This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I repeated had problems with the transmission slipping and/or not going into gear completely and this problem almost caused an accident on a few occasions. I first suspected something was faulty shortly after purchasing the vehicle - which was a GM certified vehicle. Less than a year after purchase I had to pay almost $2000 to have the transmission rebuilt. Items replaced include the torque converter and solenoids. I also have noticed that I have coolant leaking and assume it is a problem with the intake manifold gasket - but have not had it diagnosed yet.
Light for low water would come on. About 3-4 times every 6 months starting 2002. Then all of a sudden every time the car was driven, even just a few blocks. At that point, the car had to be towed to the dealer for repair. Fortunately, I was not far from home when the major trouble started. The repair report reads "low coolant light is on and the oil appears to have water mixed... advise... lower intake manifold gaskets leaking -replaced lower intake manifold gaskets. All related gasket/seals. 6 hours of labor in cary, nc. Total bill $768. + $50 for towing. The car only has 36,000 miles. This seems a lot for a relatively "young" car. Thank goodness the low water light worked -- but no excuse for the problem.
Intermittently when the brake pedal was applied, the brakes grabbed so hard that the entire vehicle vibrated severely. When this occurred, the vehicle failed to stop immediately. This resulted in extended stopping distance. The brake rotors warped. On one occasion this failure caused lost of control, in which the consumer almost crashed into an 18 wheeler, but was able to pull over to the medium. The dealership has acknowledged that there was a problem with the braking system, but was unable to correct the problem, and was now refusing to work on the vehicle. There was a rattle under the hood at the firewall area while the vehicle was in motion, the hose assembly was found rubbing under the vehicle, both front rotors had wore thin, the fuel pump sender did not hold the correct amount of fuel pressure, there was an open circuit in the 24X crank sensor, there was a rattle in the front suspension due to weak front lower control arms which were noisy (the right lower control arm was replaced), the coolant level sensor shorted, the water pump assembly leaked coolant, there was a vibration at highway speeds, hardware was bad and was loose in the caliper, rotor pulsation which was replaced per bulletin, the turn signal was inoperative, and the A/C had internal damage and would cut on and off.
My 2000 Malibu which currently has 50,000 miles on it started losing coolant at about 48,000 miles. I have spent close to $1,000 dollars trying to get it to stop losing fluids. The last repair was a new gasket set per service bullitin #03-06-01-010 dated March of 2003. Is there any other course of action that I can take. I cannot afford any more expenses on it. Also the turn signals seem to fail when my car heater does not heat up, they come back if I turn my emergency flasers on and then off.
While driving temperature gauge failed. This made it impossible for the consumer to know if the vehicle overheated. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
2000 Chevrolet Malibu with persistent brake problems. Have to replace major brake components every approximately 20,000 miles. Also, dexcool coolent leak from the intake manifold after only (approx) 50,000 miles. Dexcool coolant breakdown and subsequent failure of cooling system.
The engine coolant constanly runs low or empty. I have to refill it all the time. Now I find out I might have a leak from the coolant that is running in my oil. Car also hard to start sometimes. I have a friend who has the same problem with having to fill up the engine coolant constanly. She has a 2002 model. Having to fill it up that often is not normal.
Coolant loss causing vehicle to overheat. Car towed to garage. Had to remove and replace intatke manifold gasket, replace thermostat, and reverse flush cooling system. Total cost $664.31 was advised to file complaint as garage has had an average of one repair like this a month on mailbus and Impala.
May 02 my vehicle was taken in for brakes and front end noise, the brakes were replaced and was told that the dealership did not have time to correct the front end problem (which they noted was covered by my warranty) and to reschedule for that problem. I did so in July 02 and at that time, they charged me for the work and tried to blame me for the problem so I paid $281.75 for this work which was previously noted that would be covered by my warranty. My battery has been replaced 3 times. The vehicle was overheating several times: In October 3, 2002, October 29, 2002, and in December 2002. I was forced to pay for at a cost of $280.52 for the Dec. 2002 problem. In March 2003 the vehicle was taken in to the dealership again for front suspension noise, and it was determined that a right upper strut mount had callapsed. In May 2003 the vehicle has again overheated and they could not explain why the problem continues. The young man that I spoke with when I arrived indicated that they (the dealership) was unsure as to why the vehicle was overheating and to just drive it because his truck does it all the time on the highway and they had no explanation as to why the batteries that they were replacing kept cracking and leaking. When I expressed my concern regarding the problem and my safety concerns, he just blew me off as if I was just complaining. Once again, it is now July 2003 and for the 4th time, my vehicle is overheating and overheating. In addition on serveral occasions I also indicated to the dealership, that there was a vibrating and shimbling when my brakes are applied and it makes it hard to controll the vehicle, not once would they address the issue with me nor have I been notified or any defects or recalls with the brake system for the 2000 Chevy Malibu. I am very concerned with my safety. In addition, my tires continuously loose air and the tread is separation from my left rear tire.
