2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

ENGINE LEAKS ANTI-FREEZE, TURN SIGNALS GO IN & OUT, FUEL GAUGE NOT ALWAYS RIGHT, MAKING A LOUD BANGING NOISE, AND NOW DEAD WON'T EVEN START. 2001 CHEVY MALIBU 3.1L V6 $22,000 & ONLY 67,000 MILES. *JB

2001 CHEVY MALIBU DIED WHILE DRIVING. ENGINE DIDN'T SPUTTER OR ANYTHING, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM JUST SWITCHED THE CAR OFF CAUSING A LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING. CAR WAS FAIRLY COLD AS IT HAD ONLY BEEN RUNNING FOR A FEW MINUTES. SPECIFICALLY IT DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION DURING ACCELERATION AFTER A STOP. *NM

I HAVE A 2001 CHEVY MALIBU, WITH 51000 MILES MY COOLANT LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. I TOOK IT TO THE GARAGE. THE MECHANIC FILLED THE COOLANT. TWO MONTHS PASSED AND THE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. THE MECHANIC FILLED THE COOLANT AND I MADE AN APPOINTMENT. IT TURNED OUT, THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE. I WAS INFORMED MY CAR HAD A FAULTY MANIFOLD GASKET. IT COST ME $600.00 TO HAVE MY CAR REPAIRED. I HOPE THERE IS A RECALL SOON. I HERE THAT MANY GM VEHICLES HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *NM

FUEL GAUGE READING 1/4 TANK REMAINING AND RAN OUT OF GAS ON HIGHWAY. FILLED UP WITH GAS AND GAUGE WOULD READ FULL, THEN EMPTY, THEN FULL AGAIN. GAUGE HAS BEEN INACCURATE AND NEED TO USE TRIP METER TO DETERMINE WHEN TO FILL TANK. *JB

2001 CHEVY MALIBU WON'T START OR WHEN STARTED WILL SWITCH OFF FOR NO APPARENT REASON. HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE IN THE SHOP NUMEROUS OCCASIONS AND HAVE HAD MANY REPAIRS (E.G. NEW IGNITION SWITCH) THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM BUT HAVE NOT. TO THIS POINT THE CAR HAS REFUSED TO START ON THREE OCCASIONS BECAUSE OF A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER'S THEFT SYSTEM AND HAS DIED WHILE DRIVING ON DOZENS OF OCCASIONS FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. FORTUNATELY, EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE HAS DIED, THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO AVOID ACCIDENT. UNFORTUNATELY, WE MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY IN THE FUTURE. ALTHOUGH THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP HAS INDICATED THAT THEY'RE UNFAMILIAR WITH MY COMPLAINTS, THE PEOPLE WHO TOWED MY CAR THIS LAST TIME INDICATED THAT ALMOST EVERY CHEVY THEY TOW IS FOR THE SAME REASON. *NM

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS 2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU. LESS THAN ONE MONTH AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE THE IGNITION/STARTER FAILED. THE CONTACT PAID A REPAIR SHOP TO FIX THE IGNITION, AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE TOWING MECHANIC STATED THAT WHEN THE LIGHTS BLINK ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO SIT FOR 20 MINUTES, IT WILL RESTART. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE STARTER SENSOR FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL RELATED TO THE FAILURE, AND THE DRIVER REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT. AFTER THE IGNITION REPAIR THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS THE AIR CONDITIONING PROBLEMS. THE MECHANIC REPAIRED THE AIR CONDITIONING AND STATED A FEW DAYS LATER THAT THERE HAD BEEN A COMPRESSOR DEFECT, A POSSIBLE LEAK WHICH CAUSED AIR CONDITIONER FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD BEEN DISPUTING THE LEMON LAW, REIMBURSEMENT, AND THE FAILURES FOR QUITE SOMETIMES. THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO ASSIST HER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 61,512.*AK THE CONTACT HAS PROVIDED THE REPAIR ORDER, THE BUYER'S GUIDE INFORMATION AT TIME OF PURCHASE AND A LIST OF MAJOR DEFECTS THAT MAY OCCUR IN USED CARS. UPDATE 5/3/07*TR

