2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu

7937

http://www.iht.com/articles/527291.html

melanderthal

I have been complaining to chevy about the front headrest position being to far forward. If you set with the back straight up and down like my wife does, it pushes your head forward. Chevy tells me they have no complaints in the database so call your dealer and have them write one up. The rear ones mounted in the front are better but that leaves the rear seat with the problem.

bigdaddycoats

Just got back from a quick two day trip. Took my Dad's 04 Malibu. I must say I am very impressed with this car. I really think GM did a good job! The styling is a little bland but fit and finish is very good and the seats are very comfortable. The interior is nicely done and the materials seem to be of good quality. The car absorbs bumps very well and is quiet at highway speeds. Acceleration is good but, under full throttle there is a whining noise just before the car shifts gears - anyone else notice this? I am not a huge fan of the electric steering - it feels very good at highway speeds but at low speeds I would like more feedback, resistance in the wheel.
Well, that is about all for now. Oh yeah, over 907 miles the car averaged 34.6 mpg. All but 100 miles were highway driving. Pretty impressive number for a V6.

marshella

Can anyone tell me whether the new Malibu and the Malibu Maxx have cup holders to the left of the steering wheel like on the previous Malibus? Believe it or not, it was a prime consideration factor for our family car purchase. We had a 2000, and now own a 2002 Malibu. I'm keenly interested in the new Malibu or Maxx for our next family car and would be extremely disappointed if the newer models took out this important accessory. See, my husband is a hemiplegic. He is paralyzed on his right side. A left handed cup holder is very convenient for him, and provides a little more peace of mind for me when he's driving. The interior pictures I've seen on the Chevy pages and here on Edmunds are not detailed enough for me to discern whether the car has a left handed cup holder. Thank you.
Marshella

mr_bots

melanderthal - The headrest don't really bother me, its just that it didn't seem that I could get the lumbar support in the right place, it felt like it was a little high up. And I actually kinda like the headrests jutting forward, I just wanted to see if I reversed them I the back of the seat would support me better. But I don't mind the seat now that I'm used to it.

bigdaddycoats - The styling is a little bland, the gas mileage is awesome for a V6 and I personally LOVE the electric steering its so easy to turn in the driveway and in parking lots, I drove my Yukon and just turning out of the driveway felt like a chore. I just hope I can get it in cars I might own in the future.

marshella - There is no cup holder to the left of the steering wheel, both of the cup holders for the front are in the center of the car. You might be able to find a cup holder that slips into the window seal or something.

Some things that I think should be done is that if you have the remote starter, automatic A/C should be included. Sure you can just remember to crank it up before you get out, but I can't seem to remember to do that so it kind of defeats the purpose of having it in the first place. Also, they should include steering wheel audio controls with XM, its distracting to go through all of those stations by using the buttons on the head unit.

badgerfan

That JD Power survey just released is a long term reliability study for three years of ownership of the 2001 model year cars, which is not the current generation Malibu. Still GM deserves some congratulations as it at least shows they are making good progress, on the last generation. Of course one would expect them to get the bugs out when they have been building the same basic design for quite a few years.

You won't get any JD Powers long term reliability data on the current redesigned generation Malibu until it has been out for three years.

bigdaddycoats

The headrest does not bother me, but my father who owns the car has the same complaint. My brother also complained. My dad says he can not get as comfortable in the new Malibu as compared to his old one.
It must be designed like that to help prevent whiplash. It really does seem to come to far forward though. It would be nice if there were some sort of an adjustment.

marshella

Is the same true for both the Malibu and the Maxx? I know for years there have been window channel and other type aftermarket cup holders, but I've yet to find one that is reliable and truly useful. Thanks again for the reply.
Marshella

venus537

well stated. i was about to state the same thing.

mr_bots

No, the Maxx doesn't have them either.

mjohns7861

I am a original owner of '99 Malibu LS with 40k. Am starting to run into several problems:

1. A/C

Light blinks on/off on instrument panel for AC, alternating between warm and cold air as a result. What is the fix here? Know this has been a problem with GM cars.

2. Brakes

By the way, had my warped rotors replaced at 9K miles. That's not the problem. Anyway, I now seem to have the ABS light coming on several times a week. I simply stop, turn the key, restart the engine, and light is gone. Should I be worried? Anybody else experience this.

