1997 Chevrolet Malibu SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

I HAVE OWNED MY MALIBU SINCE IT WAS NEW IN 1997. IN ITS LIFETIME IT HAS HAD 4 OR 5 SETS OF ROTORS AND AT LEAST 7 SETS OF BRAKE PADS. IT IS NOW READY FOR A NEW SET OF ROTORS AND BRAKES. THE LAST TIME THESE WERE REPLACED ON THE CAR WAS 2 YEARS AGO. GM KNEW ABOUT THE BRAKE PROBLEM FROM DAY ONE. THE 1997 AND 1998 MODELS HAVE HAD NUMEROUS BRAKE PROBLEMS WITH THEM. THEY DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE NO ONE HAS GOTTEN KILLED FROM THE PROBLEM. DO I HAVE TO DIE IN A WRECK BEFORE SOMEONE LISTENS?? 2 YEARS AGO WHEN I HAD IT FIXED I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE THE LAST TIME, BUT NO, THE BRAKES AND ROTORS STILL DON'T FIT MY CAR RIGHT OR THEY WOULDN'T WEAR LIKE THEY DO. GM NEED TO FIX THE PROBLEM ON MY CAR. THEY SEEM TO HAVE CORRECTED THE PROBLEM ON THE 2000 MODELS JUST FINE. *JB

WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH AND WHEN DEPRESSING BRAKES PEDAL IT TRAVELED TO FLOORBOARD, RESULTING INTO EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, CAUSING CONSUMER TO CRASH HEAD ON INTO A POLE. *AK

CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED WITH THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS, BRAKE ROTORS WERE REPLACED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

GRINDING SOUND WHILE TURNING TO THE LEFT-HAS BEEN THERE SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR-THE DEALER WOULD NOT FIX IT WHEN I TOOK IT BACK A WEEK LATER- I FEEL THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH IT AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF WITHIN THE TIME THAT I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR WITHOUT A CHARGE!*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH I HAD TO STOP FOR A CAR, THE BRAKES FAILED,( BRAKE CLEAR TO THE FLOOR) I HAD TO DRIVE INTO THE BAR PIT TO AVOID A COLLISION. I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE TO A GM AUTHORIIZED SERVICE DEPARTMENT 3 TIMES TO HAVE THEM FIXED BECAUSE OF HOW SLOW IT STOPS. BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED, CALIPERS REPLACED, EVERYTHING WAS DONE TO THE BRAKES THAT THEY COULD. THE BRAKES FAILED AFTER THE BRAKES ON THE WHEEL WERE IN WORKING ORDER. I THINK THE ABS SYSTEM IS GOING OUT.!*AK

WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING ABS BRAKING LIGHT APPEARED ON DASHBOARD. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS THREE TIMES SINCE FEB. 11 2000. THE MILEAGE WAS 34,000. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 62,000 MILES AS OF TODAY APRIL 30, 2002. WITH THE RECEIPTS WE KEPT THE COMBINED TOTAL FOR BRAKE WORK IN THE PAST TWO YEARS EQUALS $800. OUR MACHANIC DID SOME OF HIS OWN INVESTIGATING AND CAME UP WITH THE CONCLUSION THAT THE ROTORS ARE TOO THIN, AND THE CALIPERS WERE TOO LIGHT FOR THE HEAT DISPERSMENT CAUSING PREMATURE BRAKE FAILURE.*AK

