fine with that if that was going to fix the problem. The total for the repair with the cost of labor was $ 747.94. In addition, with the service I was told that two belts also needed to be replaced on the car because of their condition so I had them replaced. Now, my grand total for parts and labor was at $ 936.45. I got the car back the next day on Thursday, May 1st 2008 and the car seemed to be in good working order.
Then on Saturday, May 3rd 2008 I was out of town in Yorkville, Illinois which is about 60 miles from my house. After driving to Yorkville, IL and had driven the car couple times while out town during the day, when I went to leave to head back home I started the car. Car started with no problem, but once I had put the car into drive the car battery indicator came on and I quickly began to lose power (radio, defrosters, clock, headlights and gauges) then the car stalled. I seemed as though the battery needed to be jumped. I got the car jumped started and everything seemed fined. Finally, I can get home but within a couple hundred feet the car began to die out. The best way to describe what happened next is that my car acted like a Christmas tree with blinking lights. The headlights, all the indicators, clock, the lights inside the car all just alternated by blinking on and off.
The gauges were just going up and down crazy and then the engine began revving then everything finally shut off after a couple of minutes then the died out. The car was completely dead being unable to turn over the engine to start. I was forced to strand the car overnight since this happened at 10 p.m. The next day I rented a dolly from U-Haul to tow the car back home which cost me $ 40.00. Since the dealer is closed on Sundays we dropped the car off behind the dealer for Monday. On Monday, May 5th 2008 the dealer was notified about the problem I had experienced again.
They tested the car again and found no problem with the work that they did on Thursday. The ignition switch and theft system was fine. Then they added that the alternator and battery were shot and that was my problem. The person I talked with admitted blame that the technician should have found that problem on Thursday before releasing the car back to me. The estimated cost for replacing the alternator and battery would be an estimated $ 831.00. I had instructed that nothing be done until I can get to the dealer.
When I got to the dealer, I requested to speak with the service manager. The service manager was unavailable at the time. So, I came back in an hour and talked with the service manager. At this time I am unconvinced by what is being stated about solving the problem. I explained that now I had the charging system checked and the alternator and battery were just fine. The service manager showed my the file on my car than began indicating the cost to replace the alternator and battery would be $ 600 and that I was also in need of new spark plugs. (I recently, just had a tune-up and the car was running just fine) Not satisfied with the service manager and the overall service that I had received I asked the manager that I want my car back.
With no power I asked for them just to push my car out to the parking lot and that Ill just push it home since I lived on the next street. Once I got my car to the street I tried to start the car and the car started. I took it back to my mechanic to have him look at again and he retested the charging system and everything was indicating the system was ok. My mechanic suggested to try another dealership. So I managed to get my car out to a dealership located in Oak Lawn, IL.
The dealership called me back and said they cannot find the problem and was willing to keep the car another day to see if they can the problem. As of today, Tuesday, May 6th 2008 my car is still not fixed. I dont want to keep paying for something that wont re-assure me that my car wont breakdown again from the same problem. Note: After consulting with my mechanic and showing him my bill. Nothing on the bill was itemized in terms of parts. The bill clearly indicates that I was charged for replacing two belts in the car but my car only has one belt. Then I tried going back to the dealer to confront them on this there record of the bill was different from my bill which was in hand. T
he service manager had convientily left after talking to him on the phone. In addition, no explaination was given why my bill didn't list that a dianosgtic was performed or why I was charge for something extra. The problem was never taken care of and I received no refund.
Michelle of Williamsville NY (05/05/08)
I have a 2001 Chevy Malibu that I have only driven for a year. I have been using dexacool ever since I had the car. Now with 97,000 miles my engine is completely shot. I have also previously replaced the intake gasket and have had antifreeze leaking. I have been told that because dexacool is such a corrosive formula that it is the reason why my engine went and I would like to be reimbursed.
Alicia of Phoenix AZ (04/30/08)
My 2001 Chevy Malibu. The intake manifold gasket began leaking because it was faulty. I was told that I could enroll myself in a class action suit regarding the complaints received about similar situations.
Terilyn of Liberty MO (03/31/08)
I have owned a 1998 malibu for about 8 years and i've been having problems with the motor overheating for the past year. I have been to many different auto shops and they have all said the same thing. They all tell me that I either have a bad intake gasket or I need to have the heads replaced. I have had both things changed and im still having the same issues. I even went as far as getting another motor put in the car and nothing is changing.
Yolanda of Pinevillel LA (03/05/08)
I purchased a 2005 chevy malibu with 20,000 miles on it. Three days ago my instrument panel went out. I thought it was just a fuse so I went to get it replaced. I went to my local Western Auto and was told the fuse was fine. I thought they didn't know what they were talking about so I went to a private mechanic and was told the same thing. The next place I went to was my local auto zone. When I walk in I told the gentleman what was going on and he said let me walk out and look at it. The next thing he said shocked me. He stated he had at least three other people with the same vehicle to come in with the same problem one who was his best friend. He said there was a recall done on these vehicles for that problem. I went to my local dealership the next day and was told there was not a recall on the chevy malibu's but there were recalls done on the 2003-2004 cadilac escalade, 2003-2004 avalache,2003-2004 gmc yukon, and yukon xl. I was told I had to pay for my own vehicle which was around $1500.00. I was very upset so I called the customer service number I was given and was told they would investigate it. I was not pleased with that so I asked to speak with the CEO Richard Wagner. I was told by Jocelyn his assistant he does not deal with these matters. She said she would call the dealership and see what they can do to help me. She also stated that since I did not purchase the vehile new and from a certified gm dealer she didn't think there was anything they could do. When I told her about other people who had the same car with the same problem she said they handle things on a case by case situation. I think Jocelyn and Richard Wagner needs to be fired. I hope by posting this blog that many other people speak out about how they are treating customers and they LOOSE THEIR JOBS. After this I will honestyl never purchase anything made by this company and I hope people will join me and do the same thing. We as customers pay too much for our vehicles, whether purchsed from a local gm dealer or not,to have a major problem and not get the results we are looking for. So if you or someone you know is thinking about purchaseing a gmc vehicle tell them NOT TO.
Christina of Lapine OR (03/04/08)
I have a 2003 Chevy Malibu LS. I got it used, and it had 15k miles on it when I got it. Shortly after I got it I noticed the brakes weren't that great. They vibrated and wouldn't stop my car. Three months after my warrenty was up my car broke down in the parking lot of my work which was about 15 miles from home. I eventually had my car towed to a chevy dealership and they told me I needed a new ignition and new front brakes. $900.00 it cost me to have a new ignition and new brakes put on. This was April of 2006. In the summer of '07 my car wouldn't start again and this time I got advice from a friend who told me it was the theft system triggering and causing my car not to start. I left it in the on position for 10 mins and what do you know...it started like a champ. I have had nothing but problems with this car since I got it. After the first $900.00 I had to put another $215.00 into it for ONE new wheel bearing to be put in. I just recently had to have one new brake caliper put on in addition to the new brakes..again. Now my car's theft system is triggering again and I have to reset it almost everyday. Sometimes twice a day. After the car starts the theft system light stays on solid. I am told that it costs $50.00 to have the dealership reset my car's theft system. The thing that gets me the most is that I still owe for two more years on this car and I have had to put more money into this car than I have any other that I have ever owned. Tell me how this fair? I will NEVER own another Chevy (or GM for that matter) as long as I am able to drive. I understand that cars have issues but I know people who have cars that are older than I am that run better than my hoopty ever has. I wouldn't be so upset about having to get it fixed but the cost of fixing these cars is more than they are worth in my opinion. I have read multiple websites on complaints about this make and model, mostly the same things I have noticed with mine. My car is only 5 years old and already starting to fall apart. I figured spending this much money on a vehicle would of gotten me more than this.
I
Tommy of Show Low AZ (02/24/08)
Hello, We purchased our 2004 Malibu new. Over the years that I have had the Malibu I have been standed 5 times. It would not start. One time it would not shift smoothly after being stopped at a signal. The first three times it was under warranty. When the car would not start...after which the 6 CD changer would not work either. It was replaced once. The dealer always says it is a computer chip problem. I have 48,850 Miles on it Now that it is out of warranty,, and the symptoms are the same....Dealer stated it was a low battery. So for $199 they replaced the battery... the CD Changer does not work at all....but when you open the door you hear the changer trying to work. The Battery was $69 the rest was service chargeand checking the chips (diagnostics) Twice just this month (once during a snow storm) the car would not start. The first time I was given a ride home to get my husband...when he got in the car it started up immediately. This time the CD changer was fine......the second time (2weeks later) when the car would not start, a very quick jump from a friend the car started right up...the CD Changer hasn't played sense. Went back to the dealer...and they said it was the due to the low battery....and that the CD Changer needed a better boost from a battery to start playing....and that may take a while before the CD Changer will begin to work!!! DUH! I am a woman...that doesn't mean that I have DUMMY written on my forehead. GM has a problem with their computer chips and they won't admit it....and it destroys the CD Changer. If the battery was low it was because the CD Changer keeps trying to change the CD even when the car is turned off and just sitting. I now keep a 12 Volt Jump starter in the trunk of my car. Getting stranded is very scary for me as I travel alone from Arizona to California and Even to Montana with out my husband. OH! I, talked to the dealer and they want $1300 for a 2 year extended Warranty..This will be my last Chevy product..When will the American Car manufactures learn from the foreign car makers.10 year warrantees, and good customer service.
Amanda of Pickerington OH (02/16/08)
We bought a 2003 Chevy Malibu LT in 2003. We had similar problems with the car not starting. The first time was shortly after we bought the car. It happened 3 times, each time it was towed back to the original dealership and it would start no problem after it sat. The final time they ran diagnostics and changed the key system, then noticed we had a remote started installed (by another company) and they stopped working on the car. They said it was a problem with the remote starter and we would have to pay for all the work done. We discussed this and didn't pay, as they could have seen when they picked up our keys that we had an extra fob, and stopped at that point. We did take the car back to where the remote starter was installed and they agreed to look and found everything connected with the remote starter and wiring intact. They did find, however, a wire under the dash, unrelated to the remote started that was burnt and was causing the problem with starting. They fixed the wire for us and we have never had a problem since then. It has been over 4 years and it hasn't happened since. We just went for our regular oil change at 77,000 miles and the technician told us we had large amounts of coolant in our engine, and that soon we will need to replace the enginge completely for around $5000. At our last oil change, no more than 4000 miles ago, there were no problems with coolant in our oil. Needless to say, we will be buying a new car soon. Other than those two problems the car has been good, but these two problems are more than enough!
Raymond of De Queen AR (02/12/08)
The o-ring gasket on a 2003 Malibu. How could Chevrolet know of a problem with the product and won't do anything about. My 2003 Chevy Malibu is in the shop and the cost of repair will be high. With all of the compliants, why hasn't anyone done something to Chevrolet Company.