I HAVE PURCHASED TWO (2001) CHEVROLET MALIBU'S THAT EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET IS DEFECTIVE WHICH CAUSES ANTIFREEZE TO LEAK. I EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM WITH MY FIRST MALIBU BACK IN 2005. BASED ON DOCUMENTATION OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS THAT I SUBMITTED TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE REPAIR WAS COVERED OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY AND I ONLY PAID THE WARRANTY DEDUCTIBLE. MY SECOND MALIBU WAS PURCHASED USED FROM A NON-GM DEALERSHIP IN THE FALL OF 2005. I PURCHASED THE SECOND CAR DUE TO THE FIRST ONE BEING A TOTAL LOSS IN AN ACCIDENT. I AM NOW EXPERIENCING THE SAME LEAKING GASKET PROBLEM WITH THE SECOND CAR. I CONTACTED GM DIRECTLY TO INQUIRE ABOUT HAVING THE CAR FIXED. THE CAR HAS 103,341 MILES ON IT. REGARDLESS OF THE MILEAGE, THE MECHANICS THAT I HAVE SPOKEN TO SAY THIS IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT BECAUSE THE GASKET(S) ARE CHEAP PLASTIC. AS OF DATE, GM IS NOT WILLING TO COVER THE COST OF THE REPAIR WHICH COSTS $700+. THE DEALERSHIP THAT I USE TO SERVICE MY VEHICLE WILL ONLY OFFER A DISCOUNT ON PARTS AND LABOR. THE DEALERSHIP IS NOT AT FAULT. IT IS GM'S RESPONSIBILITY TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE 61 PAGES OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS REFERRING TO THE SAME LEAKING GASKET PROBLEM WITH THE MALIBU. *NM

I HAD TAKEN MY VEHICLE IN TO GET A SIMPLE OIL CHANGE AND WAS INFORMED MY VEHICLE HAS A FAULTY INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WHICH IS A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR COSTING ANY WHERE FROM$ 800-$1000.00 . ON MY SEARCHING THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT GM CARS ARE HAVING OVER 70,000 MILES. INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAKS CAN LEAD TO ANY NUMBER OF VERY SERIOUS, AND EXPENSIVE PROBLEMS. WHILE THE PART ITSELF ISN'T COSTLY, THE LABOR TO REPAIR IS COSTLY. *NM

TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ANTI THEFT SYSTEM ENGAGESDFOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE CONTACT STATED SHE HAS TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO DEALE R 4 TIMES FOR THIS FAILURE. THE DEALER HAS REPROGRAMMED THE CRANKSHAFT, RESET SENSORS AND REPROGRAMMED THE PASS LOCK SYSTETHE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON INTERMITTENTLY AND ALSO THE ANTI-THEFT LIGHT WILL FLASH AS AN INDICATION THAT THE ANTI-LOCK SYSTEMWAS NOT GOING TO ENGAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THIS HAS HAPPENED QUITE FREQUENTLY IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. THE CONTACT STATED SOMEONE HAS TOLD HER HOW TO BYPASS THE FAILURE, BUT SHE FELT THIS WAS A SAFETY PROBLEM. *AK

THE HORN WILL BEEP ON ITS OWN, USUALLY WHEN CAR IS FIRST STARTED OR TURNED OFF, BUT WILL ALSO BEEP (BY ITSELF) WHILE DRIVING. ALSO THE AUTOMATIC POWER DOOR LOCK SWITCH ON THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR, WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO LOCK ALL DOORS WHEN DEPRESSED WHEN I AM LEAVING THE VEHICLE DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY. BOTH OF THESE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN "FIXED" SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST 12 - 18 MONTHS BY THE DEALER, BUT THEY KEEP RECURRING. ANOTHER PROBLEM, WHICH THE DEALER HAD "FIXED" A COUPLE OF TIMES IS THAT I WOULD GO OUT TO START THE CAR, IT JUST WOULDN'T START. THE DEALER CLAIMED IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM/IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER IN THAT IF YOU TRY THREE DIFFERENT KEYS OR MAKE THREE ATTEMPTS TO START THE CAR, THEN THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM WOULD LOCK THE CAR OUT. TWO TIMES OVER THE LAST 12-18 I'VE GONE OUT TO THE CAR, PUT MY CAR KEY IN THE IGNITION (ONCE EACH TIME) AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START, WOULD NOT EVEN TURN OVER. I'M WAITING FOR IT TO HAPPEN IT AGAIN, BECAUSE ONCE THE HORN AND LOCKS START MALFUNCTIONING, THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM USUALLY STARTS MALFUNCTIONING. *JB