1998 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

MY WIFE HAD JUST PULLED OUT OF A DRIVEWAY ON TO A HIGHWAY WHEN A TRUCK PULLED IN FRONT OF HER. SHE HIT HEADON INTO THE SIDE OF HIM. AFTER HE CLEARED THE AREA SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ACROSS 4 LANES OF ROAD AND INTO A PARKING LOT ACROSS THE STREET, AS SHE ENTERED THE LOT BOTH AIR BAGRS DEPLOYED VERY SLOWLY NEVER TOUCHING HER. THE SPEED CONTROL HAS BEEN REPAIRED SEVERAL TIMES AND STILL CONTINUES TO DEACATIVE WHILE DRIVING, SOME TIMES MANY TIMES IN A ROW OTHER TRIPS NOT AT ALL.

VEHICLE HAS AN ELECTRICAL CLUSTER WHICH RECORDS MILEAGE DRIVEN, HOWEVER INSTEAD OF RECORDING THE MILEAGE, THE WORD ERROR HAS ILLUMINATED, THE DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT A COMPUTER CHIP MALFUNCTIONED AND WOULD COST 400 TO 500 DOLLARS TO REPLACE IT. *SLC

PRIOR TO RECALL 01V068, THE PASSENGER SIDE WIPER PIVOT HOUSING CRACKED AND THE WIPERS FAILED TO OPERATE, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR REPAIR AND CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER, CONSUMER THEN RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTIFICATION REQUEST AND THEN REQUESTED A REFUND SINCE HE HAD ALREADY EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER WHEN HE RECEIVED THE REFUND CHECK IT WAS ONLY FOR $64.00 NOT EVEN HALF THE AMOUNT THAT HE PAID.*YD

IN POURING RAIN THE W/S/W TRANSMISSION BROKE, TWO DAYS AFTER RECIEVED A RECALL LETTER, REIMBURSEMENT REFUSED.

PLEASE MAKE A NOTE OF THE FAILURE OF THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AT 57000 ON MY 1998 MALIBU LS...IT IS A DESIGN FLAW THAT GM SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR...THANKS...MY ROTOORS WERE BAD FROM DAY ONE AND THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS JUST THE WHEELS NEEDING BALANCED....THE FAULTY ANTI-LOCK BRAKES WERE A SCARY SITUATION...THE CAR IS RIDDLED WITH DESIGN PROBLEMS THAT GM SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR. *AK

MY 1998 CHEVROLET MALIBU HAS JUST OVER 40,000 MILES ON IT AND I JUST HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS FOR THE THIRD TIME (THE FIRST TIME WAS IN SEPTEMBER,1999 AND THE SECOND WAS IN APRIL, 2000). THIS FEELS EXCESSIVE TO ME, BUT CHEVY SAYS IT'S NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR (STRANGE THAT IN HAVING CARS FOR THE LAST 18 YEARS I'VE NEVER REPLACED THEM). I'VE TRIED TO APPROACH THIS THROUGHT THE DEALER AND GM AS WELL, BUT I GET THE BLOW OFF EACH TIME. IT TOOK 3 PHONE CALLS TO CHEVY TO FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR WEBSITE. THEY KEEP SAYING THERE'S NO PROBLEM WITH THE MODEL, BUT YOUR SOMEWHAT "SECRET" WEBSITE LISTS 123 PEOPLE WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT. IF I CALL TO HAVE THE CAR SERVICED FOR BRAKE PROBLEMS, THE SERVICE REP HAS EVEN GUESSED BEFORE ME SAYING, "LET ME GUESS...A 1998 MALIBU?" OBVIOUSLY THE PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES ARE WIDESPREAD IF THEY CAN GUESS THE MAKE OF MY CAR. ALTHOUGH NOBODY IN MY FAMILY HAS BEEN HURT YET, I HOPE SOMETHING IS DONE BEFORE THAT POINT IS REACHED. KRIS FITZ. *AK

FRONT END RATTLES. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND DEALER INDICATED THAT STRUT MOUNTS WERE BAD. CALLED GMC TO CHECK ON RECALL. *AK

RIGHT TAILIGHT COLLECTS WATER EVERYTIME IT RAINS IN RELSULT THE LIGHTS GO OUT, IN RESULT THE PANEL FOR THE LIGHT HAS RUSTED AND CANNOT BE USED, THIS IS THE 2ND PANEL I HAVE PURCHASED BECUASE OF WATER LEAKING INTO TAILLIGHT. I HAVE SEEN 3 OTHER MAILIBU'S WITH THE SAME SITUATION. I WANT CHEVROLET TO FIX THIS PROBLEM I HAVE TO KEEP PAYING TO PURCHASE A NEW PANEL BECAUSE OF THE RUST, MY VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION DUE TO THIS DEFECT, I FEEL IT IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT.*AK

AFTER INCREASING NOISE NOTED OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL MONTHS, I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN TO BE SERVICED AND WAS TOLD THAT I HAD A CRACKED ENGINE MOUNT. THE SERVICE PERSON INFORMED ME THAT THIS WAS A VERY RARE OCCURRENCE ON A VEHICLE THAT WAS AS NEW AS 1998 WITHOUT SEVERE IMPACT TO THE VEHICLE, WHICH MINE HAS NEVER RECEIVED AND THEY WERE SURPRISED THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED.*AK

WHEN THE TRANSMISSION WENT BAD IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO FIRST GEAR,MECHANIC SAID THE TRANSMISSION WAS ALMOST OUT OF ITS CASE. THEY ALSO SAID THEY HAD 2 OTHER MALIBUS,SAME YEAR, WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. ALL 4 TIRES WERE REPLACED IN JANUARY BY LEN STOLER. THEY WERE ALSO SUPPOSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM IN THE LEFT FRONT TIRE, BUT IT HAS SINCE REOCCURRED.THEY ROBBED ME OF ABOUT $900 AND WERE VERY RUDE ABOUT THE SITUATION. THEREFORE I TOOK THE CAR TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. I HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE STEERING PROBLEM FIXED YET.*AK