Markeita of Blytheville AR (02/10/08)
I purchased my Cheverolet 2004 Malibu Classic in 2005. Now, I am having horrible problems with it. I am 18 years old and starting college this fall. It has quit on me 3 times leaving me stranded and terrified. The first time it quit I was at a friends house and luckily only around the corner so my dad could tow it home. When my dad made it home with the car maybe and hour later, it all of a sudden started back up. It worked fine for maybe a month and then me and my mom went out of town. We were in the parking lot of a clothing store, maybe 6 o'clock at night and the car wouldn't start again. It was dark and we were scared. This time the car was out for about 2 weeks and my dad finally decided to take it to Arkansas Brakedown and as soon as the workers pulled it in to put it on machine, It started up again!!!!!! Again it worked good for about 2 months. Now me and my mom went out of town again and we were in the parking lot of the mall and it wouldn't start again!!! Only now the theft system light is blinking on and off!
Mary of Loganville GA (02/09/08)
I have a 1999 chevy malibu and I also am experiencing some problems with my car. I can't keep it running when I get gas and when I am stopped at a red light the car wants to shut off. I have replaced my intake manafold, fuel filter, fuel pump,altinator and yes my brakes and brake pads. But, also most of you have to realize is most of these complaints are on cars that are nine and ten years old they do tend to break down at that age. My car has just started breaking down in the past three months so, on my side of thing it has been the best car. I bought this car brand new July 17, 1999. I love my malibu and would stand behind chevy and buy another I actually want the new 2008. Get realistic most cars do start to have problems after they are paid for which usually is about five years old. Thanks
Jennifer of Amboy IL (02/09/08)
I purchased a used Chevy Malibu from a private owner. A year or two after I had the vehicle it was leaking anti-freeze, it ended up being the lower intake manifold gasket. I have been reading that this is a major issue and a lot of people have had this problem.
Jennifer of Cheyenne WY (02/08/08)
We just finished paying off our 2000 Chevy Malibu and it started leaking anti freeze and overheating, called a mechanic and they told us it was probably the intake manifold gasket as these were notorious for GM vehicles in fact they had one in there at the time of the call, this is going to cost us approximately 800.00, now I'm worried about what other damage may be done, our car only has 77,000 miles, I don't think I will be able to bring myself to purchase another GM vehicle after reading about all of these problems and no response from GM to help fix there mistake.
Carol of Cupertino CA (02/02/08)
2/1/08 We found out our 2001 Chevy Malibu had to have the intake manifold replaces due to leaking. After looking up this on the internet and finding that there are literally thousands of other people who have had this same problem with their Chevy Malibu cars, it's obvious that this problem with the intake manifolds in these cars is caused from a defective product made by Chevy. Shouldn't there be some kind of recall on this, some kind of conpensation to us consumers for the expense we've had to incur fixing this problem, which clearly is the fault of Chevy's faulty design and manufacturing? It cost me over $700 to fix this problem, and I think Chevy should reimburse me and the thousand of others who have had to pay to fix their faulty design.
Angela of Crest Hill IL (01/27/08)
I have a 99 chevy malibu with over 109,000 miles on it. Four times a week my car won't start due to the theft system.On top of that I had to replace my intake manifold which cost me a total of $1,000 and believe it or not within 1 year of me owning the car, I had to replace the brakes twice. It is a constant ongoing battle. As if things couldn't get worse, yesterday Jan. 26 I was driving my car to get gas but suddenly my car had a hard time accelerating. As soon as I got to the stop sign, my car stalls. I do manage to start it up but everytime I press the gas the car shutters and then stalls again. This all happened at 11:30 at night in an area I am unfamiliar with. I am 19 years old and live on my own, because of my car being unreliable I lost my job and couldn't afford my cell phone bill as a result I was stranded for an hour untill someone finally came by to help and let me borrow there phone. On top of that I can't afford my rent, car insurance, food, and other everyday expenses. I am completely in debt and in the process of getting evicted just because of my car. My parents can't help because my dad is currently on lay off and I already borrowed to much money from other family members. I am now forced to live with my freinds just so I can have a place to live. This all happened because of my car. Right now I don't have the money to even get my car towed or looked at so untill then it is sitting on a side street untill I can get a friend to help me. Now I might lose my new job because my ar is currently not running.In total I have spent around $1,900 on the car for repairs but the bill is still adding up. I have wasted to much time,energy,and money on my car. In fact I maxed out my credit card just for repairs and thats another thing to add to my list because now my credit history might be in jeopardy. I am running out of options and don't know what to do.
Larissa of Sound Beach NY (01/24/08)
I am a new drivier and I got a used 1998 Chevy Malibu in April 2007 as my first car. Since the first day I got the car, there has been nothing but problems and headaches. It was a 1998 with 47,000 miles on it. I thought that was pretty good for an almost 10 year old car, but i was wrong! The car had trouble starting, it sounded horrible all the time, when the alarm system was activated, the car wouldnt start, we replaced the calipers, rotors, and the water pump, there was a breakline leaking and my breaks went on me twice. I was scared to death to get back in that car and my parents wouldnt let me drive it anymore. We took it back to the dealer and I never wanted to see it again. This all happened in a 9 month period. I am happy to say that I got rid of that car and i do not miss it at all. I needed to get rid of it before something more dangerous happened. Now I've had a 1998 Nissan with more miles than the Malibu had and I am extremely happy with it. I think they Chevy should either fix the Malibu's or stop making them. Do NOT buy a Malibu!!!!
Wendy of Clinton IA (01/24/08)
I have a 2004 Chevy Malibu with about 36000 miles on it. It was running fine one day, I parked it 5 hours later I got in and it wouldn't start. Come to find out the timing chain slipped and in the process it bent 8 of 16 rods. I had to have a new cylindar block put in to the tune of $1700! My warranty had run out. Thank god for family loans as this is the only reliable car in the household. I asked my mechanic what could have caused this problem as it's not at all old and he said as he was calling around looking for parts he posed the same question to other mechanics in the area. Apparently this problem is not rare. It happens in the engine they used in the 2004 chevy Malibu and other vehicles. A part in the cylindar block was not built strang enough and wears out too quickly. They caught the problem and fixed it in the replacement parts, but I never got a recall notice.
Lesa of Howard Ave NY (01/23/08)
Well I purchased a 2001 chevy malibu in 2006. I currently have 79m on the car and of course my head gasket needs to be replaced. After review other cases we need to file a law suit.
Sandra of Katy TX (01/21/08)
I,m in the same boat as the rest of the people on here. I spent over 800.00 for a new fuel pump and the car does not always start when I want it. Would someone please tell me how to fix the theft system. I'm a single parent and spending unnessary money to fix this 2003 malibu is not in the budget, Is there a recall?
Noe of Corpus Christi TX (01/17/08)
my 2003 chevy malibu is a total piece of junk, we bought this car for my son's graduation gift and now we are having all sorts of problems, like the car loses power in the middle of the hwy while my son is driving to work, the theft system acts up every now and then and not to mention the brakes replaced, the fuel filter, the ingnition switch, and ingnition lock and the stupid thing is still not working, we had it checked out by a mechanic who is my father in laws friend and no codes come on and he says it will be costly to fix, due to the process of elimination these cars should be totally recalled or a law suit should be brought about against gm, it seems all malibu's no matter what year have the same problem.
Christina of Harrah OK (01/15/08)
I have an 02 Chevy Malibu and on a daily basis the car will not start. The anti-theft light comes on, the key will turn over but nothing will happen. They have hooked it up to the computer but it does not diagnose the problem. I have replaced the key and the keyless entry thinking that it may be the key or the bypass module. I have made yet another appt. for 1-16-08 to see if the problem can be fixed. I do have an extended warranty but cannot fix something that doesn't show up!!!
Kami of Tampa FL (11/24/07)
On Nov 9th 2007 my 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx turned off while I was driving my son to school. I had to have it towed to the dealership (because they are the only ones that can fix these car). I was informed it was the fuel pump and it would cost $785 plus tax. My mother called her mechanic and he said he could fix it for $575. The dealership said in order for us to have my car towed to the other mechanic we would have to pay $93 for dianostic and pay for the part cuz it had to be ordered.
After a few calls from friends and family the dealership lowered the price to $535 plus tax. I got a call monday Nov 12 that my car was ready. I went monday night to the dealership to get my car and it started fine. Tuesday Nov 13 I took my son to school fine and then when I tried to pick him up the car stalled again in my driveway as I was backing out. It took a few minutes but it started so I proceeded to go pick up my son from school.
Wednesday I took my son to school fine but that afternoon when I got in the car to pick him up the car wouldn't start. needless to say i was crying because he was stranded at school. I called the dealership and talked to Vince and he said have it towed and we will look at it. I told him I wanted to talk to someone above him and he sent me to Doug he said the same thing with no concern that my son was stuck at school with no way home. I called my friend and luckily she didn't go to work that day and she picked my son up. I called the GM corporation and they said they would try to help me get the car towed to the dealership and the Diagnostic for free. T
he next day I had to borrow a friends car to take my son to school and have him ride the bus home with a friend so he wasn't stranded. Then borrow another friends car to pick him up. I called the GM corporation and the representative informed me that the dealership is willing to budge and I needed to get the car to them. I have roadside assistance but they only pay for the first 3 miles and the dealership is 24 miles away. i am a single mother and don't have that kind of money. No one seemed to care.
My son had to miss school that friday cuz I had no way to get him there. Then Sunday Nov 18 the car started and I drove it to an apartment complex because I can't afford to live where I live being so far away from my kids school and driving him so, now I have to move because my car is not reliable and I am not going to risk him son's education. The car wouldn't start when I came out so I had to call a friend to come pick me and my son up. The next day I got a ride back to the car and it still wouldn't start.
Again my son missing another day of school because of the car.I had it towed to the dealership because now it was only 5 miles away. They told me it was some wires that needed to be replaced and it will be another $200 to fix. I had to have the car to I agreed. The car was ready Monday afternoon. I picked up the car and it started. Tuesday morning I took my son to school and it was fine then that afternoon I went to pick him up and we went to the apartment again and then out to eat. on the way home The car shut off while I was driving it home and I called the dealership again in tears.
Peggy of Vernon Hills, IL (11/23/07)
I have had to replace the plastic intake manifold casket twice on my 1999 Malibu. I understand that GM products have had this problem on the 3.1 motors. Along with the 3.5 & 3.8. I know of several individuals with same problem. I very dissappointed in GM. I went back to the american made car and now I have these problems. I guess I will go back the japanese made cars.
