2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu

sddrain · October 2000

I own a Y2K Malibu Purchased Nov. 99. When I picked up the car I noticed a small yellow dot under the clearcoat. The salesman said bring it back in a week which I did, only to find out the body shop knew nothing about my coming and couldn't get to it for another weak. This is a 160 miles for me round trip. When I finally got it done the hood had half a dozen little what I would call boogers in the clearcoat and the dot was still there. So I informed them that they would be redoing it which I again had to come back later to have done. I was informed upon my complaint that even new cars off the truck aren't in new condition sometimes. All the while any time they inspected the mysterious yellow dot they had to rub on it as if I was too retarded to figure out that it wasn't under the clearcoat. I had heard bad things about this dealership previously but was in a situation that needed immediate attention and this was the only place offering relief. So in a sense I made a deal with the Devil.

sddrain · October 2000

My Y2k has been an excellent car. I have had my share of problems and concerns though. I had to have the front rotors replaced at 12K miles because of a dangerous shimmy that would almost throw you of the road. I too have noticed the turn signal not shutting off when I believe it should.

Questions?
Has anyone noticed a vibration throughout the car with the brakes applied like at a stoplight. Mine feels like kids rustling in the back seat.

I have noticed a squeel generally only at idle coming from the engine that sounds a little bit like something rubbing inside the motor.

The brakes shimmy slightly and make an awful noise while braking in the rain or just when they get wet.

I have contemplated taking it in to have the problems checked out but we all know the answers we get from service shops on such issues. The car now has 19K and the dealer that changed the rotors the first time said that at this high of mileage it would not be covered under warranty as it is normal wear and tear even though the new ones have only been on for 7K miles.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for such long postings.

ghtrap · October 2000

I, too, have a Y2K Malibu. The only thing I've had the dealer work on is an out-of-round tire discovered on the inital test drive. I've since replaced those lousy Firestones with Michelins.

This has been just simply a fantastic car for me. I have had it only since last December, but drive quite a bit and now have 18,000 miles on it. I broke the brakes in slowly and have had NO problems.

It hasn't been back to the dealer for anything since December. Your brake problems sound like the problems found on the '97-'99 Malibu's.

Don't feel like you shouldn't take it back to the dealer because you feel they won't find anything. Just keep documentation about your visits in case you need to use it to support your position in the future.

Chevy seems to have fixed most of their Malibu problems by mid '99 and on. Sorry to hear you're having a few. Just keep after them and keep your documentation.

Good Luck.

00malibu · October 2000

You wrote: "The brakes shimmy slightly and make an awful noise while braking in the rain or just when they get wet."

I get the SAME EXACT problem, the brakes also seem less effective as well (but this could be caused just cuz its wet).

I have never had my rotors replaced or anything (Yet!) so they are still stock.

Also could you describe that vibration you feel at a stop light a little more? I too had a quite violent vibration that shook the entire car which turned out to be a bad drivers side radiator fan. I still get a slight vibration inside the car at idle which i havent been able to track down yet.

Damn i thought it was just me with this turn signal thing. Although it hasnt happend lately i have noticed it in the past.

Perhaps our cars were built by the same guy

I'm going to take the car in for that wet brake problem to see what they say, oh yeah it appear to be only coming from the front passenger side for me is it the same for you? I'll let you know what they say. I probably wont take it in for another week or so though becuase of school etc.

Has anyone started up an Egroups email list for our malibu's yet? if not i might start one up, i find it easier to reply to messages etc.

If anyone wants to email me about the Car or Egroups thing you can at 2000malibu@home.com

00malibu · October 2000

Well I decided to go ahead and create an Egroups commuinity for Chevy Malibu owners. You can subscribe at:
http://www.egroups.com/group/newchevymalibu

medinamalibu · October 2000

in my dad's 2000 Malibu is a full body shuddering -- like the brakes are grabbing gently, then firmly, about 3 times a second. Usually happens when coming to a stop from around 40 MPH. Pedal is also spongy much of the time - could this be the rotor problem?

