Owner-reported complaints naming the interior system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 16 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
THE FRONT TWO (2) METAL LATCHES THAT SECURE THE DRIVER'S SEAT TO THE SLIDING RAIL FAILED RESULTING IN THE SEAT ROTATING ON THE REAR LATCHES WITH THE DRIVER LAYING ON THEIR BACK PARTIALLY IN THE BACK SEAT. BOTH FRONT LATCHES FAILED WITH THE METAL CRACKED AND SHEARED. THE ENTIRE FRONT SEAT WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED. *AKFORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INOPERATION AT THE TIME.
CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING TRUNK LATCH PROBLEMS. EVERY TIME THE CONSUMER OPENED THE TRUNK AND WAS UNDER IT, THE TRUNK CLOSED, HITTING THE CONSUMER ON THE HEAD. MANUFACTURER OR DEALER WERE NOT CONTACTED AT THE TIME OF THIS CALL.*AK *PH *JB
I BOUGHT A 98 CHEVY MALIBU ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO.IT ONLYHAD 69,000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME.SINCE THAT TIME I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKESAND BUY A NEW BATTERY.MY ABS LIGHT POPS ON AND OFF,MY AIRCONDITIONER CUTS ON AND OFF BY ITSELF, AND MY CAR CLUCKS ALL THE TIME. MY FRIEND HAS THE SAME CAR AND WE RIDE TOGETHER WE RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT BOTH OF OUR CARS ARE GIVING US THE SAME PROBLEMS.
VEHICLE HAS AN ELECTRICAL CLUSTER WHICH RECORDS MILEAGE DRIVEN, HOWEVER INSTEAD OF RECORDING THE MILEAGE, THE WORD ERROR HAS ILLUMINATED, THE DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT A COMPUTER CHIP MALFUNCTIONED AND WOULD COST 400 TO 500 DOLLARS TO REPLACE IT. *SLC
VEHICLE HAS STALLED NUMEROUS OF TIMES ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM AT A COMPLETE STOP AND ENGINE LIGHT WILL GO ON. SLOW CRANK AND BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. THE HEADLIGHTS AND INTERIOR LIGHTS DIM WHENEVER YOU SLOW DOWN TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP DUE TO THE STALLING ISSUE, MECHANIC STATES IT IS A PROBLEM IN THE COMPUTER SYSTEM AND WILL AND TO BE REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. MOTOR MOUNTS ARE ALSO CORRODED WHICH IS HIGHLY UNUSUALLY DUE TO CAR ONLY BEING 3 YEARS. I WAS UNABLE TO GIVE THE VIN # DUE TO NOT HAVING ACCESS TO VEHICLE AT THE MOMENT. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP UNDERGOING REPAIRS.
VEHICLE REAR-ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AT 35 MPH IN WHICH NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. DRIVER'S SEAT CAME UNLATCHED & DRIVER RECEIVED INJURY TO RIGHT HAND & RIGHT BREAST. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK
ROTOR PROBEMS: 1ST@10,333 2ND@17,914 AND AGAIN @26,000. ALSO PROBLEMS WITH DOOR CHIME-WOULD NOT STOP CHIMING WITH KEYS OUT AND LIGHTS OFF. WAS TAKEN IN 6 TIMES BEFORE RESOLVED. ALSO TAKEN IN FOR TAILIGHT SEAL COMING LOOSE AND NOW MUST GO IN AGAIN BC THE DRIVER REAR PASSENGER DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE, DOOR LATCH DOES NOT WORK. CAR IS A LEMON. I HAVE WASTED TOO MUCH OF MY TIME BY CONTINUALLY GOING BACK FOR WARRANTY WORK. A NEW CAR SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS MANY PROBLEMS. HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH GM DIRECTLY ON 3-24-00 BC THIS IS NOT GETTING RESOLVED. *AK
ENGINE IDLING ROUGHLY DUE TO FAULTY ENGINE MOUNT. NLM
IT SEEMS AS THOUGH SOONER I GET ONE THING FIXED AND ANOTHER GOES WRONG. I WANT GM TO PURCHASE THE CAR BACK. IT IS TO THE POINT I AM AFAID TO EVEN GET INTO THE CAR ANYMORE. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHILE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN WITHOUT WARNING. ALSO, ALL DASHBOARD LIGHTS WERE ACTING ERRATICALLY. DEALER CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. *AK.
REAR SEAT BACK LOWER MOUNT BOLTS FAILED DURING VEHICLE COLLISION RESULTING IN BROKEN BACK OF OCCUPANT.
ANTI LOCK BRAKE LIGHT AND THEFT LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY, UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF LIGHTING PROBLEMS. MJS
EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. YH
DRIVER SEAT FAILED. *YC
FRONT END SUSPENSION ROUGH,CLUNK, FEELS LOOSE, BRAKES/ROTORS PREMATURELY WEARING OUT, AND INSTRUMENT PANEL VERY HOT WHEN HEATER OR A/C BEING USED. RADIO AM ALREADY MALFUNCTIONED ONCE. AM CONCERNED RE: BRAKES, FRONT END AND FIRE HAZARD OF THIS VEHICLE. *AK
INABILITY TO TURN ON AND CONTROL INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS. THEY ARE BACK LIGHTED AND AUTMATICALLY CONTROLLED.
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 .