Sean of Cocoa FL (11/19/07)
We bought a used 2003 Chevy Malibu from a Mitsubishi dealer. This car has been a nightmare. It won't start at times. It dies in the middle of the road, especially after filling up. The theft deterrent system comes on and we have to wait 10 minutes with the ignition key in it to reset it. The lights sometimes come on, other times they don't. The brakes give out between 6 months to a year and the rotors have to be resurfaced. The car shakes like a leaf in a hurricane on the highway and the struts are going. Had to pay for towing but no one agrees on what is the problem. I'm worried that my wife and kids will get stranded somewhere when the weather is bad or in a bad neighborhood. Take my advice and never buy a GM car. American trucks are great but our cars suck...
Nakiesha of Columbus OH (11/14/07)
Wow, who would have imagined that Chevy Malibu owners are going through the same thing that I am experiencing? I just purchased a 2000 Chevy Malibu (April 2007) and I am currently experiencing a whole deal of problems. The only reason why I had purchased this particular is due to the fact my little brother had wrecked my Geo Prism (which is made by Chevy).
I thought that I was doing the right thing by selecting this car, and boy was I wrong. The first week after officially owner the vehicle problems started, where I had to send it back to the dealer where I bought it from. The guy who normally had completed the sales had the day off. Yes, I can clearly remember because I played an April Fool's Day joke on my mother that day which was a Sunday.
Anyways, the guy who was absent decides to tell me and my mother that the guys who sold me the car wasn't authorized to sell me the car in the first place. So he had wrote me a new point of sale receipt and even offered to sign me up for an extended warranty that they now offer for AS IS cars for a small price of $99.95. So I took him up on the offer 4-7-07 and he had advised me to tear up the previous point of sales papers (which I didn't do).
I should have had my guards up for that one your thinking right? Well come July my extended warranty was about to expire. I took my car into Firestone and they had did an inspection on my car and found that the intake manifold (which was covered in my warranty) was going bad and that it possibly had a blown head gasket. I had to go on a short trip to visit a friend when they told me about the problems and I had asked the head mechanic was it safe for me to take my planned trip and he stated that it would be alright as long as it wasn't out of the state (which it wasn't it was a short trip about 80 outside of Columbus).
I also experienced the shaking of my car when I reached interstate speed. I am gulity of taking my car in at the last minute when the warranty was about to expire, however, I had just started a new job and I am single parent just trying to make ends meet! I had contacted the warranty company who was closed on the day that I had faxed over my statement from firestone and the message center (which stays open for 24 hours) stated that they could only take a message for the main company. So I left a detailed message for someone to call me regarding my car problems.
I also called the company in which I had purchase my car from and they stated that was between me and the warranty company. The warranty company contacted me back by leaving a message with my mother to have me re-fax the statement before 5:00pm 7-23-07. my mother immediately contacted me and I had to take off early just to fulfill their request. I rushed downed to Firestone to get a statement from them stating that I was there the day before my warranty had expired. I had got them to fulfill my request by doing so, and now its like 4:50pm and firestone is tring to fax over the statement. I am now on pins and needles because I am running against time because the warranty company closes at 5:00pm.
Finally, the fax goes through at about 4:55pm, and the company refused to fix the intake manifold and head gasket problem. Since then I have contacted several companies to try to fix the problems and like many others had stated they want roughly $900 to repair the problem (which I don't have that type of money to repair). Chevy should be ashamed of themselves for placing this car on market and know that people are having problems and they don't want to admit it.
Joanna of Haltom City TX (11/08/07)
I bought a 2004 Chevy Malibu in June of this year. The car had 36k miles on it. Now it won't start. I believe the Theft System has been activated, therefore not allowing the car to start. I took it back to the place where I bought the car. They cannot duplicate the problem. It is not something that can be diagnosed with a computer. It's something that happens when you drive the car for a day or so. I'm running into dead ends on this thing. It is extremely frustrating (and scary!) when the car won't start. Being stuck in an empty parking lot at night is no fun for a female!!
Patricia of Redding CA (09/17/07)
The Chevy Malibu is involved in a class action lawsuit. I am involved in it also, it has been in nine states, and thus far, California is the only state or so I'm told still involved. I was hoping someone would settle this, but so far nothing has happened.
Our car shook and we thought we had a flat, it's been in the shop many times for the brakes and rotors and calipers. No one would admit anything was wrong, finally one good hearted person admitted it was a design problem and Chevy says it's going to cost too much to fix it, please get rid of those cars, from 1997-2002 or 2003, they're dangerous
Angela of Altoona AL (09/11/07)
I am not sure whether it is the dealerships' fault or the manufacturer. I have a 2005 Chevy Malibu Classic. I have had it since January 2006 and have already had to replace the brakes on it more than five times and in July I had to replace a rotor with the pads. Just last night I had to replace the pads again...I am ready to trade it off for something else...like a Kia or Toyota or Hyundia.
Jean of Stuart FL (07/29/07)
1999 Chevy Malibu 65-70K miles: Intake manifold gasket replaced. Replaced water pump twice. Complete hose chang-over. Radiator flushed. 92K miles: Engine hesitation. On the way to the mechanic, it stalled and died with a horrible clunking sound and violent vibrations from the engine. Towed to the mechanic and now needs a new engine or complete over-haul.
Dennis of Danville IL (07/09/07)
On June 1st 2007 at approx. 8:00 PM the headlights on our 2004 Chevy Impala went out while we were stopped talking to a fiend. I thought this was a blown fuse.We did not have any spare fuses in the car.So we drove the car to a service station down the street. With parking lights only, where we were able to get some fuses. I checked all the fuses in both fuse boxes. No bad fuses were found. Tried turning the lights off and on, and restarting the car. Nothing worked,till I tried the high beam switch to see if we at least had high beams to get us home. When I first tried the high beam switch, the head lights flashed on for an instant. So I tried it again and the high beams came on, so I tried again and the low beams came on. We stayed at the service station for another 5 minutes or so, till we felt secure enough to make a run for home, about 5 miles away. We made it home with out any problems and haven't yet had this problem again.
Amber of Dayton OH (07/05/07)
I purchased a used 99 Malibu in April '07. Less than 2 months later, I got the coolant replaced because my local car repair chain reccomended it. The next day, my car over heated for the first time (since I owned it). I took the car to another chain and they replaced the lower intake gaskets. The next day the car got hot again, so I took it back. This time they replaced the head gasket. The day after I picked up the car from this repair, it over heated again. I am still in the proces of resolving this matter.
Eileen of Martinsburg WV (07/02/07)
bought 200 chevy mailabu from this dealer told me one owner found out it was not have had car 18 days have had to take to his shop 6 times . water pump went out in another state he would not have car towed or seen there told me had to drive it in than sent me to his guy for work and he charged double of what was covered left the garage in worse shape than took it in now no dash lights and serve engine light on was told of well that happens no big deal just have oil changed
Mikey of Summerville SC (06/27/07)
I bought a 2001 Chevy Malibu off the lot and it is a 6 year old lemon. I replaced the break system, fuel pump, now the gaskets because of the lovely dex cool coolant. My children are in this vehicle on a daily basis and I don't know how GM employees sleep at night knowing that there is a mother of two stranded somewhere with there crappy vehicle. I am so getting rid of it- just think if I don't feel safe enough to drive this vehicle and ready to get another car payment - you know it is a piece of crap!! Also I might add this is the reason they created On-star to rake you for money and relieve their conscience of wrong doing!! Oh and my next car will be a Toyota- I love America and Americans but not American made cars. BOOYA!!
James of Lakeland FL (06/19/07)
I would like to report my car as a dud. It is a 1999 Chevrolet Malibu LS. My parents gave this car to be to help me, when I became disabled. It has been nothing but trouble. 10-18-02 my first service after my parents gave me this car. milage 30767 4 wheel aligenment, tires, oilchange back breaks $691.12 08-03 Altenator, serp belt. $341.32. 01-23-04 milage 39715 c/s battery light on, found intake is leaking. $45.10. 01-29-04 milage 39790 oil change manifold set and valve cover. $542.11 08-23-04 Cheverlot sent me a voucher for $1,800 towards a new car. 08-10-04 milage 44627 oil change front pads, wheel cylinders front caliper. $521.88 04-11-05 milage 50253 oil change replace fuel filter. $56.66 10-12-05 milage 53425 oil change tire repair. $80.20 12-29-05 milage 57455 oil change tail light keeps burning out random misfire code cleared. $34.02 1-22-07 electr sys test, new battery. $116.04 03-07-07 milage 63844 oil change, tire rotation check breaks. $86.82 06-07 new fuel pump and filter $3??.00 06-12-07 milage 65292 valve asm, sensor, canister,complete fuel system cleaning. $956.03 found several problems purge soleniod stuck open sucking fuel, psi sensor filling with fuel, replace solenoid, charcoal canister, and psi switch. alos founf trans range switch broken. They wanted an additional $800.00 to replace that, then I forgot how much to replace head gaskets again. I can't find the reciept when they fixed the head to the a/c. or some of things my brother had fixed for me. These are just the reciepts that I have in front of me. Plus the a/c head still goes on and off by itself.
Scottl of Fairview TN (05/13/07)
Bought a 2001 Chevy Malibu used in January of 2002 after our Toyata was totaled in a crash. We had no problems for approximately 18months. Then in the fall of 2003 our problems began. The first was with the gas guage dropping from a quarter of a tank to empty in about 3 seconds and then the car shut off while my wife was driving home from the grocery store with my two daughters.
I was in Chicago and could not help her. A local mechanic was driving by and brought her gas and got the car underway. He told us to get rid of the car as they were not worth the steel they were made of. We should have listened. Two weeks later the same thing happened AFTER I filled up with gas. Towed to dealership and told there was nothing wrong with the car. I was now out 75 for the tow, and 200 for their diagnosis. January of 2004 the car would not start, the engine cranked, the fuel pump works but the engine would not start. A tow and 600 dollars later corrected the problem. The reason according to the dealership was the ignition and theft deterrent system malfunctioned and needed to be replaced.
April 2004 car overheats and stalls. Dealership stated that the issue was with the intake manifold and cooling system which was replaced for only 900 dollars. What a deal, huh? Fall of 2005 ignition problem again... another 600 dollars plus tow. February 2006 starter, battery and alternator are replaced. Summer of 2006 power windows, turn signals and hazard lights quit working.
Spring of 2007 yet another ignition system failure. I have contacted chevrolet to be told that these are normal repairs to be performed on a car with the the mileage that this car has. Hmm. In my youth I was a mechanic. It was how I fed myself through college. I believe what they do not understand is that this is NOT a reasonable repair schedule.
I had a Ford F150 with over 400,000 miles on it at trade in. I spent 500 dollars for the intake manifolds to be cleaned and other than tires, a new serpentine belt, a battery and oil changes and ONE additional set of spark plugs that was it. The toyota dealership I traded it into gave me more for that trade than they were willing to give me the Malibu that is 4 years newer with 300,000 less miles. I will NEVER buy another Chevrolet product again. EVER. Nor will I allow my children to EVER own a chevrolet, even if it is given to them.
