1998 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME WE HAD TO REPLACE BRAKES AND ROTORS. VEHICLE MAKES A GRINDING SOUND. *AK

THE CAR WAS DELIVERED WITH A NOISY BRAKE PEDAL, IMPROPER STEERING WHEEL, ALIGNEMTN, AND VERY POOR WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE NOISY PEDAL WITHOUT DISMANTLING THE ENTIRE BRAKING SYSTEM, WHICH I DECLINED. THE STEERING WHEEL AND FRONT WHEELS WERE ALIGNED, HOWEVER, THE REAR WHEELS WERE NOT ALIGNED. I ONY LEARNED OF THIS BECAUSE OF A TWITCHINESS WHEN DRIVING AND PREMATURE REAR TIRE FAILURE, EVEN THOUGH THE TIRES WERE ROTATED REGULARLY. THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS HAVE BEEN ALMOST CONSTANTLY WARPED, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, FRONT CALIPER RETAINING PINS HAVE FLOWN COMPLETELY OUT WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT SEVENTY (70) MILES PER HOUR ON THE INTERSTATE. IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, THE CAR WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY REPLACED THE PIN AND RE-TOURQED ALL OTHER PINS. ABOUT A MONTH LATER, ANOTHER PIN FLEW OUT, THIS TIME RESULTING IN AN UNDRIVABLE CAR, LEAVING MY WIFE AND INFANT CHILD STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE AT NIGHT. THE CAR WAS TOWED IN, AND THE DEALER'S FIX WAS TO REPLACE ALL OF THE CALIPER PINS, IGNORING THE FACT THAT THERE IS CERTAINLY ANOTHER PROBLEM, SUCH AS COMPONENT DESIGN CAUSING THE PINS TO FLY OUT. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. AFTER REVIEWING THE COMPLAINT LOG AT THE NHTSA WEB SITE AND THROUGH PERSONAL CONTACT WITH OTHER MALIBU OWNERS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS, IT IS QUITE APPARENT THAT MY PROBLEMS ARE NOT ISOLATED EVENTS. PLEASE TAKE SOME ACTION ON BEHALF OF MALIBU OWNERS EVERYWHERE. THE PRIMARY ISSUE OF SERIOUS AND CONSTANT BRAKE PROBLEMS SHOULD CERTAINLY BE VIEWED AS A NATIONAL SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB AUTO LINE AND AM IN THE PROCESS OF ATTEMPTING TO RSOLVE MY PROBLEMS WITH GM.

VEHICLE EXPERIENCING SEVERE VIBRATION AND SHIMMY OF THE STEERING WHEEL WHENEVER APPLYING BRAKES. PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY CONTINUOUS WARPAGE OF THE FRONT ROTORS. ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED FIVE TIMES WITHIN EVERY 10,000 MILES. DEALER/MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT REPLACING IS THE ONLY THING THEY CAN DO AT THIS TIME. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

BRAKE ROTORS WARP UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS AND MUST BE REPLACED EVERY 8,000 TO 12,000 MILES. MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO COVER REPLACEMENT COST FOR THESE DEFECTIVE PARTS ON 6/26/2000. ROTORS WERE EXAMINED AND REPLACED BY DEALER (DEAN PATTERSON, ALTOONA, PA) AT 9,821 MILES, 16,434 MILES, 26,673 MILES, 35,604 MILES AND 50,320 MILES. THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW, BUT HAS BEEN THROUGH FIVE SETS OF ROTORS IN APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS. THE CAR THAT WAS TRADED IN WHEN PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE HAD OVER 120,000 AND STILL HAD THE ORIGINAL ROTORS AND DRUMS ON IT, PROVIDING CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT THIS IS A CHEVROLET DESIGN FLAW. DEALER CHARGED CONSUMER $441.99 FOR REPLACEMENT OF THESE ROTORS AT 50,320 MILES BECAUSE OF WARRANTY EXPIRATION.*AK

I HAVE REPLACED, BRAKE PADS, ROTORS, 6 TIMES SINCE THE PURCHASE OF THIS CAR. HAVE ALSO REPLACED ABS BRAKES 1 TIME. WHEN TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND YOU HIT THE BRAKES, IT WILL SHUDDER AND SHAKE (EVEN AFTER THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN CHANGED) SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED IN THIS CAR UNLESS GM DOES SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. I HAVE INFORMED GM OF THIS PROBLEM, THEY SAID THEY WOULD KEEP A RECORD. NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN ON THIS! PLEASE HELP! AS I CAN NOT SELL OR TRADE THE CAR IN. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT!*AK

