1999 CHEVROLET MALIBU Engine And Engine Coolingengine Problems

1 - BRAKE FAILURE AT 15,000 MILES; REPLACED BRAKES 4 TIMES AFTER DEALER AND MANUFACTURER (CHEVROLET) FAILED TO REPAIR; I PURCHASED 3 CALIPERS, 4 ROTORS AND MANY BRAKE PADS AT COSTS OF $1,000. 2 - GAS GUAGE SENDING UNIT FAILED AFTER 60,000 MILES; COULD NOT DETERMINE PROPER FUEL LEVEL; PURCHASED AND REPLACED UNIT AT COST OF $325. 3 - INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILED AT 45,000 MILES; VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SEVERE OVERHEATING; DEALER CHARGED $700 TO PERFORM VALVE JOB AFTER CHARGING $700 TO REPLACE INTAKE MANIFOLD; 4 - BATTERY FAILED AFTER 25,000 MILES; POSITIVE POST FELL OUT OF BATTERY; PURCHASED REPLACEMENT AND DID NOT HAVE VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER BECAUSE I WAS IN CALIFORNIA FROM TEXAS ON A TRIP - COSTS $70 . *AK

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT TWO DEFECTS. FRONT BRAKES WERE WEARING OUT PREMATURELY. THE BRAKES AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED 4 TIMES IN LESS THAN 20,000 MILES. ALSO, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS LEAKING INTO THE CRANKCASE AND ONTO THE MOTOR. *AK *JB

PLASTIC LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY @ 28,000 MILES, AND IT NEEDS TO BE DONE AGAIN @ 78,000 MILES FOR A COST OF $800.00. *JB

I MYSELF, HAD TO HAVE MY INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET REPLACED IN MY 1999 CHEVROLET MALIBU. IT WAS RECALLED ON CERTAIN VIN NUMBERS, BUT NOT MINE. A FRIEND OF MINE ALSO OWNS THIS SAME MAKE AND MODEL OF THE CHEVROLET MALIBU AND SHE IS CURRENTLY HAVING TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM FIXED. I AM EXPERIENCES SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH MY VEHICLE THAT I SAW ON A RECALL LIST FOR A PARTICULAR SET OF VINS. I FIND THIS TO BE A BIT STRANGE THAT I AM CURRENTLY HAVING THESE MANUFACTURE DEFECTS, AS WELL AS OTHERS THAT OWN THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF THIS VEHICLE, AND THEY ARE ONLY RECALLING A SELECT FEW. IT SEEMS STRANGE THAT 3 PEOPLE I KNOW EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE, YET, THERE IS NO RECALL ON THEM.

GM 3.1 LITRE V6 INTAKE GASKET LEAK AT APPOX.60,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT 85,000 MILES. *AK

PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS DEVELOPED CRACKS WHICH LET THE ENGINE COOLANT LEAK INSIDE ENGINE. *MR GENERAL MOTORS DID ADMIT THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND THERE WAS A RECALL, HOWEVER IT DID NOT APPLY TO THE CONSUMER VEHICLE. *SCC *JB

1999 CHEVROLET MALIBU HAS ENGINE PROBLEMS.*MR WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED, THE TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDED AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT.*TS *JB

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET CRACKED, AND CAUSED COOLANT TO LEAK ONTO THE ENGINE. *AK THE VEHICLE NEEDED COOLANT ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO. THE CONSUMER ADDED COOLANT IN THE BEGINNING OF 06/03 AT APPROXIMATELY 37,500K MILES AND AGAIN ONE MONTH LATER AT 38,500K MILE. SEVERAL MECHANICS SAID THEY HAD SEEN A LOT OF THESE PROBLEMS AROUND 40K MILES. *SCC *JB

SEVERE PISTON SLAP. DEALERSHIP HAS REPLACED LIFTERS 3 TIMES, PISTONS AND ALL OTHER MOVING PARTS IN ENGINE ONCE. ENGINE STILL RUNS VERY HOT AND HAS SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF POWER (I HAVE TO FLOOR IT TO MAINTAIN HIGHWAY SPEED WHILE GOING UPHILL, ETC.)*AK

ALL MALIBU'S SEEM TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS, LOW MILES HIGH MILES, ECT BRAKES ARE REPLACED AT LEAST THREE TO FOUR TIMES A YEAR WITH MINIMAL MILES EACH TIME, HEAD GASKET LEAKS, ALTERNATOR REPLACED TWICE, BATTERY TWICE, ELECTRICAL SHORTS TWICE, IGNITION SWITCH HANDLES TERRIBLE, NOT SAFE, CAR WAS SUPPOSE TO HAVE HIGH RATINGS, LYING TO GET PEOPLE TO BUY JUNK. *NLM

HEAD GASKETS ALL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT 53000 MILES. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH GM, BUT THEY REFUSE TO OWN UP TO THE PROBLEM. SOME DEALERS GOODWILL THE REPAIR COSTS ($500-900), BUT OTHERS OFFER NOTHING MORE THAN AN APOLOGY. TWO RECENT TECH. SERVICE BULLETINS ADDRESS THIS VERY ISSUE. THIS DEFECT CAN LEAD TO ENGINE FAILURE AND COULD PUT OTHER DRIVERS ARE RISK. GM NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL AND FIX THE PROBLEM. *NLM

WHILE DRIVING, THE ENGINE FAILED. DEALER NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB

ENGINE COOLANT LEAKAGE - WARPED LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET CAUSING ENGINE COOLANT LEAKAGE AND BOIL OVER. THIS IS APPARENTLY A FREQUENTLY OCCURRING PROBLEM WITH GENERAL MOTORS V-6 3100CC ENGINES. *NLM