William of New Smyrna Beach FL (05/02/07)
In January 2005 I bought a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu from this dealer and after a few months I had a vibration in the front driver side which after over 8 service attempts over the span of 1 1/2 years I contacted the BBB and they bought the car back. I received a check which I turned around and used at Jon Hall O.K. Used Cars across the street from the main dealer. I found a 2002 Dodge Dakota P/U that I liked but I could tell that it would need some work. They don't have any price on the autos on the lot so I asked a salesperson how much was the truck.
He retruned about 5 minutes later saying that it was $12,000. Now I saw this in the Kelly Blue Book just days before and it was listed in excelent condition for only $8,900. This truck was by far not in perfect shape. I told the salesperson that I'd take it for $10,000 and he asked me if I had a down payment; which I did. He asked me how much I had and I told him $2,000. He left and returned about 10 minutes later and asked me if I could come up with $2,500 down and I said yes and asked why. He told me that it'd be cheaper as far as the payments go and he'd be able to bring the price down to $10,000. The problem that I had was that I had my 4 year old son with me and he was cranky so I needed to hurry and get out of there. We signed the papers and several days later I got a call telling me that they had to re-work the contract and I needed to come back in and resign; so I went in.
I was told by the finance guy that the finance company wouldn't finance me unless I had a warrenty. He gave me a little folder w/ info about a warrenty that I needed and said, This covers everything. I had to sign a new contract charging me almost $2000 more and find out after reading the small print that the warrenty doesn't include anything that has to do w/ the engine or the transmission; which I am now having problems with.
On top of that they just pocketed my $2,500 that I put down because the jacked the price back up to almost $12,000. I am very sickened by the practice of all the people at Jon Hall Chevrolet and I have been telling everyone whom I come into contact w/ not to do business w/ them because they are crooks. There should be a law against people like them. While you are there trying to read over everything they are pushing the pen in your hand. Once you've signed you're screwed.
Beth of Roseburg OR (03/26/07)
My Husband and I brought a 2005 chevy malibu this last may. At the time purchased the vechile we had to have special financing for this vechile I had asked for the extended warranty but they would not sell it to us and would not even notify us if whether we could have this or not. It had 36,000 miles on it.
Two weeks after we bought the vechile one of the head lights went out and so week took it to the dealership they replaced it then a week later the opposite headlight went out. I have replaced four of them! In August I started to see the coolant light come on so i would open the hood and see that the vechile was slightly low so i would fill it up. Three weeks later it would do the same thing.
About two weeks after that on a hot day i climbed into the vechile and in the dash where you can adjust the vents they were inset to the car they still are and i can't adjust the vents anymore.
In December we took at drive to the coast when after an hour drive the vechile decided to overheat we pulled over and it had blown the raditor hose right off the engine. We attached it and got it to cool and drove it home because of course we have no warranty. Upon getting it home it decided to start to fill the engine with all of the coolant and start steaming out the tail end.
I have been without out my vechile since then because it was quoted 1500.00 to 3000.00 to have the engine fixed in when i feel brads knew along. They told me so sorry because you don't have an extended warranty. Oh yeah the other headlight is out now too. Right now my car sits at a friends house with the engine apart because there is no repair manaul released for this vechile. After reading all of the problems someone should fix our problem!!
Brian of Fredericksburg VA (03/22/07)
My 2003 Chevy Malibu would not start after filling up at a gas station. I called the dealership and was given a towing company to have the vehicle brought in at approximately 700a.m. with the verbal understanding that the car would be looked at sometime during the day. I contacted the dealership around 400p.m. for a status after not hearing any information and was told that it had not even been brought in as of yet and could not be looked at until maybe the next day. I complained that if I had not been told it would be looked at I would have not had it towed in for $75.00.
It wasn't until late the following day that the service rep called me and stated they found that the battery was bad. I stated that the battery was only bad because the engine would not start and after repeated attempts to jump the vehicle it couldn't be just a battery and wanted them to do additional troubleshooting. I was told that there was nothing else they could check and to just wait and see if it happened again. I reluctantly paid the $370.00 bill. The exact same condition occured again about 2 months later.
Only this time I was stranded at my work which was about 30 miles away from the dealership. I was told at this time by a service tech to just have it towed in AGAIN and they would check it out. I asked if they would guarantee their previous work and was told only the service manager could ok that question. The tech took down my number and said he would give it to the service manager and tell him my situation. I tried calling the service manager 8 times and after waiting for nearly 1 1/2 hours he finally answerd my phone call and stated the following:
He would not guarantee the previous work because it had been over 2 months since it was last seen. He would only guarantee the battery since that was the part they had changed. He would definately not cover the towing back to the dealership. And lastly I would be better off just going to another dealership. I ended up contacting another dealership and was put in touch with a service technician that same evening who gave me several reccomendations that ended up fixing the vehicle. My complaint would be that the service department ignored my inital request to look into more than the battery and they did not stand by their work after I paid the bill.
Lauren of Chicago IL (03/21/07)
On Feb.2 my mother bought me a 97 chevy malibu with 87,115 miles on it. The price was 4995. when we test drove the car it needed struts so the saleman took off 500. When I took the car home i got a oil change at jiffy lube. The attendant told me that there was too much oil in the car. So he replaced the oil, after about 2 weeks or so the engin starts knocking and we took the car back and they said that there was nothing that they conuld do about it. So buy March 8 the car finally stopped when i was on my way to school. I had to leave my car adn have someone tow my car to get a new engine put in. All together there is 9 things wrong with my car.... 1. Engine went out 2. Power steering went out 3.Back speakers dont work 4.Back defrost dosent work 5.ABS light stays on 6.Oil light keeps comming on 7. Wiper fluid leak 8.Struts 9.Window dosent roll down So once my car gets out the shop who knows what else will be wrong with the car they say once one thing breaks everything else starts to break.
Sandra of Huntsville AL (03/21/07)
There shouyld be a recall on 2000 Chevy Malibus for rotor problems and also intake manifolds. There is a web site with all the complaints for the Malibu with the same prolems.
Cheryl of Charles City VA (03/21/07)
2000 Malibu cuts off while traveling down the road--no warning-just loses its power and shuts off when it comes to a stop. Turns over but won't restart for at least 10-20 minutes. I bought this Mailbu new (176 miles) from a dealer in Chester, VA in August 2001. Since then, the intake gaskets have been replaced (as with many other persons), being related to the Dex-cool problem. A short time after that, my clock went on the fritz, periodically blinking and finally both the clock and my sound systems went out completely. So, for the last 3 years I have had no sound system in my car. Then approximately 2 years ago, my car would start if it suspected I was trying to steal my own car! I had to either sit for 10-20 minutes to wait for my computer to reset or take the battery cable off and put it back on!
Finally, for the last 2 years, my car would just lose power and cut off on me, first on the interstate doing 70 MPH, and now driving to & from my parents' house 3 miles away! For the most recent problem, I have had my car in the shop twice (as it is now), but the problem has not been diagnosed--they can't find anything wrong with it. The first time it was in the shop, they did say my water pump was cracked and got $671.00 out of me. When I picked my car up, I didn't even get it home--it cut off on me again! I have had it towed home 3 times, and this time to the dealer. They have had it for 3 days and can't find anything wrong.
Why can't GM admit when they have made a car that has major problems and stand behind their product??? They're losing a lot of customers over this!! Me being one more!!! I'll never buy another GM product again, and you can bet I'll share my experience with others!
$120 for towing, $671 for water pump, $1,000 for replacing intake manifold, and more pending (when I get my vehicle from shop).
Heather of Wyo MI (03/20/07)
I have 102,000 miles on my 99' Chevy and now the intake is leaking into the radiator and engine. Have to get flushed and repaired. Most places quoted $900 but I found help for all for $600. As I was taking the car down to the corner to be fixed, my struts snapped, which snapped my coil springs. Now I have an additional $700 in repairs to do the struts, strut plate, alignment and lets not forget those trusty coils. I have had nothing but trouble with the brakes/rotors. They go out at least 2x a year. Malibu's suck. My parents have the same exact car as mine and if there's not something wrong with mine, there's something wrong with theirs. These should have been recalled immediately. They still can be. C'mon Chevy, lets not forget about us customer's who already bought your product.
Lou of Ludlow Falls OH (03/16/07)
I own a 2003 GM Malibu. I recently noticed that the coolant level was dropping and took the vehicle to a mechanic. When he called me back, he explained that the pink dex-cool coolant had destroyed the intake manifold gasket along with ruining the water pump and various other gaskets. I looked into the situationa and discovered that this is a problem with GM cars after 1996....PLEASE ADVISE! Thanks.
the reparis to the Malibu cost $1,000, and as i stated earlier that the intake gasket, water pump and gasket, and thermistat plus gasket were all replaced by the mechanic. He also had to flush the system and refill the cooling system.
Joe of Toms River NJ (03/16/07)
i have read many complaints about leaking gaskets on this car and it should have been a recall from gm yet they claim no responcibility for a very bad product failure also front end work is always needed to be done at around 25 to 35 thousand miles
so far the car repairs have cost me 3000 dollars
Nicole of Cookeville TN (03/14/07)
In September '04, I purchased an '04 Malibu. Two days later I had it in the shop to get the horn repaired. A couple weeks later I had it back to the shop for a problem with the ignition.
The car has trouble starting.
I have described to the best of my ability with the car but was told for a long time the problem could not be duplicated. I have had it in the shop over 10 times in the last 2 1/2 years. I have also had to have the lights and blinkers repaired three times in the last year and half. I have had 2 dealerships tell me GM is aware of the problem with the Malibu and are working for a solution.
They asked I be patient because there would be a bulletin out on my car within the next year to repair it. So I have been patient. Now, at 60,000 miles, I have dropped 3 cylinders in the motor and have a hole in a piston. I can't help but think this is related to the ignition problem...which I have described to all the dealerships it's been to that it isn't getting fuel.
Cynthia of Fairfield OH (03/10/07)
In July of of '02 my husband and I purchased a '02 Chevy Malibu and from day one it gave us problems. It started with the gas gauge, then the brakes have to be replaced every 6 months, I had to get a new steering rack and pinion, the windshield wipers work on one level , the hazard and turn signal lights go out, it shakes horribly when accelerating to speeds of 60 or higher, the tires wear unevenly, now when I go to start I have to play with the ignition switch to get it to start.
I'm fed up with this car I'm not made of money this car is not worth all of the repairs on top of I'm still paying a car note. I have to always keep a cell phone with cause I don't know if I'm gonna be able to start my car or get hit when my turn signal lights fail and i have 2 small children. I'm not the only one experiencing these problems every one i have ever come across who owns a Malibu are having the same kinds of problems there needs to be a class action law suit against gm.
