1997 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED FOR NHTSA RECALL 03V527000 CONCERNING LOWER PINION BEARING IN THE RACK AND PINION, VEHICLE EXPERIENCED ONGOING STEERING PROBLEMS. DEALER REFUSED TO ADMIT THAT VEHICLE WAS RUNNING IN GOOD CONDITIONS BEFORE IT WAS BROUGHT IN FOR A RECALL. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 20 CONSUMER CRASHED HEAD ON INTO A POLE. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH AND WHEN DEPRESSING BRAKES PEDAL IT TRAVELED TO FLOORBOARD, RESULTING INTO EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, CAUSING CONSUMER TO CRASH HEAD ON INTO A POLE. *AK

PASSLOCK THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS, CAUSING CAR NOT TO START. THEFT DETERRENT LIGHT WILL FLASH ON DASH BOARD. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES, CAR CAN BE STARTED. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT HAS OCCURRED FOR SEVERAL YEARS. DEALERS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND SOURCE OF PROBLEM. *LA

BASICALLY THIS IS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE GM 3.1L V6 ENGINE IN MY 1997 CHEVROLET MALIBU. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE 1100 SUCH COMPLAINTS AND WOULD APPRECIATE SOME HELP WITH MY SITUATION ALSO. IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS MY VEHICLE HAS BEGUN TO HAVE A MULTITUDE OF PROBLEMS THAT HAD LED UP TO MY CURRENT FIASCO. ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO AFTER AN OIL CHANGE MY 97 MALIBU BEGAN TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH A LIFTER TICKING. MY MECHANIC SUSPECTS A COLLAPSED LIFTER; THIS HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET. MY CAR ALSO NOW RUNS VERY ROUGH AND DOES NOT HAVE THE POWER IT USED TO HAVE. TODAY 10/2/03 I HAD TO DRIVE INTO SEATTLE AND BEGAN TO HAVE A SEVERE HEATING PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. MY WIFE AND I WERE DEATHLY AFRAID WE WERE GOING TO BE STRANDED ON THE FREEWAY SOMEWHERE OR STUCK IN A PART OF SEATTLE WE DID NOT FEEL VERY SAFE IN. THE TEMP GAUGE BEGAN TO RISE VERY QUICKLY AS WE ARRIVED AT OUR DESTINATION JUST SOUTH OF SEATTLE, THE NEEDLE WAS PEGGED AND THE TEMP LIGHT ACTUALLY CAME ON. I HAD DEX-COOL ANTI-FREEZE LEAKING ALL OVER THE ENGINE AND ALL OVER THE GROUND. WE WAITING APPROX 30 MINUTES BEFORE WE STARTED OUT AGAIN AND YES WERE AFRAID THE ENTIRE WAY HOME THAT WE WOULD GET STRANDED ON THE ROAD SOMEWHERE. I GOT THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC AND HE HAS INFORMED US THAT WE PROBABLY NEED A NEW ENGINE, ON A CAR THAT ONLY HAS 95,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE READ OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THE FAULTY GASKETS WHICH RESULT IN ANTI-FREEZE LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE CAUSING BAD CAMSHAFTS, BAD BEARINGS AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE. IF I HAD THE RESOURCES TO DUMP THE PIECE OF JUNK I JUST MIGHT, HOWEVER I DO NOT HAVE THE RECOURSES TO DO THAT, I MUST GET IT FIXED. RIGHT NOW A $4000.00 DOLLAR REPAIR WILL NOT BE GOOD FOR MY FAMILY. FRANKLY I AM TIRED OF BEING SOLD JUNK, 20000.00 DOLLARS MIGHT NOT BE MUCH TOO SOME PEOPLE BUT IT IS TO ME. MY CAR NOW IS BARELY WORTH $4000.00 AND THE THOUGHT OF PUTTING $4000.00 INTO IT JUST TO GET IT RUNNING AGAIN MAKES ME SICK. I WILL THINK TWICE THE NEXT TIME ABOUT PURCHASING A GM PRODUCT.