About 3600 miles on this Malibu, just got the 3k service done last week, no major problems yet (that we know of).

ddg1 · October 2000

I have a 1999 Malibu with 36,000 miles, and really no problems to speak of. However, at about 4,000 miles the car began to develop the same pulsing/shudering problem you mentioned. At 7,000 the dealer indicated that they were having that problem and replaced brakes & rotors under warranty. No problems since.

grundtner · October 2000

Yep, my brakes squeel when they are wet too. If you don't know, the factory Malibu brake pads are made of a porcelain mixture. The porcelain is used in lieu of metal (i.e. semi-metalic pads), to reduce or eliminate noise in normal braking and supposedly to increase life span. If you notice, most cars have some squeeling brakes when they are dry. In my case, I don't hear a thing when I break (when dry, in a 99 malibu). A mixed blessing, I suppose (depends on where you live i.e. Seattle vs. Pheonix). There are only a handful of cars with these kind of pads: Grand Cherokee, Camry, Accord, and a few others (this is acording to the brake pad manufacturer I used to replace my wore-out pads)

kingbob · October 2000

It looks like I will be purchasing a new Malibu within the next few days. My main reason for choosing the Malibu is that I have a GM Card rebate of approximately $5,800 to be applied towards the final purchase price of any GM vehicle. After looking at the available options in GM cars (Alero, Grand Prix, Regal, Impala and Malibu) it looks like your best value for the money is the Malibu. Considering the '00 Malibu now offers a $2000 rebate vs. $750 for the newer '01 Malibu. Which year model should I buy?

malibu99 · October 2000

Both are excellent choices, however, the 2001 has some suspension and brake refinements that make the car even smoother and quieter to drive. I have a 99LS and have no excessive road noise in my car so I'm sure if the 2001 is even better then it must be even nicer to drive than a 2000. If money is the concern get the 2000 but if you want the added refinements and suspension changes go for the 2001, seems like you have a good rebate anyway :-). Good luck.

kingbob · October 2000

My GM rebate does not expire until January 12, 2001. Does anyone know if GM is planning to offer a larger rebate of say $1500 on the newer 2001 Malibu before year end. My dealer is offering the '00 LS model at dealer cost and the '01 LS model at $100 over cost plus the rebates of either $2000 or $750 for the newer model. I do plan on keeping the car for at least 5 to 7 years so the resale value should be somewhat the same.

gormely · October 2000

I OWN A 1999 MALIBU LS, BUT FOR MUCH LONGER. I BOUGHT MY CAR IN JUNE 99 WITH 11 MILES ON IT. SINCE THEN MY RADIO ANTENNA HAS COME APART, THE RUBBERS ON BOTH FRONT DOORS HAVE CAVED IN THE DOORS & SCRATCHED MY GLASS,THE RUBBER ON THE OUTSIDE OF MY REAR VIEW WINDOW BLOW OFF ON THE HIGHWAY,THE COATING ON MY WHEELS ARE PEELING,MY EMBLEM IS COMING OFF & THE REAL KICKER IS SINCE DEC I HAD MY CAR IN THE SHOP 5 TIMES FOR ODOR IN MY AIR CONDITIONER. WELL COME TO FIND OUT THERE IS MOLD & MILDEW GROWING IN MY AIR CONDITIONER.(BIG HEALTH PROBLEM FOR PEOPLE WITH ALLERGIES & ASTHMA) THIS IS A PROBLEM DUE TO A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. THE DRAIN HOLE IS TO SMALL. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THEY CLEAN & SPRAY CHERRIES IN IT IT COMES BACK.THE STATES ATTORNEY FOUND IT TO BE A LEMON & CHEVY MUST BUY IT BACK. NO MORE CHEVYS FOR ME. P/S I'M GETTING A HONDA!!!!

yurakm · October 2000

I have an early 98 base Malibu, build date July 97, bought used in September 98. Air condition is practically never off. Nevertheless, no mildew.