Amanda of Clayton GA (02/25/07)
I have 2 Chevy Malibu's sitting in my driveway, three months after buying them I the motor blew up after that just one thing after another. I confided in buying a Chevrolet because I have never heard a complaint about them. As of now i will never buy a Chevrolet again, the only thing that these cars are good for is firewood, but I still make the payments every month like clockwork.
After all of the complaints I have read on the internet that is why I am making a formal complaint, because all of these American consumers got screwed just like me and we are supposed to be able to trust in American goods here in the us.l From now I am going to buy a foreign vehicle.
Eric of Johnson City NY (02/19/07)
I need $500-600 in repairs to my malibu 01' because of the dexcool leaking, it doesn't even have 50,000 miles
loss of major money
Vanessa of Kokomo IN (02/19/07)
I bought a 1999 Chevy Malibu. In 2002 I had to get a new water pump. I didnt think anything about it. But for the last 2 or 3 years my engine coolant light has been coming on and when i fill my car up it will only last for a couple of months. I heard about the Dex Cool problem and im sure that has happened to me. My car is getting worse and im going to have to take it in for a repair but im not looking forward to what it is going to cost me. After reading everything i know it will be my head gasket which needs replaced. Im very upset that GMC has not recalled this product and not stood up for their mistake. I will never own another GMC product and i live in a city where half of the population is employed by GMC. Thats not saying alot for their company.
Alisa of Richmond VA (02/08/07)
I have purchased (2) 2001 Chevy Malibus and both had and have leaking intake manifold gaskets. Antifreeze is leaking out daily. This car should have been recalled years ago. It is a known defect that GM will not take accountability for. The cost of the first repair for the car was covered outside of warranty. I have trouble getting the cost covered with the second vehicle due to the mileage (103,341). The mileage is irrelevant because most mechanics will tell you that the manifold should outlast the vehicle.
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John of Wichita Falls TX (02/08/07)
i am so aggravated at all the money i have put into my 99 chev malibu. Bought in 2000 i needed a dependable veh. and got a descent car payment. So far i have had to replace the brakes and turn rotors every 6 months. On top of that i have had several other problems too. Struts lasted for 5 months then i was told they were a normal wear item and would cost over 600 to replace.
I have replaced the water pump 4 times already and have put well over 5 THOUSAND dollars in my car. Shortly after purchasing this vehicle i almost went bankrupt due to all the numerous repairs and cost. Anti theft light, brakes, rotors, calipers, intake gaskets and so on. I even tried taking the stupid thing back to landrum 2 months after i got it. They refused and told me it was mine.
I bought a new motor and had it installed...3000 dollars...to no avail...intake is leaking again and will prob have to get the brakes done pretty soon again. GM should admit that the malibu has many flaws and own up to them instead of trapping consumers with their so called economical family vehicle..
Angela of Richmond VA (02/05/07)
I purchased on 2001 Malibu on 1/29/05 on 12/27/05 I had the computer module replaced as the car would not start at all, since then I have been stranded 6 times due to engine no start, I ve been no gas, I needed a fuel pump, that I needed a battery after different situations and having those thing replaced I am still having start problems.Now I am being told its has to do with the anti theft system.
Michael of East Setauket NY (02/01/07)
We purchased a 2001 Chevy Malibu from Performance Chevrolet in NY. We had the car for a few months, when we needed a brake job, and it was discovered that we also needed new rotors, as well as pads. We thought this odd for a new car, but thought that might just be a fluke. Not so. During the course of our ownership, we have had to have the brakes done 5 more times, and this car is driven around town. We haven't left a 20 mile radius with the car since we bought it. We also developed a problem with the cooling system.
The sticker on the car clearly states that the coolant doesn't need to be changed for 5 years, but after 3, it turned into sludge. Now, antifreeze needs to be added from time to time, with no sign of a leak. This past month, we brought it back in to the same Meineke we have been using this whole time,(located in Rocky Point, NY) once again for brakes, as well as a knock in the engine. Not only did they say we needed a lot of brake work, it was suggested that we may need a new engine, because it is a lower end knock, and it has something to do with gears. The car has been sitting in our driveway for over a month, because for some reason, something is draining the battery in 3 days and I don't understand why.
I can't keep pumping money into this pathetic lemon. We payed around $17,000 for the car and put in another $4,000 in breaks alone, as well as money for the other minor breakdowns. I tried to contact Chevy a few times, only to get nowhere. I have read that there are many people with brake issues, but Chevy claims that it isn't a defect.
Julie of Liverpool TX (01/31/07)
i have a 2003 chevrolet malibu. it has been in the shop 4 times for the same brake problems. when the brakes are applied the rotors grind terribly. the rotors have been turned and resurfaced twice and completley replaced once. the pads have been replaced as well. the dealership claims that gm motors had many vehicles come from the factory with warped rotors.
how could this happen?
your brakes are very important! i drive my 2 children to school every day,and there is always that little thought in the back of my mind, what would i do if my brakes went out. at least my car is paid for. i know i will never by another over priced chevrolet again unless the quality of these mass produced vehicles improves. i really love the room in my car but how safe is it? my fuel pump went out as well, with only 50,000 miles on it.
the worst thing you could have done was put the fuel pump in the stupid gas tank! my tank was full when we had to drop the tank to replace it. that was a very expensive repair. thank goodness for savings accounts. i am not looking for money or to sue anyone over these matters i just wanted to bring these issues to your attention before somone gets hurt.
Allen of Sunset UT (01/30/07)
It started with my daughters 2001 Chevy malibu. A the coolant system started to loose coolant at about 75K mikes. I had her take it to the shop and have the coolant sys flushed due to the heavy sludge accumulating in the recovery tank. After that every couple hundres miles coolant had to be added. My daughter took it into the shop to diagnose the problem the tech sair the intake gaskets are leaking and would cost $900.00 to repair. I have a 2002 Malibu that has developed the same problem (heavy sludge, loss of coolant internally)
Sonya of Ellenwood GA (01/20/07)
I purchased a 2004 Chevy Malbu in July 2004. After 1 week it was cutting off on me when I stopped. I took it back to the dealership and after 1 week they said they could not find a problem. I have taken my car in because the radio locks for no reason, after a few visits they replaced the radio and my radio still locks when it gets ready. I have to turn the car off and on to get it to unlock. I have for the last 3 years had problems with my car not wanting to start. After it sits a few minutes it will start. I have taken it to the dealership at least 4 times and they said they could not duplicate the problem. Am I the only on experiencing this? I think it is the computer but they are saying it is not. I have 60,000 miles on my car now and out of warranty and my car still does not start somethings.
Ivan of San Antonio TX (01/14/07)
I have a 98 Chevrolet Malibu that starts but immediately shuts off right after I start it due to a manifold gasket leak. The Auto theft light comes on and I can't get the engine to turn over for at least ten minutes. The mechanic I took it to said it will be at least $700 to fix and that he has seen this complaint in a lot of chevys before. I had already replaced my starter before because the gaskets had leaked into my starter causing it to break down. I had never heard of anyone having to replace a starter on a car that was less than 15 years old. I went to the Chevrolet website and did not find any complaints or even a recall center but was shocked at how many complaints there were for the EXACT same problem as my car on this(Consumer Affairs)website. Can someone please let me know if there is a recall for this problem or if any kind of legal action is being taken against Chevrolet or GM? Thank you.
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Terry of Jonesville NC (01/13/07)
I purchased a 2000 Chev Malibu and only after having it 3 months, the motor had to be replaced. I did not like this at all as I purchased a new car but GM gave me a 100,000 warranty. Next is the brakes. They ended up having to replace my brakes and pads after only 6 months. Something is wrong when you have to replace brakes at 6 months but I have had to replace them every 6-9 months since then. I have never had this problem in the past with other cars.The brakes on this vehicle is defective. The rotors have had to be turned also.
Grace of Watertown MA (01/11/07)
1/1/07 My car was towed to the dealership because of continuous stalling. They replaced the fuel pump. 75 miles later the car was again towed to the same dealership for the same reason of continuous stalling. this time I couldn't get the car started. Please don't say I flooded the car. since the beginning of the year the car has been at the dealership for 7 days. 2006 chev.malibou 4400 miles
Jordon of Flagstaff AZ (01/05/07)
Same story as everyone else. I bought my 1999 Malibu from a local Chevy dealer in 2002. If memory serves it had about 50,000 miles on it when I bought it. Now, in 2007, it's got just over 100,000 miles on it. In just under 5 years and about 50,000 miles I've gone through 2 intake manifold gaskets.
My mechanic told me that the gaskets were defective and that many Chevy engines have the same problem. I asked if there was an aftermarket part that could be used instead of the GM part - he said no. Both repairs have cost me ~ $800 a piece.
I checked the Web and have found countless complaints about the GM gaskets, yet no accountability on GM's part. If it's a fluke defect then fine - but this clearly is a predictable, recurring,and widespread problem. The U.S. needs to follow suit with Canada and file a lawsuit against GM.
Trish of Jackson NE (12/13/06)
after reading all the similiar complaints on this site, im saddened to say im not alone. I just got the wonderful news about the antifreeze leak in the intake manifold and will be approx 800.00 to fix and now i will be driving my car and it will just shut off intermittently for no reason. Almost like its not getting gas to the engine and my mechanic cannot find any problem with the car what so ever. I am highly frustrated with the issued and GM refuses to help in any way. Shame on you
Kathleen of Plover WI (12/10/06)
Having the same problem with the intake gaskets on two GM's we own both 2002 - a Malibu and Rendevous. We are getting quotes of up to 900 each to repair. If GM knows about this then why aren't they doing something .. something like Toyota would do?
Marc of Kingston, Ontario, Canada (12/04/06)
my 1998 malibu 3.1 litre had to have the manifold gasket replaced because of leaking coolant into the engine at 80,000 kms and then the alternator and then the water pump and now the car will not start intermittently and the theft light flashes for 15 minutes before it will start again. (:
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Denton of Mcminnville OR (12/03/06)
Intake manifold leaked & I was told by Wilsonville Chevrolet that it was do to defective manifold bolts (they have some substance like teflone tape on them that did not work right & causes them to not hold their torque setting) these cost $40 for their new bag of bolts. After a full day of work to replace the intake manifold gasket it seems to not leak. Now the next problem everyone has brake pad lining. I was told after I replaced my rotors, calipers, & pads by Les Schwab that GM brake is not like other lining. They use softer brake lining to provide quieter braking.This is causing the consumers to have to replace their pads around 20K (3-6mths).Honda & cars (from what I hear) use a harder lining so you get the normal 60k out of your brake pads. Now the last problem which I have with this wonderfully dependable car that sitting in my driveway dead is no engine is on & it will not start just cranks over. I will be taking it to the dealer for this electrical issue.