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED FRONT ROTOR FAILURE AND IS HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH VIBRATION. *MJS

PURCHASED 1998 CHEVROLET MALIBU FROM COLEMAN AUTOPLEX IN GATESVILLE TX. OF WHICH I HAVE HAD A REPEATED PROBLEM WITH THE ROTORS WARPING AND THE BRAKE SHOES WEARING OUT EVERY 6000 TO 9000 MILES REPEATEDLY. THIS STARTED IN FEBRUARY OF 1998 WHILE THE CAR WAS YET UNDER MANUFACTORY WARRANTY AND IS YET AN ON GOING PROBLEM. THE DEALER IS NOT CONCERNED WITH SOLVING THIS PROBLEM! THEY ONLY WANT TOU TO KEEP BRINGING THE CAR BACK TO THEM FOR REPAIRS SO THAT THE KEEP GETTING THE MONEY TO MAKE THEIR BUSINESS FLOURISH. THE SERVICE MANAGER THE MALIBU "HAS BRAKES WICH ARE MADE OF LESSER DURABLE MATEERIAL THAN THE MORE EXPENSIVE GENERAL MOTORS CARS THUS THEY WEAR OUT FAST,THE CAN'T WITHSTAND BEING DRIVEN ACK AND FORTH TO AUSTIN, TX. WHICH IS 140 MILES ROUND TRIP, ON A DAILY BASIS BECAUSE OF THEIR POOR QUALITY". THAT IS AN AWFUL STATEMENT TO MAKE ABOUT A GM PRODUCT NOT TO SAY EVEN ABOUT A PRODUCT THAT YOU BEG PEOPLE TO BUY FROM YOU!! THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS SUCH AS MINE ON THE WEB SITE SO I AM HOPING THAT SONEONE THAT IS IN A POSITION TO HELP US WILL BE EXPOSED TO THIS DATA AND WILL CHOOSE TO AIDE IN A SOLUTION TO OUR MANY COMPLAINTS THAT WILL BENEFIT THOSE OF US WHO ARE VICTIMS! THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR CONCERN AND SUPPORT, ARVELLA E. CALHOUN. *AK

BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARMS FAILED CAUSING NOISE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION WHILE DRIVING SURFACES. NLM

ROTORS HAVE BEEN RESURFACED TWICE, REPLACED ONCE; NOW CAUSING THE CAR TO SHIMMY AGAIN AT SPEEDS OVER 35 MPH. THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM THAT'S NOT BEING FIXED PROPERLY. I CAN'T PUT UP WITH THE DOWNTIME CAUSED BY THIS INEXCUSABLE DEFECT. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THOSE THAT TRAVEL WITH ME. AIR CONDITIONER SWITCH HAS FAILED LEADING TO A COMPLETE LACK OF AIR.*AK

I AM EXPERIENCING REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES ON THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD 05 BRAKE REPAIR JOBS ON THIS CAR WITHIN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF OF WHICH IS NOT NORMAL. THERE MUST BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT WITH MY BREAKING SYSTEM. COLEMAN AUTOPLEX TELLS ME THAT THIS CAR IS NOT DESIGNED TO BE DRIVEN HIGHWAY FOR AN HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES ONE WAY TWICE A DAY BECAUSE THE BRAKES WILL GET HOT AND CAUSE THE ROTORS TO WARP. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS IS TRUE BECAUSE GMC/ CHEVROLET WOULD NOT PRODUCE SUCH POOR QUALITY/ WORKMANSHIP FOR ITS CUSTOMERS. I HAVE A 1988 DELTA88 OLDSMOBILLE WHICH I HAVE PUT 250,000 MILES ON AND I HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. WILL YOU PLEASE HELP ME? DATES OF BRAKE JOBS ARE 26 FEBRUARY 1999 INVOICE 121441, SOP BOTH FRONT ROTORS, COLEMAN AUTOPLEX, 18 JUNE 1999, RESURFACE ROTORS, NEW BRAKE PADS, INVOICE 125540 COLEMAN AUTOPLEX,9 OCTOBER REPLACE BOTH FRONT ROTORS,INVOICE 129844 ,COLEMAN AUTOPLEX,10-FEBRUARY 2000 SURFACE ROTORS NEW BRAKE PADS, INVOICE 199448 PATRIOT PONTIAC GMC BUICK OLDSMOBILLE,AND 03 JULY 2000 NEW BRAKE SHOES ,RESURFACE ROTORS. PLEASE HELP ME?*AK