Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 15 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Theft light. Car won’t start it’s happened 20 times in the last 6 months. I was driving and theft light caused everything to shut down. This is a dangerous thing that needs to be fixed
Theft light keeps coming on, my car will stop when it happens. This has happened while driving. And will not start. I’ve had the recall fixed years ago that was said to be the reason. It didn’t fix the problem
CAR GOES INTO LOCKDOWN FREQUENTLY BECAUSE OF THE THEFT ALERT SYSTEM AND YOU HAVE TO WAIT 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE CAR WILL START. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN AND POTENTIAL HAZARD TO ANYONE IS OPERATING THIS VEHICLE. I CALLED DEALERSHIP TO DISCUSS THIS PROBLEM AND THERE REPLY IS "WELL THE CAR IS OLD AND YOU NEED TO SEE ABOUT PURCHASING ANOTHER ONE". I GOT THIS REPLY IN 2007. I HAVE ALSO RESEARCHED IT ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN CHEVY MALIBU'S, WHICH TO ME CONSTITUTES A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AS WELL AS A SAFETY CONCERN. *TR
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT AND THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE BEEN TO A REPAIR SHOP ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS, AND THE PROBLEM HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED. VEHICLE HAD ITS GAS TANK CAP REPLACED, AND THE BRAKE SYSTEM WAS OVERHAULED. BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK
CARS ADD ENGINE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON, NO OBVIOUS LEAKS; TAKEN TO AUTO REPAIR PLACE AND WAS INFORMED THAT I HAD AN INTAKE LEAK; THEN INFORMED BY ANOTHER REPAIR SHOP THERE WAS WATER IN MY OIL ; POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF A PROBLEM WITH GASKET; BASICALLY SAME SITUATION AS ODI-ID758781. *AK
WHILE HAVING VEHICLE SERVICED MECHANIC STATED THAT INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD A SLIGHT LEAK. ADVISED CONSUMER TO HAVE MANIFOLD REPLACED. CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED BECAUSE THERE WAS ONLY 35000 MILES ON VEHICLE.*AK
CONSUMER STATES INTERMITTENTLY THE VEHICLE ANTI-THEFT LIGHT WOULD COME ON WHILE DRIVING, WITHIN A FEW SECONDS IT WOULD START TO FLICKER ON/OFF, WHEN THIS OCCURS THE VEHICLE WOULD CUT OFF, DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *JB ALSO, CONSUMER STATES DEALER REPLACED FUSE, MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH, DOME LAMP WIRING, IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER, POWER STEERING HOSE, FUEL PUMP, ENGINE MOUNT, HEATER, LEFT DOOR WINDOW SWITCH, RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT, LEFT FRONT DOOR HANDLE COVER, AND LEFT FRONT DOOR LOCK SWITCH.*YD
IN JUNE OF 1999, THE ANTI-THEFT LOCK SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED WHICH PREVENTED CONSUMER FROM STARTING VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP DID REPAIRS TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. IN OCTOBER OF 2001, ANTI-THEFT LOCK SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED AGAIN, PREVENTING CONSUMER FROM STARTING VEHICLE. *AK CONSUMER STATED THAT THE ANTI THEFT SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED ON 4 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, THE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND STAY ON AT TIMES, ALSO CONSUMER WENT TO HAVE FUEL FILTER REPLACED AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE QUICK RELEASE CONNECTION AT FUEL FILTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED QUICKLY, BECAUSE WHEN IT WAS INSTALLED AT THE FACTORY IT WAS SOME HOW BENT.*JB
AIRBAG DERM MODULE FAILED, DISABLING THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. DEALER AND CHEVROLET DETERMINED FAILURE WAS DUE TO WATER IN PASSENGER COMPARTMENT SHORTING OUT MODULE. DEALER DETERMINED, AND CHEVROLET ADMITTED, THAT WATER CAME IN THROUGH HOLES IN CHASSIS OPENED UP DUE TO IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF PATCHES AT TIME OF VEHICLE MANUFACTURE. DESPITE THIS, CHEVROLET REFUSED TO PAY FOR REPAIR, DUE TO VEHICLE BEING OUT OF WARRANTY. FUEL LINE BREAK OCCURED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, SPRAYING FUEL OVER CAR EXHAUST SYSTEM AND TRAILING CARS. PASSING MOTORIST MOTIONED ME TO SIDE OF ROAD, HELPING TO PREVENT FIRE/EXPLOSION. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, CHEVROLET NEVER NOTIFIED NHTSA OR INVESTIGATED PROBLEM.*AK
5 DIFFERENT TIMES, VEHICLE STALLING IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC CAUSING EXTEME ANXIETY AND STRESS, REPLACE THE PCM. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON, DUE TO CAP CRACKED, REPLACE FUEL CAP, CLEAN CODE ROAD TEST OK. GAS PEDAL LOOSE, REPLACE ACCEL PEDAL SHAFT AND BRACKET ASSEMBLY
I STARTED TO NOTICE THAT OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS I'VE HAD TO ADD COOLANT TO THE CAR I DID'NT NOTICE ANY LEAKAGE BUT I KEPT AN EYE OUT. WHEN I WENT TO CHANGE THE OIL THE OTHER DAY COOLANT LEAKAGE WAS EVEDENT AND WAS COMING FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD, CLOSER INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD BOLTS WERE LOOSE, YOU COULD MOVE THEM WITH YOUR FINGERS. DEALER COST ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR IS 500 DOLLARS.THE TIRE SITUATION IS AS FOLLOWS, 2 SETS OF FIRESTONE AFINNITY TIRE THAT ARE SUPOSSED TO LAST 80000 MILES A SET AND WE CAN ONLY GET AOUT 33000 MILES BOTH SETS HAVE BEEN MAINTAINED BY A FIRESTONE DEALER AND OF COARSE IT'S NOT THE TIRES IT IS THE CAR SO THEY SAY.I HAVE THEM ROTATED EVERY 6000 MILES AND KEEP THEM INFLATED TO THE PROER SPECS,ALSO HAVE THEM BALANCED AND HAVE THE CAR S ALIGNMENT PERFORMED ANNUALLY. *AK (TIRESIZE: 215/60/15)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 215/60/15 )
VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED CONTINUED PROBLEMS WITH ENGINE FAILURE AT IDLE , SEVERAL REPAIR ATTEMPTS HOWEVER CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE FAILURES. MJS
TURN SIGNAL CONTROL FAILED.
DRIVING AT APPROX 10-25 VEHICLE WILL BEGIN TO STALL WHEN TRYING TO COME TO COMPLETE STOP OR STARTING UP VEHICLE. DEALER CLAIMS THAT THE VEHICLE IS BASICALLY A LEMON. CHANGED/REPLACED ALL FOUR FUEL INJECTORS/CLEANED FUEL PLUGS/REPLACED THE COMPUTER, REPROGRAMMED IT. *AK
WALKING TOWARDS VEHICLE & NOTICED STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE. TOOK TO DEALER & WAS INFORMED A DEFECTIVE PART IN GAS LINE & THEY HAD TO REPAIRED IT. MONTH LATER HAVING SAME PROBLEM, ONLY GASOLINE SPILLING OUT OF VEHICLE. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .