2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu

rlp1997 · March 2002

Have a '97 Malibu that "whistles" when driving in a left to right cross wind. It sounds like it is coming from windshield or mirrors but can't isolate it. Has anybody experienced this problem and found the cause? PS. I have had the manifold coolant leak, bad rotors and control arm problems.

spaster · March 2002

my dad malibu has problem happened write after warranty expired. Still has not been fixed but will be very expensive. i also feel it is a defect with car that should be recalled

yurakm · March 2002

This is a common problem with several GM engines sharing the same basic design. For many, many years...

poisondartfrog "Common General Motor's 2.8, 3.1, 3.4 V6's engine problems" Apr 4, 2001 8:36pm

hwy · April 2002

Hi,
I have a '97 Malibu LS with 60k miles. I have had whistle problems when the windshield moulding was separated from its mount. Check that your front and the back mouldings are still firmly attached to the glass. I had to apply some silicone sealant to the rear and had the dealer reattache the front moulding to the front. These cars may have insufficient windshield adhesive as a common problem.
I have had to fix or replace:
1) brake pads (twice)
2) coolant leak due to the failed gasket ($800)
now my ABS light goes on intermittantly.
I also had hard starting until I switched to premium gas exclusively. The idle-adjust valve might need the carbon cleaned out. I am saving up my GM card savings until the new Malibu (2004) comes out by spacing my GM car purchases every 7 years or more, I hope to hit the $3500 rebate limit.

pluto5 · April 2002

Hate to rain on your parade but it appears that GM has restricted the GM Card rebates by vehicle to about $1500 so you have to buy two cars to use all your earnings.

yurakm · April 2002

It depends on when the card was issued. With old GM cards you can collect $500 in rebates per year maximum, without cash limit on total. With rebates expiring after 7 years, the cash limit still exist, $3500.

With new card you can collect any amount of rebates per year. If paying with the GM card for everything - grocery, phone, cable, car insurance, summer camp, the dentist's bills, etc., it not difficult to collect about $1000 of rebates per year. However, GM sets (every month?) the maximum rebate applicable when buying / leasing a car, usually $1500 or $2000 per car for most models. $1000 minimum, and if I remember it right, up to $4000 for some slow selling, expensive models. Like some Caddilacs and Buick Park Avenue Ultra...

With two drivers / two cars or more in one family, the new card usually is a better deal. For this reason, we switched to the new card in end of 1999 or beginning of 2000. Additionally, I had serious doubts that GM will will continue with old program for many years.

The new card also is a better deal for those, who change cars often. Either lease, or drive a lot, or just like to trade them every 3-4 years.

hwy · April 2002

I have the old GM card, and I don't think that I am limited by GM on the amount up to the $3500 limit. I used about $2300 when buying the Malibu and I am already up to $2500.

On another more serious issue. Have any of you with the 3.1 liter engines experience stalling of the engine when coming to a stop? I had the stalling occur on my car twice in the last month. I was able to restart the car immediately at left turn lane.

pluto5 · April 2002

My 3.1 has not stalled yet. I use Gunk Throttle Body Cleaner on the air intakes periodically on my cars. With the 3.1 you can't spray it with the engine running so it may not be as effective as it would be with the engine running. Also, you have to remove a fuse to reset the check engine light after you spray the air intake. It only costs a few bucks/can so worth a try IMO.

charyv · April 2002

Hey everybody I am a new gal to the board. I have tried to read most of the previous posts but don't recall seeing much about the problem I am having. I just bought a 99 Malibu LS (39k miles) from my dad. The car drives great and is in pretty good shape. So far that I know there was not much wrong with it other than minor things (glove box, ac switch...).
I now have an additional 3,000 miles on the car and have put about 1 1/2 quarts of oil (approx) every 600 miles. There does not appear to be any leaks. I feel this is excessive and was wondering if anyone else noticed excessive oil consumption. Please let me know what ya think.

yurakm · April 2002

Something is definitely wrong with your car. The oil consumption is very high. If you do not see oil stains under the car, it leaks internally, and this is not good.