I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE SINCE THE DAY I FINANCED IT. I UNDERSTAND BUYING A USED CAR IS RISKY BUT NOT LIKE THIS. I HAVE HAD MY COMPLETE BRAKE SYSTEM REPLACED AND STILL HAVE MAJOR PROBLEMS. I PURCHASED THE VECHICLE FROM FOLSOM LAKE USED CAR OUTLET AND ALL THEY CAN DO IS POINT THE BLAME TOWARDS ME. THEY TELL ME IT IS THE WAY THAT I DRIVE, I RIDE THE BRAKES, I DRIVE WITH TWO FEET. EXCUSES MAINLY. INSTEAD OF SAYING WE DON'T HONESTLY KNOW WHAT IS WRONG FINGERS ARE BEING POINTED. I HAVE GONE THROUGH 6 SETS OF PADS, 4 SETS OF ROTORS DUE TO HOT SPOTS, A SET OF CALIPERS, AND NOW EVERYTHING NEEDS REPLACED AGAIN. I HAVE NOT HAD THE CAR 1 YEAR YET. PRETTY MUCH MY BRAKES FAIL EVERY MONTH TO MONTH & 1/2. WHEN THE DEALERSHIP FIRST PUT MY VEHICLE IN THE SHOP IT WENT TO THE ORIGINAL DEALER 2 WEEKS AFTER HAVING IT, FOR BLOWN HEADGASKETS & COOLIANT PROBLEMS. THE BRAKE PROBLEM WAS THERE BUT WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM WANTED TO FIX THE PROBLEM THEMSELVES. I HAVE A 4 YEAR OLD SON, AND I LOOK AT IT AS WHAT IF THE BRAKES TOTALLY FAIL. I GUESS IT IS NO ONES PROBLEM UNTIL SOMEONE GETS HURT AND A MAJOR LAW SUIT IS BRUNG AGAINST THE DEALER. THAT MAKES PEOPLE THEN OPEN THEIR EYES AND THINK HOW THE SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. I DO NOT BRING ALL THE BLAME AGAINST CHEVY BECAUSE WHEN A DEALERSHIP SELLS A VEHICLE NEW OR USED SAFETY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. AND I DON'T HAVE THAT SAFETY IN MY VEHICLE. PLEASE SOMEONE CAN YOU HELP ME IN MY SITUATION. *AK

NO SUMMARY

THE BRAKES AND ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES.*YH

WHEN DRIVING ABS BRAKING LIGHT COMES ON DASHBOARD INTERMITTENTLY. BRAKE LIGHT GOES OFF WHEN CONSUMER TURNS VEHICLE OFF.*AK

I ALMOST HIT A LARGE NUMBER OF CARS DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. ONCE I TIRED TO UP UP THE THE MOUINTAINS AND WHEN I RETURNED, BRAKES WOULD MAKE THE CARD SHAKE AND VIBRATE AND I COULD NOT CONTROL THE WEEL AND COULD NOT BRAKE THE CAR. I PRAID AND REDUCED SPEED VIA GEAR, AND THEN I COULD STOP THE CAR, BUT MY CAR WAS SO OUT OF CONTROL THAT I ALMOST WENT OUT OF THE ROAD. I HAVE CHANGED MY ROTORS AND PADS LIKE 10 TIMES AND CALIPERS ONCE WITHIN 20.000 MILES. I HAVE CHECKED THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE OVER 5000 COMPAINTS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM I AM HAVING WITH MY BRAKES, WEARING OUT VERY SOON. I HAVE SPENT OVER 3500 DOLARS ON PADS AND BRAKES, WITH AND WITHOUT ORIGINAL PARTS AND NOTHING SEENS TO WORK. EVEN THE DEALER MECHANIC SAYS THAT THE BRAKES IS FINE, BUT FOR ME AND EVERYONE ELSE, THEY ARE NOT. *AK

EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR THE ABS LIGHT STAYS ON ,IT DOES NOT STOP IN THE SNOW IT SLIDES ABS DOES NOT WORK AND FROM DAY ONE THE DEALER WOULD DO NOTHING TO HELP ME FIX THE PROBLEM AND NOW MY WARRENTY IS UP AND THEY SAY TOO BAD FOR YOU . NICE CAR DEALERSHIP ,NOT! IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT THIS ABS FAILURE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING WOULD STEP ON THE BRAKES AND IT WILL MAKES NOISE LIKE GRINDING METAL TO METAL. BRAKES HAD TO BE REPLACED NINE TIMES. *AK

WHEN APPLYING BRAKES A LOUD GRINDING NOISE OCCURS, CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER CAN NOT IDENTIFY PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

