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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
0 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

1998 Chevrolet Malibu brakes problems

brakes problem

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1998 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments

problem #6

Jun 012000

Malibu

  • miles

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

ABS light just came on when turned on car and never went off. When you hit the brakes the whole car shudders. Pulling away from a stop sign the right front axle just popped and broke, we were't even going 25 miles an hour.

- Rice Lake, WI, USA

problem #5

Feb 181999

Malibu

  • miles
Brakes wearing unevenly, resurfaced 3 times, rotors replaced once, Chevy insists this is "normal" wear and tear for an 18 month old, 19000 mile vehicle.

- Merrimack, NH, USA

problem #4

Oct 281999

Malibu

  • miles
Original rotors warped approx. 22,000 miles; replaced by dealer--warped again at 29,000 dangerous shaking occurs when breaking.

- Rosebush, MI, USA

problem #3

Aug 301999

Malibu

  • miles

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

The car has been in the shop 5 times for the braking problem and 4 times work has been done. Each time the rotors are either turned or replaced because they are warped causing the car to jump and shake when you apply the brakes. Each time I am told that it is a brake manufacturer problem and then have to keep replacing the brakes and/or rotors until they get a good match. Lately the problem has become more frequent.

- White Marsh, MD, USA

problem #2

Aug 181998

Malibu

  • miles
The rotors have been replaced three time and the car only has 22K miles. When they wear down, the car will vibrate, the steering wheel will shake, and the brake pedal will pulsate. The problem is particularly bad when coming off a highway ramp and braking to a stop or when having to stop going downhill. At high speeds on the highway, it can be very scary when slowing down quickly. So far the dealer has turned or replaced the rotors each time I complain about the problem however I don't know how they will react once the waranty expires. So far the problem reoccurs every 6K miles or so. This problem seems unnoticeable at slower speeds which can make it more dangerous if the driver is not expecting it. I have checked some internet car sites and have noticed this same problem with the rotors from many other Malibu owners. Please contact me if you need any additional information. I would be happy to provide anything you need.

- Middletown, CT, USA

problem #1

Apr 151999

Malibu

  • miles
The brake rotors began to warp at about 9,000 miles. At first it was mild and only noticeable at low speeds. Later it became pronounced and the front end vibrates excessively when braking from above 60 mph. It feels like there is no braking until I reduce braking pressure, but this just extends my stopping distance. Chevrolet does not acknowledge a problem and will not replace the rotors under warranty since I had 15,000 miles before I reported the problem to them. I notice there are almost 100 similar complaints in the data base for 1997 and 1998 Malibu. One service manager reported that Chevrolet had revised the design of the rotor twice. There are no similar complaints for 1999 models. It looks like they fixed the problem but have not acknowledged it.

- Pineville, LA, USA

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