3. Intake Manifold Gasket

Join the club. I have the same leak many of you do. I just keep adding anti-freeze and water every 4-5 month's. It appears to be a slow leak. I have essentially postponed a inevitable repair here. Don't know if this is a mistake.

Any thoughts/respones from anyone - I would appreciate.

Thanks!!! Magnus

mr_bots

DO NOT POSTPONE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. If this goes unchecked for too long it can cause severe engine damage, in some cases the crankshaft has been broken. If this happens you will need to replace the engine. If you get it fixed now it will be cheaper in the long run. You need to get this done as soon as possible.

lemon1

Has anyone thrown a rod in the engine? I have a 97 Chevy Malibu LS sedan (Appx 95,000 miles). I thought replacing the manifold gasket and rotars within the first 5 months was bad. NOW the engine is done for. The dealer is tearing it apart to see "Why" this happened!!

Anyone else have engine problems??

shado4

OK...bizarre questions of the day coming up:

For those of you who have a new Malibu LT with the auto climate control, does the center dash display show air flow position via a pictograph of some sort when in full auto mode? Or do you have to guess what vents the air is coming out of? The brochure only shows a temperature readout in the center of that huge display area...is there nothing more?

oldntired1950

The only thing that the system indicates is the disired temperature. The system automatically decides what vents to use depending on existing temperature in the car as compared to the desired temperature. The defroster comes on when I have the wipers on. So far it seems to work perfectly for me.

shado4

OK, thanks. I like how the defroster comes on with the wipers. Still, you'd think Chevy would utilize more of the display area. I know of many other climate control systems that display fan speed and air flow location when in auto mode. It would be nice to have visual feedback of what the system is actually doing!

bazou

I'm about to by a malibu 2001 Ls, I had a 1975 malibu before, Uge difference with today, the LS is a luxury car, is there any problem encounter with this car. read there was a recall regarding a passager door switch, that make the turning flasher switch to fail.

deminin

I just went thru our "03" LS with an oil change/filter, tire rotation, 6 month checkup, etc. Everything is still in great shape! The one bug we've had..drivers door power window failing to raise, intermittently...seems to have been resolved with a new switch. Quite frankly, this has been the most reliable, trouble free car I've owned in 40+ years. We don't even have a rattle yet. Hopefully the new style Malibu's and Maxx's will gain a reputation for reliability like ours. There can be no doubt that these cars are one of the best buys for the money out there.

lemon1

I wrote previously - engine threw a rod.
(1997 Chev Malibu). Anyway, the dilemma - a new engine (with factory warranty for 3 yrs) is more than what I paid for the car. After reading all the things that seem to go wrong -
I THINK IT IS A LEMON!!! Kelly Blue Book says trade in is AROUND $2400.00 (Good Shape). Basically I will have spent 3.7 times what the trade in blue book value is on this car. Does anybody think it's worth it???
I only had the car 8 months - replaced rotars, manifold gasket, and now the engine went,
  Any words of wisdon???

mr_bots

I sat in the back seat of my 04 Malibu at night for the first time yesterday and noticed that the switches for the power windows in the back weren't lighted. Is this just how it is or should I get it checked out. This is the first car I've ever had with power windows and the switches in the back seat weren't lit up also.

e2helper

Rear Door Window switches in 2004 Malibu are intentionally not lit. Similar to previous Malibu. They just want to put money into features that would get seen/used more by driver, I guess.

deminin

Cut your losses. Any time you have to spend hundreds or thousands to fix a car that is only worth a couple of thousand, that is throwing good money after bad. I remember learning that lesson when I was younger, and it is a painfull lesson. The early Malibu's seem to have had some problems which were slowly corrected as the model aged. I hope Chevy doesn't take 3 or 4 years to get the new models right.
If you still want to get a Malibu, try for one that is 2001 or newer. Our 2003 has been a jewel.
Whatever you chose for your next car, get a CARFAX report, and if possible have an independent mechanic go through it. A few dollars spent up front can help you avoid costly repairs later on. Also, study the comments from current owners on this Edmunds site...personal experiences are worth far more than what any car salesman is going to tell you.

triedntru

but after 14,000 miles on our 04 LS Malibu, we have encountered our first glitch...I think.