Kim of Madras OR (11/15/06)
In October of 2003 I purchased a 2000 Chevy Malibu. What a mistake. I traded in a 1997 Ford Ranger on the Chevy because I thought I was being practical. What I found is that while the gas mileage is better the Chevy is a real POS. I pay about $225.00/month on car payments. I at least spend that a month on maintenance. And not the routine kind. In the past year I have paid for the repair of the left front wheel bearing, a tow fee, three brake systems, and a water pump. When I say brake systems I mean pads, rotors, and calipers. The windshield wipers no longer work at all. I think the motor is burned up but have yet to check it out due to lack of money and I actually consider no wipers a small issue. How sad.
The two years before that I was constantly going through spark splugs and wires. Still to this day have no idea why. Sometimes they were cracked, others there was just a misfire. There is a horrible smell of sulfar coming from the front of the car. In addition to all that I am convinced that the radio is all that is worth a crap, but not to my surprise sometimes it shorts out just driving down the road. In the years that I have owned this blessing i have spent around $1732.00 on the wheel bearing, brake repairs, water pump, and tow fee. These figures are off the top of my head. I am sure if I dig through my receipts there are more...
While my son and I have yet to be hurt by this car I have nicknamed Christine, every trip to college, which is 45 minutes away, is a game of Russian Roulette. So I have decided to run the little purple gem right into the ground. Oh yeah, I owe about $5,000.00 on it and it is Blue booked at $2,500.00 Welcome to my world....
Nancy of Hartsville TN (11/15/06)
while my 1998 Chevy Malibu was parked with the engine off, keys in my purse. The engine caught fire. I got in touch with GMC, told them the firedept. thought the fire was started due to a faulty daytime running light switch. GMC, sent one of their investorgators, he drove the car. and claimed that only Ford had the problem with the light switch. They did nothing, the car had already been recalled for the rack and pinion , and windshild wipper assembley, that blew off after a spider dance on the windshild during a server rain storm. The fire occured only weeks after i had the car in the shop for a complete matencence check up.
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Toni l of Dallas TX (11/12/06)
I have a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu. I had no problems for a while but now constant. First the leaking that doesn't stop. I've already spent 600.00 having this fixed and it still did not stop. I've now been told it is leaking through the intake manifold gasket. I called the Chevrolet Service Center regarding DexCool and gasket leaking and they claimed they had never heard of the problem so I thought the mechanic was trying to rip me off, until I checked the internet. GM is lying to the public about a known problem. My next problem is the igintion switch which is going out, again a known problem with this car.
I'm out of pocket over $1500.00 at this point.
Mitchell of Ludlow MA (10/21/06)
I have a 2000 Chev Malibu it started leaking anti-freeze and over heating.The heat only worked on and off and at this point is setting in my drive way dead, it will not start. It turns over but will not start.
My wife can not dvive my truck bacouse its like a boat to her, and she does't feel safe in it. She has had to miss her doctor appointments and is unable to do other things that require a car. Some times she is able to get rides but feels bad asking.The bottom line is that we will have to get a car.
Betty Jo of Midway GA (10/06/06)
I bought my 2002 Malibu brand new. had only 14 miles on it. at 23,000 miles.. I had to have the brake pads replaced. and the front rotors. I had to pay over $300 because I was told this was a wear and tear.. repair.. and it was because I rode my brakes too hard etc.. I am a good driver.. I do not slam on the brakes...no accidents ( my husband has 97 ford and he has never had to replace his brakes..). But since then I have had my brake pads replaced 4 times and the rotors need replacing now but I cant afford it. I also have the blinker problem, the hazard switch problem, had the air condition problem. some times it would work somes not.. had to pay to get that fixed to. I am now having MORE brake problems.. and losing fluid from what I have been told seems to my thermastat area, my electric window in rear broke, had that fixed. I will never buy a chevy again. my boyfriend is a certified mechanic he agrees that brake pads should not have to be replaced every 20k miles even if you DO use the brakes too much.
Valeri of Streamwood, IL (09/17/06)
I have 1999 Chevy Malibu and I have had many problems with the fuel injectors on this vehicle. I bought the car in April of 2005 and had all 6 injectors replaced. After spending over $1600 in repair work I again had to take the vehicle in, this time the 1st injector went and was replaced. This work was done only in June of '05.
The car began to misfire again in August of '05 and this time all injectors were clogged and needed to be cleaned. This was also performed at the shop. Then in October of '05 it needed the 4th injector replaced. In July of '06 the 3rd injector needed to be replaced.
As of today I have spent over $2700 on fuel injector issues.
Karla of Waverly IA (09/16/06)
At least now I don't feel alone. I too purchased a Chevy Malibu. It only had 20,000 miles on it when I purchased it and the first year it ran ok. Since then I've replaced the brakes, pads and rotors, 3 times in 2 years, the water pump went out and before I could even get that fixed the engine blew and I had to replace the whole thing. My tires wear unevenly, my brakes are once again making noise, and now everytime my car shifts gears it makes a terrible noise. I've had one of my wipers go flying off of my car in an ice storm, the whole thing, not just the blade. If Chevy came to my house today and gave me a new car I'd tell them to keep it. I'm going to buy a Ford next time, that is if I can stop paying to fix this car to save money to buy a new one!
Deborah of Canyon, TX (09/08/06)
A month ago I had over $1000 worth of work done on my 1999 Malibu (gaskets, water pump, etc). Last week, the engine compartment caught on fire while I was in a store. It was parked, not running, in the parking lot!
The car is a total loss. I had to go to my bank, then go out to buy a car with no trade-in. I still owe $800 on the repair bill for the now-toasted Malibu!
I bought a Toyota Corolla. No more Chevys for me!
Patrick of Lavista NE (08/03/06)
I have a 1999 Chevy Malibu. I've had the same problems as most of the people who have complained about the Chevy Malibu, leaking anti-freeze, air conditioner problems, etc. But, I got the bonus of having the crank shaft in the engine break. I was actually driving it to the mechanic's shop because it was knocking so loud when it just died on me. I had it towed the rest of the way and they informed me that the crank shaft was broken and I'd need a replacement engine. I had it towed to the Chevy dealership and called the GM support line hoping that they would help out with the cost, after all, the crank shaft doesn't just break, unless it is defective.
After 3 weeks of haggling back and forth with GM and the dealership, GM let me know that there would be no help from them and to basically leave them alone. The dealership charged me $3200.00 for a rebuilt engine and labor to install. Since having the new engine installed, I no longer have a coolant leak, but, it is now hard to start, and just in the last 3 weeks it barely starts at all.
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Sheila of Virginia Beach VA (06/27/06)
I have had 2 problems with my gaskets leaking on my intake manifold on my 2000 Chevy Malibu. The first time in 12/2003 when I had only 35,000 miles on my car and it was 10 months out of factory warranty. Now it has happened again and burned out my water pump as well.
This is only 2 1/2 years and 20,000 miles later. Since I did not have it serviced by a dealer the first time the dealer refuses to help in any way. I called GM Customer Service. They attempted to call the dealer (Priority Chevrolet in Chesapeake VA) but the dealer was adamant that it could have been poor workmanship that caused the 2nd failure of the gaskets and refused to stand behind their product.
I have taken my vehicle back to the Firestone that did the first work. Although their work is no longer under warranty they have agreed to repair again and share the cost 50%. There is no way that this should be a problem twice when I only have 54,000 miles on the car.
Opal Marvelle of Tahlequah OK (06/14/06)
Since purchasing my 2005 Malibu Maxx, I have had it in the shop for service three times in the three months since purchasing the vehicle for power-steering related problems. As of June 10, 2006 the problem has not been remedied.
The vehicle was purchased March 14, 2006 and by April 14, 2006 I was very concerned about the power steering but was told by the service manager Larry that the problem had been fixed. My digital panel continued to display the words POWER STEERING. I continued to have concerns after Lake Country checked for codes. They said none were found. The car has been problematic since the date of purchase.
No accidents have occurred but I have been issued rental cars twice and have had to delay moving from one town to another because of the Malibu Maxx being serviced again. The inconvenience has been substantial.
Candi of Oldfort TN (05/27/06)
I recently went with my parent to a dealership in ducktown tennessee called ducktown dodge. They had a special running where you buy a brand new dodge neon and get a second car by giving up all your rebates and promotional offers. So my parents got the brand new neon and i thought i was luckin out getting a 2000 chevy malibu. When we drove it off the lot the windows would not roll down and it was 90 degrees outside. That was just the start of all the problems yet to come.
It has an uncontollable shaking and I've had the tires replaced balanced and a 4 tire alignment. The problem still persists and they say they can't find the cause of it. Then my coolant light came on. I have replaced my battery twice. And finally when i got money to fix the coolant problem....They replaced the intake gasket thermostat a sensor and put a motor in the coolant fans. Well....this still didnt solve my overheating problem. My fans still wouldnt run.
So then I took it back to the mechanic and he kept my car for a week and said the fans were running fine. So yet again two weeks later i had to take it back as the fans would not come on when the car got hot. I took it back yet again. He kept the car for a week. So when i went to pick the car up he would not let me leave until i saw the fans running. I happily took the car home and noticed it was still shaking despite my new brake job and alignment. I parked my car and went to get in it the next day. Well now my coolant fans will NOT SHUT OFF. They are now telling me that it is a pcm or heat sensor.
Because of all the problems i have missed work and school. This car is completly unreliable and its in the mechanics garage more than my driveway. I dont feel safe driving this car by myself let alone having my two infant children in it. Come on chevy you got a lemon!
Schawanda of Griffin GA (05/26/06)
I have a 1999 Chevy Malibu that I purchased in 1999 and it has just been a total lemon. I have read other complaints about Chevy Malibu's and they are exactly what I have went through with my vehicle. In the last 5 months I have spent over $5,000.00, not to mention what I paid out the first 6 months I bought my car. Something needs to be done about this.
Sacha of Brunswick ME (05/18/06)
I bought my 1997 Chevy Malibu with 72,000 miles a year ago, this month. When I would apply the brakes it sounded scary and not good. I had my rotors turned and replaced the brake pads myself. Two weeks later the same thing started happening and getting worse, so i thought ok maybe I need to replace my rotors this time. I did so along with a new set of brake pads.
2-3 weeks and the same thing. 4 different garages and no one could find the problem. The steering also felt floaty. I was afraid to sneeze cause when I would, I'd look up and be floating somewhere else on the road. When I would go over bumps at a slow speed, my car made this sound like the strut was bouncing around like a basketball. When I turned the wheel I heard a clicking noise.
Sometimes when i start my car, the key won't even turn in the ignition and I end up being late for school/work/picking my child up from daycare. I would fill the coolant and a month later or less the coolant light would come on. Well, if you have to keep adding coolant, there's a leak. FIX THE LEAK!! If it's leaking and you don't get the problem fixed, you will end up spending way more money in the long run on major repairs.