BOUGHT CAR NEW 4-14-1997----PROBLEM CAR 32750 MI NOW CHEVROLET RAN AWAY FROM THIS CAR AND SO DID DEALERS---KEPT CUSTOMER IN THE DARK----WAITING FOR 3 YRS OR 36000MI SUSPENSION NOISE ON GOING---RATTLE---CREAKING---GLUNKING WATER PUMP LEAK AT 23000 MILES--FIX EST.$835.00--29295 MI SUSPENSION NOISY YET 32655 MI ON CAR. RELACED IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER $532.42---32600 MI REPLACE 4 TIRES $314.00---32525 MI TOOK 3 YEARS TO GET BRAKES UP TP PAR. SUSPENSION STILL A PROBLEM.OVER ALL THIS CAR HAS PROBLEMS FROM DAY ONE. BATTERY---WINDSHIELD---POORLY BUILT AUTO. THAT'S WHY I HAVE LOW MILES DON'T USE IT MUCH.

WHEN DRIVING MY 1997 CHEVY MALIBU, I TURNED LEFT AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. I ALMOST CRASHED INTO A PARKED CAR DUE TO THE FACT THAT I COULDN'T MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL AT ALL. WHEN I TRIED GETTING THE STEERING WHEEL TO MOVE AGAIN, IT WOULDNT BUDGE RIGHT BUT WHEN TRYING LEFT IT WOULD MAKE A "HISSING" SOUND, LIKE AIR PRESSURE BEING RELEASED. THIS HAPPENED AT 10PM AND I HAD PASSENGERS IN THE VEHICLE, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. THIS HAPPENED SUDDENLY WITH NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. I AM GOING BACK TO THE DEALER ASAP.*AK

MY CAR HAS ALWAYS USED AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF ANTI-FREEZE. APPARENTLY, MY CHEVY MALIBU IS NOT THE ONLY, AND FROM THE MECHANIC I TALKED TO TODAY, HE SAYS THAT IT IS THE ENGINE. I NOW HAVE TO GET A NEW MANIFOLD, WHICH TO ME COSTS A LOT OF MONEY. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IF THE SAME CARS ALL OVER ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM IT WOULD BE SOME SORT OF MANUFACTER DEFECT AND THE CONSUMERS SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE. *AK

PASSIVE THEFT SYSTEM CONTINUALLY IF SET OFF, NOT ALLOWING ENGINE TO RUN. THIS HAS CAUSED MANY PROBLEMS FROM BEING LATE TO WORK, TO SIMPLY MISSING A MOVIE. IN PAST INSTANCES THE ENGINE WOULD START AFTER THE SYSTEM RESET IN TEN MINUTES, THIS TIME IT JUST WILL NOT START AND NOW WE ARE LATE TO CELEBRATE NEW YEARS EVE WITH OUR FAMILY.I HAVE HAD THE CAR LOOKED AT BY A MECHANIC, I HAVE LOOKED IN CHEVROLET REPAIR MANUALS, AND I HAVE EVEN ASKED THE DEALER ABOUT THIS, BUT I CAN NOT FIND AN ANSWER ON HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THIS VEHICLE ALSO HAS A RANDOM MULTIPLE MISFIRE THAT CAN NOT SEEM TO BE FIXED AS WELL. FROM TALKING TO OTHER MALIBU OWNERS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY THE INTAKE PENELEM GASKET. WHEN IQUIRING AT THE AUTO PARTS STORE ABOUT THIS GASKET I CAME TO FIND AN IMPROVED DESIGN HAS BEEN MADE. I DO NOT FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THESE PROBLEMS MYSELF.*AK

BRAKES GONE (AGAIN). BEEN REPLACING ABOUT EVERY 10000 MILES. THIS CAR HAS BEEN ONE THING WRONG AFTER ANOTHER. ALREADY REPLACED LOWER CONTROL ARMS AT 7500 MILES, LEAKING ANTIFREEZE GASKET, A/C CONTROL HEAD (TWICE), AND THE BRAKES ARE ONGOING. *AK