Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTHER | |||
| 12/22/2006 | 119676 | 15 | 10/24/2003 |
| I purchased a 1999 chevy malibu in november 2003. i have replaced the brake pads at least 10 times ($20 each time), the rotors have been replaced 3 times ($70 each time). the brakes give you no warning they just quit suddenly which has almost caused several accidents. the abs light always comes on and when this happens you can guarantee the ignition switch is about to lock up on you. the rear windows quit working, i hear a weird popping noise coming from the rear of the vehicle while driving down the highway. the anti theft system has came on 6 or 7 times and will not allow me to crank the car(once it happened while my child was having an asthma attack and i was attempting to take him to the er). if you hit a bump in the road sometimes it sounds like a small explosion in the front end and causes the steering wheel to jerk uncontrollably for several miles. i have taken this vehicle to several mechanics who absolutely refuse to work on it because of the general fact that it is a 1999 malibu, now my ignition has completely quit, actually it hung in the start position and was making my starter grind and almost catch fire, this has happened several about 15 times, but usually after jiggling the key a few times it comes undone, but not this time. my dad had to take my battery off in order to make the engine die. so now my employer got so fed up with me being late or calling in because of my car problems that i was terminated. i am a single mom with 2 children, both have chronic asthma and have to be rushed to the er with severe asthma attacks all the time, and now i have no way to take them should the need arise. the parts are going to cost me $200 and the cost of labor and now i have no job. if you call chevrolet all they tell you is to take it to a dealer and let the mechanic look at it for a fee, and then they want to charge you more than i make in 2 months, and they never even ask you any personal info so there are no documented claims on your calls. *nm | |||
| 08/19/2005 | 105275 | 3 | 11/25/1998 |
| 8/19/05 - while driving home from work, the alternator bracket on my 1999 chevrolet malibu broke with a loud bang, causing my vehicle to lose power steering; the air conditioning to stop, and the engine to overheat. i was able to safely pull my vehicle into a wendy's parking lot, although it took all of my strength to steer the vehicle. 8/20/05 - i had my vehicle towed to an independent repair shop where it sat from 8/20/05 to 9/19/05 waiting for a new alternator bracket. it was this shop that determined it was the alternator bracket that had broken. weekly calls to the repair shop were answered with, we're still waiting on the part. a phone call to the local chevrolet dealership service dept. revealed that the independent shop had ordered the alternator bracket through them. i was then told there were no alternator brackets for my vehicle in all of ky or tn and that there was a national backorder on them. 9/19/05 - i had my vehicle towed to the chevrolet dealership to await an alternator bracket thinking that if the dealership had to look at my vehicle sitting on their property, they might be more motivated to get it repaired. 9/20/05 - my vehicle was repaired with a salvaged alternator bracket from another malibu and the alternator was replaced...no mention on my repair receipt if the alternator was new or rebuilt. while i'm am grateful for the resoucefulness of my dealership's service team, i am concerned about a used alternator bracket in my vehicle. if these alternator brackets have a tendency to break, who's to say that this used one in my vehicle won't break while im driving down the highway at 65 miles per hour? i am concerned that the alternator brackets for malibus might be defective, causing engine shutdown and damage when they break - not to mention loss of control of the vehicle when the power steering goes out. i am also concerned that new alternator brackets don't seem to exist when service departments need them. *nm | |||
| 08/05/2005 | 0 | 1 | 12/01/2004 |
| Recalls for a 99 malibu are missing from the website. *nm | |||
| 08/15/1999 | 300 | ||
| Theft light comes on and car will not start. wait 10-15 minutes car starts fine. problem happens about 2-3 times a month. problem has happened when weather is sunny and hot and in perfect weather and also when it has been raining. | |||
| 04/15/2003 | 65262 | ||
