10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
75,755 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #11

Aug 232020

Malibu

  • 42,000 miles
The hydraulic brake lines between the front and rear of the car corroded and quickly leaked fluid out so the brakes no longer functioned. The fluid leaked out when the car was parked after driving on the highway the night before. If this happened when I was driving the results could have been catestophic my mechanic stated that this is a common problem with Chevy. I saved some of the brake lines he had to remove.

- Saddle Brook, NJ, USA

problem #10

May 182016

Malibu

  • 170 miles
I turned on my ac and the temp and fuel guage fuse blowed while having the air on still changing out fuses and the automatic car locks on it own when you closes the doors getting out or it will lock when some one gets out of the car all by itself without hitting the door lock on the keyless entry.

- Pulaski, IL, USA

problem #9

May 012016

Malibu

  • 39,000 miles
Purchased my 2002 chev Malibu new! has 39000miles on it, granted, car is 14yrs old but in mint condition. Its gone through 3 sets of rotors,3 sets of front pads, 2 sets of calipers and one set of brake lines, both front hub & bearings twice!!.there` S a serious problem with the design of thier brake system design!!

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #8

Sep 012008

Malibu

  • miles
The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic on three occasions, who diagnosed that the brake pads and the rotors needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start as the anti theft system warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V400000 (electrical system).the failure mileage was unknown.

- Mullins, SC, USA

problem #7

Jun 032014

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 95,000 miles
The car was taken in for routine maintenance. Upon inspection the GM mechanic showed me that the brake lines were completely rusted out. There are other parts of the under body that have a lot of corrosion. There is potential risk of failure which could lead to an accident. The car has under 100,000 miles on it, is garage kept and very well maintained. Upon further research, there have been many complaints and accidents relating to this specific issue on GM vehicles. Discussing the problem with GM customer service, it was told that it would the responsibility of the local dealer to workout a method of payment but GM was essentially not going to be of any help. The local dealer clearly has no incentive to to bare the cost of the repair. This is a engineering design flaw that should be taken care of by the oem. Other vehicles by GM have had this problem but no recall or acknowledgment of this issue is present. Other oem have had similar problems and quickly addressed it has a free repair/recall to the their customers.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #6

Aug 282012

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 95,239 miles
I was driving from the market and came to a stop sign but had no brakes. No sign of me not having any brakes before hand.. the emergency brake would not work also.there were no cars in the crossing and I went through and continued home. I got home which is about 1.5 miles away and was able to pull into the driveway going as slow as I could. I called my husband and he said there was fluid all over the ground on the driver side. I have the pictures of the lines. When he looked the brake and gas lines had rusted through. If I had driven over the mountain to get home from the doctors I would not be here today. I also was told if a car had hit me gas line like that it could have started a fire.you need to check gas and brake line before someone dies. The cost to fix this, and I still don't have my car back is $2550. I want something done. I should not have to pay for this. I should be refunded some or all of the cost.Chevy owner since 1965.

- Kailua, HI, USA

problem #5

Dec 012013

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 136,000 miles
When driving the car it may stall, (and it has many times) which causes failure of power steering and brakes. The car also won't always start. You can turn the key but the dashboard lights don't come on, if they don't the car will not start. Also the battery won't keep a charge, unless you start the car and let it run at least every 2 days.

- Dover, DE, USA

problem #4

Jul 082014

Malibu

  • 140,000 miles
In a collision with another vehicle, brakes failed to work, airbag did not deploy. Totaled my vehicle.

- Pearland, TX, USA

problem #3

Apr 042014

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 69,000 miles
Vehicle front end shakes/wobbles severely when under hard braking situations down hill. Loud low rumble noise and pedal vibrations are evident. Shaking and wobbling is present through vehicle steering wheel requiring more strength and directional corrections to steer and guide the vehicle properly. Down hill braking could be severely impeded in normal driving or while towing a trailer. Panic stops and light braking situations on level ground are normal straight and true. Brake fluid level check okay and is clean. ABS system operating normally. Parking brake operating normally. Vehicle brake system and ABS warning lights check okay. Vehicle has 4 new tires mounted and balanced on original factory rims. Tires are sized and inflated to vehicle manufacturers specifications. Cold tire pressure 29 psi in front and 26 psi in rear. Front left and right rotor surfaces are smooth and within normal specifications. Vehicle diagnosed as having warped front rotors. Front rotors appear to warp prematurely under normal load. Vehicle has had front rotors repaired and or replaced 3 times. Has been suggested that front rotors are not large enough to handle the size and capacity of the vehicle. Vehicles with the six cylinder engine option displace more weight upon the front axle creating excessive heat and wear on undersized disc brakes. Vehicle presented with 69,000 original miles.

- Corning, OH, USA

problem #2

Sep 302013

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 161,300 miles
On Sept. 30th 2013 we had our 2003 Chevy Malibu worked on at just brakes on 75 in dallas. They recommended a long list of items costing around $900 in repairs. We decided to only have the rear bakes done at this time. On Jan 16 of this year we took the car to another automotive repair shop to have the oil changed and front brakes fixed. Our local mechanic stated the rears were improperly done and were not working at all. The pads were installed backwards and the springs not attached. We took the car back to just brakes in richardson so they could properly fix and redo the work we had paid for. The manager bobby was extremely rude, hostile and argumentative. He basically denied there was any problem and told us to leave. Here are a few things he said to us when we tried to explain the situation. How do you know they don't work". we had tested the parking brake and it wouldn't hold the car at all. He said, the E-brake isn't designed to do that. How did you get the car here if your brakes don't work? I am not going to guarantee anything. I am not going to refund any of your money. Why don't you just fix them yourself? are you going to keep arguing with me" you should just take the car somewhere else. Tired of his condescending belligerent and insulting attitude, we instead went to their lemon ave location downtown. They were very helpful and immediately fixed the brakes quickly and courteously. This is a serious problem as we had been driving an unsafe vehicle with only the front brakes working for over 3 months. It also cost us less then half of what just brakes wanted to repair the front end at our local mechanic. Bobby originally stated additional problems were needed to be addressed that turned out were actually non-existent and fraudulent overcharges.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #1

May 092012

Malibu

  • 55,600 miles
As I was driving down the road, I signaled for a left turn. When I signaled the turn, there was a buzzing noise in the steering column and the engine turned off, resulting in a complete loss of power to steering and brakes. Luckily, I was going about 10 mph and was able to stop the car, albeit in the middle of the street. I noticed the dashboard lights were on. The car restarted immediately and I drove it 1/2 block to a parking space. I subsequently took the car to fh dailey, the local Chevy dealer. They told me there was a problem with the BCM (body control module) that had caused the engine to shut off while the car was being driven. They are replacing the BCM. They did not seem particularly concerned about the problem and my impression is it is not unusual for them to encounter it. I am concerned that, had I been driving in traffic, on the highway, or on a curving road, the engine failure could have resulted in significant injury or fatality to myself or others.

- Oakland, CA, USA