1998 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

I HAVE A 1998 CHEVROLET MALIBU. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS FRONT BRAKE PROBLEMS...FROM THEM WEARING OUT PREMATURELY TO THE ROTORS WARPING. AT AROUND 5,000 MILES I WENT TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THE ROTORS WERE WARPED AND THEY WERE SUBSEQUENTLY RESURFACED. AT AROUND 13,000 MILES I HAD TO HAVE THE ROTORS REPLACED BECAUSE THEY WERE WARPED (THE WERE REPLACED WITH AFTER MARKET ROTORS). ALTHOUGH WARPING DID OCCUR AFTER THE ROTORS WERE REPLACED WITH A NON OEM PART, IT DID NOT OCCUR AS OFTEN AND AS BADLY. ABOUT ONE MONTH AGO I HAD THE FRONT BRAKES RESURFACED AND BENDIX PADS PLACED. WARPING STARTED AFTER A FEW DAYS THAT THE BREAKS WERE DONE. THE MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS NOT THE ROTOR THAT WAS AT FAULT. IT WAS THE ENTIRE BRAKE DESIGN OF THE MALIBU. THE BRAKES SIMPLY CANNOT HOLD BACK THE WEIGHT OF THE CAR ON SUCH SMALL ROTORS. BECAUSE OF THE RELATIVELY SMALL SURFACE AREA OF SUCH SMALL ROTORS, THEY TEND TO HEAT UP WAY TO EARLY CAUSING SEVERE BRAKE FADING....THE REASON WHY I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE MECHANIC TO HAVE THE BRAKES DONE TO BEGIN WITH. TODAY, AS I WAS DRIVING IN LIGHT TRAFFIC, AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES AT AROUND 25 MILES AN HOUR, IT FELT AS IF I WASN'T PRESSING THE BRAKE AT ALL AND I REAR ENDED A VEHICLE CAUSING A LOT OF DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE...SOMEWHERE AROUND $2,500 WORTH. AFTER ALLOWING THE CAR TO SIT FOR ABOUT A HALF HOUR I DECIDED TO TEST THE BRAKES BY APPLYING THEM IN THE SAME MANNER AS BEFORE...AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED AS IT SHOULD. THE ONLY POSSIBLE EXPLANATION IS BRAKE FADE DO TO THE ROTORS OVERHEATING. I'M EXTREMELY UPSET AT CHEVROLET AND AT NHTSA BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING TO REMEDY THIS MAJOR WELL KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE. THESE VEHICLES NEED TO RECALLED IMMEDIATELY IN ORDER TO PREVENT SERIOUS ACCIDENTS FROM OCCURRING. WHAT IF THE OBJECT IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE WAS A PERSON AND NOT JUST ANOTHER CAR. *NLM

THE VEHICLE VIBRATED ALL THE TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHO REPAIRED THE MOTOR MOUNTS AND THE TRANSMISSION MOUNTS. THE WHEEL BEARINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BUT THE PARTS WERE ON BACK ORDER. *JB

THE BRAKES PERFORMED ERRATICALLY EVEN AFTER THE BRAKE SYSTEM WAS REPLACED. THE OWNER WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED NEW BRAKE CALIPERS. *NLM

ABS BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATES ON LEFT TURN. HAVE TO STOP, TURN OFF ENGINE AND RESTART TO TURN OFF THE ABS LIGHT. SERVICE REVIEW INDICATED THAT FAULTY LIGHT, WOULD COST 600$ TO REPAIR. *JB

I OWN A 1998 CHEVY MALIBU. THIS VEHICLE WILL CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE BRAND NEW IN JUNE 1998 AND HAD TO TAKE IT TO THE SHOP FOR REPAIR THE NEXT MONTH. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT SHAVER MOTORS HAS NEVER BEEN ABLE TO FIX IT. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS CAR'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. I WAS DRIVING IN CHICAGO ON 80 90 TOLL ROAD AND THIS VEHICLE STOPPED FOR NO REASON WHILE I WAS DOING 55 MILES PER HOUR. I LISTED ONE INCIDENT DATE BUT HAVE HAD NUMEROUS OTHER PROBLEMS. ALSO, WHEN I FIRST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE I HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRES AFTER LESS THAN 3000 MILES, THEY WERE ALSO BAD.

FRONT BRAKE ROTOR FAILED TWICE. HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THEM TWICE. ANTI LOCK BRAKE LIGHT ALSO COMES ON PERIODICALLY.

THE STEERING WHEEL WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN. *JB THE VEHICLE SLID, HIT A CURB, AND HAD GOTTEN STUCK IN MUD. SCC

THE ODOMETER READ INCORRECTLY. THE WATER PUMP AND BELT FAILED. THE WIPER REGULATOR FAILED. THE TENSIONER PULLEY FAILED. THE VEHICLES ROTORS WARPED AND THE MASTER CYLINDER FAILED. *NLM *NLM

BRAKE PADS, ROTORS, AND CALIPERS CONTINUALLY FAILED ON CHEVROLET MALIBU. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE CAR WAS NEW. PADS, ROTORS, CALIPERS, AND BALL JOINTS HAVE ALL BEEN REPLACED - PADS AND ROTORS AS OFTEN AS EVERY 6000 TO 12000 MILES. DEALERS AND INDEPENDENTS HAVE WORKED ON IT WITH THE SAME RESULT: MORE FAILURES. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS FOR MALIBU'S JUST FROM THIS YEAR'S MODEL AND MANY MORE FOR OTHER YEARS. NHTSA HAS NEVER INVESTIGATED EVEN THOUGH BRAKE FAILURE WOULD SEEM TO BE SIGNIFICANT. MY TAX MONEY IS NOT WORKING HARD ENOUGH. *JB

RACK AND PINION STEERING GEAR FAILED AT 65,000 MILES, CAUSING A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND A NEAR ACCIDENT. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED (LAST TIME WAS AT 40,000). THIS VEHICLE HAS ALSO HAD FRONT BRAKES AND ROTORS 6 TIMES AND HAS EXPERIENCED ALL OTHER MALIBU PROBLEMS SUCH AS AIR CONDITIONER CONTROL FAILURE, TAIL LIGHT MELTING, ETC. *JB