| Air conditioning - electrical failure, would flicker on and off. engine - head gasket, faulty. was replaced. power window - regulator and motor faulty, the window just stop rolling up and down, did not show signs of faiure till it happened. in shop right now, not covered under manufacturer warranty. other - cooling system, uses the infamous dex-cool coolant. the engine gets hot every time i drive it. hot meaning two bars above middle. it usually resides in the middle. the radiator cap has been replaced twice and the head gasket was also suspected of being a problem related to this. the problem still exists and is going to the dealer tomorrow for another inspection. the worst time it occurred was after the head gasket had been replaced. the vehicle ran fine for two months. we took it on vacation to lake powell when the problems occurred again. the engine started to get hot. i turned off the a/c and turned on the heat. this was able to get the engine driveable without causing damage to it. my worry is that this will happen to my wife on the freeway or driving home to see her parents. had this occurred the first time with just her in the car she would not have known what to do and would have been stranded. | |||
| 02/15/2001 | 15000 | ||
| Windshield: whistles while driving at high speeds. taken in for repairs numerous times and told that mechanic doesn't hear anything wrong. ongoing problem. brakes: need to be replaced every year. car seems to chew them up. replaced with high quality brakes from auto zone. lifetime guarantee, and replaced by myself. transmission: when car goes from reverse into drive, car revs up as if in neutral. finally kicks into gear, but is jerky for about 5 minutes afterwards. | |||
| 09/15/2003 | 85000 | ||
| Fuse #48 to the fuel pump injector continues to blow we replace it sometimes, it will start and some sometime it don't the mechanic at the dealer ship says that the 1999 chevolet malibu needed a fuel pump so he replaced the fuel pump the fuse still blowed out the day i picked up my car. they came and took it back to the shop. i have been having this fuse blowing problem since december of 2002. no one has been able to solve the problem please help me if you can. t. reynolds | |||
| 07/15/2003 | 32096 | ||
| Leaking oil for no apparent reason- upon check at garage advised of intake manifold leak that if not repaired will result in 3.1l v6 engine damage - auto repair shop advised that malibu's are infamous for this problem - advised to save receipts in the event of a recall & to write letter to chevy to advise of dissatisfaction. | |||
| 08/21/2001 | 3 | 03/21/2001 | |
| I have had nothing but problems with the brake system in my 1999 chevrolet malibu. replaced calipers, bearings,rotors,of course pads. now my abs light comes on and off (idiot light) also the gas gauge malfunctions when it gets to 1 tank also my climate control fan won't work on the 1st 3 speeds. *nlm | |||
| 1 | 09/01/1999 | ||
| There was a rattling sound from the dash area due to ashtray assembly failure. *yh | |||
| 02/25/2002 | 2 | 10/01/1999 | |
| The check engine light came on after the car was ideling very rough. o'rielly chevrolet said that the #5 injector was sticking, they flushed the system & replaced the fuel filter for $207.73. two weeks later on 2-25-02 the check engine light came on again. i took to o'rielly chev. & they said it was the #5 & # 3 injector had to be replaced. the first time the #5 injector was sticking the service rep. said it was because i was using cheap gas. i changed the type of gas to chevron & after taking another trip, i had the same symptoms & after taking the car to o'rielly chev. the #5 & #3 injectors had to be replaced. the total costs of repairs for both times is $717.88. i don't recall, other than the level of octane, reading in my owner's manuel anything about using a better type of gas, but chevrolet agrees with the service manager at o'rielly's that this is the cause of the problems with the injectors in my car. i would appreciate any help that you can provide. i feel that i shouldn't have major repair problems with a vehicle when it has was only 1,181 miles out of warranty. i have a friend that owns a 2000 malibu ls & she has also experienced problems with the #5 injector, but at least her car is still under warranty. thank you in advance for your attention to this issue. | |||
| 07/01/2001 | 1 | 11/01/1998 | |
| Engine check light is always on. dealer says it is acceptable to drive this way, since they can't fix. concerned that if a true system problem happens, i won't react because the light is always on. *ak | |||
| 09/06/2000 | 3 | 05/01/2000 | |
| Lugs: nuts- these are constantly loose,i can turn them bye hand. some are broken right off.and the chevrolet h.q.and dealership(wildd dodge) along with the chevydealership(ewalds) keep givin me the run around. the paint is simply peeling off the hood of the car,the rotors are grinding and are beginning to peel apart.the back bumper is starting to hang,and the back tail lights are melting and constantly out.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| The gauges on the instrument panel go up and down and the air bag light stays on. nlm | |||
| 01/14/2000 | 2 | 02/01/1999 | |
| I have had this malibu in the shop 7 times for the engine check light coming on security system for 3 or 4 times that is working now brakes that has failed 2 times in the last 3 weeks and i am scared to drive it i have got 2 little children and i am scared to get it my own car what i thought was safe to drive when i got it. *ak | |||