I had read at other Edmund board (Impala?) that with any air condition it is important not to use it much in the recirculate mode. Now and then is OK, but generally air condition must work in the vent-through mode. Otherwise the mold will grow. I think the same info can be found in the car manual.

I had read also at the board, that to kill the mildew, the condition must be fryed (max heat, max fun, 10 minutes in recirc mode, 5 minutes in the vent-through one). Probably need repeating several times to kill all the mildew. I did this couple of times during the last wet summer, even without founding any mildew - just in case.

teo · October 2000

I wish you tons of luck with your Honda. Please, when your automatic transmission blows up within the very first few weeks of ownership, please feel free to swing by and share your rant of Honda products. Since you seem to have very bad luck with your cars, I advise you to read the Honda owners forums so you can see the reality of what Honda ownership is all about. The "other side of the fence" is not always that greener. Get the facts before you sign the dotted line again.

Some of your Malibu's "Problems" seem to be the by product of abuse rather than normal wear and tear:

* Radio antenna falling apart (What??)
* Door rubber seals getting caught in the door's glass
* Rear window blow off in the highway (What the heck???)

Let me not continue because I find this to be too hilarious.

Did you ever have the car serviced at the dealer???? Did you ignore some problems until they got progressively worse????(Negligence?)

"Mold & Mildew growing in the Air conditioner" Of course my friend! Any car's A/C operating in a very hot and humid climate will develop mold inside the evaporator and air outlet lines behind the dashboard. Do you know the correct procedure to get rid of mold????

Guess what, don't even have to take it to the dealer for that.

With the windows closed, run the heater and fan to the max position (Make sure the Recirc mode is on)exit the car, leave engine and heater running for 20 minutes. The heater's heat will kill and burn the excess mold in the air outlet lines. Repeat procedure as necessary until smell goes away. After you have done this run the heater with the "Fresh" position on...this will discard the remains of the mold out of the exterior vents.

What to do to prevent this?

Simple, when you run the A/C, avoid leaving it in the "recirc" position all the time. This will decrease the chances of mold to grow ever again in your system.

Based on your compilation of problems, I guess your car has failed to perform due to your obvious lack of automotive and car care knowledge. Sorry but based on your posts it sounds that way.

Good luck with that lemon proceeding..an uphill battle awaits you.

teo · October 2000

Yes, I did post that procedure to kill the A/C mildew way back in the Impala forum. Glad you found it useful.

malibu99 · October 2000

It's fastfoodman again with a different name. What a riot this guy can be. :-). Look for him in other GM forums, he must be laid off again.

teo · October 2000

Yes, you are absolutely right. It figures, based on the writting style...."Window blew off the door in the highway"....crap like that...

I think fastfoodman must be one unhappy ex-GM employee or Ford salesman.

madtown1 · October 2000

I'm considering looking at a new Malibu to replace my 95 Bonneville. My wife and I had an odd experience in 1997 when we rented a 97 Malibu during a trip in Texas. After driving 1.5 hours, our legs fell asleep!!!!

Any current owners notice this or anything else odd during long distance driving?

napanee · October 2000

I understand that the thinking is that the current malibus have solved the rotor problem. Is the solution available for installation on older models or is it limited to the newer models??

yurakm · October 2000

We have a 98 Malibu, the base model with the v-6 engine. My wife and I several times drove it for substantially longer than 1.5 hours, and we had no problems. The same with our friend who own the tween of Malibu - the Olds Cutlass.

But the Buick Regal is definitely even more comfortable. I even would say, much more comfortable. Very probably the same is with Bonneville.

malibu99 · October 2000

I believe the rotors for the 2000 model are fine also. If you get a 99 and your rotors go they replaced them ( they should) with the new ones. good luck!
I have driven to NJ and back ( from Massachusetts 0 and haven't had any problems with the seats, actually they are quite comfortable, probably not as comfy as teh Impala but comfortable.

woodyd · October 2000

I have been reading what everyone has to say. I was curious about my Malibu because the transmission went out at 200 miles. The mechanic said that it was not a usual ocurance and I just wanted to be sure. Chevy replaced it completely, and gave me a loaner. I drove it up to this past Sunday, 57,000 miles without incident.