While my wife was out and about with the Malibu, she called me and told me that the power steering had gone out. I told her to get the car home right away so I could take a look at it.

The first failure happened July 9th, and it was very strange how intermittent the problem was. Basically, the steering would function three different ways: just fine, total failure, and "Parkinson's" mode.

By Parkinson's mode, I mean the steering wheel would twitch erratically even if the car was in park and not moving. It wasn't a strong twitch, or something that would cause me to lose control. If I grasped the wheel, it was enough to stop the twitching. What I thought was strange was that when I turned the car off, the twitching would continue for a short while and then kind of wind down.

Most of these symptoms happened July 9th and 10th. However, when driving over 400 miles on July 11th thru 13th, the power steering has been working fine.

Originally, I was going to take the car to a dealer and have them fix it, but I think I'm going to take it to the plant and have the quality/reliability people look at it. If I took it to the dealer, they'd just fix my car, but if I can get the engineers to see the problem for themselves I can hopefully prevent this from happening to anybody else.

Fortunately, I captured all of the symptoms on video so that I can show them exactly what is going on even if my car is behaving now. Unfortunately, Fairfax is currently in summer shutdown, so I won't be able to show anybody until next week. I'll keep you guys posted with any information I learn.

It isn't a big deal, but it is a customer dissatisfier. Hopefully, some good will come out of my experience, and lead to a better car.

Dave

chuck1

"I mean the steering wheel would twitch erratically even if the car was in park and not moving. It wasn't a strong twitch, or something that would cause me to lose control."

This new electric power steering is good in theory, not taking power away from the motor to operate, but it seems to me the jury is still out. Most people and reviewers complain of "lack of road feel". This is pretty scary, what your describing... what happens at 65 to 70mph if there is a problem?

triedntru

When holding the steering wheel in your hands, it feels like an erratic vibration. When I was driving down the highway (65mph) I let go of the steering wheel, and it still tracked fine, even though I could see the steering wheel twitching ever so slightly. It's not enough to make the car change course. But if I turned the car off and back on, it would work just fine....or not at all. Like I said, it was pretty erratic for a while.

I know what you mean about reviewers complaining of "lack of road feel."

In my opinion, it's subjective fecal-speak!

Can somebody please quantify "road feel" in a unit of measure? A road is bumpy and gritty. If I sit on sandpaper does this help "feel the road?" I'm sure if I remove the shocks that'll help too. All I know is that with electric steering, I can navigate a busy WalMart parking lot with a finger. A FINGER!

Or how about when they say the Malibu's engine lacks "refinement?" Well, I'm sure they all use refined fuel and oil. Heck, at least the chevy has a bowtie...isn't that kinda refined?

If the reviewers would lay out definitions like: "By refinement we mean the level of decibles experienced when accelerating full throttle from 0-60 mph" then I would totally accept that.

But it really bugs me when they can't find any reason other than subjective bullarky to recommend one vehicle over another.

I was reading some recent review (I can't remeber which one) and they were complaining that the Malibu didn't do much when punching the throttle at 85 mph. My first thought was, "I don't care!" I'm rarely that high up in the mph territory, and if I am, I'm certainly not punching throttle!

This car is a entry-level midsize family sedan. If I'm punching throttle at 85 mph, I'm going to be changing diapers more often, or getting slapped by my wife! How refined is that?

I'll get off my soap-box for now.

Dave

bcmalibu99ls

Dave, if you want to see the difference between "road feel" and "no road feel," drive a previous generation Malibu, and then an Impala. Impala has a much worse road feel. I haven't driven the new Malibu, but if it has the same steering setup as Impala, then there isn't much road feel to speak of. I realize many people, especially older folks, like that, so to each his own.

BTW, plenty of 04 Malibus on Vancouver roads, GM is doing well. Though I still think the front is quite ugly

Where's that H3, Dave? Let's have it!

e2helper

NHTSA opened a defect investigation on this March 30 and it was closed on July 1 with a new one opened. Here is summary of their finding (sorry about all caps). There are more details - actual scanned copies of documents between GM and NHTSA on their web site:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/defect/defectsearch.cf- m

ODI OPENED PE04-031 BASED ON EIGHT REPORTS OF ALLEGED POWER STEERING FAILURE IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. THE COMPLAINTS ALLEGE THAT THE DRIVER SUDDENLY LOST ALL ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ASSISTANCE WITHOUT WARNING MAKING THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE SUBJECT VEHICLE UTILIZES AN ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ASSIST SYSTEM (EPS) THAT PROVIDES VARIABLE STEERING ASSISTANCE BASED ON STEERING WHEEL TORQUE, STEERING WHEEL POSTION, AND VEHICLE SPEED. GENERAL MOTORS DOCUMENTS IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOWING TWO FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES: A. CONTAMINATION OF THE TORQUE AND POSITION SENSOR FROM THE SEPARATION OF GREASE APPLIED TO THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY. B. ELECTRICAL NOISE GENERATED ON THE POWER AND GROUND SLIP RING SURFACES OF THE TORQUE AND POSITION SENSOR. THE NOISE IS GENERATED AS THE SENSOR CONTACT BRUSHES MOVE ALONG THE SLIP RING SURFACES WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS ROTATED. ODI'S ANALYSIS SHOWED FAILURE RATES THAT ARE OF CONCERN TO ODI AND INDICATED THAT THE ALLEGED DEFECT IS CONTINUING TO OCCUR IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS HAS BEEN OPENED TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS CONCERN, TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL SAFETY-RELATED CONSEQUENCES, AND TO DETERMINE THE SCOPE OF THE AFFECTED POPULATION

7937

Some reviewer of the new Malibu sarcastically commented that the speedometer was marked MPH as if to tell stupid people that this was indeed the speedometer. What the stupid reviewer didn't know of course was that the user of the vehicle can choose between MPH or Kilometers per hour at the touch of a button! So it's not strange that the speedo would display the units.

Reviewers are pain in the butt.

dan165

Good for you to take it to the plant for the engineers to see. If all GM employees do that the quality of the cars will just keep going up.

I think the Malibu is a good car now. I just wish is was a little more exciting to look at.

7937

A noisey slipring could explain the twitching in the steering wheel of Dave's Malibu. Maybe a squirt of WD-40 on the slipring might help. Only kidding. Its got to be fixed properly.

e2helper

I think something like that was what caused problems in the first place. On the NHTSA link I posted if you look up details I mentioned you will see a 20+ page document GM returned to them describing what they found cause of these problems. It is pretty hard to read -- being a scanned version of a fax at a low resolution but it is enlightening, although technical.

medinamalibu

Hi, recent owner of a 1998 Malibu here. I replaced the front pads and rotors twice in 26,000 miles. This was obviously an epidemic with the first generation Malibu, so I'm curious as to how well the brakes are holding up in the 2004 models. Or is it too soon to tell yet?

7937

It's a bit soon for me. I've only done 3600 miles but my brakes are silky smooth at all speeds so far. The first thing I did when I got my new Malibu was to loosen the wheel lug nuts and re-torque them to spec with a good torque wrench. It's a procedure I do on any new car. It's surprising how far off spec the lugnuts can be. I've found in many cases that on one wheel alone variations in torque are significant. I believe this can be a reason for rotors warping so soon.

triedntru

I was told that the electrical power steering (EPS) failure is a known problem on early cars (we purchased ours in November) and needs to be repaired with a steering column replace. Apparently this is a result of contamination internal to the EPS system from a supplier and was already addressed.

maxx4me

thanks David. Can you specify what build date the problem was corrected on? My was built in May. Thanks as always man.

e2helper

It was corrected in early February.

wayneski

I am considering the purchase of a 2004 Malibu LT and was surprised to find that no Malibu I have seen at my local Chevrolet dealer has child safety door locks. All sedan and Max models I checked had no child safety door locks. The car door locks close automatically when the car is put into drive, but the door locks and doors can be opened at any time, even when the car is moving. I am surprised that a car like the Malibu that is marketed as a mainstream family car would not have such a basic safety feature. I checked the 04 Impala, Cavalier and Aveo and was surprised to find that the Impala also is lacking the feature but the Cavalier and Aveo have them. It is surprising to see that the two more premium model Chevrolets lack the feature but the cheaper ones do in fact have them. I own a 2001 Impala and it has the feature. The Cavalier is hardly cutting edge and the Aveo is Chevrolet's cheapest car.