I change oil seldom, every 5-6 months / 5k miles, and never had to add a drop of oil. Even when there was a small leak from oil pump gasket (fixed later) and small stains appeared daily on the pavement. Have about 48k miles on my 98 Malibu, base with v-6 engine.

hutu · April 2002

I picked up my 2002 Malibu LS less than two weeks ago and noticed a humming sound from the rear when I rode with the kid in the back with wife driving. I took it to the dealer today and they said it was coming from the electrical fuel pump and was normal. Can anyone here confirm the same experience? Many thanks.

falcondreamer · April 2002

Well, believe it or not, I called the GM Customer Service Dept who investigated my complaints about my Malibu and the dealership says they will split the $849 cost with me. Something is better than nothing! My question is what happens if they recall the car in the future for these problems? Will they reimburse me for the remaining cost or do I just feel good that I am supporting American industry? If I do buy another GM car in the future, I will be sure to get the extended warranty.

The car runs nice now but the question remains, what breaks next?

Falcondreamer

If these problems persist

charyv · April 2002

Yurakm Thanks for the reply. I knew that this could not be good. Do you have any ideas as to what might be causing this problem?
I am going to order the shop manual in case we experience any other problems (my husband can do the basic stuff).

yurakm · April 2002

I have no idea what caused the oil leak. Or rather too many ideas...

yurakm · April 2002

I would suggest to ask on the oil board:

"Engine Oil - A slippery subject Part 2" Apr 7, 2002 10:55pm

chevymalibu98 · April 2002

I know this has been discussed before but I am afraid that I have to bring it up again due to the lack of search features on this board. Anyway, there were some discussions on the A/C fan only worked on speed 3 and above, I was wondering if there was an easy/non-costly solution to this--it just started occurring to me yesterday.

Thanks.

malibu99 · April 2002

It's some sort of solenoid that shorts out. I can't remember if they had to replace the switch or if it was somthing easier. You are not looking at a huge repair.

yurakm · April 2002

Had the same problem 2 years ago. A resistor burned out.

It was fixed under the manufacturer's warranty. However, according to the paperwork, would cost only $24.

chevymalibu98 · April 2002

Thanks for the prompt replies. It's a relief to hear that it's not a costly repair. I will look into it before the summer!

On another note, it seems that my tail-light bulbs (the brake lights in particular) on the passenger side have been shorten out rather quickly. The first one on the right often burned out the next day after being replaced. I read earlier there was this problem with the circuit(?) that might be the cause of it, was there a solution to this? It's strange because I've had this car for a few years now and this just started happening. I've been replacing it with the Sylvania 3057LL (Long Life) bulbs instead of the 3057 regular if that might make a difference.

Thanks again.

yurakm · April 2002

In the 3.5 years since we bought the car, only once a stop lamp burned.

The socket was in bad shape, in soot and what looked as melted plastic. I cleaned it by sand-paper and had no problems since.

By the way, the car manual recommends always change the lamps in pairs (there are two stop lamps in one enclosure). I changed all four, on the both sides.

Generally, all lamps, or even all electric and electronic devices, either burn very fast, ("infant mortality") or live long time. However, if several lamps are burning repeatedly, especially in the same socket, something must be wrong. Could be a bad contact (micro sparks) in the socket, or voltage is higher than must be...

vcjumper · April 2002

I had the same problem with the DRL/signal light in my Intrigue. It was the contact melting and not the light filament. It happened once and by changing the bulb it didn't happen again for 6 months, but then it happened 3 times in a week. Bought a new socket from the parts dept (which had a lot more metal and less plastic than the one it replaced) and haven't had a problem since.

ramona84 · April 2002

I've had so many problems with this malibu. I really think the car is a lemon. The lighting cosole was faulty and drained my battery 3 times. Finally had to completely replace the whole console. The coolant tank had a leak and needed to be completely replaced, the alternator went bad, the first two levels on the A/C switch don't work, etc. And the best part is that all these problems developed after the warranty expired. I will never buy another malibu.

sttropez1 · April 2002

Yeah Ramona. And when your next car reaches to 70K miles let us know. Abuse....

dgovan · April 2002

I have 99 chev malibu 3.1 liter engine..and it has stall on me while driving down the freeway..the engine will just cut off and will start back up..minutes later..has anyone figured out the problem?

dgovan35@hotmail.com

dtownfb · April 2002

First off congratulations on getting your bill paid or at least half of it. If there is a recall regarding this issue, I can't see why they wouldn't reimburse you for the other half of the bill. Of course, stranger things have happened.

I f you had bought a extended warranty which for 6yr/75k mile is about $1250, you are still out about $400 or so (not unless you have had other problems that may have been covered under warranty).

What needs to happen is more people need to complain about the Intake Manifold gasket leaking. This might get the NHTSA to issue a recall.

So far I have 12,600 miles on my 2001 Malibu LS and no problems. Knock on wood.

joe3891 · April 2002

are for safety problems only.

beach15 · April 2002

Several people tend to believe most of this guy's new car pics are fake, but after seeing actual 04' Malibu's in camo., I can say these are very close to the exact car. So, here, scroll down to the 2nd car and take a look at both the hatchback & sedan 04' Malibu:

http://thehollywoodextra.com/SSR/ssr.html

vet5 · April 2002

Just bought a used 2001 Malibu with 14,000 miles on it. The car is fine but the engine is very loud - lot's of engine noise. I have driven Chevy Lumina's that were a lot smoother and virtually silent. Is this a normal trait of the Malibu?

dispencer · April 2002

Just purchased a used 2001 LS from Hertz ($2,000 less than a similar model with more mileage from our local Chevy dealer) and it runs well but turn signals stop working and later for no reason start working again. Dealer has ordered a multipurpose stalk (has the light switch on it as well). Has anyone had the same problem?

hwy · April 2002

dgovan,
I have a '97 Malibu LS with the V6 engine. I have 61k miles on the car. I've had the
1) manifold gasket replaced at 40k due to the coolant leak
2) new front brake rotors and pads (they seem to be okay now)
I recently also had stalling (twice) when coming to a stop. It turns out that one of the injectors were faulty, but in order to diagnose the problem, all the plugs and the wires needed to be replaced.
At an independent shop, the service cost me $600. I am up to about $1500 in repair costs over the past 5 years of owning the car which is not too bad. I am hoping that my Malibu will hold out until the model change in 2004.
Regards,

funnyboi · April 2002

Hey,

I am thinking of getting a malibu once I get out of college which will be in about a year, I was wondering, can the malibu use tire chains in the winter without damaging the vechile.

thanks

tomcat630 · April 2002

May have to check with GM or Chevy. Some newer cars still can be equipped with chains, though.

am98 · May 2002

Has anyone had the problem with the air conditioner rapidly cycling? I can be driving with the A/C on and then all of sudden it flickers on and off. Any ideas on what might cause this? Thanks!

zigmo · May 2002

I just purchased a 1999 Malibu LS with 36k miles. I have three GM cars with the 3.1L V6 motor. The temp guages on the other two vehicles run at 1/4 full scale temp, the Mailbu runs above 1/2 full scale temp. Is the Malibu running hotter then it should, or is this normal for Malibu? Should I BG flush the coolant system and go from there?

usaf52 · May 2002

I have a 2002 Malibu, and the temp gauge sits right past half way when it's at operating temperatures, so I suppose that's normal with the V-6

aub789 · May 2002

am98-this sounds like a common problem many of us Malibu owners have had. My 98 LS had the same problem at about 50K, requiring replacement of the entire AC control head (at my expense, of course). Hopefully, you are still under warranty, so get to the dealer ASAP. Good luck.

yurakm · May 2002

Have a 98 base Malibu with V-6 engine. Bought it used with 15k miles in September 98. The temperature gauge always pointed exactly to the big notch half-way from minimum (100F?) and maximum (marked as 260F).

A in May 2001 a small coolant leak was found in the intake manifold gasket, and was fixed. After this the temperature increased somewhat, with gauge pointing half-notch above the middle position when sitting in dense city traffic in summer heat.

Had a 45k mile service at my dealership in November 2001, with coolant flush. Asked to check temperature. Mechanic told it is normal.

In end of winter and now, in spring, the gauge points half-notch above middle position in practically any driving conditions, even on highways and in cold morning. We are watching if the coolant system will deteriorate.

zigmo · May 2002

uaaf52/aub789/yurakm, Thanks for taking the time to reply on the high temp issue, I feel better. I will still do the BG flush and refill with dex-cool so I know where the coolant system stands. Replacing the Affinity's with Yokohama YK-420's resolved the noise and rough braking I was experiencing. Rotors seem to be fine, no leaks from the intake, I do have the whistling issue at 65+ with a cross wind, hopefully some RTV placed around the windshield molding will resolve that issue. Regards...

geberle · May 2002

40K on the odometer. Had since 19k. Here is the list:

Original Firestone tires sound like a 4x4 truck.

Air conditioning sucks. Always has.

Rear tail lights constantly burn out after heavy rain. Leaks in the seals somewhere.

Anti lock break and check engine light malfunction periodically.

Car has depreciated to half the price I owe on it.

Good news is it drives well and I have a 100.00 copay on repairs for two more years or 75k.

Next car will be an import. Sick of domestic cars not being worth squat after I am done paying for them.

yurakm · May 2002

You are still driving on the original Affinity tires at 40k? In my experience, they became dangerous at about 30k.

Replaced by Firehawk SH-30 at 37k, and it was the best thing that happened with the car. I like to drive it now. Ought to replace them earlier.

And yes, used cars are very cheap now. With all these $2000 GM rebates and 0% GMAC financing, the market is flooded by trade-ins.

vet5 · May 2002

In response to dispencer #881 post, the exact turn signal problem just started on my 2001 Malibu, about 18K miles on it. Turn signals work when they feel like it. The service rep. over the phone was hesitant that they could do anything about it, if the signals worked when I come in. I checked the technical bulletins for the car on-line, there is no bulletin for the signals (sure are a lot for faulty gas gauge). Nonetheless, I'm headed there next week to get it on record as a problem while in warranty. If it persists, my wife has promised to "make a scene" at their dealership. That usually brings swift resolution.....Will advise if anything transpires.

mhgjr · May 2002

I just bought a 98 Malibu LS about a month ago, and I love the car, except for one problem..It stalls at stop lights and it idles rough. I've taken it back to the dealer twice, the first time, they replaced 4 of the 6 spark plugs, because it set a mis-fire code. The second time i took it in, they replaced the alternator. The car has 52,200 miles. Before I bought the car, they replaced the intake gasket, which i know is a problem for this engine. So if anyone knows what this problem could be, i'd like to know!Thanks. btw, yurkm, it still has the Affinity's on it,but are getting replaced soon.

yurakm · May 2002

Had an electric problems with my previous car, a 88 For Taurus. Did not statrted randomly, and/or died on stop lights.

A battery was replaced, and 3 alternators. The problem disappear only after replacing starter. Most probably, it leaked electricity...

dindak · May 2002

The pictures of the 04 Malibu look fantastic!

I saw some small shots in the new Motor Trend yesterday also.

Any idea of the engine options? I would think the Ecotec will be the base engine.

aub789 · May 2002

I'd like to provide a little different perspective on replacing the Malibu's OEM tires. At 60K (with usable tread left), I replaced the Affinity's on my 98 LS with the SH-30's recommended by many in this forum and other forums. Never had any complaints about the OEM's; just time to get new tires. The difference in handling is immediately evident, the SH-30's really "grip" the road as felt by the increased resistance in the steering wheel. On the other hand, two negative aspects also came to light- first, these SH-30's are way more noisy than the Affinity's, and secondly, my MPG immediately dropped by 7-10%. I tend to drive fast on the interstate, but you would not consider me an "aggressive" driver. I also follow Chevy's advice faithfully about proper tire inflation. So, my advice is this- consider your driving style carefully before buying new tires. Unless you are an aggressive driver, or have a lot of bad weather in your area, you may be happier with a good touring tire instead of a performance tire like the SH-30.

yurakm · May 2002

I am not a aggressive driver generally. However, I am turning a bit faster than average, and my tires always are wearing out on edges. My mechanic, at Firestone, suggested inflating the tires 3psi above the manufacturer's recommendations. 32 psi front / 29 rear. This was with the OEM Affinity tires.