The reason for my post however is this. I had to stop driving my malibu after I had a "blonde" moment this weekend. I pulled out in front of a Chevy truck, full size.

Both vehicles are totaled. My font end is delapidated and considerably shorter. "up to the firewall" my husband says. At least on the passenger side. The hood creased to offset the blow, and all four tires are twisted in different directions. while I am a little shaken, and suffer from a concussion and cervical sprain..(hence forgive any misspellings or incomplete sentences), I am alive. Nothing is broken and I credit that to the way my Malibu was built. It protected me when I needed it most.

As for the blinker.. mine did that for a while. As for the air conditioner.. I am a woman with no mechanical sense and I figured out how do turn on the ventilator when my cigarette smoke and the humid summer started taking its toll. DUH!

The brakes squeaked a little here and there, but they always stopped when I had the foresight to use them.

My antenna never fell off, my seat belts never had a problem, as a matter of fact they cut my seat belt off to get me out of the car. And not because they had to, because they did not want to move me anymore than necessary while taking me out of the car.

The only problem I ever had after the unfortunate transmission failure was the ABS light kept coming on. They repaired it while I was in warranty, but it still came on every now and again. Any one else have a problem with it?

As for a bad interior.. I was pleased with mine. The kids ran through that car like it never cost them a dime and I had not one tear or worn spot. Just some ketchup that a wet washcloth took care of just fine. Post is getting long just wanted to credit my Malibu for safety, and guys no matter what anyone says, I found out Sunday, that is all that really matters!

aiwn · October 2000

We have a '98 Malibu LS that had experienced a wild shutter when applying the brakes at high speeds and a very annoying throbbing at low speeds. It happened seldom enough that we took our time to get to the dealer. Once at the dealer, with the problem explained, they proceeded to change the rotors, which were warped, and replace the pads, essentially a new brake job...all under warranty. We've had no problems since.

The car has been a great value for us. When you consider all the cars available in this price range, the Malibu comes out on top almost every time. Add to that the incentives that GM throws on and it is a great deal!

teo · October 2000

My wife & I were the other day at the local dealership checking out the new 'shipment' of 2001 Chevrolets. We are currently looking at replacing her '97 Mercury Tracer. She liked the Cavalier (They had a nice Navy Blue sedan) but she didn't like the interior. Then we went onto the Prizm and she hated it. She says that car although more expensive than the Cavalier looked down right cheap in and out. I agree, its a shame since the Prizm is a Corolla but the car looks too cheap for the $15,000 asking price. Then we went onto the Malibu and she really liked the car. Good prices and deals on in too. But the major "issues" with it are:

* Poor side crash test scores (2 stars on the 2000 model)

* Problems with brakes durability.

Otherwise the car is really nice and it has changed my previous view on the Malibu.

Are these critical issues solved in the 2001 Malibu??

aniazi · October 2000

2001 have new re-design suspension, rotors, tires. So I guess it should solve the problem. I have 2001 have alomost 700 miles on it and love the car so far. It has many new features that I love. Check out the chevy web site to get details.
But side impact rating would probably still be the same.

aniazi · October 2000

Just thought to share info. I was looking at the national highway safety web site and I found that 2000 model have 4 star rating(driver and passenger) and 2 star (side: front and rear seat)leaving you with 21% - 25% chance of serious injury in side crash. While 1998, 1999 have 4 star (driver and passenger) and 1 star (side: front and rear seat). For 2001 not yet available but since the rating for side crash improved in 2000 so it might have improved further in 2001! Although it has the steel beam on the side but rating is still 2 star..Oh well but over all I guess it still have good safety features.

malibu99 · October 2000

I don't really go too much by those test where they slam a hard object against the side of the car while it sits still. That doesn't really say too much. I guess stories such as the ones a few entries above are the true tests.

yurakm · October 2000

The side crash rating does not matter much on highway, but is important with the city (and suburb) driving. We drive through city to work and back every day, but the New Haven, CT, is not a major city.

