Print this page

8.5

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$510
Average Mileage:
117,950 miles
Total Complaints:
11 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (7 reports)
  2. replpace with used coil and strut (3 reports)
  3. bought a new set of springs from napa auto parts (1 reports)
1998 Chevrolet Malibu suspension problems

suspension problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

1998 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments

problem #11

Jun 012011

Malibu LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 144,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Holy S*!!!!! Thankfully this happened when my car was parked but the way the spring came down on my tire it would have shredded the tire to s* and ripped it off the rim if I was going down the road. You want to talk about dangerous! I can't believe that no one has gotten killed from this happening. I have to say that the car has been good to me otherwise. I have had the anti-theft engine shut down problem but other then that it's been pretty reliable. A problem like this though is way more dangerous then should ever be allowed! Recall it Chevy, before someone dies!

- Sarah M., Hellertown, PA, US

problem #10

Jul 192010

Malibu 3.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 163,000 miles

Malibu spring broke, snapped in half for no reason! It punctured a hole in my tire, I am super pissed!!! It left me stranded on the road. what a cheap piece of sh*t. I demand a recall!!! I hate you chevy and am never buying a car from you again,and when anybody ever mentions chevy malibus or chevys at all i am going to tell them how cheap you are. I am going to advertise how sh*tty your cars are!!! This problem could have killed me, the tire popped and i had no control of the vehicle and almost ended up in a head on collision going 45 miles an hour, i could have died because of how cheap chevy is, so now that i didnt die i am making it my goal in life to keep every person i know from buying this car!

- Hannah S., Mason City, IA, US

problem #9

Mar 012010

Malibu V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 169,000 miles

3 of the springs were broken (for a long time). 2 were in real bad shape, so I welded the bottom of the spring to the spring seat. Been a few weeks, and it's held up...more will be revealed.

- fasteddie0073, Cortlandt Manor, NY, US

problem #8

Jun 122008

Malibu LS 3.1L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 89,514 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My wife has been complaining for about 6 months about a squeaking sound in thr LF of her 98 Malibu.She complains all the time about her brakes squeaking too , but every time i have them checked, they say they are O.K. So I didn't take this too serious,until I found the broken LF spring laying on the garage floor after she pulled out. Took it to a GM garage and they said they have seen this before on 3 exact year and models.This vehicle has approx. 103,000 on it now ,but looking at the broken spring ,I could tell it has been broke quite awhile and just now broke completely in two.Chev knows they have a problem and won't remedy the situation, probably not until someone gets killed and they are sued for knowingly allowing an unsafe suspension part to continue to be allowed on their vehicles.It is not a new stand for Chev, they pull this all the time,they continually deny any problems or knowledge of problems ,even after they have been reported to them. That is why I now drive a Toyota ,and my wifes next car will also be a Toyota.They would have taken care of a ongoing problem like this as they care about customer safety, and take care of you after the sell. They also care about the reputation of the quality of product they put out and stand behind it.

- smooth01, Norwalk, IA, US

problem #7

May 082008

Malibu LS 3.6L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 86,992 miles

Took my family on vacation to Florida last May. On May 8th, while enjoying the Florida sun, there was a bad snow storm here in Canmore Alberta and over 3 feet of snow fell in a 24 hour period. Well, the snow was all gone by the time we returned a week later but the damage was done. The weight of the snow had broken our right front coil in two. After reading other Malibu owners stories I feel very lucky that I was not driving our car with our three young children when the coil broke. It is unbelievable that GM has not recalled this very popular vehicle to make these repairs. These are accidents just waiting to happen.

- youcan2, Canmore, Alberta, Canada

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #6

Feb 012007

Malibu 3.1L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 98,455 miles

I have a 1998 Malibu, with the 3.1 v6, and I have had to replace the front shocks on this vehicle at about 95000 miles. I replaced them with strut and spring combos from a local junk yard. I now have the same situation, the passenger coil spring snapped, and the coil dropped over the strut and puntured the tire. I think this is crasy that the same problem can occur, and that there is no recall to cover this problem.

- Dennis L., Fredonia, NY, US

problem #5

Jul 072008

Malibu

  • Automatic transmission
  • 131,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

click to see larger images

coil spring snapped in half coil spring snapped in half coil spring snapped in half

According to the mechanic, the metal fatigue was likely due to cheap Chinese manufacturing. There was no leakage or failure of the strut itself. As seen in the last photo of the Grey Malibu of about or the same year model, it appeared to break in approximately the same place. It was quite odd to see another car of the same year and model, with the same problem in a small 4 bay repair shop in WV. The other car had been there a couple of days waiting for a new one to be shipped in. Since I was just traveling through and wanted to get home, I settled for a used one. I forgot to ask if it was from the same model car as now I don't know if it will fail. I also don't know if the one on the drivers side will fail also. So I will likely have to get rid of the car even though it got 32 mpg on its last tank of gas because I can't trust it.

I was fortunate that the break occurred after I left the Interstate and traveling at 70mph. We were parked in a large lot shopping. My wife got in the car to pick me up (so no excess weight on the passenger side where the break occurred) and she move straight forward about a foot when the coil came down and ripped a ten inch gash in the tire's sidewall. Not thinking it was any more just a blow out, a good samaritan helped me put on the donut spare in 88 degree heat. I got the vehicle to the nearest tire shop just as they were closing their doors. But as they saw that my donut was very low on air, they put some in and told me to go just over the next hill to another shop. That air was just enough to make contact with the edge of the coil and blew out the donut. My wife had to walk a quarter mile or more to a Wal Mart to make sure that they would be able to replace the tire. She called back and so I hobbled on the rim up to the tire area. They took the original tire and replaced it and finally noticed the coil when they attempted to put it on. I then had to find a repair shop at 6:30 pm, call a tow and find a Motel close enough to be able to check on the car the next morning. By 4:30pm I was back on the road thanks to the very nice and honest people of Parkersburg, but my wallet was much lighter and my back much sorer for the experience.

I will now research strut problems and coils to see what others have experienced. I certainly hope others have not been injured, but I cannot imagine that there has not been a few tragedies. The GM company should at the very least issue a warning, if not a total recall.

- kdw, Morgantown, WV, US

problem #4

Jan 142008

Malibu LS 3.1L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 135,000 miles

The car has been good to me but until this happened I had never heard of it happening before. Luckily I have family that helped me fix the car relatively inexpensively. The worst part is it happened in Minnesota in January and I had to work on it in the cold. Otherwise it would not have been a huge issue.

- Jason S., Saint Paul, MN, US

problem #3

May 272007

(reported on)

Malibu LS V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,000 miles

The spring broke while turning, punctured tire. I am lucky this didn't happen when my wife and granddaughter were in the car while on highway doing 65 MPH, might be dead now.

- Bill W., Pt. Pleasant, NJ, US

problem #2

Jul 172007

(reported on)

Malibu LX 3.1L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles

After all the drama with the intake manifold (replaced 2X), this breaking of the front coilspring is the last straw! My old 1981 Malibu's is still running well, what happened, did GM got swallowed by the new technology-era or trying to make too much money risking peoples lives? It is criminal!

- Peter P., Vancouver, BC Canada, Canada

problem #1

May 112005

(reported on)

Malibu LS

  • 60,000 miles

pulling out of the driveway, i fell the front end fall and the tire pop. and then the car hit the ground. the front right coil spring snaped in half and sliced a hole in the tire big enough to put my hand in. took to the dealer/mechanic they dont know why it happened but they said there was no rust to cause it. Malibu's are lemons!!!

- Eric C., Dayton, OH, US

Not what you are looking for?