I HAD MY MANIFOLD INTAKE GASKET REPLACED AND I KNOW THAT GMAC HAD A TECHNICAL BULLETIN ISSUED ON IT. I CONTACTED GMAC AND THEY ADVISED THEY WOULD NOT PAY FOR IT. A COUPLE MONTHS LATER MY CAR STARTED TO MAKE NOISE SO I TOOK IT BACK WHERE I GOT IT FIXED AT AND WAS ADVISED I NEED A NEW ENGINE. I CONTACTED GMAC AND THEY DIDN'T RESPOND UNTIL DECEMBER 24, 2002 AND TOLD ME THEY WOULDN'T PAY FOR THE ENGINE SINCE I DIDN'T GET MY CAR REPAIRED AT A GMAC DEALERSHIP. I TOLD THEM WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE CHEVROLET DEALER THEY SAID I COULDN'T GET MY CAR IN UNTIL THE FOLLOWING WEEK AND I COULDN'T WAIT THAT LONG BECAUSE I NEEDED MY VEHICLE SO I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER SHOP. HAD I BEEN TOLD WHEN I FIRST CALLED GMAC I WOULD HAVE TRIED TO TAKE IT TO ANOTHER...

I AM WRITING TO FIND OUT THE FREQUENCY OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE CHEVROLET MALIBU I HAVE A 1999 YEAR AND HAD PROBLEM WITH INTAKE MANIFOLD THAT HAD TO BE REPAIRED FOR $700(ANTIFREEZE WOULD LEAK INTO ENGINE) I WAS TOLD BY SOURCES THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL INCLUDING GM MECHANICS THEMSELVES AND THAT IT SHOULD BE A RECALL. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED IN HOW TO PROCEED WITH GATHERING INFORMATION ON THIS AND WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT IT. *JB

THE HORN, ANTI-LOCK BRAKES, BATTERY AND ENGINE FAILED. *AK *JB

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS WAS LEAKING AND WAS REPLACED. *YH

THERE IS A COOLANT SMELL IN VEHICLE, AND VEHICLE HESITATES. ALSO, HEAD GASKETS ARE LEAKING. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

WHEN MAKING TURNS ABS LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY, CONSUMER WILL THEN SHUT OFF ENGINE AND RESTART. ABS LIGHT WILL THEN BE OFF. MECHANIC CANNOT FIND A CAUSE.ABS LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATING AT TIME OF PURCHASE. CONSUMER HAD TO HAVE A NEW MOTOR PUT IN BECAUSE OF A KNOCKING NOISE IN THE PISTON PLATES. ALIGNMENT TO THE FRONT SUSPENSION WAS NEEDED. *JG

THERE'S A HOLE IN CYLINDER, WHICH MAKES VEHICLE HARD TO DRIVE.*AK

HAD COOLANT/OIL LEAKING FROM VALVE COVER/ INTAKE MANIFOLD. DEALER REPLACED ALL 5 GASKETS, OIL AND COOLANT. ONLY HAVE 31,000 MILES ON THE CAR. ALSO HAD RESISTOR FOR FAN CONTROL CHANGED. BLOWER WOULD NOT OPERATE IN POSITION 1 OR 2. ONE MONTH AGO IN JANUARY, HAD TRANSMISSION COOLING LEAK. DEALER SAID IT WAS "TRANSMISSION INTERNAL WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR" LEAKING WHEN I TOLD THEM IT WAS COOLING LINE. INVOICE SHOWS CHANGED HARNESS, WHICH I COULDNT TELL IT WAS NEW BECAUSE IT WAS DIRTY, AND CHANGED GASKET IN COOLING LINE. AT SAME TIME HAD A/C BLOWER CONTROL UNIT REPLACED. IVE HAD PROBELMS WITH THIS VEHICLE SINCE I BOUGHT IT. TIRES WERE "CUPPED" AFTER FIRST ROTATION. DEARLER REPLACED 2 FRONT TIRES UNDER WARRANTY. NOW I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH TIRES/WHEELS AFTER EACH ROTATION WHEN REAR WHEELS ARE PUT UP FRONT. SAID PROBLEM MIGHT BE ALIGNMENT, WHICH IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. ALSO HAVE HAD...

INTERMITTENTLLY VEHICLE OVER HEATS AND STALLS .EVERY 30-45 DAYS COOLANT HAS TO BE ADDED TO VEHICLE DUE TO GASKETS LEAKING. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND A 3RD PARTY DIAGNOSED GASKET DETERIORATION. *AK

HEAD GASKETS LEAKING, HEAD GASKETS CLEAN AND REPLACED. *CJ

WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE THE RPM GAUGE STARTED TO SHOW MAX RPM READINGS TO 0 AND CHANGING RAPIDLY. THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN TO THE REPAIR SHOP TO HAVE THIS CHECKED WHEN AT A INTERSECTION THE VEHICLE JUST CUT OFF. THE ENGINE DID NOT STOP BUT THE CAR COULD ONLY BE MOVED VERY SLOWLY UNTIL A MINUTE OR TWO PAST THEN THE SPEED WENT UP A BIT. THE REPAIR FACILITY FOUND A CRANKSHAFT SENSOR AND THE COMPUTER TO BE THE FAULT. CURRENTLY THE VEHICLE RUNS GOOD, BUT THE GAS MILEAGE IS ONLY ABOUT 17-18 MPG. WILL TURN IT BACK INTO THE GERMAN DEALER TO HAVE THIS CHECKED. *AK