We have a 98 Malibu, with the very low side crash rating of 1. Notwithstanding the steel cage design (GM wrote about it about in the brochure). For the later models the rating was increased to 2.

I think this is somehow related with the narrow body. Just less place to bend, comparing with wider cars, e.g., with Ford Taurus or Chevy Impala.

The rating does not tell the whole story, though. Malibu is capable to evade some accidents.

The 3.1l v-6 GM engine, even the weaker old modification in the 98 Malibu, have a rather high torque at low rpm. It means a very good acceleration from 0 to 30 mph or so. Comparable from the lights with the v-6 Camry/Accords (cannot compete, though, after 30-40 mph, i.e. at highways), and much better than with most 4-cylinder cars.

My wife avoided a couple of side-crashes while driving the Malibu, the both cases with another car running the red light. Running not just after yellow, when it is reasonable to expect it, but long after the light had switched.

The both time she noticed the running car a split second before it had to ram her, and stepped on gas. With weaker engine, she could not avoid the accidents. At the best, the rear of our car would be smashed. But the engine had carried her away from the crashes.

crazymaler · October 2000

I also agree that the V6 in the Malibu is pretty adaquate (I also have a 305hp Camaro, so I'd know), but IMO one of the best parts of this car is the transmission- it's so smooth and will downshift in an instant- I love it compared to my auto in the Z28, which thinks that it can stay in 4th gear all the time because of the 305hp. WRONG! :-(

davechoc · October 2000

I have a '98 Malibu base model. I'm getting a little concerned. In the last year I've had the rotors/brake pads replaced, the battery shorted out, and now the entire transmission replaced. The car's got 23,000 miles on it. Now the tires squeal in even the most gentle of turns. My dealer said GM's aware of a tendency for this in Malibus and Impalas and they're working on it. The newest thing now is i've got a rumbling sound coming out of the wheels. Sounds like the wheel bearing going south.

teo · October 2000

I think your dealer is wrong. I have a '00 Impala LS and my tires don't squeal on gently turns...as a matter of fact I have to do very hard cornering to make them squeal.

The Impala has much better reliability stats than the Malibu. A much more solid car through.

chevymalibu98 · October 2000

davechoc, what was wrong with your transmission and why did you need to have it replaced?

yurakm · October 2000

I have a 98 Malibu, and its OEM Firestone Affinity tires are squealing. But they started to squeal after 30k miles, closer to 35k, not at 23k as with the davechoc's car. Even while the tires at my other car also became bald at shoulders prematurely: I am turning at higher speed, simply because enjoy the feeling.

I do not know much about the wear of the Impala tires. Given it first appeared at dealerships only last summer, it is safe to assume that most of owners did not put even 23k miles on their Impalas. Not enough for a good statistics.

Though, if Impala have the same Goodyear LS tires as Regal, a lot of owners reported problems with the tires after 20k to 30k miles. Let us wait and see about Impala: it have a somewhat different suspension, or at least the suspension is tuned differently, and it may result in different tire wear than with Regal.

yurakm · October 2000

I also have a base 98 Malibu with squealing tires. They are balding at sides.

My Firestone mechanic said the tires are still OK, and suggested to inflate them a bit higher than according to the GM specification. 29/32 psi for the read/front, instead of 26/29.

After this the squeal did not disappear, but substantially decreased.

Though, while the tires are just OK, they are not great now. My old 88 Ford Taurus, with new Firestone 360 tires, currently holds the road better than Malibu with old tires. I am planning to replace the Malibu tires, possibly, even before the winter.

