1998 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

BURNT OIL SMELL COMING FROM ENGINE WHILE DRIVING. DEALER SAID THE REAR MAIN SEAL GREASE WAS MIXING WITH THE OIL FROM RECENT OIL CHANGE AND CREATING SMELL. DEALER SAID SMELL SHOULD GO AWAY AFTER 1,000 MILES.*AK

CAR HAS STALLED OVER 35 TIMES OVER A TWO MONTH SPAN. THE REPAIR SHOP HAS REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH, REPROGRAMMED THE PCM, AND REPLACED THE PCM. I HAVE REPLACED THE BATTEY AND THE FUEL FILTER. THE CAR WILL STALL AT ANY SPEED. IT WOULD RESTART 'TILL 12/24/00 WHEN IT STALLED FOR THE LAST TIME AS I APPROACHED AN INTERSECTION. MY TWO CHILDREN WERE WITH ME AT THE TIME. I MANAGED TO PULL OVER. I TRIED OVER FOURTY TIMES TO RESTART THE CAR. THE ENGIN TURNED OVER FINE. IT DID NOT DRAG. FINALLY, I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT I TAKIT IN WITH IN A TWO MONTH PERIOD TO HAVE THE STALLING REPAIRED. ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO, WE WERE COMING BACK FORM VACATION WHEN THE CAR DIED ON US OVER TWENTY TIMES FORM SAN DIEGO TO SACRAMENTO. AT ONE POINT, WHILE RUNNING, THE CAR WOULD ACCELERATE AND DECCERATE AS IF SOMEONE WAS PUMING THE ACCERATOR IN A RAPID MOTION. THEN THE CAR WOULD DIE OUT. I WOULD PULL OVER AND RESTART IT. AFTER A WHILE, I GOT THE HANG OF IT. IT WOULD DIE OUT, I WOULD PUT IT IN NUTERAL, AND I WOULD RESTART THE CAR. IT WAS NIGHT TIME AND IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS EVERY TIME THAT I HAD TO PULL OVER TO RESTART IT. I WAS WITH MY WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN. SECOND PROBLEM: THE ABS LIGHT LIT UP WHEN THE CAR HAD 35,800 MILES APPROXIMATLY. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER AND AT THAT TIME THE LIGHT WAS OUT. IT WOULD COME ON INTERMITTENLY. THE DEALER COULD NOT DIAGNOSE A PROBLEM. AROUND 37,000 MILES, THE ABS WOULD COME ON EVERYOTHER DAY, AND THE CAR WOULD GO INTO AN ABS BRAKE EVERY TIME THE LIGHT WOLD COME ON. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE DEALER AND HAD THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL SENSOR REPLACED. THAT TOOK CARE OF THE ABS PROBLEM. I PUT OFF THE REPAIR BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO HAVE IT FIXED. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED THE BRAKE PADS AT 30,000 MILES AND IT SOULDS LIKE THEY NEED TO BE REPALCED AGAIN. THEY SQUEEK WHEN I BRAKE. MY PRIMARY CONCERN IS THE CAR'S DEFECT WITH THE STALLING. I AM AFRAID THAT SOME DAY WE MAY GET IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT, BECAUSE THERE WAS A BULGE IN THE RIGHT REAR TIRE, OWNER REPLACED ALL 4 TIRES. TIRES WERE MADE BY FIRESTONE, AFFINITY-TOURING, P21560R15 M&S. *CJ

MOTOR MOUNTS/ BOLTS SHEARED OFF RIGHT FRONT, CAUSING ENGINE TO TILT AND TO ACCELERATE. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND MADE REPAIRS AT CONSUMER'S COST. *AK AFTER CONTACTING GM, THEY DECIDED TO PAT FOR REPLACEMENT PARTS, CONSUMER PAID FOR THE LABOR CHARGES AND RENTAL CAR CHARGES. *SLC

VEHICLE REAR-ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AT 35 MPH IN WHICH NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. DRIVER'S SEAT CAME UNLATCHED & DRIVER RECEIVED INJURY TO RIGHT HAND & RIGHT BREAST. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK

PAD/,ROTORS,TIRES REPLACES AT 22,000 MILES. TIRES CHOPPED AND FEATHERED. RUBBING BEGAN AT 7,000. TOLD DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, FINALLY AT 22,000 PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED. HOWEVER, STILL GETS GRINDING NOISE WITH BRAKES WHEN ROADS ARE WET. TOLD DEALER, THEY SAID THAT IT WAS NORMAL. *AK (TIRESIZE: R14)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: R14 )

VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING AN ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH WARPED ROTORS, CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE IS HARD TO CONTROL WHEN BRAKES GO BAD, THE THIRD TIME ROTORS WERE REPLACED, THE CONSUMER HAD TO PAY FOR LABOR, CONSUMER STATES THIS IS ONLY A TEMPORARY FIX TO THE ONGOING PROBLEM. *SLC

OCT/99,FRONT BRAKE PROBLEMS/BRAKE PEDAL SHUDDER,STEERING WHEEL SHIMMY/(SEVERE OVER 55MPH) AT 7000 MILES. REPORTED PROBLEM TO DEALER-WAS TOLD NORMAL WEAR/OUT OF WARRANTY-CAR IS 13 MONTHS OLD. HAD TO HAVE ROTORS TURNED/SEVERE WARPING.NOV/00,11600MILES. SAME PROBLEM.ROTORS AND PADS HAVE TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF WARPING/EXCESS WEAR. CAR ONLY DRIVEN 4000 MILES IN LAST YEAR.DIDNT CONTACT DEALER BECAUSE OF PREVIOUS DISMISSAL BY SERVICE DEPARTMENT MANAGER.*AK

FIRESTONE AFFINITY TOURING T-Z TIRE (P215 60 R15) EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION, THE TIRE CAME OFF THE RIM AND ALMOST CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOSE CONTROL. *SLC

THE FRONT ROTORS (LEFT AND RIGHT) WARP EVERY 8-12 THOUSAND MILES CAUSING SEVER VIBRATION WHEN BRAKING AT HIGH SPEEDS. THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH ALL MAILBUS FROM 1997-2000 BASED ON CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER MALIBU OWNERS AND DEALER SERVICE TECHNICIANS. NHTSA COMPLAIN FILES SHOW DOZENS AND DOZENNS OF THE SAME COMPLAINT, YET NO ACTION BY EITHER NHTSA OR CHEVY/GM. DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY. CHEVROLET SHOULD BE FORCED TO MAKE AMENDS TO OWNERS AND REPLACE TRHE ROTORS WITH AN IMPROVED DESIGN. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE 2000 MODEL MALIBUS HAVE AN IMPROVED ROTOR AND HEAT DISSIPATING FRONT DISC BRAKE PADS. NHTSA SHOULD HAVE CHEVROLET REFIT 97-99 MODELS WITH THESE NEW PARTS. *AK