Later I read that the he was right: the manufacturer's recommendations are "generic", and for the best result can be adjusted to the driving style and driving conditions. If tires are wearing out on edges first, it helps to overinflate them a bit; if on center - underinflate.

"A bit" is a key word here: substantial overinflation is dangerous, substantial underinflation is even worse.

Any case, the manufacturer recommendations are for specific OEM tire model only, and out to be adjusted with different tires.

I already put 10k+ miles on the SH-30 tires, and can see wear - on edges again. Currently I am inflating them to 32/29 psi; probably it make sense to add 1-2psi with my driving style.

josmo24 · May 2002

I have to say that my spouse's 98 Malibu LS looks nice. However, (here is where I start to complain) this vehicle has been very expensive to maintain. Yes, it may SEEM to be a good buy but in the long run it will cost you!! I am very particular about my vehicles. I take very good car of them and change the oil faithfully (maybe more often than needed). My Malibu has 40,000 miles on it. Have already had the brake issues, the rear bushings problems (had to finally tell the dealer to replace them to stop the noise!), the starting problems, the AC switch is going out, air coming in through the inside door handles, front struts replaced, Affinity tires were bad by 25,000 miles, dash raddles, and the good old classic INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET replacement ($500 repair!!). Now, I bought this vehicle because I wanted a vehicle were I would not have to worry about any problems in the short-term (of course every vehicle needs work over time). But let me tell you that this is ridiculous. A 1998 vehicle having a major repair like an intake manifold gasket replacement is ridiculous (especially when it was taken care of so good). Almost all older vehicles with 100,000+ miles never have this problem, but almost all Chevrolet Malibus do???? I noticed the coolant leaking about a couples months after the warranty expired but I know it was leaking before that as the coolant slowly seeps and rests on the engine block and overtime it will build up and start to drop on the ground (but try telling this to GM!). I had a GM vehicle before I got Montero and I dumped $2000 into it within 2 1/2 years of having it. My father has a Nissan and he has just reached 100,000 miles and let me tell you that the only thing he has had to do is replace the tires. I know my expirence is one in many millions but I would take an import over a GM vehicle any day!!

yurakm · May 2002

I also have a 98 Malibu. Build in July 1997. Bought it used in September 1998, with 15k miles.

Had a lot of repairs even before the original 36/36 warranty expired. Suspected a coolant leak. Bought an aftermarket extended warranty while still under the original one.

The extended warranty cost $1200, with optional zero deductible. Good till 100,000 miles or 6 years after the sale date, till May or June 2006. This is almost 9 years total: 3+6, minus couple of months overlap with the original warranty.

The warranty already paid for itself 2.5 times ($2300 transmission, $550 intake manifold gasket, and $180(?) oil pump gasket). Currently I have 48k miles on odometer.

I would say, that Malibu plus extended waranty are less expensive than a Japanese car of comparable size, even without a warranty. However, it is hard to say what is a better deal, if reliability is paramount.

josmo24 · May 2002

I was offered the extended warranty but declined as I do not want to invest money into the vehicle as we plan on getting rid of it in the near future (eventhough I could have had the premium prorated back). Even with the warranty (which has a hefty price tag on it), I want reliability and not a new car that needs to be in the shop every 2000-5000 miles for something other than normal maintenance or be stranded somewhere and the vehicle will not start. Also, it is a hassle taking it back and forth the dealer. I'd pay a little more for a good reliable/solid vehicle:)

yurakm · May 2002

Agree, I would do the same now. Had less experience in 1998, and less income :-).

However, am not sure what I would do, even with my current experience, if still could not afford more expensive car.

2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu

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