DISC BRAKES HAVE NEVER WORKED PROPERLY. PADS REPLACED AT 30K MILES. BRAKES HAVE NEVER BEEN RIGHT SINCE I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR. *AK

AT 19,000 FRONT ROTORS NEEDED TO BE RESURFACED, AND AT 24,000 MILES ROTORS NEEDED TO BE RESURFACED AGAIN. AT 47,000 MILES FRONT BRAKES, AND 1 ROTOR NEEDED TO REPLACED. AT 71,000 MILES FRONT ROTORS AND PADS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS NORMAL TO HAVE ROTORS TURNED EVERY 15,000-20000 MILES.*AK

VEHICLE MADE A GRINDING OR GROANING NOISE WHILE STOPPING FROM VARIOUS SPEEDS. HAD BRAKES REPLACED THREE TIMES. *AK

FRONT END SHIMMY AT 50-60 MPH WHEN BRAKES APPLIED;ROTORS&PADS REPLACED. *AK

CONSUMER REPLACED ROTORS DUE TO THE NOISES THEY MADE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE USED AND THEY DID NOT FIT PROPERLY, THEY WERE TOO LOOSE AND THEY SHIFTED. *SLC

DUE TO IMPROPER INSTALLATION REAR BRAKES ARE INOPERATIVE, CAUSING THE REAR BRAKES TO RUST OUT. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

ONGOING PROBLEM WITH PULSATION WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. AT 21,000 MILES/AT LOW SPEED IT APPEAR MODERATE, AND SEVERE AT HIGH SPEED. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND HAD FRONT ROTORS TURNED. AT 30,000 MILES PROBLEM REOCCURRED. DEALER NOTIFIED AGAIN, AND RETURNED FRONT ROTORS, AND REPLACED PADS AT CONSUMER'S COST. AT 33,000 MILES, AGAIN PROBLEM REOCCURRED WHILE COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN AT 60 MPH AND APPLYING BRAKES, IT CAUSED SEVERE VIBRATION / PULSATION. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK

SEVERE SHAKING OF FRONT WHEELS WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AT SPEEDS OF 55 TO 70 MPH. TRAVELING OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN MARYLAND, I COULD NOT KEEP MY FOOT ON BRAKES. HAD TO PUMP THE BRAKES TO AVOID THE SEVERE SHAKING OF THE FRONT WHEELS. THIS IS MORE THAN JUST ANNOYING, IT IS FRIGHTENING BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GET OFF THE BRAKES TO STOP THE SHAKING WHEN DESCENDING LONG GRADES. HAVE HAD THE CAR TO THE DEALER TWICE FOR THIS PROBLEM. FIRST TIME AT 21,368 (DEALER MACHINED ROTORS) AND THE SECOND TIME AT 30,467 (DEALER MACHINED ROTORS AND REPLACED PADS). EACH TIME, PROBLEM ONLY STOPPED TEMPORARILY. AT 54,400 I HAD TO PURCHASE 2 ROTORS ($240.00) AND WAS TOLD THAT GM HAD REDESIGNED THE ROTORS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. SINCE I WAS BEYOND 3YR/36,000 MILE WARANTY GM WOULD NOT COVER THIS COST. THE ORIGINAL ROTORS ARE DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS UNDER HIGH SPEED DOWNHILL CONDITIONS. I HAVE JUST LEARNED OF A GM BULLETIN TO DEALERS THAT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE ROTORS ARE A PROBLEM. MY NEIGHBOR ADVISED ME OF A 1999 MALIBU THAT EXHIBITED THE SAME SEVERE FRONT END SHAKING UNDER BRAKING. I HAVE THE ORIGINAL ROTORS AND THE PADS THAT I REPLACED ON 10/27/2000 AT A COST OF $357.30 (PARTS ONLY). THIS PROBLEM DESERVES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.*AK

BRAKES CAUSE FRONT END TO SHAKE. DEALER STATES THAT THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO TURN THE ROTORS. *AK

THE CALIPERS STICK AND WEAR THE ROTORS DOWN TO THE METAL. DEALER HAS REPAIRED THE VEHICLE .*AK