My tires kept wearing funny and I would feel a vibration going over 40 mph. I could hear a growling sound when I turned going anywheres from probably 10mph plus. Under the hood, you could see that something was leaking and the spinning of the drive belt was spraying the fluid onto the underside of the hood.
Debbie of Lansdale PA (05/18/06)
I have 1976 Chevy Malibu LS with 78,000 miles on it. Back in January 2002, Bergey's Chevrolet in Colmar, PA discovered why I was losing anti-freeze. There was a problem with the intake manifold, and since my extended warranty was still active, Bergey's replaced some gaskets. Up to the date that my extended warranty expired, I always took my car to Bergey's Chevrolet for routine service and maintenance. And for the few recall letters I have received, I always went back to Bergey's to have the work done.
Subsequently, when the extended warranty expired, I found a reliable mechanic in my area. My car is taken in several times a year to this mechanic for routine maintenance. During my December 2005 visit, I was informed by my mechanic that I was again losing antifreeze and the problem was with the intake manifold. He also told me his cost would be around $1100 to repair. I was told I would have no problems in the winter months with the issue, but I could very well see some issues come this summer when I want to use the AC. He assured me that they would check on the antifreeze level each time I brought the car back in for service.
My belief is that the problem was not fixed correctly the first time by GM, or the parts they used were a replica of the bad parts. In reading this Web site, there is indication that GM has subsequently modified the replacement parts.
Joshua Leiby of Jacksonville FL (05/15/06)
I own a 2000 Chevrolet Malibu. I have an issue with a faulty hazard light switch which shorts out and causes my turn signals to become non-functioning. According to the service manager of GM's calling center, as well as an employee of a local dealership, there is no recall on my VIN. Apparently, my vehicle is not one of those manufactured in the time period stated for the current recall. I wish someone could explain to me, how I can have the exact problem as another owner whose vehicle was manufactured less than one year after mine, and my situation is not addressed? This is a serious defect that needs to be addressed by its manufacturer.
Mark of Columbia Station OH (03/01/06)
In Dec. of 2000 I purchased a 2001 Malibu LS. when purchased it had 23 miles. During my ownership I experienced the following: At 11,000 miles had a complete engine replacement due to the 4th and 5th cylinders cracked. at 17,000 miles. I needed my front brakes replaced. In the first 2 years I also experienced the heater switch getting replaced twice, the air conditioner switch replaced twice, then at 42,000 miles I needed the front brakes replaced again. Also I had the pleasure of having a complete tuneup done -- plugs, wires etc. it is sad to say that I always bought chevy products. but after this experience I will never buy again.
Sandra of Lorain OH (02/23/06)
I had just bought the car when the coolant light began going on......second day I had it! I took it to the used car dealer and had them put some coolant in. It was ok for about a week then the light went on again.
So, I took it to a shop and the guy briefly looked it over and said it was the air compressor and that it had coolant and that I would be ok until spring.
Now about a week later....today, I turn on the car and it doesn't warm up. Instead I just get blasts of cold air like the air conditioner is on. Halfway to work it got warm. After work...same thing...cold air...stopped at the store and when I came out there was a puddle of water under my car. Turns out it's leaking from underneath the engine...I haven't taken it to a shop yet, but now that I read all this...you don't have to be a genius to guess what the problem is! I spent my income tax check on this car...thought I'd buy a good running car and now have any payments.....I always thought Malibu's had good reputations....now I see they've failed...what can I do now??? Anything??
Chantel of Fort Washington MD (02/21/06)
I am a college student and after my first car which was like a 91 got hit I couldn't do anything with it so I went looking for a used car to buy to help me get back and forth to school. Me and my family went to an auto auction and we purchased a 2001 Chevy Malibu that only have about 52,000 miles on it which was good because the price was low and so were the miles. The car was in very good condition except for a small dent.
The car was fine for about 2 months and that's when I started having major problems. We always figured we may have to get some minor work done but nothing big. We were WRONG! My antifreeze kept leaking out and I learned that it is not supposed to leak and you shouldn't have to change it for a certain time period. I ended up slowly putting in a bottle of antifreeze every few weeks then it moved to a few a day. I was terrified and so upset because I needed my car to get around. I wanted to get around without any problems. And since I'm a college student I don't have money to keep throwing away for a car.
We got new brakes and we got the intake valve repaired. Here I am 5 months laters and here I am having the same problem with my coolant system. My car is in the shop as I speak. There's no point in even putting any antifreeze in it because it falls right out the bottom. I'm not the only one with this car who has had this problem. Even the mechanic said that Malibus always have these problems. There should be a recall on the entire radiator/coolant system or whatever you call it because I can't and shouldn't have to shell out any more money.
Denniso of Berlin CT (02/21/06)
My 2001 Chevrolet Malibu started knocking when it was started up and the engine was cold.I contacted the dealer he siad to contact Chevrolet customer service .They stated that it was cold piston slap and that this was normal.I disagreed and contacted the dealer again.Then I called customer service again and they stated that they had contacted my dealer and the dealer would discount the repair by 25%. I said what is the total price the dealer said he couldn't give me a price until they took the motor apart and found out what needed to be replaced. I again contacted customer service and they said I should trust the dealer to only charge for what was needed and that this was their final offer. The car continues to knock terribly and I'm not comfortable driving it for any long distance.
Daniel of Newtown PA (02/07/06)
I have a 2000 Chrevrolet Malibu with 67,000 miles. The add Anti Freeze light comes on once a week and I have to add 16 ounces of Anti Freeze. Some one else I know had the same problem with a 1998 malibu. My mechanic showed me that there is a leak from the engine causing this problem.
Jillian of Chesterfield MI (01/31/06)
I replaced my 1988 Toyota with a 1998 Malibu LS thinking it was a much newer car, with 100,000 less miles on it, and less problems to come along. Wrong. After reading MANY complaints aboout intake manifolds/gaskets going bad in the Malibus, it really upsets me that an American made car is so much more poorly built than an import. i am now having this problem, and my mechanic said it is extremely common for these cars. Which I now know is true after reading many consumer reports. Why won't GM recall these? They are obviously defective. Too bad, I am gonna have to go back to good old Toyota, and increase the American unemployment rate since GM is too poor to recall. Ha.
Lisa of Joliet IL (01/11/06)
The computer on my 3 year old Chevy Malibu LS went out it was replaced, it burnt out immediately again. This is a certified mechanic who comes highly recommended. It was sent over to the dealership because no one has any idea what is wrong with it. My job depends on my vehicle. I am so screwed I owe a fortune on it. It is totally inoperable and I have no answers on it now for over a week. For 30 years I have drove a Lincoln with not one complaint (except those air shocks are very costly to replace) but I am used to a vehicle that I get 300,000 or more miles on it and they are still running, my kids are driving them. This three year old Malibu is I am afraid a huge mistake. It is racking up hundreds and hundreds of dollars and no one can tell me what is wrong with it yet.
Rob of High Point NC (12/22/05)
My 1999 Malibu started leaking coolant a few weeks back and I just kept on topping it off until I could find the time to check it out and fix it. This car has turned out to be a real piece of work! Every problem we have had with it is all over the internet, A/C problems, Ignition Switch, Brakes and on and on, I have had all of these problems. I really think this is the last GM product I will ever buy again.
Well it turns out the lower intake manifold gasket is leaking and after doing a little investigating this is a know problem with GM vehicles which were supplied with Dex-Cool coolant from the factory which is rated for 5 years for 15000 miles. This coolant after about 30,000 miles starts attacking gaskets and also may slug up and cause overheats if it doesn’t leak out first. I called the dealer and they said sorry but that is only warranted for 3 year 36,000 miles and we have 46,000 on the car. Cost for repairs is going to be around $800 to $1000.
Carli of Akron OH (12/13/05)
I have a 2001 Chevy Malibu. I bought it slightly used with 11,000 miles in 2001. I haven't had many problems with it, besides replacing the brakes too many times, until recently when I was told that the manifold intake gasket was leaking. I am so frustrated with Chevy because it seems that so many other people have this problem and they have done nothing about it! Next time I'm buying a Honda!
Kelly of Fort Myers FL (12/06/05)
My husband and I purchased a new Chevy Malibu in June of 2003 and have had problem after problem. With approximately 15k miles on the car, I was advised my brakes needed to be replaced and the rotors needed to be resurfaced. The service tech tried to tell me it had to be user related and were going to make me pay for them even though the car was under warranty. I found several complaints from others who had similar problems and he stated the best he could do was waive the labor charges.
Earlier this year, my 8 year old was diagnosed with cancer and my family and I had to make several trips to Tampa and Jacksonville for treatment. My car now has approximately 49k miles and is not under warranty. Since early this year, the air conditioning began to go out intermitently (I was told it would be at least $400 to repair), the brakes needed to be done again AND the brake line repaired, and most recently I had to have the fuel pump and filter replaced to the tune of $750. When they told me how much it was going to cost, I called a local service station (who mind you, knowing my situation with my son - we were leaving for his surgery the next day - did the SECOND brake job for free!) to see what they would charge me. They said $625.
I called the dealership and told them a tow truck would be by to pick it up. Then and only then did they say they would work with me on the price and still couldn't match what the other service station was willing to fix it for. In my opinion, I should have gotten their bottom line price the first time seeing I bought the car there. I will NEVER buy another Chevy again.
As stated above, my son has had medical issues this year that has severely impacted our financial resources. I did not have the funds to extend my warranty, nor do I have any personal time left at work to deal with these issues and don't feel I should be dealing with them for a 2 year old vehicle.
Candice of Union SC (11/15/05)
I purchased a 1999 Chevy Malibu from their dealership Oct.'04. A year has passed and since the first week of having this vehicle I have continuously had problems out of it. I have been having a problem with my theft system, it activates on its own therefore causing the car not to start. Along with that it runs hot, the brakes make a scrubbing sound when stopping, shakes at speeds of 60 or more, and it stalls.
`The car not starting when I need it to has caused me to be late for work a lot. I was put on probation at work and almost lost my job. Along with that my check for the week was docked some for being late.
Ricky of Edgewood NM (11/09/05)
2000 Malibu purchased new, nothing but trouble -- leaking intake manifold repair $1300.00, fuel cap replacement 3 times, turn signal failure, gas gauge failure, ac trouble, temp gauge trouble, total dash light failure, faulty transmission, over 2000.00 in repairs and no help from gm or chevrolet.
Patricia of Riverview FL (10/23/05)
Same story as everyone else. My 2000 Chevrolet Malibu was constantly overheating, taken to the chevrolet dealership while still under warrantee. They cxlaimed the engine was not overheating and got rid of me. 6 months later the engine blew 2 gaskets. I lost wages, rental car, $3000.00+ repair bill. The mechanic said it was the dexcool sludging the engine and that chevrolet knows about the problem. The dealership refused to notify me of this and covered the problem and saved themselves money by not flushing the coolant from my car.