Any comments on this? Opinions?

307web

You did not look very hard or ask the dealership. The Malibu clearly does have these locks. They all have it.

http://www.gmfleet.com/us/acquiring/vehicinfo/summaries/2004/2004- ChevyMalibu.pdf

e2helper

I believe it represents a trend in these vehicles to move away from rear door child safety locks. The Cavalier is an old design while Impala and Malibu are relatively new. The Aveo is a rebadged non-US design so probably has many things different than these other more mainstream Chevy vehicles.

The other poster was probably thinking you were talking about rear door power window lockout which these vehicles do have.

wayneski

I'm still surprised but suspect you are on to something. I must say though that I have a 2001 Impala and it has the feature but the 04's don't. The Aveo, Chevy's cheapest model and a new one at that does. Still can't believe a car targeted to families would have the feature. I checked this with the dealer and he reassured me that the car had the feature. I asked him to show me and he couldn't. He went back to their "dealer manual" a book that describes all of the features and selling points for dealers use in selling cars to customers. The manual says it has the safety feature so who knows, an error in the design to be fixed in the 05's? A cost saving measure? Anyway, I would rather have the safety feature like child safety locks than a convenience feature like remote start.

wayneski

Thanks for the attached brochure. It clearly says the car comes with "child security rear door locks" on the left side column of the first page. Try to find them though. Their not on the sedan or max models I've seen in Houston. The dealer was equally confused and embarassed.

307web

The owners manual would be the best place to look for the instructions. If it is not there, then it is a misprint on the other literature and it is very odd for it to not have it.
There is more than one website that lists the Malibu as having the child safety locks and they would also be wrong in that case.

badgerfan

It seems GM has decided to do away with this safety feature. Saves a few bucks per car, I suppose, but I would bet they will pay for it in the end with lawsuits. GM not only eliminated it on the Malibu redesign, they deleted it off Impala when it was included on earlier model years of the same design, just decontented it away. It'll be even harder to defend in court since this safety feature has been nearly universal for many many years on most GM vehicles.

307web

So, this site is also wrong:

http://www.carsmart.com/content/research/searchresults/index.cfm?- id=10007;CRSM;CRSM&action=childsafetylocks

If so, they need to pay attention to what they put on their website.

7937

I bought my Malibu on 02-07-2004 in California. Do you think my Malibu had its steering corrected?

wayneski

Yes, as far as I have learned, the feature doesn't exist on the Malibu sedan or Max. Perhaps it will be on the 05 models but I suspect not given that it has been eliminated from the Impala. Probably a cost cutting measure.
Anyway, I will be buying some other car instead because of it. I was pretty settled on a Malibu and in final negotiaions. Quite a shame, I like the car. I contacted Chevrolet.com and was told that the Malibu does not have this "important item" but that it has automatic locking doors as a standard feature. The problem is that two year old children are smart enough to open a lock and door and I would prefer not to take that risk. Still very surprised that GM would eliminate such a basic safety feature.

yurakm

In one word: Lutz.

alpha01

People are talking about lawsuits, how cheap GM is, etc. I dont really agree. Child Safety Rear Door Locks are not required by law, nor have they ever been. Most people, by my estimation, never use this feature, I certainly dont, and probably wont when I have kids. I think think this is a great way for Lutz to cut costs, and applaud him. Its a give and take, and Id much rather see a telescopic steering wheel, for instance. FWIW, in my estimation, its far more dangerous to have your rear occupants unable to exit at all if you keep the child safety door locks enabled. Additionally, if you dont like the fact that GM doesnt have the child safety locks.... you can always choose not to buy a GM product.

~alpha

mr_bots

From what I've heard the child safety locks were removed for safety concerns. People were getting trapped in the back seats of cars. I do believe this was somewhat offset by the auto locks that lock when the car is in gear and the location of the little pull things to manually unlock the door,(on the very top at the very front of the door panel) which is out of reach for someone young enough to need the child safety locks.

rwisem

The poster is correct about concerns about people being trapped in the back seat.

As for children, I don't see the need. Aren't all young children strapped into car seats? and aren't all older children using seat belts?

Child safety locks were conceived at a time when it was not assumed children would be restrained.