exterior style
large trunk

Brakes
tires
Road Noise
Air leaks at door handles
Whimpy A/C and heater

This is the Worst Car I ever owned. And was very disapointed in GM's response to the problems I had experienced..******'NO RESPONSE"
The bakes, rotors and Pads. Repaced 2 times in 14m miles. The road noise.. The tire wear. at 14m miles The tires needed to be replaced. The GM service center personnel even said "You will have brake problems and abnormal tire wear, every Malibu we see is like that. Malibu is the worst GM makes." Then proceeded to show me other Malibu's in for repair, The same problems.
Don't waste your money on this car unless you got a fortune to spend for repairs.

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90' Pontiac Sunbird. This was an absoulte gem in comparision.
95' Chev Caviler. Even this beat the malibu.

Large trunk, roominess, excellent paint quality, automatic transmission shifts smoothly, great handling for a sedan, power driver seat easy to use, stereo, ABS, great overall value, good acceleration for a sedan.

Cheap glove box that sags (poor design/can't be fixed); squeaks from rear suspension/struts as though loose even though they are not.

Excellent product; I would buy it again if I were in the market for another "value" four-door sedan which I am not. This car has 19,000 miles and looks and rides like it was just driven off the lot. I'm really surprised at the high quality of paint. However, I am really concerned after reading all the negative comments, especially regarding the rotors! My sister has a '99 Malibu and had rotor wear at 18,000 miles. However, I just rotated the tires on mine, and the rotors do not look worn/warped. Also, the Firestone tires are showing little signs of wear (and I prefer Goodyear tires). My wife and I have strongly considered selling this car for a BMW, and now I feel I should make the switch before the problems occur!

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Compares very well to Honda Accord. I've owned 11 new vehicles but have only owned two mid-size sedans: this 1999 Malibu and a 1994 Honda Accord bought new. This Malibu compares much better to the Accord! I will take a loose glove box and squeaky strut to the faulty transmission (replaced within first three (3) thousand miles) and cheap plastic rear bumper panel any day. If you're in the market for a family sedan, don't rush out and buy an Accord; my Accord was a lemon. However, the Accord was easy to sell.

Great acceleration
Comfortable
Lots of interior space (I have 3 kids, 2 still in carseats)
One of the largest trunks I've seen yet
Asthetics (Car looks good and with a nice set of wheels and some tints put on the car looks very sharp)

Rotors - Had to replace with aftermarket at 80k, No problems since.
Headlights leak - Repaired under warranty

Since I bought the car I've had no major problems with it. Aside from the normal daily wear and tear the car still looks great and I'm currently sitting at 120k.

I am a very aggresive driver and this car more than meets my need for speed and can also load $400 worth of groceries in the trunk. Plus it takes one hell of a lot of punishment. Hey, what more do you need?

I tested every car I could find when in search for this one and I feel you can't get any more bang for the buck.

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Dodge stratus - seen too many falling apart (I work in a shop)
Ford contour - underpowered. Feels too smaal and cramped.
Ford Taurus - Just too damn ugly.
Import counterparts - Overpriced and underoptioned. They don't feel solid enough for me to trust my kids in. They also feel cramped.

Price, if you don't count all of the repair for the rotors and brake pads.

Rotors and brake pads!!!!!

My problems started a month after I purchased the vehicle. The first problem was the drivers side brake light not working and then the passenger side power window would go down, but not up. Then the most common problem everyone seems to be having with the Malibu, the rotor and brake pads. My car is in the shop for the 3rd time and the car has only 16,000 miles on it, the first time I took the vehicle in it had 3,008 miles and I told the shop it would start to shake badly at 60 miles per hour when applying the brakes. I was told there was nothing wrong and now at 16,000 miles, I have been told the rotor and pads have to be replaced. I think it is time to file a legal action against Chevy for this rotor and brake pad problem. Who is with me?

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None

Everything!!!

DO NOT BUY A MALIBU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hate this car!! I bought the car with 44,000 miles on it and have since put about 20K miles on the Malibu as I am a college student. I have replaced the ignition lock cylinder ($130 for the part alone)and the rotors/brake pads twice. Guess what my brakes are bad again two weeks later!!!! I proably will have to put new rotors back on my car. That should be another 180 dollars for my service shop. I can not afford this piece of junk. I also have two malfunctioning sensors and my engine idles as bad as our 1990 Corsica with 240K miles on it. I repeat the warning do not buy a Malibu. It is a shame that I am stuck with this garbage for at least 5 and a half years.

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It is the biggest piece of junk GM ever produced.

Looks. This car's looks are fairly nice, but the buck stops there, unfortunately!

Everything you can imagine. When will Americans learn how to build better cars? This joke of a car is SO UNREFINED, and so MECHANICALLY INFERIOR AND PRONE TO PROBLEMS, I can't understand how Chevy can sell these pieces of defecation!