Donna of Las Vegas NV (10/11/05)
I purchased a 2000 Chevy Malibu back in December of 2004. Since then we have had some problems with the car, though we do keep up on regular maintenence. Recently we have had problems with the brakes, brake cylinder, turn signals not working properly and now a leaking coolant problem. We took the vehicle into Discount muffler and Brakes who told us it would cost 3,000.00 and over to have the leaking coolant issue fixed.
The report reads as follows: "The intake manifold is leaking at the heads, blown head gasket and thermostat." This is my only way back and forth to work. We just spent $400.00 last week having the brakes fixed. The mechanic we took the vehicle to today said therre was a recall of our car to the coolant leak, but I have not found it.
Anders of Plainsboro NJ (10/11/05)
I have a 1999 Chevrolet Malibu with approximately 74,000 miles on it. It has slowly been leaking radiator fluid for a month or two and I finally brought it in to a dealer today for service. They told me that the intake gasket (also known as intake manifold gasket) is the cause of this and needs replacing. Some quick online research has revealed to me that this is large problem for this model of GM engine, apparently due to an inferior gasket or possibly the dexcool antifreeze they insist on using. There is apparently a GM service bulletin about this problem.
Tricia of West Bend WI (5/21/03):
I thought I was just having bad luck. I bought a 2000 Malibu with 16,000 miles on it and had nothing but trouble. There was a vibration which turned into a terrible noise and I have had my brakes done twice. There is something seriously wrong and nothing has fixed it. I only have 39,000 miles on it now and do not know how to get the problem fixed, especially since the warranty is up.
This was my first "almost" new car purchased last year. The safety of my 4 year old is my main concern.
D.L. of New Orleans (5/15/03):
I purchased a 1997 Chevrolet Malibu LS for $5100 in 2001. The car seemed to be in great condition but had high mileage (95,000). The car was fine until a few months went by and the air conditioner decided to go on and off as it pleased. The taillights leak water and turned pink around the edges. The headlights turned yellow and also started leaking water. The brakes are marginal for a car which had an original price of $22,000.
I realize the car has miles on it and the age of it plays a part in wear and tear but, I wax my car and keep it very well cleaned. There is no reason that this car which was built to compete with imports should be aging so ungracefully. I recently found out that I am one of the millions of consumers complaining about the same things even on new Malibus! When you consult Chevrolet, they say that the car is out of warranty and there are no listed defects. Gee, I wonder why, you people decide not to do the right thing and satisfy your customers which is fine with me because after I sell the lemon which isn't even worth 1/3 of what I paid for it now, I WILL buy a Toyota or Honda. I tried to support our country but it looks like Chevrolet doesn't care about those who try to support their workers.
Jason of Heber Springs AR (5/5/03):
We have a 1998 Chevy Malibu and have had nothing but problems. We got the car at a really good price. I wish we would have paid the extra money for a better car. So far we have replaced the alternator, the belt, the waterpump, a gasket was leaking coolant, a sensor that was making the car die, there are tears on the interior, our tires rub way too fast. In the past three months we have spent over $700 replacing parts. And to top it off, now the battery needs to be replaced and the air conditioning works sometimes.
I have two children under 2 and it is very important to have a safe car for them, this is not a safe car. It has been in the shop for over 2 weeks and now I have to take it back again. My next care will not be a Chevy, I'm leaning towards a Toyota. My husband had a 1997 S-10. Thank goodness he totalled it out last month and got rid of that piece of junk. We replaced almost everything on it. The most expensive thing was fixing the air conditioner. It was over $600 and the truck was only 3 years old! When my husband had his wreck, he rear-ended someone, his airbag didn't go off. He could have been seriously injured. How hard do you have to hit someone for your airbag to inflate?
We don't know. We've never rear-ended anyone.
William of Goshen OH (4/10/03):
I have a 1998 Chevrolet Malibu which I purchased used in 1999. I love the car and had no problems with it until last fall when coolant started leaking from where I thought was the sending unit. I finally took it to the dealership where I purchased it and to my suprise the intake manifold gaske had gone bad, and the water pump was shot. I didn't think anything about it until I started reading the problems that others are having with the coolant.
Erik of Whitesboro NY (4/7/03):
Unfortunately my story sounds all too similar to the others. I'm leasing a 99 Malibu LS and about a month after I bought it I noticed the same problems everyone else is mentioning -- the brake problems, vibration, shaking, and unstable movements of the vehicle at speeds of 65 mph and over. Then the oxygen sensor went, alternator, belts pumps, etc. etc. I'm a fulltime college student and work two jobs. I'm 22 and thought I'd better spend the money and buy a car that I won't have to bring into the shop once a week for this that or the other thing on a reletively brand new car. I was sadly mistaken. Now I have a vehicle that I can't sell and am practically terrified to drive and basically can't do anything with. Thanks, Chevy for a piece of junk.
Robert of St. Petersburg FL (4/5/03):
In June of 1997 I purchased a brand-new 1997 Chevy Malibu 4-door sedan. I had the car for a short time when I started to experience problems with the ignition switch. It was as though the ignition switch was in a locked position. I had to call the dealership several times; unfortunately if the car sat long enough the car would suddenly work properly, therefore the dealership would simply state the problem could not be "duplicated." This problem went on for years and no one could fix it.
My car now has 52K+ with the same problem except this time the car would not suddenly work. I had to have it towed to the dealership and guess what? My iginiton switch was bad. Shock, Shock. I was charged $750 to have a new ignition switch put in. Is this ignition switch made with gold? The car has had this problem and yet the dealership acted as though they did me a favor stating that they gave me a break on the price because of the year and mileage on the car. The other reason they gave me a break was because I was a loyal customer.
LaQ of Fort Worth writes (4/3/03):
I took my 2000 Chevy Malibu to the dealer on 03/01/2002 to have it repaired because the "low coolant" light was staying on in the dash. They then repaired what they said was a gasket, seal, and coolant @ a charge of 540.14. On July 24,2002 all of the lights in my dash came on (gas hand did not work, abs, brake, low coolant, etc. The dealer then repaired the car @ no charge to me. I have since then moved back to Texas and my car is having the exact same problem. I have about 100K miles on the car and I took it to Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet who is saying that it needs a "BCM". They are charging me 430.00 more dollars to fix this same problem.
I called Chevrolet and they say because I have put 30K miles on my car since the repair, they can't compensate me. I'm a single mother of 2 and I can not afford to dish out this type of money every 30K miles.
Debbie of Kettering OH (3/24/03):
In August of 2001, I bought a 1997 Chevy Malibu LS. It was the first car that I have ever bought myself, not to mention, my first time having a car payment. My reason for buying it was that I needed something reliable to get around in because my daughter does after school activities. Well, from the moment I drove off the lot, I've had nothing but problems with it. I wasn't aware the the Malibu is actually known for having many major problems.
I have had to have the fuel pump replaced (the car only had 40,000 miles on it!) one month after buying it and a new battery. I have had a problem with the Theft System for over a year now and no one, even the dealer has no idea how to fix it. The theft system will engage and the car will die. It won't start again for approx. 15-20 minutes. How annoying is that! Now, my windshield wiper linkage has cracked (which I have found a recall notice on for the Malibus in case anyone has the same problem) and my wipers will not work.
I get pi**ed off everytime I think about the car and all the headaches it causes me. I pay almost $300/month for the piece of s***! I can't even trade it in because I owe over $9,000 which I'm sure is much more than it is worth blue book. So, I guess I'm stuck.
Lori of Rahway NJ (2/16/03):
I have a 1998 Chevy Malibu with 26,500 miles. I just had to replace the intake manafold. The garage I use, Apple Tire in Rahway tells me that this has happened several times with this engine and that the car should have had a recall. They also tell me that Chevy has not changed the replacement part for this problem. To get to the problem 1/2 the engine has to be taken out--my bill was $959.
Tammy of Covina CA (5/15/02):
I have a 2000 Chevy Malibu (a Lease) through GMAC. I have had my car in the shop under warranty more than I drive it. I hit my mileage and the dealer gave me a good faith warranty, I have a problem once again & they will not give me a rental car. GMAC will not give me an extended warranty until everything is fully fixed in my car. I cant get my car fixed because I work two jobs. What do I do with my lemon of a car?
I have had more rentals than I have had my car. I have to miss work, put extra miles on my car because wrong parts are ordered, or I have to go to diffrent dealerships. Extensive phone calls to GMAC customer service, waisted time on my cell phone. This car has caused me more problems than it is worth. The transmission have failed, electrical throughout the car, the gas gauge, moldings on the car are coming off. I have been stranded in the middle of the night as I work graveyard. I have never been late on a payment, but they are always late on service, and repair.
Gracie of Hertford, NC, writes:
I purchased my 2000 Malibu new 10 months ago and have constantly had it in the shop over 8 times for shaking and viration, brake problems, tire problems, rotar problems, temperature gauge, knocking when starting. Now they finally detect the pistons have to be replaced, they have to order them so it could be 2-4 weeks or more before they will be in.
Now the manufacturer is calling me saying I have exceded 24,000 so they don't know. Basically this car has given me problems from the first 6,000 miles and has been in the shop over 6 times before the 24,000 miles so exactly what are my legal rights? At present I have 28,500 miles on my vehicle. I feel that I will soon be left with a body and more defects and a bill for a vehicle that will never perform correctly. For $20,000 I should not be having these problems with a new vehicle.
Patrizia of Patchogue, NY, writes:
I leased a 2000 Chevy Malibu in September. I bought a brand-new car because I did not want to have any concerns regarding the car failing me in any way. Yet since I have bought the car, I have had nothing but problems. The car has been recalled, after just a couple of months for some problem with the gas tank where it could explode while I was driving. I had to make time from work to bring in the car, because my dealer had NO WAY of getting me to work. So I had to find a Chevy dealer that would take me on a weekend, and traveled quite out of my way (in a car that could explode at any moment, according to my dealer's service dept.)
Then the starter goes in November. I had to take time off for that, because there are no loaners at my dealer. Meantime my brakes do not exactly work, the car does not stop when you put pressure on the brake pedal, and when I called to let the dealer know, they needed me to bring in the car, but there was no way for me to get back to work, or to continue my "working" life, because they have no loaners. I work 2 jobs and go to school (which I am paying out of pocket), hence, I need a vehicle to go from one job to the next and to school. I was not able to take time off from any of my jobs, or from school, so kept driving the car with bad bakes for a while.
A few months ago the car started to shake when I used the brake, and when I called Chevy 112 (the dealer) to let them know, I was told "I guess you're going to have to take time off from work".
Finally I had to take the car off the road because it does not stop at all, and I am asking to borrow cars from relatives, which deprive themselves of their own cars to help me, yet they need their cars. I should not have to be in such a situation, if I pay for a le | 