According to the Tirerack user survey, the best tires for Malibu are even not Michelin, but the Firestone SH-30. Personally, I have no experience and no opinion on the subject, except that with my driving style the performance tires probably would be better than the touring ones.

arthur8558 · October 2000

I found my brakes pulsing at 5000km (3000 miles) and the dealer replaced rotors and pads. I asked if this should cure the problem. The dealer with a smile said he hoped so. He said that rotors are under warranty until 60,000 km on Malibus.

malibu2000 · October 2000

I have a 2000 Malibu LS and lately I've been noticing that when the car goes over a larger bump, then front, what seems, suspension seems kinda shot. Instead of a smooth end to the bump, there's a loud thump. On smaller bumps, the car seems to be nice and smooth. I have also noticed that when I turn into a place with a raised curb, at about 20 mph, there's a banging noise that goes on in the back of the car. Not sure what it is. It does it and fades away until the turn is complete. But as soon as the back tires hit that raised curb, the back makes this weird noise. The Chevy dealer replaced my front control arm bushings at around 10,000 miles, for a BRAKE problem. (Don't ask). I'm not really sure what's goin on now. Could is possibly be a spring? What may it be? The car goes in next Tuesday for a new fuse box, mines "melting" according to my brilliant local service department. (Same service department that replaced my control arm bushings for a problem that ended up being fixed with brand new calipers). Just anyone, please let me know what you might think these noises are.. I currently have 18,500 miles on the car, and I love it. Ohh and one more question. What are the largest tires I can get for this car? Something around 225's?. Thanks Everyone.

davechoc · October 2000

My dealer replaced my transmission because it wouldn't shift out of low range. I had to scream down the road at 4000 rpm to do 40 mph. Came on suddenly. He checked out the electronics and found nothing amiss.

aniazi · October 2000

Those of you interested in extended warranty look at this web site. It has top ten and other good info about extended warranty companies.
http://www.autowarrantyreviews.org/top_ten.htm

diesinker · October 2000

I don't really own a Malibu but I am looking at a
'97 with 96,889 miles on it. It's a great looking
car and seems to run great. But these miles are bothering me. Any comments?

malibu99 · October 2000

The miles don't bother me, these engines can go for a long long time, however; the 97 model had some issues with brakes and minor things. If this has been a trouble free car then it's pretty much going to be trouble free for most of its remaining life, but if the owner hqqas replaced the rotors more than once or twice then I would look at a used late production 99 or 2000. Not all 97s were troublesome but from late 99 on they are pretty much trouble free. Good luck!

yurakm · October 2000

I have an early 98 Malibu, build in July 97.

100k miles is always serious, but Malibu have a very good engine and transmission. If the car you want to buy was in good hands (regular oil change, not too much driving at redline, etc.), I would not expect serious problems in this department.

Concerning the brake problem, mentioned in the previous posting.

Early Malibu used to have weak rotors, prone to warping. This is not a safety item (car stops even better), but the rotors are eating pads. I would consider the normal life of brakes to be something like 60k miles; possibly 40k - depending on driving conditions and style. But my rotors were warped at 15k, and I had to replace them at 22 or 23k. A lot of people reported here even worse mileage.

A lot of owners of new 97-98 Malibu were very unhappy, because the brake service was not covered by warranty. At dealership and with genuine GM parts, the replacement costs something like $400.

Later GM made improvement to the parts, and currently the rotors are not particularly bad: according to complaints on this board, the warping still happens, but not more often then with other cars equipped with disk brakes.

With 100k on odometers, this probably does not matter, even more than at an independent mechanic and with aftermarket parts the service would not cost so much. Besides, with so high mileage, the original brakes most probably were already replaced with a better design, either GM or aftermarket.

What would bother me more with the your selection, is the general quality of the GM manufacturing and assembly. At least my Malibu used to have a lot of small problems, like sticky door sensors (the car's electronics thought the door is open), squeaky strut or dead radio speaker. Half time the problems were cured by a simple lubrication, and, most of time, took about 1/2 hour to one day to fix. But, out of warranty, this adds on an the maintenance could became expensive.

