2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

1. PAINT IS CHIPPING OFF ON FROMT BUMPER AND LOWER DRIVER SIDE 2. TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHTS ONLY WORK SOMETIMES

A/C TURNS OFF OR GOES ON AND OFF (LIGHT FLASHES). DEALER STATES CAUSE AS FAILED CONTROL HEAD. BRAKES HAVE BEEN CHRONIC PULSING THAT CAUSES THE CAR TO SHUDDER, ESP. WHEN APPLYING BRAKES FROM SPEEDS OF 30+ MPH. AT VARIOUS REPAIR ATTEMPTS ROTORS HAVE BEEN TURNED, REPLACED (AT 22K MILES), NEW HUB ASSEMBLY INSTALLED. SIX ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. JUST HAD NEW BRAKES AND SHIM KIT INSTALLED BUT DON'T TRUST THAT THIS WILL FIX PROBLEM BASED ON PAST EXPERIENCE.

VEHICLE OVER-HEATED, TAKEN TO DEALER WHICH HAD BEEN SERVICING THE VEHICLE SINCE NEW. DEALER REPLACED INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS AND WATER PUMP CHARGING $1400.00 THE VEHICLE ONLY HAD 24000 MILES ON IT AND WAS LESS THEN SIX MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. DEALER WOULD NOT WORK WITH ME AS A GOODWILL GESTURE. *CB

POWER STEERING FAILED, CAUSING STEERING WHEEL TO BECOME STIFF. DRIVER CHECKED POWER STEERING AND FLUID WAS STILL FULL. *AK

THE TURN SIGNAL AND THE HAZARD WARNING LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. NHTSA RECALL 03V327000 WAS ISSUED ON THIS PROBLEM. DEALER STATED THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH THIS VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED IN MARCH 2000. *AK WHEN THE SWITCH WAS TURNED ON A BUZZING NOISE STARTED AND HE LIGHTS WOULD NOT WORK. *SC *JB

THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY. *AK THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED BUT THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO NOTHING AS THERE WAS NO FORMAL RECALL AT THIS TIME, SO THE CONSUMER WAS GIVING A FILE NUMBER AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO GET REPAIRS ON THEIR OWN. THE CONSUMER WENT AND GOT THE CAR REPAIRED FOR $67.38 FROM A SERVICE DEALER. *CB *JB

TURN SIGNALS ARE INOPERATIVE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE NOT TO HAVE APPROPRIATE TURNING OR CHANGING LANE FUNCTIONS. TURN SIGNALS MAKE OTHER DRIVERS AWARE OF CONSUMER'S DIRECTION.*AK AFTER HAVING THE REPAIR DONE FOR A TOTAL OF $137.88 TWO WEEKS LATER A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THE MALIBU, THE DEALER CHECKED THE CONSUMERS VIN AND FOUND THAT IT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. SO THEY REFUSED TO REIMBURSE THE CONSUMERS REPAIR BILL. *CB *JB

2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU WITH PERSISTENT BRAKE PROBLEMS. HAVE TO REPLACE MAJOR BRAKE COMPONENTS EVERY APPROXIMATELY 20,000 MILES. ALSO, DEXCOOL COOLENT LEAK FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AFTER ONLY (APPROX) 50,000 MILES. DEXCOOL COOLANT BREAKDOWN AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF COOLING SYSTEM. *AK

FRONT BRAKES (ROTORS) REPLACE AT 22,000MILES THE BRAKE PADS OUT LASTED THE ROTORS - THAT CAN'T HAPPEN ??? IT SEEMS THEY(GM) HAVE SOME TYPE OF DESIGN PROBLEM. *AK

I BELIEVE THERE IS AN ENGINEERING DEFECT IN THE DESIGN OF THE BRAKES THAT CAUSES PREMATURE WEAR OF THE ROTORS, WHICH COULD LEAD TO BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE. THIS PROBLEM IS WELL DOCUMENTED BY CUSTOMERS, SERVICE FACILITIES AND GM DEALERS. GM GOES OUT OF ITS WAY TO DISCOURAGE RELEVANT DISCUSSION OF THIS PROBLEM, CHOOSING INSTEAD TO IGNORE IT. IN THREE YEARS, I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY ROTORS 5 TIMES WITH 87,000 MILES ON THE CAR. IT IS EXPENSIVE AND HIGHLY UNUSUAL FOR ROTORS TO WEAR OUT SO QUICKLY. EVERY MECHANIC/TECHNICIAN I HAVE SPOKEN WITH SAYS THE EXACT SAME THING: THE ROTORS ARE ENGINEERED EXTREMELY THIN DUE TO THE CALIPER DESIGN. IN ORDER TO FIT THE ROTOR IN PLACE - IT MUST BE SO THIN DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM THAT TO BEGIN WITH IT IS BARELY WITHIN SAFETY SPECIFICATIONS. IF NOT EXTREMELY VIGILIANT, ROTORS CAN WARP QUICKLY - CAUSING A CASCADING EFFECT THAT IS ALSO WELL DOCUMENTED. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THIS SITUATION NEEDS CAREFUL SCRUTINY. GM NEEDS TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOP A REMEDY FOR THIS SITUATION. *AK