This car is a total dissapointment! My wife and I thought we would give an american car 'another chance', but man oh man were we to pay... and PAY...AND PAY as the years ticked by on our lease!!! Especially the last year where we had to pay for expensive repairs ourselves!!! We got the 6 cylinder, 1997 first year released model, and have had nothing but problems with it. I will list the major ones briefly:

1) Electrical system is shot. The guages 'pin' and 'go haywire' from time to time, and the lights go out as well. The car won't start on certain days, especially rainy and humid ones. After repeated visits to the Chevy dealer, they were NOT ABLE to find anything wrong!!! WE STILL HAVE THESE PROBLEMS!!!

2) The ride is harsh, jittery, and unrefined to say the least. The engine is also loud on acceleration, and there is lateral pull at times. I feel like i'm driving an old truck at times! The noises coming from the front end and undercarriage are unacceptable!

3) The seats must be made out of cheap, paper fill or something like this, because they have 'sunk in' and deformed over the 4 years we've had this crapbox on wheels. And I only weigh 170 lbs, and my wife much less.

4) We had steering problems after 3 years. The car's steering started making loud noises, and became difficult to steer. They were able to fix this problem, but it cost us several hundred bucks. I'm sorry, but cars that are well built do not develop steering problems.

If Chevy can correct these problems (maybe they have in later models???), they have a winner. But in my book, a car should not be released to the public that has so many problems, especially in it's first year of release. Chevy should have put more refinement and engineering into this piece of junk.

Even 'CONSUMERS REPORTS' MAGAZINE gave this car an abysmal rating as of late, based on ACTUAL UNBIASED DRIVER REPORTS!!! The problem was that they also rated this car as 'promising' the first year it came out, even though there were no consumer feedback reports on it yet.

As far as I am concerned, I will never buy or lease an American car again. German and Japanese cars blow American cars away in style, refinement, fit and finish, engineering, etc. etc. etc.

WHAT A DISSAPOINTMENT! CHEVY'S REALLY SUCK.

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Does not compare to Nissan Maxima or Altima, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, etc.

The car is certainly roomy from a "sedan" perspective. A/C works well. Love the cup holder on the left side of the steering wheel. Engine is fairly powerful.

BRAKES!! i replaced the rotors at 40,000 km and the new ones are already "wobbly". Lots of little squeaks in the front end all the time. Radio is s#*t. lots of static and no range. Why is there a cassette player still in these cars? Who buys cassettes anymore?

The car looks good at first. Shortly after owning though it I realized i had made a mistake. Although it does have lots of room and is fairly powerful It just feels cheap and loose. I'm wondering what it will be like in 2 or 3 years. The rubber seals leak around the trunk. The steering is rubbery. The interior noise level is excruciatingly high. But I will say this; there is plenty of little storage locations up front to stash all the maintenance receipts i will no doubt accumulate! Like I said, this will be my last Chevy Malibu because life is too short to spend it driving junk!

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My first domestic car. Probably my last unless someone pays me to take one from them. even then I'd be reluctant!

Styling is nice,cd/tape player is nice also,sunroof,roomy interior,

Rattles,rattles,rattles,noisey engine when cold, front end clunks when going up driveways ect...,brake rotors keep warping,not a very good car

I bought this car with 17,000 miles on it,i have now 29,000 and have had the brakes replaced once and the rotors turned twice.the dash has been replaced along with many other panel pieces in the doors.the dealer cant seem to fix all the rattles in the wich start from the front and go to the back. what good is a warranty!I have a very severe clunk in the front end on both sides when a hit a small bump like a driveway.And the rear struts are leaking fluid and making a squishing sound all the time very annoying.I am very thankful for purchasing a 7 year/100,000 mile warranty otherwise i'd be completly screwed.I wish i could get rid of it but the car is worth less than i owe.That really sucks bad value drops very,very fast.please don't buy this car even if you are desperate it's not woth the time lost and anger you will get.It is my first american car and my last only honda from here on out again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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92'accord puts this car to shame

Large trunk
Comfortable driver seat
Fold down back seats
Plenty of head and leg room
Good gas mileage

Suspension is horrible
Very poor radio reception
Screams when making sharp turns, even at low speeds
Stalls when filled with gas
Paint peeling from front and rear bumbers
Incredible amount of vibration in steering wheel; like holding on to a buzz saw.
Heater and A/C will not work at levels 1 and 2.

After purchasing this car I immediately began to feel that I had made a mistake. After reading this page I am certain I made a mistake. I have only owned this car for five or six weeks, so I have not encountered as many problems as other reviewers have, but I am bracing myself. I think I'll start a brake fund!

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Comparatively inexpensive.

Brake system is terrible. I have had four sets of front rotors. Electrical system is far worse. Alternator has been replaced twice. At times, the theft-deterrant system thinks I'm stealing may car and won't allow it to start. I now have a gremin that shuts down the electrical system while the car is underway. Mechanics have been randomly replacing relays, ignition switch, etc., trying to chase down the problem. Dealers have been The electrical system for the 1997 model is different than later models. I guess they learned at my and others expenses.

I bought the car because my temporary job would run up the mileage in a hurry. I now have 119,000 miles on the car. Handling and gas mileage are decent. Looks okay for a sedan. Repairs have been unacceptable.

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In two months it will be paid off. I will return to Honda and purchase what I should have in the first place - an Accord.