Again, with a higher mileage, you probably would not expect a totally trouble-free car.

davechoc · October 2000

My dealer replaced my transmission because it wouldn't shift out of low range. I had to scream down the road at 4000 rpm to do 40 mph. Came on suddenly. He checked out the electronics and found nothing amiss.

chevymalibu98 · October 2000

The fan in my car has been making some strange noises. Anyway else has had this problem?

yurakm · October 2000

Yes, I had the problem. The fan in my 98 Malibu became rather noisy at about 25k miles.

Mentioned this when changed oil. The dealer's technician found and removed debris. For free: it was a very small job. After this the fan was quiet.

Well, at least less noisy, than when I bought the car, used but almost new, with 15k miles, 14 months after it was build. The fan is quiet at speeds 1 and 2, somewhat noisy at 3, and substantially noisy at 4 and 5. I think, it's the vents grids rattle.

malibu99 · October 2000

Agree with you 100% on that ( post 92). :-)

chevymalibu98 · October 2000

yurakm: Thanks a lot for the info. I will have it checked this week.

arthur8558 · October 2000

You said,
GM made improvement to the parts, and currently the rotors are not particularly bad:
according to complaints on this board, the warping
still happens, but not more often then with other
cars equipped with disk brakes.

For the record,

My last car (before the Malibu) was a 1990 Camry, bought it new and at 145 K, never had a problem with warped rotors.

yurakm · October 2000

For the records:

I subscribe to Consumer Record and have their Buying Guides.

According to the CR survey, as in the 2000 Buying Guide (i.e. the 1999 data), problems with brakes reported 2 to 5% of owners of the 98 Malibu, and 9.3% to 14.8% of owners of 97 Malibu. CR does not publish the exact numbers, only the above ranges.

In other words, even for 97-98, when the Malibu rotors were considered very bad, only a small minority of owners had the warping problem.

Probably a lot of Malibu owners will drive for years without the problem. Some will drive the original rotors past 100k, other will replace them at 60-90k, and this also is not bad.

I believe, that the real percentage of the rotor problem is even lower than reported by CR: who would like to fill a long survey, if he have no complaints, right?

BTW, CR do not like the reliability of Malibu and do not recommend it any more.

On the other hand, the warping can happen with everybody. And sometimes it is unavoidable. Just brake very hard before hitting a puddle... This is what I mean by the inherent problems with the disk brakes.

malibu99 · October 2000

Actually the complaints for rotors are almost non existent for 2000 models and the 2001 they should be all gone, so you can safely say the rotor problem is gone.

hermama · October 2000

I just bought a 2000 Chevrolet Malibu LS and it too has a very stiff suspension (i.e., There is practically no 'give' in the suspension. Therefore, you [literally] feel the road and the car will rock from side to side.) I informed the service manager at Chevrolet that the car is unsafe to drive. The dealership told me that I'm 1 of 5 customers who have complained about this condition. The dealership contacted Chevrolet who did not have any record of any complaints. Chevrolet indicated that the LS trim incorporates a much tighter suspension ("Chevrolet wanted to provide a European-style handling to this trim"). Consequently, Chevrolet had no recommendation to remediate this problem and the dealership recommended that I drive it until there are 1,000 miles on the odomoter in order to 'loosen' the suspension. (Currently, I am at 450 m.)

I did bring in the Malibu to the Chevrolet dealership. The manager and a technician did drive it & confirmed that the ride is definitely not as smooth as it should be. However, they can only replace the suspension with manufacturer's specs (i.e., I wouldn't feel any difference).

Luckily, I live in a state (NJ) where after 2 more unsuccessful attempts to fix my problem, I can take legal action against Chevrolet via the NJ Lemon Law.

Regardless, if Chevrolet or the dealership could 'soften' the suspension, then the car is a PLEASURE to drive. Otherwise, I could drive over a dime and identify if it's heads or tails !!!

Has anybody had a similar problem with their Malibu?

2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu

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