My Chevrolet 2000 Malibu leaked a whole lot of dexcool coolent onto the ground...so far, it's cost $900 to fix that and a water pump. I'm not sure this is a safety issue, but it seems like it could be construed as one. The car has 5600 miles on it.
My car is only 3 1/2 yrs. Old, but, I'm having problems with it that I shouldn't be having. Last summer, I had to have my battery and surrounding wires & hoses replaced due to a corroded cable which had leaked acid everywhere--luckily under warranty. Now, my intake valve gasket is ruined, so antifreeze leaks out constantly and the car is perpetually on the verge of running hot. I have to constantly add antifreeze and water to keep it from overheating, although, it still smells overheated all the time. It will cost me between $900-$1100 to repair the problem, even though the part only costs $150 due to the labor involved in removing the top of the engine to get to the gasket. Since the warranty has already run out, I'll have to foot the bill myself. I don't appreciate this because I shouldn't be having this problem with this car at this time, nor do I feel that it is my responsibility to fix it. The dealer or manufacturer should foot the bill since the car is so young and there is no way that I caused this problem.
I have encountered the following problems in the year since I purchased said vehicle: -signal &/or hazard lights work periodically -radio & lighter short out/blow fuses -A/C not working -A/C cuts on automatically w/ recirculation button -vent only works on level 3 or higher -water present in trunk -uneven tire wear -erratic gas gauge readings -coolant ran completely out w/out reason.
I too, have many of the problems that other Malibu owners have. My turn signals work intermittently, the brakes have been replaced 2X, in addition to rotors, etc. The battery blew up, but was replaced as was the ac turning off and on by itself. The one issue that is very concerning to me, is one familiar to you. My car cuts off at anytime while driving. It has done this to me on 2 separate occasions. Nashville has 3 interstates running through it and I was on them both times this happened. It was very scary and dangerous. It is out of warranty and the shops that I have taken it to cannot replicate the problem. The mechanics at then shops told me that Malibu's are by far some of the most troublesome cars on the road today. Someone is going to be killed. You lose control and have no steering ability, what does it take to fix the problem. I can see from others that their problems are being ignored as well. When will GM acknowledge the problem. Don't they watch the news and see what happened with the Firestone recall, or the tobacco companies that kept secrets? it is time for someone to be responsible for their product.
Front/rear suspension-squawking noise -GM well aware of this issue hazard lights - have gone out twice. Fuel integrity - erratic fuel reading - shows 1/4 tank - when in reality there is no gas. I have ran out of gas approximately 7 times - several times late at night. No cruise control - GM would not repair. Brakes pads/rotors - have replaced 3 times. My local dealer rotolo Chevrolet and GM customer service would do nothing. It was expensive. Premature tire wear - two sets of tires. Cars runs hot - would never go on a trip - because it would get too near overheating. I was afraid of getting stranded in the middle of the desert. Engine ticking noise - local dealer said this was normal. Now, I find none of these things were normal and many, many more car owners have experienced the same type of problems. Also, I had a battery that exploded while car was under warranty. It was my problem. Dealership would not replace battery. I finally had enough and turned this automobile back to gmac. Is it going to take people getting killed to make GM responsible for these issues with the 2000 Malibu. All of these problems were reported to the dealer, but since nothing could be duplicated, even though GM was aware of these issues, they would do nothing. After the car was out of warranty, the dealership was more than willing to correct these issues. The problem I have is the deception.....GM is aware of these issues and have been for some time. Someone needs to hold then accountable.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Parkville, MD, USA